Social Work Commons^™

Mission Critical: Reforming Foster Care And Child Protective Services In Massachusetts, Emily M. Douglas Ph.D, Melinda Gushwa Ph.D, Martha J. Henry Ph.D, Denise A. Hines Ph.D, Mickayla Aboujaoude, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

One major topic of debate during the 2014 gubernatorial elections was the functioning of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in Massachusetts. Prior to the debates and subsequently as well, the media has highlighted some challenges and issues that plague DCF, and several high-profile cases have sparked not only the attention of our state government, but the public at large as well. After consultation with legislators, we decided that our 2015 Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar would focus on this crisis.

2015 Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar, Emily M. Douglas Ph.D., Melinda Gushwa Ph.D., Licsw, Martha J. Henry Ph.D.

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Mission Critical: Reforming Foster Care and Child Protective Services is the sixth Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar. It is designed to emphasize a family perspective in policymaking on issues related to reforming foster care and child protective services in the Commonwealth. In general, Family Impact Seminars analyze the consequences an issue, policy, or program may have for families.

Measuring The Support Networks Of Transition-Age Foster Youth: Preliminary Validation Of A Social Network Assessment For Research And Practice, Jennifer E. Blakeslee

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Multi-dimensional social support is an important factor in any positive transition into young adulthood, and youth who are exiting foster care ideally receive comprehensive social support from a range of informal and formal sources. Yet the social networks of transition-age foster youth are likely influenced over time by child welfare involvement, which can weaken or disrupt natural support relationships, while introducing service-oriented relationships that are not intended to last into adulthood. To better understand the social support context of youth aging out of care, we can apply social network theory and methods to systematically identify their networks of supportive relationships …

“I Am Not Free While [Anyone] Is Unfree”: A Proposal And Framework For Enmarginalized Feminist Policy Analysis, Avina Ross

Social Work Student Works

This paper introduces a new feminist approach and framework to policy analysis. As an integration of intersectionality, Black feminist thought and endarkened feminist epistemology, enmarginalized feminist policy analysis (EFPA) offers an intersectional and flexible scope in a framework to assess policy for a diversity of populations, focusing on groups who are forced to live marginal and oppressed lives. Discussion is provided on existing approaches and frameworks in addition to an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of EFPA. A nine-component framework, which includes a section for analyst reflexivity, is provided to guide users in conducting EFPA. The author concludes with implications …

Bella Abzug, Queer Rights, And Disrupting The Status Quo, Trevor G. Gates, Margery C. Saunders

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Workers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-identified have always been a part of the workplace in the United States, yet there has been a lack of awareness about how to advocate for the needs of these people. This lack of awareness was challenged by Congresswoman Bella Abzug. Abzug’s campaign for creating an equal working environment for sexual minorities initiated gradual changes in the public discourse concerning workplace and other broad equality measures for these communities. To frame these gradual transformations within a historical context, we use Lewin’s force field analysis framework to examine the change efforts of …

Leaning Out: Exploring Organizational Advocacy Activities From An Open Systems Perspective, Lauri Goldkind

Social Service Faculty Publications

his article explores the effect of organizational culture on engagement with advocacy activities, both traditional and electronic. The Competing Values Framework offers a model for understanding how organization's culture influences behavior. Using a sample of nonprofit providers from across the country, the author hypothesized that organizations that use electronic advocacy tools are more involved with advocacy activities of all types. A paper and pencil survey was used to collect data on organizational culture, advocacy tools and techniques, perceived effectiveness of the advocacy tools, policy goals, organizational sustainability goals as well as barriers and facilitators of electronic advocacy. The study used …

Victims' Perspectives Of Their Roles In Unwanted Sexual Experiences When Alcohol Is Consumed, Lindsey C. Grove

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sexual violence among college students is recognized as a serious public health concern in the United States. Among college students, sexual violence is associated with high levels of PTSD symptoms and psychological consequences (Frazier et al., 2009). For ages 18 to 25 sexual violence is the only crime that is found to occur more frequently among college students than the same age group not attending college and is at its highest rate during the first year of attendance(Baum & Klaus, 2005) Research has already uncovered increased risk of victimization for young college students including heavy alcohol consumption (Messman-Moore, Coates, Gaffey, …

Disaggregating Student Outcomes By Race And Income: Educational Equity In Oregon, Anne Sinkey, Ann Curry-Stevens

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

This research seeks to answer an emerging question in public school debates: whether race is just a proxy for income when it comes to disparities in educational outcomes among Oregon’s K-12 students. This research set out to respond to this question, and draws from public school data records to answer the question. We investigated student test scores across three different environments: elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. We also investigated student graduation rates from high school. The pattern of findings is absolutely clear: regardless of the site or type of disparities, when we compare how low-income students fare, all …

Racism Vs. Social Capital: A Case Study Of Two Majority Black Communities, Bruce W. Strouble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several researchers have identified social capital as a means to improve the social sustainability of communities. While there have been many studies investigating the benefits of social capital in homogeneous White communities, few have examined it in Black homogeneous communities. Also, there has been limited research on the influence of racism on social capital in African American communities. In this dissertation a comparative case study was used within a critical race theory framework. The purpose was to explore the role of racial oppression in shaping social capital in majority African American communities. Data were collected from 2 majority Black communities …

Adults With Intellectual Disability Or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Executive Summary, Kimberly I. Snow Mhsa, Ba, Stuart Bratesman Mpp, Taryn Bowe, Julie T. Fralich Mba

Disability & Aging

This chartbook describes Maine’s historical trends in meeting the needs of adults with ID/ASD through institutional and community based services in comparison to other states; a detailed analysis of the population’s utilization of different types of services and their costs in SFY 2010; the implementation of the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) as a means of identifying the supports needs of the adults with ID/ASD; and the complement of providers serving this population in Maine.

Ending Poverty In Mongolia: From Socialism To Social Development, Richard J. Smith

Social Work Faculty Publications

While recent literature on social welfare has included Asian countries, less is known about low-income and former socialist countries in Central Asia. This article combines a documentary-historical method with a value-critical approach to analyze Mongolia’s social policy response to poverty. Mongolia is unique in Asia because it transformed from nomadic pastoralism to socialism without a phase of capitalist industrial development. The case study found that Mongolia lost social welfare when it transitioned from socialism, a statist model, to market liberalism and multiparty democracy. In the 21st century, Mongolia has been aspiring to promote social development by redirecting mining revenues to …

Universities Need To Do More To Prevent Heterosexism To Support Lgb Students’ Academic Success, M.R. Woodford

Clear Language Summaries

Heterosexism can affect lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students’ academic success. Peer-group support and general faculty support do not protect students from the impacts of heterosexism, but is still important. To prevent poor academic outcomes, campuses must have spaces in which students feel safe to come out and heterosexism needs to be eliminated on campus.

Upaya Perlindungan Anak Melalui Pelayanan Shelter Anak : Studi Deskriptif Rumah Peduli Anak Tenaga Kerja Indonesia, Dyah Susilowati, Sofyan Cholid

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This research discussed about the efforts of child protection through the implementation of shelter children service at Rumah Peduli Anak Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (RPA-TKI). The purpose of this research is to describe on the protection of and services provided by RPA-TKI to children who are vulnerable to the TKI neglect and child trafficking. This research is qualitative research with the kind of descriptive research. The results of this research described that the service which is provided by RPA-TKI is child protection services in the form of children’s shelter in order to meet the basic needs of TKI’s children. The service …

Conditional Cash Transfers, Community, And Empowerment Of Women In Colombia, Harlan Downs-Tepper

21st Century Social Justice

In 2001, the Colombian government initiated an experiment in poverty alleviation called Familias en Acción. This conditional cash transfer (CCT) program takes a novel approach to poverty reduction by addressing short- and long-term factors contributing to poverty. Though Colombia’s CCT program is just one of a wave of similar initiatives, its unique context and unexpected social effects, beyond the primary intentions of program designers, differentiate it from other such programs. Drawing on 200 interviews and focus group discussions which he conducted with academic experts, program beneficiaries and program administrators in three Colombian cities, the author finds that an unexpected …

Focal Point, Volume 28, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

Between one–third and one–half of young adults with mental health challenges have co-occurring substance use issues. This issue of Focal Point examines treatments and supports for this population.

Pelaksanaan Program Children Educational Support Dalam Mengurangi Prevalensi Anak Jalanan Oleh Yayasan Indonesian Street Children Organisation (Isco) : Studi Deskriptif Di Sanggar (Isco) Kelurahan Kebun Melati, Tanah Abang, Wirda Amalia, Dwi Amalia Chandra Sekar

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This article discusses about the implementation of children educational support in reducing prevelance of street children by ISCO Foundation. Motivated by many poor children vulnerable to be street cause the difficulty of access to educational services. This research used a qualitative approach. Collecting data using observation and interview with 9 informant. The study results show that implementation of program has already ran fairly well characterized by reduced child beneficieris who took the streets due to provision of assistance in formal and non-formal education. This made the fulfillment of poor children needs to get an education from early age so the …

Kajian Permasalahan Dan Potensi Perilaku Ibu Dalam Pemberian Makanan Bagi Anak Dalam Kaitannya Pada Kualitas Hidup Anak-Anak Yang Tidak Berkecukupan Gizi Di Keluarga Miskin Perkotaan, Getar Hati, Isbandi Rukminto Adi

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This article discusses about child welfare issues in a community related to mothers’ behavior child welfare issues of a community related to children of age 6-24 months with insufficient nutrition condition. It also describes about the factors which influenced to this condition that would be base of intervention design to solve the problems. This is an descriptive research. This research stated that parents, especially mother has the most important roles in determining their children’s life quality.

Strategi Strategi Penggalangan Dana Pada Organisasi Kemanusiaan Berbasis Agama : Studi Deskriptif Penggalangan Dana Di Dompet Dhuafa, Herlin Rahma Fauzia

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This study discuses about strategies of fundraising conducted by Yayasan Dompet Dhuafa with the supports and obstacles. This study used qualitative method and descriptive approach. The result of study show that Dompet Dhuafa have some strategies of fundraising. First, retail fundraising includes counter, Gerakan Donasi, Jemput Zakat and direct mail. Second is partnership with companies, another institutions and public

Evaluasi Program Wirausaha Pemula Di Kementrian Koperasi Dan Ukm Ri : Individualized Outcome Evaluation Terhadap Lima Peserta Program Wirausaha Pemula Di Dki Jakarta Tahun 2012, Andi Besse Ansar, Ety Rahayu

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

The study discusses about individualized outcome evaluation of young entrepreneur program evaluation at ministry of cooperatives and small medium enterprises for five beneficiaries from Jakarta City in 2012. This research used a qualitative approach with evaluation research. While collecting data using in-depth interview with 7 informans which consist 5 beneficiaries program and 2 program staff. This result of study show that 4 beneficiaries has achieve an outcome program because of the trainee characteristics, training design, work environment, attitude and self concept and design entrepreneurship factors support and 1 beneficiaries has a barrier in work environment, attitude and self concept and …

Protocol For Culturally Responsive Organizations, Ann Curry-Stevens, Marie-Elena Reyes, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

Communities of color have long been marginalized in mainstream service delivery – invisible in terms of their access to resources and services, the adequacy of such services, and in the types of interventions available to members of the community. When available, organizations have been ripe with inequitable outcomes. Today, greater attention to racial equity exists, with local leaders of color having been able to leverage influence to ensure that stronger accountability exists among mainstream organizations in terms of how well communities of color are served, with heightened emphasis on the cultural responsiveness of the entire organization. At the request of …

Protocol For Culturally Responsive Organizations: Literature Review And Standards For Performance, Marie-Elena Reyes, Ann Curry-Stevens

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

At the request of the Coalition of Communities of Color, the Center to Advance Racial Equity (CARE) was asked to assist in the development of a Protocol for Culturally Responsive Organizations (also called the Protocol) that it would use to improve the quality of services available to communities of color in mainstream health and human services. To achieve this, we have researched the literature available that provides evidence of the effectiveness of various interventions. Priority has been given to the literatures on culturally-responsive service delivery (which has been thin) and culturally-competent services (which while abundantly written about, relatively little exists …

E-Advocacy In Human Services, Lauri Goldkind

Social Service Faculty Publications

E-advocacy, or the constellation of electronic tools used for policy advocacy, offer cost-effective approaches for engaging constituents to create social change. Providers of human services may face challenges when trying to implement these tools. While many electronic tools have low barriers for entry, other factors may inhibit their use in agencies. This article explores the organizational characteristics related to the use of electronic advocacy strategies. Based on a survey of nonprofit executives, the study uses path modeling to describe the connections between organizational characteristics and the use of electronic advocacy tools. Implications of these findings are discussed.

E-Advocacy In Human Services: The Impact Of Organizational Conditions And Characteristics On Electronic Advocacy Activities Among Nonprofits, Lauri Goldkind

Social Service Faculty Publications

E-advocacy, or the constellation of electronic tools used for policy advocacy, offer cost-effective approaches for engaging constituents to create social change. Providers of human services may face challenges when trying to implement these tools. While many electronic tools have low barriers for entry, other factors may inhibit their use in agencies. This article explores the organizational characteristics related to the use of electronic advocacy strategies. Based on a survey of nonprofit executives, the study uses path modeling to describe the connections between organizational characteristics and the use of electronic advocacy tools. Implications of these findings are discussed.

State Child Welfare Policy: Causes And Consequences, Dana D. Connelly

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

On any given day almost 400,000 children in the United States are living in an out-of-home care placement due to government intervention. Federal law allows for substantial variance in state child welfare policy on a number of topics. These policy decisions, however, are understudied both in terms of the forces driving them and also the impacts the policies have on actual outcomes for children in care.

Utilizing a unique panel data set comprised of thirteen child welfare policies that vary both between states and over time we examine how well redistributive theory (constituent, institutional, paternalistic and resource pressures) explains state …

Pathologies Of The Poor: What Do The War On Drugs And Welfare Reform Have In Common?, Kalynn Amundson, Anna M. Zajicek, Valerie H. Hunt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) authorized drug testing of welfare recipients as a criterion for assistance eligibility. This raises the question of a possible confluence of War on Drugs and Welfare Reform policies, as indicated by continuity in policymakers’ rhetoric. We examine federal-level policymakers’ debates surrounding the authorization of drug testing welfare recipients. The analysis reveals that themes of social pathology were present in both policy areas. Crime, drug addiction, welfare dependency, and drug testing themes are comparable in both debates. Teen pregnancy, out-of-wedlock birth, and female-headed households themes were more prevalent in Welfare …

Institutionalization Of Children In The Czech Republic: A Case Of Path Dependency, Victoria Schmidt, Jo Daugherty Bailey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the development of alternative forms of care, international and domestic pressures for change, and over 20 years of efforts at deinstitutionalization, the Czech Republic has one of the highest rates of institutionalization of children in Europe (UNICEF, 2012). The continuing reliance upon residential care for children by the child protection system, particularly for children who are disabled or of Roma descent, demonstrates a case of path dependency in which a solidification of the system’s response is rooted in its past. Understanding the impact of historical precedence is key to reforming the current system.

Local Nonprofit Welfare Provision: The United States And Russia, Maria V. Wathen, Scott W. Allard

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Provision of antipoverty and other social services by nonstate organizations is growing in importance in both the United States and the Russian Federation. The history of such provision in the United States may offer insights for the emerging system of nonstate provision in Russia. To illuminate these points, we provide historical overviews of both contexts and then we examine data from two surveys of social service organizations in the United States: the Multi-City Survey of Social Service Providers and the Rural Survey of Social Service Providers.

We find that nonstate actors strengthen social capital in poor neighborhoods and often link …

Peran Support Group Dalam Mendorong Motivasi Belajar Remaja : Action Research Pada Pelajar Sma X, Afra Afifah

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This study discusses how support group plays a role in encouraging student’s learning motivation with action research approach. Application of support group becomes an alternative to complete counseling approach in dealing with adolescent learning problem in school. After running the program, an evaluation conducted on five students as the object of study. The result showed that student’s awareness on the low of learning motivation as a problem to be solved affects their involvement in the group. Students who have that awareness are able to engage within group well and get benefit from the existence of group.

Arthur J. Altmeyer, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Arthur J. Altmeyer (1891-1972) was a key figure in the design and implementation of the U.S. Social Security system. Appointed to the original Social Security Board by President Franklin Roosevelt, he advocated expansion of the program and expanded benefits for many years. His career also involved advocacy in the civil service system and opposed political patronage in the Social Security system.

Milking The System: Do Poor People Deserve Fresh Food?, Melanie M. Meisenheimer

SURGE

Poor Americans are all lazy, selfish people who must first prove their worth as human beings if they want to be able to feed their children.

It sounds harsh, stereotypical, and judgmental when you put it like that, and few people would feel comfortable saying that exact phrase. However, it’s a perception of poverty in America that I’ve found still has a strong grip on our way of thinking. [excerpt]