Social Work Commons^™

Targeting Child Poverty In Canada, Miguel Roberto Sanchez Garcia

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the federal government's program designed to address child poverty after the commitment made by the Canadian parliament, in 1989, to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000. Specifically, the Child Tax Benefit (CT-13), the targeted children's poverty program introduced by the federal government in 1993, is analysed in relation to whether it reduced, made no difference, or increased the level and depth of child poverty in Canada. To examine if there were significant correlational effects among the three years (1990, 1993, 1997) of data used in this study a Structural Equation Model …

Chaotic Patterns Of Restraining Power: The Dynamics Of Personal Decision Making In A Long-Term Care Facility, Sandra Loucks Campbell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This is a study of personal decision-making dynamics at multiple levels in an Ontario Home for the Aged, including managers, staff leaders, direct care workers, non-direct care workers and residents. Personnel dyadic units of differential decision-making power were postulated: managers/staff leaders, staff leaders/direct care workers and direct care workers/residents. Weber's bureaucracy, other organizational power literature and chaos theory provide the theoretical frame. Staff completed a self administered questionnaire package which included variants of the Staff Involvement in Decision Making scale (Kruzich, 1989), open-ended and demographic questions. Residents were assisted in completing a similar, but shorter, questionnaire. Cognitively impaired residents' decision …

Getting Over The Magical Hump: Placement Decisions And Emotional Survival For Child Welfare Workers, Nancy Colleen Freymond

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

This paper explores the crown wardship process from the perspective of the child welfare worker. It is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with child welfare workers who have been involved in the process of identifying children for crown wardship, in giving chances to mothers to demonstrate parenting ability, and finally, in negotiating and formalizing crown wardship agreements. The paper also explores how workers construct identities which allow them to cope with the emotional strains of this work.

Using Intermediary Structures To Support Families: An International Comparison Of Practice In Child Protection, Nancy Colleen Freymond

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Responses to child maltreatment can be conceptualized as a continuum, ranging from a welfare-oriented approach on one end, to a legalistic emphasis at the other end. By shifting attention to structures existing at the welfare end of the continuum, this paper endeavours to look beyond the approaches of investigation and legal processing, currently emphasized in Ontario’s approach to child welfare. This paper examines how intermediary structures and roles in various international settings are constructed to offer support to families and children. Intermediary judicial and professional roles found in European child welfare systems will be discussed. In addition, the paper will …

Service Participant Voices In Child Welfare, Children's Mental Health, And Psychotherapy, Marshall Fine, Sally Palmer, Nick Coady

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Service providers are becoming increasingly interested in hearing the views of service participants regarding issues of service delivery. This trend is viewed as progressive and sensitive to the many complex issues facing a diverse service participant population. In order to understand what is known related to this trend, the paper reviews the literature in child welfare, children’s mental health, and psychotherapy where service participant feedback regarding aspects of service delivery has been studied. The findings from the three areas of service delivery are organized into a number of tangible themes. Suggestions for future research in the area of participant voice …

Positive Possibilities For Child And Family Welfare: Options For Expanding The Anglo-American Child Protection Paradigm, Gary Cameron, Nancy Colleen Freymond, Denise Cornfield, Sally Palmer

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

The creation of the ‘problem of child maltreatment’ and how we deal with it are best understood as particular discourses which grow out of specific histories and social configurations. The Anglo-American child protection paradigm can be viewed as a particular configuration rooted in our vision for children, families, community, and society. However, other settings have constructed quite different responses reflecting their own priorities and desired outcomes. This paper is an effort to understand the choices made in Ontario’s child protection system by examining its history and the underlying beliefs and values which have fostered its development. In addition, the paper …

Treatment Of Choice Or A Last Resort? A Review Of Residential Mental Health Placements For Children And Adolescents, Karen Frensch, Gary Cameron, Gerald R. Adams

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Residential treatment is often regarded as a treatment of ‘last resort’ and, increasingly, residential treatment programs are being asked to address the needs of very troubled children and adolescents. This paper is an effort to summarize what is currently known about the effects of residential treatment for children and adolescents. The review is organized into two sections: studies of the effectiveness of group home residential treatment and studies of the effectiveness of residential treatment delivered in residential treatment centres. In both areas, we attempt to identify trends within treatment, as well as patterns found in the literature that characterize post …

Emerging Strong From A Difficult Adolescence: A Qualitative Study Of Resilience, Vivian Horovitch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight, second and third year university students who self-identified as having emerged intact from a difficult adolescence. Questions were asked with regard to stress, protective factors, resources, and coping strategies during adolescence, as well as about how they achieved a sense of well-being. Themes derived from qualitative analysis are highlighted in a chronological life story for each participant. Common themes for participants’ coping during adolescence included distraction and avoidance strategies, such as keeping active with sports, extracurricular activities, religion, or arts. More “mature” coping strategies emerged as participants neared early adulthood. These included strategies …

Clinicians Share Their Experience Of Coping With The Cost Of Caring: A Good News Story, Elizabeth Susanna Schramm

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is a wealth of literature validating the notion that social workers may be vulnerable to costs associated with the performance of caring work, in other words, ‘the cost of caring’. There is also a significant amount of literature that describes the coping strategies required to manage these effects. The participants in this study illustrate that a social worker’s well being need not be sacrificed in the interest of maintaining the principle of client-centered practice. Social workers have a responsibility to care for themselves, both in the interest of offering competent services to their clients, and in order to assure …

Gender, Income And Managerial Status Among Graduate Social Workers, Gail Louise Kenyon

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Two historical changes have impacted on women's relationship with work in the last century. The influx of young single women into the paid work force and the participation of married women in the paid work force have changed the world of work for men and women. Middle and upper class women gained access into the public sphere through the caring work of teaching, nursing and social work. Although the roles of women have expanded and in many ways changed, the struggle for equity is far from over. Women still earn, on average, significantly less than males in Canada. Female Social …

Pastoral Visitation Of The Sick: Reflections Of A Japanese Pastor, Kazuhito Yamada

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This project was designed to show the importance of the pastor’s role and actions in visiting the sick. The study is focused mainly on pastoral visitation to hospitalized patients. Interpreting the written texts of pastoral theologians and the research reports on pastoral care and practice in professional journals. I consider the pastor‘s important role as the representative of God and the symbolic nature of the pastor's role. On this basis, I discuss the pastor‘s actions in visiting the hospitalized patients. Prayer, a ministry of presence, and listening are the significant pastoral actions to the patients. In considering the patients’ satisfaction …

Exploring The Inequalities Between Men And Women In Relation To Marriage: A Feminist Analysis Of Women In Social Work's Experiences Of Marriage, Natalie Mccormac

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis I explore the inequalities between men and women in relation to marriage and the impact ofexternal pressures on women and their choices within their marriages. I interviewed five married women and one woman in a common-law relationship about the story of their marriage. I used narrative analysis to interpret the verbatim transcriptions of each interview. In the findings I present portions of each woman’s story in her words along with my own interpretative comments. The findings indicated that women are experiencing indirect pressure from extemal sources within regard to their individual choices and their choices within their …

A Place For All Seasons: Examining Youth Shelters And The Youth-In-Trouble Network In Toronto (Ontario), Jeffrey Michael Karabanow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study focuses upon youth shelters as non-profit, voluntary organizations, and their relationship with formal child welfare systems. Two case examples, Covenant House (CH) and Youth Without Shelter (YWS) are examined through archival material, participant observations of "shelter culture," and structured/unstructured interviews with front line and managerial shelter workers. These methodological tools provide a distinct portrait of the evolution, the "life stories," and the present day activities of two prominent Toronto youth shelters. The findings suggest that both Shelters' operating goals have been modified in order to reach a. suitable partnership with more entrenched and formal child welfare organizations (such …

Professional Interventions With Parents At The Time Of The Sudden Death Of A Child, Linda Susan Charlotte Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The sudden death of a child is likely the most traumatizing event a parent can experience. Traumatic death, and particularly the death of a child, increases the risk of a complicated grieving process in mourners. Little has been written with respect to the interventions of professionals with parents at the time of a sudden death of a child. The present study examines the experiences of parents with a variety of professionals from the time of death notification through the funeral. Twenty parents who were involved in Bereaved Families of Ontario participated in this study. The purpose was to examine the …

The Sun Always Comes Out After It Rains: Exploring The Experience Of Aids Caregivers (Immune Deficiency), Susan Cadell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research was designed to explore the growth of people who have cared for or about someone who has died of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)-related illnesses or complications related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease. It consists of a cross-sectional study of 176 bereaved caregivers of people with HIV disease, some of whom themselves are HIV-positive. Measures were selected to assess demographics, creativity, spirituality/religiosity, social support, depression, traumatic symptomatology and posttraumatic growth. A research model is tested which examines the relationship of psychosocial resources and stressors to the post-traumatic growth of the bereaved participants. In addition, seven caregivers participated …

Autonomy And Genetic Predisposition: The Relationship Between Original Organizational Configuration And The Tendency For Autonomy. An Analysis Of Three Drop-In Centres Servicing Street Youth, Heike Mertins

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is a comparative analysis of three non-profit service providers and the effect of particular development traits on their degree of autonomy. The three non-profit providers examined in this thesis are all drop-in centres for street youth. Recent government cuts have demonstrated the clear relationship between autonomy and organizational survival of non-profit agencies. For years many have argued that the practice of relying on government funding depoliticized these organizations. many of which perform social justice work. Hence, from a political perspective. organizational autonomy has become an increasingly important issue. This thesis addresses the question of why some non-profit service …

The Construction Of Homelessness As A Social Problem: Linking Contributing Factors, Mediating Factors And Interventive Strategies, Heather Elizabeth Jeffery

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There are many interacting factors that influence our response to social problems and needs in our communities. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the discursive literature about the nature of homelessness and to understand how it is that individuals develop their own personal theories about contributing factors and interventive strategies. The thesis uses grounded theory methods to explain the attitudes of the members of five focus groups that were comprised of homeless individuals, service providers, and community members. Focus group participants provided their ideas about both the contributing factors that lead to homelessness and possible interventive strategies …

Rehabilitation For Deafened Adults: A Puzzle With Missing Pieces, Miguel Oswald Aguayo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explored the psychological and social impact of adventitious deafness, and the rehabilitation services that were offered to individuals who acquired this condition in adulthood. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of eight deafened adults, who were recruited from across Ontario. The results show that medical interventions (e. g., audiometric testing, hearing aid provision, and cochlear implantation) were relied on exclusively as a rehabilitation approach in providing care to deafened people. None of the study participants were offered individual, family, or group counselling by their hearing health service providers. This lack of attention to the socio-emotional needs of …

Restaging The Welfare Diva: Case Studies Of Single Motherhood And Social Policy, Iara Lessa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The single mother has been an enduring and representative character in the development of social welfare. Casted as the embodiment of the various crises of the family which Western democratic nations have experienced throughout the twentieth century, she is the representative of what is outside the foundation of a desirable life: an economically dependent family unit without a male head. Nevertheless, the single mother is also an actual woman raising children alone struggling for survival under very adverse circumstances. In its materiality, it is this body, not the allegorical character, who is the subject of studies and interventions concerned with …

Chinese Congregations Of Ontario In The Context Of The History Of Pastoral Care Practice, Chun-An Wang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This is a study of Chinese congregations of Ontario in the context of the history of pastoral care. According to a historical review, there are three major practice paradigms of pastoral care in the Western church. The classical pastoral paradigm emphasizes a Christian message. The clinical paradigm emphasizes personality and relationships. The communal- contextual paradigm tries to cover a wholistic goal namely, message, person, and context. In the nineteenth century, the Chinese church integrated the classical paradigm into contemporary culture. A micro-ethnographic survey of the Chinese churches of Ontario has revealed that the pastors still practise care ministry in a …

A Question Of Integrity: A Theological Exercise In Relating Process Thought With Object Relations Psychology In Pastoral Counselling, Cindy Schnasa Jacobsen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The role of identity for the pastoral counsellor is explored in its function in the development of professional identity. This thesis utilizes Object Relations Theory and Process Theology as conceptual foundations in articulating the unique process of the emerging professional identity of the pastoral counsellor. It is argued that, when grounded within selfobjects that embrace our theological training as pastors, we can as clinicians engage ourselves in the process of change. This thesis stresses that as pastoral counsellors acknowledge within themselves their important role as theologian in the room with clients, they join in the “aim of God” for change …

Models Of Church-Agency Relationship In Church-Affiliated Social Service Agencies In The Region Of Waterloo (Ontario), Buetta Louise Martin Warkentin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an exploration of the models of relationship that are evident in the Region of Waterloo, between church-affiliated social service agencies and their supporting church bodies. Church-affiliated social service agencies were defined as those that either use Christian terminology or denominational names in their title, that require church representation at a board or corporate membership level, or that receive regular, committed financial or volunteer support from a church body. Ten agencies that fit this description were studied, with interviews conducted with agency representatives as well as four church representatives from organizations representing three different models. An interview was …

An Evaluation Of A Socio-Sexuality Education Program For Individuals With A Developmental Handicap, David Nelson Morrow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an evaluation of eight week socio-sexuality education group for seven individuals with a developmental handicap who live in a twenty-four hour supervised group home. Pre and post-test data collection measured the socio-sexual knowledge of the participants. Attitudes of their primary counsellors toward the sexuality of individuals with developmental handicaps were also measured pre and post-test. A qualitative analysis of the facilitators’ process notes and a post participation focus group with the counsellors provided an understanding of why changes in knowledge and attitude had, or had not, occurred There was a significant increase in the client groups overall …

The Dance Of Many Partners: A Case Study Of Interorganizational Collaboration In The Social Services Sector, Elizabeth G. Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is a case study of interorganizational collaboration Qualitative methods facilitated reports of 25 participants’ experiences of a collaborative planning process to restructure children's social services in London, Ontario (Canada). The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the process dynamics of collaboration. Factors that impeded and/or facilitated collaboration were discussed. The influence of asymmetrical social relations of power on collaboration was observed in examples participants cited. However, much of the literature reviewed on factors that influence interorganizational collaboration did not include a critical analysis of social relations of power in collaboration. Social relations of power must …

Client And Therapist Experiences With A Narrative Therapeutic Summary Format, Peter Duncan Whyte

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research study explored the use of a narrative therapeutic summary letter format as an adjunctive intervention with clients engaged in individual therapy. The study’s sample consisted of six client subjects who received summary letters from six therapist subjects. Client subjects were furnished with written summaries of four consecutive counselling sessions. The summaries were based on pre-established narrative summary guidelines supplied to each respective therapist. After client subjects had received four consecutive summary letters, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with each client. The aim of these interviews was to explore and document clients’ experiences with the narrative therapeutic summary …

As If Born To: The Social Construction Of A Deficit Identity Position For Adopted Persons, Lise M. Beauchesne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Many adopted persons report experiencing ongoing problems with identity, often resulting in feelings of personal deficiency to imprison their sense of self. The dominant position of the literature eon adoption individualizes and problematizes “identity” issues by locating the source of difficulties to individual traits of the adopted person and his/her adoptive family. Consequently, the struggle associated with the identity “adopted” is typically constructed as an individual struggle.

Drawing on my own lived experience as an adopted women, I have been engaged in a critical inquiry of the traditional view of adoption in order to understand the problem of identity not …

A Case Study Approach To Examining The Social Functioning Of Learning Disabled Children With A Nonverbal Impairment, Laura Kate Donelan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study is concerned with exploring the hypothesis that the deficits associated with the nonverbal learning disability syndrome (NLD) have a direct impact on the interpretation of nonverbal social cues and that this contributes to lower social functioning and as a result, higher rates of internalized pathology in those so diagnosed. Children with NLD have significant visual, organizational and perceptual deficits. In the literature it is suggested that these impairments lead to difficulty in interpreting the nonverbal social cues of others, which in turn leads to impairments in social functioning. To examine this hypothesis a case study of two individuals …

Motivations And The Manner In Which Residents Of Trinity Village Care Centre Help One Another (Ontario), Martin Siganda Chitente Mugala

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A survey was conducted on a sample of 15 seniors living in a nursing home, who had a median age of 79 years. About 93% of them were institutionalized because of poor health; with stroke, dementia and arthritis being the most prevalent diseases. Furthermore, all of them had suffered other forms of significant loss in their lives, including emotional cut-offs and death, with reported feelings of guilt and unresolved grief. While most felt lonely, this problem often tended to be alleviated by factors such as friendships, visits by kin and non-kin, as well as activities and entertainments. Other reasons for …

Developmental Disability And Grief: Assessing The Impact Of Life Events, Stephanie Dell'aquilla

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The one-dimensional approach of assessing cognitive factors is commonplace in studies investigating people with developmental disabilities. The published literature on grief and people with developmental disabilities was found to be similar in this regard. This study differs by investigating the influence of external social factors on the grief of people with developmental disabilities. A qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviewing was used to collect descriptive information from people with developmental disabilities about their social experiences and experiences with death. Importantly, this methodology allowed the participants to speak for themselves. The effects of the participants' socialization histories and associated circumstantial losses were …

Adaptation During The Transition From High School To University: An Examination Of Selected Person, Environment And Transition Perception Variables, Sheldon Jacob Birnie-Lefcovitch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Drawing on conceptual knowledge regarding normative life transitions and primary prevention and using a panel-design survey methodology, this study investigates factors that continue to student adaptation during the move from high school to university. All participants were first-time, full-time, first-semester students enrolled in biological or environmental science programs at a mid-size publicly funded university located in southwestern Ontario. Participants were surveyed twice: once prior to university entry and a second time following completion of their first-semester. The study determined that the vast majority of students view this transition as a normative life event, with most feeling ownership for the decision …