Public Policy Commons^™

Addressing Work-Related Traumatic Stress Nebraska - Peer Support Group Guidebook, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

This guide is intended for CFSS workers or supervisors facilitating a Peer Support Group (PSG) session. The PSG is part of CFS Strong, beginning in January 2020. CFS Strong is designed to address the cumulative effects of secondary traumatic stress (STS) that is part of the day-to-day work of CFSS. CFS Strong includes: (1) an adaptation of Resilience Alliance (RA) to teach skills and strategies to manage STS and build team cohesion, (2) Restoring Resiliency Response (RRR) to allow workers to debrief after an acute traumatic event, and (3) PSGs to reinforce the skills taught in RA and provide a …

Individual Bodies, Informed Consent, And Self-Determination: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Vaccine Refusal Movement, Gretta Richardson

Scripps Senior Theses

This project sought to explore the narratives and rhetorical themes that permeate the anti-vaccination movement. Mass media has portrayed vaccine refusal groups as stupid, as conspiracy theorists, and as radically selfish. However, the data I analyzed from vaccine refusal nonprofits and advocacy groups supports that although these themes may appear to be radical, in reality, each is congruent with already present societal frameworks, particularly neoliberal social discourse and a preoccupation with the individualistic and self-determined health care rather than utilitarian or collective action.

Consumer Satisfaction With Aging & Disability Resource Connection Of Oregon: Round 6, Diana L. White, Allyson Stodola

Institute on Aging Publications

This report describes findings from the sixth consumer satisfaction survey conducted with consumers or family members who are served by the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) of Oregon, focusing on Call Center staff (or Information, Referral and Assistance; IR&A) and recipients of options counseling services. The Institute on Aging at Portland State University directed the project, partnering with Washington State University Social & Economic Research Center, who conducted the telephone survey between February 27 and April 5, 2019.

Dios, Drogas, Dinero: ¿QuiéN Gana Con El Traslado De Adictos De Puerto Rico A Ee.Uu.?, Claudia E. Irizarry Aponte, Eliana Y. Perez

Capstones

For the last 25 years, evangelical leaders have been shipping off opioid addicts in Puerto Rico to cities in the mainland US, mainly New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia--under the promise they’ll receive state-of-the-art rehabilitation treatment, only to end up in unregulated transitional homes and flophouses where they don’t receive proper medical care or psychotherapy. In turn, many of these unregulated transitional homes, also run by evangelical leaders, may charge Medicaid kickbacks from their “patients.”

While this so-called “air bridge” from Puerto Rico to the U.S. goes back decades, it gained momentum from 2005 to 2014, when evangelical leaders joined …

Robin Hood Politics: An Analysis Of Wealth Redistributive Policies And The Impact Of Political Donations, Marley R. Dizney Swanson

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

Both Democrats and Republicans have taken strong positions on wealth redistribution. But is there variance within the parties? I hypothesize that while moderate non-donors and moderate donors will favor increases in federal spending for such policies at similar rates, both liberal and conservative donors will be less likely to favor spending due to attachment to their personal wealth. This paper analyzes the differences in support for increasing the budgets of five wealth redistributive policies while controlling for political donations: public schools, welfare, aid to the poor, childcare, and Social Security. The research finds that moderates and moderate donors support do …

Fuller Together: An Understanding Of The Nexus Between Disability And Food Security, Zach Curinga

Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition

American society is currently structured to function for those individuals bestowed with inherent abilities. As such, it ignores access to participate socially and culturally for those who are disabled. There is a trend that elected representatives often limit access of the socio-cultural rights of others who are unlike themselves, interpreted by their own personal, non-disabled, socioeconomic experience. This trend is the root of the problem for those who are disabled: they cannot access and participate in society fully, which makes them often disregarded by their representatives who do not face their same barriers.

In this thesis, I apply a human …

Prescription Opioids And Heroin Abuse In New Mexico: Swot Analyses Of Possible Policies/Interventions And The Way Forward, Ali Abbasi

Public Administration ETDs

Throughout the last decade or so, Opioid related fatalities are at all-time high in the United States. New Mexico’s problem with Opioids abuse in not a new phenomenon and a large number of New Mexicans are losing their lives almost on a daily basis. The paper highlights the alarming situation of overdose deaths caused specifically by the abuse of Prescription Opioids and Heroin which, in 2016 alone have taken 347 lives in New Mexico. Policy makers along with other stakeholders play a vital part in shaping the politics along with other interventions which can help tackle the epidemic. The paper …

Ohio Selects And Begins Installation Of A Workforce Intervention: Coach Ohio: Promoting Resilience And Optimism, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Ohio is committed to improving outcomes for children and families. Strengthening the child welfare workforce is an essential component for improving these outcomes. To this end, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) partnered with eight public children services agencies; Champaign, Crawford, Hamilton, Knox, Montgomery, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne, to become one of eight national project sites to test child welfare workforce interventions through the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD). Earlier this year, the Ohio site conducted a workforce assessment that revealed 48% of Ohio’s participating child welfare caseworkers experienced at least one symptom of secondary …

Qic-Wd Site Intervention Selection – Fall 2018, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The eight QIC-WD sites have worked with the QIC-WD to determined which intervention to implement and evaluate to strengthen their child welfare workforce. These decisions came after a thorough needs assessment through which human resources (HR) data was examined to uncover the root causes of child welfare caseworker turnover. The sites recognize that turnover is not caused by a single issue, so they had to consider which aspect of turnover they could address in partnership with the QIC-WD. The QIC-WD team simultaneously examined available interventions, study designs, and the needs of the broader child welfare field to help each site …

Supportive Supervision And Resiliency Ohio - Coach Ohio Flyer 2018, Ohio Department Of Job And Family Services, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

What We Do and Why

Ohio is committed to improving outcomes for children and families and strengthening its child welfare workforce. When we improve the child welfare workforce, we improve outcomes for children and families. As a participant in a national workforce research project through the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD), Ohio collected data over the last several months and completed a workforce needs assessment. The assessment identified high staff burnout, secondary trauma and lack of engagement as major contributors to Ohio workforce challenges. To address these challenges, six Ohio counties − Champaign, Hamilton, Knox, Montgomery, Summit and …

Using Implementation Science To Strengthen The Child Welfare Workforce, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The QIC-WD is using implementation science to strengthen the child welfare workforce in eight child welfare agencies across the U.S. According to a synthesis of the literature, implementation can be defined as a specified set of activities designed to put into practice and activity or program of known dimensions. The QIC-WD is using the implementation science framework developed by NIRN and the guide created by the Permanency Innovations Initiative to support our sites through the stages of implementation: Exploration, Installation, Initial Implementation, and Full Implementation as described below. The QIC-WD knows that high quality implementation of a selected intervention is …

Kinship Diversion In The District Of Columbia: A Review Of Local Practice To Inform National Policy, Marla P. Spindel, Beth A. Stekler, Stephanie Ridgway Mcclellan

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This article addresses a practice commonly known in the child welfare community as “kinship diversion,” where a child welfare agency informally places children with relatives as an alternative to foster care. While evidence predominantly shows that abused and neglected children have better outcomes when they are placed with relatives when they cannot remain safely at home, serious concerns about these children’s safety and well-being arise when the placement with relatives is informal. Indeed, it is often not understood that these same relatives can be approved as foster parents and can receive essential financial assistance and supportive services to help safely …

Quasi-Experimental Comparison Design For Evaluating The Mayor’S Action Plan For Neighborhood Safety. Map Evaluation Update Number 1., Sheyla A. Delgado, Wogod Alawlaqi, Richard A. Espinobarros, Laila Alsabahi, Anjelica Camacho, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

This is the first of six updates presenting interim findings from the evaluation of the NYC Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP). As part of an evaluation of the New York City Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP), the John Jay College Research and Evaluation Center created methods to assemble various outcome measures about participating NYCHA MAP developments. The team also utilized statistical procedures to select a matched comparison group of NYCHA housing developments not participating in MAP. Differences in outcomes between the 17 MAP and 17 non-MAP housing developments will serve as the statistical basis for estimating …

Readiness For Change And Why It Matters, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Organizations seeking to implement and evaluate a workforce intervention must be prepared for change. Change management experts suggest that when readiness in an organization is high, the organization is better able to initiate and sustain a major change. Staff in organizations that are ready for change are more likely to exert greater effort, persist in the face of obstacles, and display cooperative behavior. In organizations where staff are not ready for change, implementation and evaluation of a new intervention can be very difficult. Staff may not be ready for change if they don’t see the need for an intervention, are …

Understanding The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Turnover, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

“Organizational culture” is a term used to describe the norms and expectations in a work environment. Research has found that there are three aspects of a human services organization’s culture that predict better outcomes related to the implementation of evidence-based practices, staff turnover, and the serviced provided: 1. Proficiency includes staff skills, competence, responsiveness, and a focus on client well-being. 2. Rigidity reflects issues related to decision making, transparency, micromanagement, and trust. 3. Resistance considers if staff are resistant to change or new ways of doing things. Healthy organizations are highly proficient and not too rigid or resistant. For example …

Virginia Selects And Begins Implementation Of A Workforce Intervention: Transcription Services, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) was the first QIC-WD site to select a workforce intervention. VDSS learned from the field that many workers leave the agency because they feel overloaded with paperwork. In Virginia, 2,400 Family Services Specialists (FSS) representing 120 local departments of social services (LDSS) perform child welfare and adult protective services. These FSS must document case notes for all interactions with clients, families, and service providers. FSS often manage several high-priority cases and need tools to complete their required documentation in a timely and high-quality manner. VDSS decided to implement three technology solutions to ease …

Stress And The Child Welfare Workforce: Recognizing Signs Of Secondary Traumatic Stress, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Child welfare workers are exposed to a variety of stressors in their everyday work. These stressors can come from: 1. Direct traumatic events – Murder, threats on the lives of workers or their family members, name calling, cursing, shouting, assaults, dog attacks, and property damage. 2. Secondary traumatic events – Exposure to the perpetrators or the victims and survivors of trauma (e.g., children who are abused, neglected, abandoned, and killed, battered women, victims of crime, survivors of natural disasters). 3. Organizational environments – Bureaucratic rules, paperwork, work overload, role confusion, high demands with low resources, high levels of office politics, …

Human Trafficking: Flying Under The Radar, Amber L. Hulsey

Dissertations

The global hegemon, the United States encompasses roughly 57,000 to 63,000 of the roughly 45.8 million slaves present across the world today (Walk Free Foundation 2016a). This dissertation research uses the theoretical lens of Human Security as a unique approach in that it is people-centered, focusing on the individual, rather than the more traditional theories in international relations that emphasize the state as the central actor. This dissertation focuses on the understudied area of human trafficking into and within the United States. More specifically, the objective of this research examines the movement of trafficked persons via air and details actions …

Coca, Capitalism And Decolonization: State Violence In Bolivia Through Coca Policy, Margaret A. Poulos

Political Science Honors Projects

I approach Bolivian coca policy under Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous President, as a site to examine the broader issue of decolonization. My paper argues that the new General Law of Coca, passed in March 2017, is part of a larger systemic pattern of violence towards historically disenfranchised communities in Bolivia, despite Morales’ indigenous Aymara identity and pro-coca activism. Drawing on interviews I conducted and a postcolonial theoretical framework, I analyze how although Morales has rhetorically advocated for indigenous communities and decolonizing Bolivia, colonial legacies supplanted in the subjectivity of Bolivians and institutions of its government have persisted. I suggest …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

Gatekeeping Decriminalization Of Prostitution: The Ubiquitous Influence Of The New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective, Janice G. Raymond

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article explores the activities of The New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective (NZPC) in promoting decriminalization of prostitution and its role in gatekeeping this legislation. The NZPC has loomed large in the government’s evaluations of the decriminalization legislation known as the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA). It has collected information, partnered on the research team appointed by the Ministry of Justice to conduct the research, and ultimately secured seats as evaluators on the Prostitution Law Review Committee (PLRC) charged with assessing the research and making recommendations. Much of its outsized influence on the research and conclusions of this report is demonstrated in …

The Triple Bind Of Single-Parent Families: Resources, Employment And Policies To Improve Wellbeing, Rense Nieuwenhuis, Laurie C. Maldonado

Open-Access Books by Faculty

Editors: Rense Nieuwenhuis and Laurie C. Maldonado

Authors are listed in order of appearance in text. Author/Editor details at time of book publication.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book presents evidence from over 40 countries that shows how single parents face a triple bind of inadequate resources, employment and policies, which in combination further complicate their lives.

This book - multi-disciplinary and comparative in design - shows evidence from over 40 countries, along with detailed case studies of Sweden, Iceland, Scotland, and the UK. It covers aspects of well-being that include poverty, good quality jobs, the middle class, …

Livable Dedham: An Age-Friendly Action Plan, Livable Dedham Steering Committee, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Town of Dedham was first settled in 1635 and became the county seat of Norfolk County in 1793. Dedham is situated southwest of Boston and the Town shares a border with Needham, Westwood, and Canton. Dedham encompasses over 10 square miles and has a population of over 25,000 residents, about one-quarter of which are age 60 and older1 (American Community Survey, 2016).

Despite Dedham’s urban location, the Town is rich with natural resources, including several state parks, hiking trails, and the Mother Brook. Although today the Mother Brook is known to residents for the variety of outdoor recreational activities …

Liminal Entrepreneuring: The Creative Practices Of Nascent Necessity Entrepreneurs, Lucia Garcia-Lorenzo, Paul Donnelly, Lucia Sell-Trujillo, J. Miguel Imas

Articles

This paper contributes to creative entrepreneurship studies through exploring ‘liminal entrepreneuring’, i.e., the organization-creation entrepreneurial practices and narratives of individuals living in precarious conditions. Drawing on a processual approach to entrepreneurship and Turner’s liminality concept, we study the transition from un(der)employment to entrepreneurship of 50 nascent necessity entrepreneurs (NNEs) in Spain, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The paper asks how these agents develop creative entrepreneuring practices in their efforts to overcome their condition of ‘necessity’. The analysis shows how, in their everyday liminal entrepreneuring, NNEs disassemble their identities and social positions, experiment with new relationships and alternative visions of themselves, …

Unlocking The Potential In Your Workforce Data, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Communicating complex ideas to diverse stakeholders is central to reliable decision making. Stakeholders may vary greatly in their interest, familiarity, or expertise with data regarding a policy, program, or practice. Well-designed data visualizations provide a platform for engaging stakeholders in ways that are tailored to their interest, familiarity, and expertise. However, research indicates that visualizations are not always designed effectively to reliably motivate users to understand and ultimately use the data in their decision-making (Evergreen, 2011; Cawthon & Moere, 2007). Thoughtful and engaging visualizations demand the stakeholders’ attention and can facilitate the comprehension of findings (Hillstrom & Yantis, 1994; Treisman, …

Fulfilling U.S. Commitment To Refugee Resettlement: Protecting Refugees, Preserving National Security, & Building The U.S. Economy Through Refugee Admissions, Harvard Immigration And Refugee Clinical Program

Texas A&M Law Review

At a time when the U.S. refugee admissions program is under serious threat and the world’s displaced population is at its highest, this Report sets forth extensive recommendations regarding the United States’ role in protecting vulnerable refugees and compliance with its commitments under domestic and international law that together safeguard people fleeing persecution and fearing return to torture. The Report also identifies key national security reasons for supporting and enhancing the refugee program in keeping with U.S. foreign policy priorities. Additionally, the Report provides an in-depth discussion of the robust, multistep security-assessment mechanisms already in place for screening refugees; offers …

Pre-Existing Conditions In West Virginia, Simon F. Haeder

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

West Virginians disproportionately suffer from higher rates of illness, disease and disability. As a result, West Virginians also have some of the nation’s highest rates of pre-existing conditions. These are health conditions which were diagnosed or treated by a provider prior to the purchase of insurance. They are also those conditions undiagnosed by a physician for which a “prudent” person would have sought care.

Until the Affordable Care Act (ACA) established a series of consumer protections,¹ individuals affected by pre-existing conditions were generally unable to purchase insurance on their own. However, recently these protections have come under threat by …

Envisioning A Watertown For All Ages, Caitlin Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

Watertown for All Ages is a group of residents working to improve the livability of Watertown for residents of all ages and abilities. They work closely with the Watertown Council on Aging/Senior Center. The Watertown Council on Aging/Senior Center provides a variety of social, health, educational, recreational, advocacy, and support programs designed to help Watertown’s older adults age well in the community. Services provided to seniors living in the community range from transportation support to nutrition services and social services, along with a range of programs and activities meant to enhance well-being and quality of life. Similar to many Councils …

The Relevance Of Caste In Contemporary India: Reexamining The Affirmative Action Debate, Shambhavi Sahai, Shambhavi Sahai

CMC Senior Theses

With the changing significance of caste and caste identity, this thesis explores the role of affirmative action or "reservations" in Indian higher education. Specifically, it aims to reopen the debate on the dominance of a "creamy layer" among the OBCs in an increasingly nationalist India. Viewing caste through the lens of ethnic identity, this thesis draws comparisons between the identity of OBCs and Scheduled Castes and Tribes, OBCs of the "Hindi Belt" and OBCs of the South, followed by an analysis of the politicization of caste identity today. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of affirmative action today and possible …

Paid Parental Leave In The United States: Reconciling Competing Demands, Sydney Joseph

CMC Senior Theses

The United States is the only developed nation that fails to provide its citizens with paid parental leave. The lack of parental benefit provision operates to the detriment of individuals and society as a whole by contributing to inequity across gender, race, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. As the demographics of the American workforce have changed, public policy has not kept pace. Paid parental leave is associated a number of health, economic, and social benefits. However, the greatest barrier to legislating paid parental leave is the philosophical underpinnings of American politics, specifically the strong current of liberal individualism and absence …