Social Work Commons^™

Food Deserts In Poor, Urban Areas, Isha Naik

Petersheim Academic Exposition

No abstract provided.

Prevention Of Violence Against Children: A Systems Readiness Assessment In Côte D’Ivoire, Marie-Kaye Soletchi Seya-Sery

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Violence against children (VAC) is a global problem with significant consequences. Recognizing the need to better understand the problem of VAC in Côte d’Ivoire (CI), the government of CI recently completed a survey on violence against children. The recent data will support an evidence-based national action plan for the prevention of VAC. Research shows that initiatives tackling specific problems will only be as successful as the community’s readiness to take action. This study applied the community readiness model to assess the readiness of the multisectoral task force (MSTF) to implement the national action plan in CI. Eight MSTF participants’ interview …

Kenton Women’S Village Update And Survey, Marta Petteni, Emily Leickly

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Homeless shelters can be chaotic and sometimes not much better than living on the streets. Sleeping pod villages, such as Kenton Women’s Village, provide opportunities for community development while still allowing privacy and security. The village model provides a more incremental transition into permanent housing from the streets rather than a sudden transition. This report provides an update on the village and results of a survey that explored physical health, mental health, demographic information, and level of satisfaction with village living.

Urban Care Stations, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Hygiene, waste and sanitation in the Portland metropolitan region is a broad and complex topic that relates to homelessness as a primary field, but stretches to other scenarios. The need for improving and increasing access to restrooms, showers and laundry facilities in Portland has been documented and proven through interviews and research. Due to its complex nature, multiple potential solutions to address accessibility have been explored (and some are already in place). These solutions lay at different scales (from neighborhood level to region level), include different hygiene services (from toilets to storage), and involve different stakeholders for their creation and …

Youth Homelessness, Katricia Stewart

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Youth experiencing homelessness face numerous challenges to maintaining their health while homeless and as they exit homelessness. This includes their physical health, mental health, and well-being. Further, research on the efficacy of various interventions that aim to positively impact the health of homeless youth is limited. The following paper summarizes what is currently understood about the health and well-being of youth experiencing homelessness and concludes with recommendations for interventions, prevention programs, and future research.

Focal Point, Special Compilation Issue 2007–2019, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

For this special compilation, we have included a variety of contributions by youth and young adults that originally appeared in Focal Point issues from 2007 to 2019. These first-hand narratives of recovery personalize what might otherwise be seen only in clinical terms, or represented by a mere statistic. By sharing their stories, these young people also offer hope to other young people experiencing similar problems, and their families. This collection portrays the wide range of individual experiences of youth and young adults and highlights common themes.

The Shortage Of Licensed Social Workers In Central Florida, Helen M. Burrows

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For several decades, a national shortage of licensed clinical social workers has been growing in the United States. Licensed social workers provide counsel and advocacy for those affected by mental illness, addiction, abuse, and discrimination, among other economic difficulties, and are the largest group of providers of mental and behavioral health services. The research questions for this project addressed what challenges unlicensed social workers in central Florida identify as barriers to pursuing clinical licensure. This study also explored strategies that unlicensed social workers in central Florida reported to address these barriers and encourage the pursuit of clinical licensure. The purpose …

Tribal Governance In American Indian Country, Terry E. Mcdonald

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Public Administrators seek to synthesize, comprehend, and clarify challenging problems of social progress as it relates to the administration of public services. We must, therefore, think about all forms of governance to have a comprehensive understanding of the discipline. If civilization ignored the prehistory of the past 600 million years, from the Late Precambrian Era through the Mesozoic, there would be a consequential loss of knowledge. A comprehensive understanding would be absent regarding one of the fundamentals in our evolution – life's ability to avoid demise by symbiosis and adaptation. In the same way, we may have overlooked an essential …

Focal Point, Volume 33, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point explores the findings from the local evaluations conducted by Healthy Transitions grantees over the past 5 years as well as present evaluation findings from two other innovative programs for transition-aged youth and young adults. Taken together, the articles in this issue supply service providers and planners across the nation with an indication of the successful outcomes generated by a variety of program approaches.

Lived Experiences Of Homeless Adults With Companion Animals In Utilizing Community Services, Sandra Harp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 71% of American homeless individuals are adults over 25 years of age, and the numbers are increasing. Approximately 25% of homeless individuals own a companion animal (CA). Because most service providers do not allow CAs within their facilities, the current $60.2 billion dollar national budget for homeless resources may be underutilized or forfeited altogether by homeless adults with a CA. The purpose of this study was to explore community service utilization by homeless adults with a CA through the lens of attachment theory. The research question addressed the lived experiences and perceptions of homeless adults who own CAs regarding …

Community Monitoring And Evaluation: A Case Study Of Takaful And Karama / الرصد والتقييم المجتمعي: دراسة حالة من برنامج تكافل وكرامة, Mai Amr Abdelhafez, Shimaa Adel Heikal, Sarah Moharram

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

This paper discusses in particular the potential strategies for increasing community engagement and acceptance of the committees and enhancing their results. Based on the case studies and interviews with ministry officials and community monitors, policy alternatives were formulated to guarantee a better achievement of the Takaful and Karama program goals.

Is It Who Am I Or Who Do You Think I Am? Identity Development Of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders, Danielle N. Treiber

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to unearth how adolescents with substance use disorders achieve the task of identity formation and the construction of self-concept in the midst of the drug culture and society that exists. It sought to uncover the social constructs designed to ignore and/or remove human complexities and allow an intersectional approach to be brought to a study on this population. Historically, there has been a failure to investigate the underlying social attitudes and behaviors that impact the very delicate and vulnerable process of finding self. Psychosocial and relational adjustment are strongly influenced by the extent to …

A Green New Deal For Social Work, Rupaleem Bhuyan, Stéphanie Wahab, Yoosun Park

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this editorial, we consider what climate action would mean for the social work profession. The urgency to address climate change compels social work practitioners, educators, and researchers to embrace a vision of social work that is committed to restoring human well-being and the natural world.

Understanding Access To Menstrual Hygiene Products In The Akron Area, Corinne Plas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to contribute to the understanding of the nature of access to menstrual hygiene products in the Akron area. Questions being researched are “Do Akron area residents need better access to menstrual hygiene products?”, “What is the nature of current access to products in the Akron area?”, “What influences a lack of access to products, if anything?”, and “What kinds of products are preferred and actually used?” The project consists of a 30-question survey, which was taken online by 51 participants. Completed analyses were cross tabulation analyses using Qualtrics and IBM SPSS programs and …

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 …

Homelessness Count Methodologies Literature Review, Jennifer Lee-Anderson

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This literature review on homeless count methods provides a brief history of homelessness in the U.S., an account of count efforts, and an overview of methods used. It illustrates that no method is capable of providing a comprehensive count of the homeless, and all methods have inherent disadvantages that often rely upon flawed assumptions. The practical impact of these counts on policy is substantial. Therefore, this review should encourage discussion as to what data communities need for policy and program development and implementation, and whether homeless counts actually fulfill this need.

Myth Or Reality? Exploring Intergenerational Social Assistance Participation In Ontario, Canada, Tracy A. Smith-Carrier, Amber Gazso, Stephanie Baker Collins, Carrie Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Is there an intergenerational causal link in social assistance (SA) participation? There is a dearth of research addressing this question, yet the discourse of ‘welfare dependency’ is hegemonic. The limited research that does attempt to tease out a causal link in intergenerational SA participation remains equivocal. Qualitative research is largely absent in welfare scholarship; research that might provide a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics underlying SA receipt. We employ an inductive qualitative analysis, using procedures from grounded theory, to understand SA participants’ experiences and perspectives on intergenerational SA usage. We find that the two causal mechanisms underlying intergenerational SA …

Social Construction, Knowledge Utilization, And The Politics Of Poverty: A Case Study Of Washington State’S General Assistance Reform, Yu-Ling Chang

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper addresses a gap in welfare reform literature by investigating the social constructions of poor people in state policymaking within the context of diminishing General Assistance (GA) after the Great Recession. Using Social Construction and Policy Design Theoryand thematic content analysis of Washington State’s legislative archives, I found that the negative constructions of GA recipients as deviants with undesired psychological and behavioral problems were associated with the reform direction toward a regulated, punitive model. These constructions, intersecting with the ideologies of personal responsibility and work ethic, contribute to the dismantling of the social safety net for the Washington’s poorest …

It’S Like I Have An Advantage In All This: Experiences Of Advocacy By Parents Of Children With Disabilities From Professional Backgrounds, Sarah Taylor, Amy Conley Wright, Holly Pothier, Chellsee Hill, Meredith Rosenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Supports and services for children with disabilities are not distributed equitably. There are disparities in access to and quality of services for children with disabilities from low-income and ethnic minority groups. There are likely many contributors to these disparities, but one factor may be barriers to access that require parents to advocate to obtain services for their children. This qualitative study explores advocacy experiences of parents of children with disabilities (n=40) who have a high level of education and/or professional achievement. Parents described relying heavily on their professional and educational backgrounds in advocacy, and some commented upon the “advantage” they …

Local Nongovernmental Organization Intervention Approaches In Nigeria's Communities Experiencing Continuous Trauma, Rashid Babalola Raji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found an overlap of psychological symptoms in victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Continuous Traumatic Stress. Although the circumstances inducing the psychological reactions are different, the symptoms mimic one another without a clear cut demarcation, calling for practitioners to be cautious of contexts inducing psychopathology that is triggered through re-experiencing of past trauma when they are assessing and intervening with ongoing trauma-exposed communities. This study explored the subjective experiences of 15 local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) administrators in Nigeria across 5 states, including the federal capital Abuja, about the intersectionality of their clients' persistent trauma experiences and their program …

Housing And Food Insecurity At Portland State Study, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Students helped develop the Housing and Food Insecurity at Portland State study to better understand the scope of homelessness, housing and food insecurity on campus. The survey went out to approximately 3,000 employees and 23,400 students at Portland State University in fall of 2019. The center will develop a set of recommendations for the university based on the results. It is the first step to help students and employees overcome challenges and meet their basic needs.

Their Sorrow, Their Story: The Lived Experience Of Individuals Impacted By The Death Of Special Forces Members In The 1996 Black Hawk Accident, Marion Ann Smyth

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

On the 12 June 1996, the Australian Special Forces were conducting night-time counterterrorism training when two Black Hawk helicopters transporting Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) troops collided mid-air. Eighteen personnel were killed, including members from the elite SASR and crew from the 5th Aviation Regiment. In the aftermath of this accident a charity, the Special Air Service Resources Trust, was established to provide ongoing support to the dependants of those killed. This trust is now the Special Air Service Resources Fund (SASRF), and it continues to support the dependants of those killed and the injured from the accident.

There is …

Beneficial Mourning By Inmates Who Have Lost A Significant Person, James Bradley Shoemaker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Incarceration is already replete with loss before someone of significance to an inmate dies. The prison environment challenges every aspect of grieving, and failing to effectively mourn pathologizes grief, reduces quality of living, and results in behaviours that cause recidivism. It is a poignant interaction between this researcher in his role as a chaplain and a particular inmate that provides the impetus for this study. This study begins with a qualitative meta-synthesis that examined 10 qualitative articles and dissertations published over the last 30 years to explore how some inmates manage to effectively grieve the loss of a significant person. …

Elucidating The Influence Of Supervisors’ Roles On Implementation Climate, Alicia Bunger, Sarah Birken, Jill A. Hoffman, Hannah Macdowell, Mimi Choy-Brown, Erica Magier

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Supervisors play an essential role in implementation by diffusing and synthesizing information, selling implementation, and translating top management’s project plans to frontline workers. Theory and emerging evidence suggest that through these roles, supervisors shape implementation climate—i.e., the degree to which innovations are expected, supported, and rewarded. However, it is unclear exactly how supervisors carry out each of these roles in ways that contribute to implementation climate—this represents a gap in the understanding of the causal mechanisms that link supervisors’ behavior with implementation climate. This study examined how supervisors’ performance of each of these roles influences three core implementation …

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 …

The Evolution Of A Collaborative Network: Understanding Partnerships In A Policy Mandated Collaboration Through Social Network Analysis, Pallavi Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Federal funding agencies that administer financial support in the form of program grants to non-profit organizations (NPOs) that provide child and family services increasingly require NPOs to formalize inter-organizational partnerships in order to receive this vital source of funding. That is, by mandate NPOs must participate in inter-organizational collaboration networks to receive these essential federal funds. Therefore, there is a need to understand the collaboration behavior of NPOs in a policy-mandated environment. This study considers collaboration behavior as information sharing and advice-seeking between the organizations who are part of a collaboration network as a result of a policy mandate.

Drawing …

The Critical Need For Mental Health Education To Be Mandated In New Mexico's Public Schools, Bonnie L. Murphy

Shared Knowledge Conference

Based on a review of research and best practices in mental health awareness and skills, this inquiry project argues for state legislative policies that would require mental health awareness and skills in the K-12 curriculum. Mental health affects individual accomplishments in every stage of people’s lives beginning in early childhood and throughout the life cycle. Prevention and treatment of mental illness plays a key role in the ability of an individual to cope with loss and develop resiliency and perseverance in challenging times and to make better decisions that improve the individual’s life and the lives of those around them. …

Use Of Drug Dependency To Entrap And Control Victims Of Sex Trafficking: A Call For A U.S. Federal Human Rights Response, Jacquelyn C.A. Meshelmiah, Carra Gilson, Athapattu Pathirannelage A. Prasanga

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Survivors of sex trafficking who were forced into drug use as victims are in need of social services to treat their drug dependency and other mental disorders. Access to social services is a human rights issue that must be acted upon by state and federal officials. The law, however, requires approval of the T-Visa for receipt of benefits. Along with the T-visa application process, the applicant (human trafficking survivor) must be willing to assist in every reasonable way in the investigation and prosecution of the trafficker. The authors argue that drug dependency treatment and other social service benefits should be …

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 …