Social Work Commons^™

Social Services In The Iron Cage, James Latimore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Interview and documentary data from a study of a voluntary job placement agency revealed that counselors were effectively weeding out the hard-to-place clients. These clients were the target population of the agency and its funded programs. The clients who were weeded out tended to be younger, with less education and less work experience. Weeding out was accomplished by discouraging unrealistic clients, and by not retrieving clients who were insufficiently motivated to keep in touch with the counselor. This marked a change in the counselors' practice compared with an earlier period, and appeared to be in conflict with the agency's mission, …

Specifying Sociological Options And Social Welfare Strategies, Thomas M. Meenaghan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As a profession, social work applies knowledge constructs from various social sciences. In this article attention is given to the relation between sociology and social work. The specific areas reviewed include conceptions of the social arrangement, the role of complex organizations, and social change theories. Each of these three broad areas have internal variations which have implications for sociology, social work, and attempts to integrate the two.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 6, No. 6 (November 1979)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• From The New Editor - pp. i
• Copy of Letter Re Richard Cloward - pp. ii
• The Influence of the Agency Environment On Clinical Practice - ANTHONY M. MALUCCIO - pp. 734
• Social Services In the Iron Cage - JAMES LATIMORE - pp. 756
• Planning for A National Social Policy For the Family - JOHN T. PARDECK - pp. 770
• The Transition To Medicalized Views: Alcholism and Social Workers - H. PAUL CHALFANT, DORINDA N. NOBLE - pp. 792
• A Model Program to Avoid the Institutionalization of Children - PAUL GITELSON - pp. 805
• Women and Leadership: …

The Soco-Legal History Of Child Abuse And Neglect: An Analysis Of The Policy Of Children's Rights, Diana M. Richett, James R. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The focus of this paper is on the two major axes that have influenced the course of child welfare policy. One upholds corporal punishment as the predominant method of child rearing, that is, "Spare the rod, spoil the child." The other defines the status of the child as property of "loving" parents. Because of these two conceptions, the authors maintain that reliance on parental benevolence or the "benevolent intrusion" of the state will not suffice to protect the child's best interests. On the contrary, the examination of the socio-legal history of child abuse and neglect highlights the authors' warning that …

Social Work Education: Radical Thought In Action, Peninah A. Chilton, Marsha R. Ellentuck, Eileen M. Gilkenson, Sharon A. Jachter, Tenley K. Stillwell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through the experiences of a group of social work students, this paper critiques social work education and deals with two levels of the educational experience: the oppressive atmosphere of the school and the conceptual content of the curriculum. An alternative model is presented, which attempts to combine radical social work theory with a radicalized educational process and methodology.

The Influence Of The Agency Environment On Clinical Practice, Anthony N. Maluccio

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In an in-depth, exploratory study of their perception of treatment in a family service agency, it was found that clients stressed the impact of the agency’s, social and physical environment on the helping process and its outcome. Workers, in contrast, took the environment for granted or had little to say about it. This paper discusses the findings and selected practice implications.

Planning For A National Social Policy For The Family, John T. Pardeck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The American family performs two important functions for family members - providing physical care and socialization, and meeting psychological needs. Current family trends suggest that the American family may be having difficulty in carrying out these basic functions. Since the United States lacks a comprehensive family policy, it is argued that a national social policy should be created to better support the American family. A social policy is presented which would assist the American family in performing its basic functions. A suggested strategy for implementation of this family social policy has also been developed.

The Transition To Medicalized Views: Alcoholism And Social Workers, H. Paul Chalfant, Dorinda N. Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

More deviant behaviors in our society are coming to be defined as medical rather than criminal, so that more control of such behavior is coming under medical and helping professions. Some conditions, e.g., alcoholism, seem to be caught "in between," with serious consequences. This paper looks at social worker perception of the alcoholic as "sick," in terms of a sociological conception of sickness as a social role. A bi-mdal distribution is found for acceptance and nonacceptance. Also, a significant number are ambivalent. The implications of this lack of consensus are discussed.

A Model Program To Avoid The Institutionalization Of Children, Paul Gitelson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The concept of "deinstitutionalization" has led to a great deal of concern being focused on moving children out of large institutions into community based programs. This paper proposes a model program that would seek to avoid the initial placement of the child and focus attention on working with the family as a total unit. The program would recognize the acting out child as symptomatic of a family system in crisis.

Women And Leadership: Strategies For Social Workers And Clients, Abigail C. Nichols

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An examination of recent research on women and leadership yields several strategies that women, both clients and social workers, can use to facilitate success in administration and other traditionally male work domains.

Toward A Theory Of Accountability, Michael Borrero, Pricilla Martens, Gretchen Gubelman Borrero

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Since the mid 1960's the demand for accountability has been a major theme in the social work profession. The literature, however, has failed to provide a theoretical and practical guide on developing systems of accountability. This article traces the recent emergence of accountability; synthesizes the professional literature into four explanations as to why social work has not been accountable; and proposes a theoretical and practical paradigm to develop systems of accountability.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 6, No. 5 (September 1979)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Work Place Collectives: A Strategy Towards Decentralized Democratic Socialism - DAVID G. GIL
• Behavior Modification in the Classroom: Education or Social Control? - IRWIN EPSTEIN, CHRISTINE HENCH
• Applied Sociology and Social Work Manpower and Theoretical Issues - CARLTON E. MUNSON
• The Causes of Turnover Among Social Workers - F.M. LOEWENBERG
• The Social Construction of Ages and the Ideology of Stages - VICTORIA FRIES RADER
• Baseline Evaluation: Evaluating Consistency Between Federal Standards and Local Provisions - JAMES R. SEABERG, DAVID F. GILLESPIE
• The Economic Status of the Elderly: Is the Problem Low Income? - JOHN B. WILLIAMSON
• Lessons …

Baseline Evaluation: Evaluating Consistency Between Federal Standards And Local Provisions, James R. Seaberg, David F. Gillespie

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Baseline evaluation is a form of evaluation procedure in which objectives related to several dimensions of response to a social problem are set externally in the form of federal standards. The standards form the baseline against which local provisions can be compared. The case example giving rise to the development and field testing of the baseline evaluation procedure was new Federal Standards on the Prevention, Identification and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect. The baseline evaluation methodology is described and problems encountered are discussed.

On The Creation Of Truth, David Howe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

The Causes Of Turnover Among Social Workers, F.M. Loewenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There is general agreement that social worker turnover is not desirable. Yet social work administrators who want to institute changes which might reduce the rate of turnover have little accurate information about the causes of worker mobility -- and without such information, any change activity must be based on a trial-and-error approach. In this study general propositions and hypotheses about social work turnover have been deduced from what is known about worker mobility generally and have been assessed in the light of the available literature on social worker mobility.

The Economic Status Of The Elderly: Is The Problem Low Income?, John B. Williamson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The thesis of this paper is that poverty among the elderly is increasingly becoming a problem of relative as opposed to absolute economic deprivation. Many of the elderly (persons age 65 and over) are oppressed by the absolute poverty they must endure, but for most of those for whom inadequate income is a source of concern, the real problem seems to be relative economic deprivation. If present trends continue this will be increasingly the case in future years.

Heroin--Myths And Knowledge: Impact On Public Policy, Robert Salmon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Public Policy in the United States towards the heroin user and addict has been punitive as well as unsuccessful in deterring drug use or in treatment of the addict. Bias, myths, and prejudices have influenced our policy stance and have made heroin addiction a more serious problem than it otherwise would have been. This is explicated in the article, and contrasted with the British system which in attitude and practice tends to view the addict as ill rather than evil.

Work Place Collectives: A Strategy Toward Decentralized Democratic Socialism, David G. Gil

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

I explore in this essay a possible strategy for the transformation of democratic, capitalist states into decentralized, democratic, socialist societies. The strategy suggested here can be pursued now within the United States and similar nation-states whose formal legal frameworks provide for certain civil and political rights including freedom of speech, press, assembly, association and life-style, due process, etc. More specifically, I will examine the notion of voluntary, social, economic, and political collectives, and networks of such collectives, organized in and around existing urban and non-urban places of work -- fresh cells of participatory democracy and socialism within the aging, crises-ridden …

Behavior Modification In The Classroom: Education Or Social Control?, Irwin Epstein, Christine Hench

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study presents an analysis of the empirical literature on behavior modification in the classroom. Data were drawn from all relevant articles published in four behavior modification journals from 1963 through 1976. An assessment of the intervention techniques employed and the behavioral objectives sought in this literature suggests that traditional intervention techniques are still primarily directed towards control rather than educational goals. Newer, more innovative techniques, however, are more likely to be directed towards academic achievement.

Applied Sociology And Social Work: Manpower And Theoretical Issues, Carlton E. Munson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Applied sociology and social work are compared and contrasted historically. Significant literature is reviewed that illustrates chronologically past cooperative efforts. Academic and practice integration of the two disciplines are identified in their modern context as well as trends are identified. Manpower issues that parallel and separate the two disciplines are explored. It is argued that current changes in funding of educational programs could have much impact on both disciplines and determine future differentiation.

The Social Construction Of Ages And The Ideology Of Stages, Victoria Fries Rader

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is the thesis of this paper that the images and beliefs about any age group in a society indicate the kind of social order prevailing in a particular time and place. This paper critically analyses the developmental life cycle model from a sociology of knowledge perspective. It is argued that life's major activities and individuals' basic needs have increasingly become compartmentalized according to chronological age in modern Western society. This separation of basic activities and needs into specialized age roles is explained and legitimated by a popular belief in a model of inherent progressive life "stages", a model largely …

Lessons From Private Health Insurance, Martha N. Ozawa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

All across the country there is a sense of urgency, and even of crisis over what is happening in the health industry. Of special concern are the rapid rate of increase in the cost of health care services and the increasing national expenditures for health care. For fiscal year 1976, the total U.S. spending for health care reached $149.8 billion, or a per capita expenditure of $638. Expressed as a percentage of the gross national product (GNP), the national spending for health care reached a record-breaking 8.6 percent.1 From the early 1960s--except during the period from August 1971 through April …

Do Agency Administrative Changes Affect The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Dhr Employees?, Richard M. Grinnell Jr., Linda S. Hill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined the perceived effectiveness and efficiency of DHR employees before and after agency administrative changes. Results indicated that the employees' perceptions of effectiveness and efficiency after agency administrative changes were not significantly affected. The employees also felt that "communication" was the major factor hindering them in becoming more effective and efficient.

Status Enhancement And Social Problem Concerns: An Essay On The Course Of State Social Work Associations, Timothy Lause

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work's ability to contribute to the development of a more just and humanistic society is currently Inhibited by a state-level preoccupation with status enhancement. Professional status consciousness, in Itself, does have potential for promoting developmental forms of professional accountability and the further humanization of service bureaucracies. Current circumstances, however, prevent the fulfillment of either of these potentials.

Consciousness Raising, Values, And Practice Behavior, Joseph R. Steiner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper advocates for more conscious awareness of values, and their logical link, along with knowledge, to practice. A logical network is developed which reveals the association between values, knowledge, and practice behaviors. Excnples from social work literature are used to illustrate the breakdown in the logical development of practice which occurs when values are suppressed or are only dealt with subjectively. Examples are also given based upon a planning group in which values were defined and used with community data to logically deduce 'what ought to be done." A plan for self study is also developed.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 6, No. 4 (June 1979)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• The Social Construction of Professional Knowledge: Social Work Ideology, 1956-1973 - DANNY L. JORGENSEN - pp 434
• A Study of Strategies Used In The Pursuit of Legal Regulation of Social Work - JOHN T. GANDY, FRANK B. RAYMOND - pp 464
• Exploring The Validity of Multi Causal Models In
• Problem Analysis: The Case of Child Abuse - NOLAN RINDFIEISCH - pp 477
• Racial Segregation: The Impact of Monthly Contract Rent and Family Income - GEORGE E. 0’C0NNELL - pp 494
• Do Agency Admínistrative Changes Affect The Effectíveness and Efficiency of DHR Employees? - RICHARD M. GRINNELL, JR., …

The Social Construction Of Professional Knowledge: Social Work Ideology, 1956-1973, Danny L. Jorgensen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper reports on patterns and trends of ideological advocacy in social work. Findings from a content analysis of Social Work indicate that conceptions of this service profession have changed over a recent eighteen year period. Changes in professional meanings are analyzed in terms of authors' educational status, employment setting, and the problematic topics they discussed. This analysis supports a process model of reality construction in professional arenas and provides implications for the self-conscious management of professional imagery.

Exploring The Validity Of Multi Causal Models In Problem Analysis: The Case Of Child Abuse, Nolan Rindfleisch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of the study reported here was to assess the validity of a multi-causal view of child abuse as it is manifested in children's institutions. The analytical model utilized underlines the powerful role that norms play in creating differential predispositions to violence, that pressures and structural position play in creating differential chances of violence among people with different predispositions and that a sense of injustice plays as a dynamic through which violence is generated.

This ex post facto study utilized role playing techniques to examine voluntary harm doing in a purposive sample of 100 direct caregivers in 42 living …

Social Choice And Policy Formulation: Problems And Considerations In The Construction Of The Public Interest, Irv Berkowitz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The need for and adoption of certain social policies for the nation are frequently rationalized by their advocates as being in the public interest. Often, though, the interest of the many merely disguises the special interests and wants of the few. It is obvious that the social choices made in the policy process only rarely benefit the interests of all without being adversely consequential to some. This paper argues that the problem of social choice in the conflictual process of policy making is as much a conceptual dilemma as a practical political or economic one. A major source of this …

A Study Of Strategies Used In The Pursuit Of Legal Regulation Of Social Work, John T. Gandy, Frank B. Raymond

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The debate regarding legal regulation in social work has continued for a number of years. The issues are varied, including the desirability of licensing, the lack of progress in the achievement of regulation, and the discrepancy as to the form of such regulation.

The authors examined a topic area which they believe might be basic to the profession's problems with legal regulation, that being the procedure and process utilized by states in achieving such regulation. The primary purpose of the empirical research concerned the identification and description of strategies used by state chapters of the National Association of Social Workers …