Social Work Commons^™

Review Of The Age Of Acquiescence: The Life And Death Of American Resistance To Organized Wealth And Power. Steve Fraser. Reviewed By Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg, Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Steve Fraser, The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power. Little, Brown and Company (2015), 470 pages, $28.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Our Kids: The American Dream In Crisis. Robert D. Putnam, And Labor's Love Lost: The Rise And Fall Of The Working-Class Family In America. Andrew J. Cherlin. Reviewed By Edward U. Murphy, Edward Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Robert D. Putnam, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. Simon and Schuster (2015), 386 pages, $28.00 (hardcover)

Andrew J. Cherlin, Labor's Love Lost: The Rise and Fall of the Working-Class Family in America. Russell Sage (2014), 272 pages, $35.00 (paperback).

Review Of Climbing Mount Laurel: The Struggle For Affordable Housing And Social Mobility In An American Suburb. Douglass. Massey, Len Albright, Rebecca Casciano, Elizabeth Derickson, And David N. Kinsey. Reviewed By Aretousa Bloom, Aretousa Bloom

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Douglas S. Massey, Len Albright, Rebecca Casciano, Elizabeth Derickson & David N. Kinsey, Climbing Mount Laurel: The Struggle for Affordable Housing and Social Mobility in an American Suburb. Princeton University Press (2013), 288 pages, $35.00 (hardcover).

Book Review Of "Resilient Grandparent Caregivers: A Strengths-Based Perspective", Matthew Kaplan

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

[No need for abstract since it's a book review.]

Policy Update: Federal And State Legislation To Support Grandfamilies, Ana Beltran

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Building on the progress of the last 20 years, helpful federal and state legislation continues to be pursued on behalf of grandfamilies. This update summarizes policy efforts during the last year and looks ahead to what is on the horizon. At the federal level, legislative efforts are focused on grandfamilies who are involved with the child welfare system. States are responding to federal activity by enacting policies to place more children with relatives and better serve grandfamilies who come into contact with the system, including “family finding” laws and including fictive kin as “relatives.” State policymakers are also striving to …

Grandfamilies Outcome Workgroup’S (Grow) Review Of Grandfamilies Support Groups: An Examination Of Concepts, Goals, Outcomes And Measures, Kerry A. Littlewood

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

A support group is the most widely used intervention for grandparents and other relatives raising children. Support groups require few resources to establish and are relatively inexpensive to implement. Despite the popularity of support groups for grandfamilies, there is little evidence evaluating their effectiveness to improve the lives of its members. In response to this issue and to support outcome-based research in the field, the Grandfamilies Outcome Workgroup (GrOW) was established. This study highlights GrOW’s review of the literature on the effectiveness of support groups for grandfamilies. Next, the GrOW Inventory of Support Groups (GrOW Inventory) was developed to explore …

The Rewards Of Caring For Grandchildren: Black Canadian Grandmothers Who Are Custodial Parents, Co-Parents, And Extensive Babysitters, Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sarah Serbinski, Leanne Mccormack

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Grandparent caregiving is a growing phenomenon in both the United States and Canada. The burgeoning research on the topic has focused on custodial grandparents with an emphasis on negative aspects including poor physical and mental health outcomes for older adults. Less attention has been paid to the rewards of grandparent caregiving and to different intensities of caregiving provision. This grounded theory qualitative study of 16 Black Caribbean Canadian grandmothers sought to address this gap in the literature. We examined three types of grandparent caregivers: custodial grandparents (n=7), co-parent grandparents (n=5) and extensive babysitters (n=4). The average age of the children …

The Effects Of Trauma On Brain Development In Infancy, Sasha Kellogg

Honors Theses

This thesis explains how trauma, which can be defined for this study as traumatic experiences, affects brain development in infants. For the purpose of this report, infants are defined as being fifteen months or younger. As gathered from the book and articles researched, typical infant brain development, including the eight processes of neurodevelopment and the four main parts of the brain, will be explained in this report, along with how the brain grows and matures. This thesis shows how maturation of the brain in infancy is dependent upon the bonds and connections infants form with others and explains how trauma …

From Foster Care To Becoming A Family Member, Zachary Henderson

Honors Theses

This exploration examines different aspects of the transition from a foster care placement into an adoptive home. This project was completed using the qualitative research approach will allowed for semi-structured interviews w ith single individuals. Both participants experienced foster care during their youth. The interviewees were drawn from a convenience sample. The interviews were then then transcribed. The transcripts where then examined to search for common themes which may improve the transition for child going from foster care to adoption. Although the sample is small, the insight is great. It seems that the professionals were competent but not humble regarding …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 41, No. 1 (March 2014)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• PATHOLOGIES OF THE POOR: WHAT DO THE WAR ON DRUGS AND WELFARE REFORM HAVE IN COMMON? - Kalynn Amundson, Anna M. Zajicek, and Valerie H. Hunt
• GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SELF-EMPLOYMENT OF OLDER WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND NEW ZEALAND - Angela L. Curl, Deanna L. Sharpe, and Jack Noone
• INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF CHILDREN IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC: A CASE OF PATH DEPENDENCY - Victoria Schmidt and Jo Daugherty Bailey
• THE FIRST FAITH-BASED MOVEMENT: THE RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF SOCIAL PROGRESSIVISM IN AMERICA (1880-1912) IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE - Steven Stritt
• MASS SHOOTINGS AND MENTAL HEALTH POLICY - Jessica Rosenberg …

Social Capital And Suicide: Social Workers' Obligation Toward Contemporary Suicide Prevention, Christopher Hodshire, Roghayeh Khosravi, Shuresh Lotfi

Social Work Faculty Publications

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “approximately 1 million die by suicide in the world every year and it is estimated that 1.5 million will die from suicide in 2020.”To many in the social work field feels this is disturbing news that deserves far more attention both by the academics and the mass-media. This study pertains to the applications of social capital theory and its everyday practice in the social work profession. In particular, the study provides a deeper understanding and review of social capital, suicide and its application of social capital theory in the social work practice with …

Review Of To The End Of June: The Intimate Life Of American Foster Care. Cris Beam. From Pariahs To Partners: How Parents And Their Allies Changed New York City’S Child Welfare System. David Tobis. Reviewed By Julie Cooper Altman., Julie Cooper Altman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Cris Beam, To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster Care. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2013). $27.00 (hardcover). David Tobis, From Pariahs to Partners: How Parents and Their Allies Changed New York City’s Child Welfare System. Oxford University Press (2013). $29.95 (hardcover).

Weathering The Storm: Botswana's Culture Of Care, Lengwe-Katembula Mwansa, Gloria Jacques

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Botswana, a semi-desert southern African state ranked among the poorest in the world in the 1960s and 1970s, has emerged as an upper middle income country in the new millennium and a beacon of democracy and good governance on the continent and in the world. Since the discovery of diamonds, Botswana has prudently utilized the ensuing wealth to improve the lives of her citizens. Through a succession of National Development Plans the state has provided social services that have addressed many of the needs of the population. This trend has continued into the challenging era of the world economic crisis …

The First Faith-Based Movement: The Religious Roots Of Social Progressivism In America (1880-1912) In Historical Perspective, Steven Stritt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This re-evaluation of the published writings of Richard T. Ely, Josiah Strong, and Jane Addams during the Progressive era (1880- 1912) explores the themes of religious idealism and nationalism that figured prominently in the early formulation of modern liberal reform ideology in the United States. A specific focus will be placed on tracing themes of the America’s millennial destiny and how they gradually evolved into prophesies of social transformation through the applied use of social science knowledge. Beyond merely satisfying historical curiosity, this inquiry provides a new perspective from which to consider the fierce clashes over social welfare policy which …

Information And Communication Technology In Child Welfare: The Need For Culture-Centered Computing, Richard J. Smith, Tara Eaton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article discusses the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) in the California child welfare system. Drawing from anthropological literature, the authors emphasize the role of work practice and context associated with new ICT implementation. This case study uses a documentary- historical approach to analyze interviews with 386 workers who used the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) between 1997 and 2005. Data show the implementation of CWS/CMS impacted the work practice of the welfare system. The authors recommend culture-centered computing for future developments and upgrades of ICT in child welfare.

Individual And Country-Level Institutional Trust And Public Attitude To Welfare Expenditures In 24 Transitional Countries, Nazim Habibov

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Does institutional trust on the individual and on the country level influence public attitudes to state social welfare expenditures in transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia? To answer this question, this study draws on a comparative survey conducted in 24 countries. Multilevel binomial logit regression was used to allow for the simultaneous inclusion of variables at the individual- and country-levels of analysis. Institutional trust is associated with positive attitudes to welfare expenditures on the individual level, but not on the country level. Women, older individuals, those who are less educated, and those of low-income …

Correlates Of Job Burnout Among Human Services Workers: Implications For Workforce Retention, Madhavappallil Thomas, Vandana Kohli, Jong Choi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Job burnout has impacted workers and negatively transformed the social agency and its clients. This study examined the correlates of job burnout among human service workers in a non-urban setting in Central California. Using a convenience sample, researchers collected responses from 288 participants on a 13 item burnout scale. Findings indicated that workers experienced moderate to high levels of job burnout. Several scale items, including caseload size, age, gender, education, and experience, were significantly correlated with burnout. In addition, regression analyses revealed that caseload size was the most significant predictor of job burnout among human service workers. Implications for workforce …

Austerity Versus Stimulus: Theoretical Perspectives And Policy Implications, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Attempts to respond to the negative social and economic effects of the Great Recession have been cast in terms of the austerity versus stimulus debate. Although oversimplified, this debate reflects wider theoretical analyses of market economies and normative prescriptions for enhancing their functioning. Referencing the historical evolution of economic thought, these theories and their policy implications for responding to recessions are summarized and their relevance for social welfare is examined in the light of recent events.

Review Of Ethics. Sarah Banks (Ed.). Reviewed By Jennifer R. Zelnick, Jennifer R. Zelnick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sarah Banks (Ed.), Ethics. (Critical and Radical Debates in Social Work, I. Ferguson & M. Lavalette, series editors). Policy Press (2014). $15.00 (paperback).

Review Of The Creation Of Inequality: How Our Prehistoric Ancestors Set The Stage For Monarchy, Slavery, And Empire. Kent Flannery And Joyce Marcus. Reviewed By Kelly Mckowen., Kelly Mckowen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus, The Creation of Inequality: How Our Prehistoric Ancestors Set the Stage for Monarchy, Slavery, and Empire (2012). Harvard University Press. $39.95 (hardcover).

Review Of Changing Welfare States. Anton Hemerijck. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Anton Hemerijck, Changing Welfare States. Oxford University Press (2013). $40.00 (paperback).

Review Of Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood In An Age Of Uncertainty. Jennifer M. Silva. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Jennifer M. Silva, Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty. Oxford University Press (2013). $29.95 (hardcover).

Review Of The Allure Of Order: High Hopes, Dashed Expectations, And The Troubled Quest To Remake American Schooling. Jal Mehta. Reviewed By Eva Gold., Eva Gold

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Jal Mehta, The Allure of Order: High Hopes, Dashed Expectations, and the Troubled Quest to Remake American Schooling, Oxford University Press (2013). $29.95 (hardcover).