Social Work Commons^™

The Leap Of Faith Exploring Social Workers' Role In Therapeutic Foster Care And The Impact Of Implementing The Strengths Perspective, Joshua M. Kent

Theses and Graduate Projects

The strengths perspective has received significant attention in recent years in both academic and practice settings. Examining its implementation will provide important information about how it can function as a practice model, and therefore facilitate the development of this emergent model. The present study focuses on the implementation of a pilot project designed to incorporate the strengths perspective in therapeutic foster care. The study examines how the strengths perspective affects social workers' roles and responsibilities in therapeutic foster care, and what can be learned about the strengths perspective by examining its implementation in an agency setting. The findings show that …

Attribution Of Blame In Father-Daughter Incest Cases: Perceptions Of Social Workers And Case Aides, Jane E. Leclair

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory study exarnined the attribution of blame in father-daughter incest cases by surveying the perceptions of 100 social workers and case aides. The random sample of 74 women and 26 men were mailed a self-repoft survey packet including two Likert-type, ordinal level scales: The Jackson Incest Blame Scale (JIBS) which measured offender, victim, societal and situational factors; and the JEL Blame Scale which measured mother blame. With a response rate of 30Vr, findings were reported in the median and mode. JIBS findings indicated most blame was aftributed to the offender, little to the victim, with varying amounts of blame …

"Welfare Reform: A Social Work Perspective For Assessing Success", Dennis D. Long

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has instituted major changes in providing for the poor in the United States. This article examines the importance of evaluating the impact of this legislation from a social work perspective. Using Mannheim as a theoretical orientation, welfare reform is examined in relation to dominant ideologies of the 90's. The salience of social work research, particularly qualitative research, in evaluating welfare reform outcomes is explored. Social workers are encouraged to challenge current ideology and utilize social work expertise to conduct research and disseminate information documenting the achievements and misfortunes of clients …

Private Philanthropy In Egypt, Marwa Ahmed El-Daly

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Communitarian Critique Of The Child Protective System, Toni Terling-Watt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Child Protective Services (CPS) has been defined as an ineffective system. Common criticisms are that the system is overburdened and that family preservation policy pressures CPS to reunite families that can't be repaired. However, empirical analyses that identify the deficiencies of this organization are limited. This study utilizes case files and in-depth interviews with interventionists within and outside of CPS to explore the issue. Results reveal that the most common criticisms of the system do have merit. However, it reveals additional system limitations. Results suggest that the child protective system is characterized by an individualistic approach and that this focus …

Estimating Poverty Rates In A Metropolis: The Example Of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Robert G. Mogull

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study develops a technique to estimate and project annual rates of poverty for a large metropolitan area for various segments of its population. The annual estimates and projections are based upon the official rates compiled by the Bureau of the Census.

Using Los Angeles/Long Beach as the site of the experimental example, the evidence reveals a substantially increasing trend in the incidence of poverty for the overall metropolitan population. This increase is caused by the dramatic rise in poverty within the Hispanic and Children population groups. Trends in poverty are negative, however, for the Elderly, Blacks, Female Family Heads …

Job Stability And Wage Progression Patterns Among Early Tanf Leavers, Steven G. Anderson, Anthony P. Halter, George Julnes, Richard Schuldt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports on first-year employment experiences of a randomly selected sample of 213 Illinois TANF leavers. Aggregate employment levels were 70 percent at exit, and leavers typically generated earnings from a single full-time job. However, employment often was unstable, so that only about one-fourth of leavers had the same job both at exit and when interviewed 10-11 months later. Employment instability resulted from the marginal or temporary nature of many jobs, as well as employment barriers such as health problems and lack of day care. Average wage levels easily exceeded the minimum wage and grew during the first year …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 24, No. 4 (December 2000)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• A COMMUNITARIAN CRITIQUE OF THE CHILD PROTECTIVE SYSTEM - Toni Terling-Watt
• ESTIMATING POVERTY RATES IN A METROPOLIS: THE EXAMPLE OF LOS ANGELES/LONG BEACH - Robert G. Mogull
• JOB STABILITY AND WAGE PROGRESSION PATTERNS AMONG EARLY TANF LEAVERS - Steven G. Anderson, Anthony P. Halter, George Julnes, and Richard Schuldt
• WELFARE REFORM: A SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVE FOR ASSESSING SUCCESS - Dennis D. Long
• THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS [ESAPs] ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WELFARE IN ZIMBABWE - Saliwe M. Kawewe and Robert Dibie
• THE HIGHER EDUCATION OPTION FOR POOR WOMEN WITH CHILDREN - …

Is Welfare Reform Working? A Study Of The Effects Of Sanctions On Families Receiving Temporary Assistance To Needy Families, Taryn Lindhorst, Ronald J. Mancoske, Alice Abel Kemp

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research provides a preliminary descriptive analysis of the impact of new welfare sanctions on recipients living in a southern metropolitan region. The data from this phone survey indicate that many families report considerable hardship no matter why they exited from welfare. Compared to those who left voluntarily, those who were sanctioned off welfare were significantly different in terms of having unmet medical needs, going without food, and having their utilities turned off. Given the high number of problems reported and the low income reported by these respondents, it is not surprising to find that only 10 percent of former …

Review Of Counseling And The Therapeutic State. James J. Chriss (Ed.). Reviewed By Daniel Harkness., Daniel Harkness

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of James J. Chriss (Ed.), Counseling and the Therapeutic State. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 1999. $48.95 hardcover, $24.95 papercover.

The Impact Of Economic Structural Adjustment Programs [Esaps] On Women And Children: Implications For Social Welfare In Zimbabwe, Saliwe M. Kawewe, Robert Dibie

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the impact of structural adjustment policy (SAP) on the welfare of Zimbabweans, particularly women and children and draws some parallels with economic policy in the US and its effect on social welfare programs and the poor. The paper argues that economic structural adjustment programs (ESAPs), introduced by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as major international financial institutions in economic globalization, have been an inappropriate public policy for Zimbabwe. These economic reforms inflate poverty, decrease the country's capability to develop a strong diversified domestic economy, increase the exploitation of workers through deregulation accompanied by environmental …

The Higher Education Option For Poor Women With Children, Shanta Pandey, Min Zhan, Susan Neely-Barnes, Natasha Menon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Postsecondary education is the key to exiting from poverty permanently. Yet, the PRWORA allows women only up to 12 months of vocational training while on welfare. This paper focuses on bringing back the importance of investing in the education of poor women, particularly the postsecondary education of poor women with children, to the forefront of the welfare debate. In this paper we review federal and state level welfare policies toward postsecondary education of poor women with children. Some states are interpreting federal welfare policy strictly and allowing only up to 12 months of vocational training while on welfare. Other states …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Skin Color Bias In Puerto Rico: Ecological Applications To Practice, Ronald E. Hall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Travel brochures to the island of Puerto Rico aptly profess the rich variation in skin color and other phenotypes among its people. Following acts of domination vis-a-vis the island's cultural mores, invading colonizers evolved a social hierarchy to discourage any notions of merit attributable to racial diversity. According to the data herewith, the presumption of a relationship between skin color and selected values for skin color ideals is plausible. Social work practitionersa re then challenged to decipher the maze of racial traditions as pertains to discrimination. Doing so will enable an environment for knowledge based purely upon merit in order …

Review Of Group Work With Children And Adolescents: Prevention And Intervention In School And Community Systems. Steven R. Rose. Reviewed By Bart Grossman., Bart Grossman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Steven R. Rose, Group Work with Children and Adolescents: Prevention and Intervention in School and Community Systems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1999. $29.95 papercover.

Review Of The Social Edges Of Psychoanalysis. Neil J. Smelser. Reviewed By Daniel Coleman., Daniel Coleman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Neil J. Smelser, The Social Edges of Psychoanalysis. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999. $35.00 hardcover, $24.00 papercover.

Review Of Reading Foucalt For Social Work. Adrienne Chambon, Allan Irving And Laura Epstein (Eds.). Reviewed By Emilia E. Martinez-Brawely., Emilia E. Martinez-Brawely

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Adrienne Chambon, Allan Irving and Laura Epstein (Eds.), Reading Foucalt for Social Work. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. $49.50 hardcover, $19.50 papercover.

Review Of Social Work With Lesbians, Gays And Bisexuals: A Strengths Perspective. Katherine Van Wormer, Joel Wells And Mary Boes. Reviewed By Ronald J. Mancoske., Ronald J. Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Katherine van Wormer, Joel Wells and Mary Boes, Social Work with Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals: A Strengths Perspective. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. $26.76 papercover. [December 1, 1999].

Kidnapped: Child Abduction In America. Paula S. Fass.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Paula S. Fass, Kidnapped: Child Abduction in America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999. $15.95 paperback.

Adoption And Financial Assistance: Tools For Navigating The Bureaucracy. Rita Laws And Tim O'Hanlon.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Rita Laws and Tim O'Hanlon, Adoption and Financial Assistance: Tools for Navigating the Bureaucracy. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1999. $35.00 hardcover.

Taking Stock: American Government In The Twentieth Century. Morton Keller And R. Shep Melnick (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Morton Keller and R. Shep Melnick (Eds.), Taking Stock: American Government in the Twentieth Century. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. $54.95 hardcover, $17.95 papercover.

Policing Urban Poverty. Chris Crowther.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Chris Crowther, Policing Urban Poverty. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. $65.00 hardcover.

True Security: Rethinking American Social Insurance. Michael J. Graetz And Jerry L. Mashaw.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Michael J. Graetz and Jerry L. Mashaw, True Security: Rethinking American Social Insurance. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999. $40.00 hardcover, $16.95 papercover.

The Process Of Resilience, Denise R. Vikturek

Theses and Graduate Projects

Resilience is the overcoming of some risk factor resulting in positive adaptation. Respondents from a mental health center and a medical institution who are involved in individual and family therapies completed a quantitative survey identifying specific traits, relationships and experiences impacting an individual's adaptation to adversity. The hypothesis was that if practitioners can identify these specifics they can help clients learn to recognize and seek out such traits, relationships, and experiences. The implication for practice is that through such teaching practitioners can increase the likelihood of client positive adaptation to adverse situations.

Social Policy In A Changing Society. Maurice Mullard And Paul Spicker.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Maurice Mullard and Paul Spicker, Social Policy in a Changing Society. New York: Routledge, 1999. $80.00 hardcover, $24.88 papercover.

Moving The Mountain: The Women's Movement In America Since 1960. Flora Davis.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Flora Davis, Moving the Mountain: The Women's Movement in America Since 1960. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1999. $21.95 papercover.

Factors Encouraging The Growth Of Sustainable Communities: A Jamaican Case Study, Eleanor Wint

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The concept of sustainable communities assumes a process of social and/or economic development that has as a high priority, the needs of the future generation. However, models of social and economic development employed in developing countries, must rely heavily on political, social and psychological empowerment techniques being employed at the community level, in order to warrant any type of sustainability becoming apparent. A case study taken from Kingston, Jamaica recounts and examines the experience of a Social Work Unit/private company in partnership, becoming involved in a low-income community's drive for sustainable development. The paper will reflect on the intervention, the …

A Multilevel Model Of Client Participation In Intensive Family Preservation Services, Julia H. Littell, E. A. Tajima

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

We identify two distinct components of parent participation in intensive family preservation services: collaboration in treatment planning and compliance with program expectations. Using hierarchical linear models, we explore influences on collaboration and compliance at the case, worker, and program levels. Effects of cross-level interactions are also examined. Parental substance abuse, mental health problems, minority status, and lack of extended family support predict lower levels of participation. Workers' perceptions of their clients and of their own working conditions appear to influence client participation. Program factors matter as well, although some operate in tandem with case characteristics and worker perceptions.

Making A Difference: Human Service Interest Group Influence On Social Welfare Program Regulations, Richard Hoefer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social workers increasingly understand the importance of political action to affect legislative policy-making. This paper sheds light onto the unexplored subject of interest group influence on the executive branch, specifically on the writing of program regulations for social welfare programs. It describes groups active in the process and what they do in their quest for influence. It also presents a preliminary model of interest group influence on regulation writing. Results show that having greater access, articulating a liberal policy position, choosing a "better" strategy and devoting more resources to influence efforts are all significant predictors of a group's influence level …

Race, Class, And Support For Egalitarian Statism Among The African American Middle Class, George Wilson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study uses data from the 1990 and 1987 years of the General Social Survey to assess the effects of minority status and position in the class structure in explaining middle class African Americans' support for opportunity-enhancing and outcome-based egalitarian statist policies. Findings do not provide confirmation for prior research that has found that racial effects are predominant, but has considered a more narrow range of policies and not assessed interaction effects. First, neither additive nor interactive effects of race and social class explain support for government policies that are premised on providing people with skills to compete in the …

Review Of Handbook Of Social Policy. James Midgley, Martin B. Tracy And Michelle Livermore (Eds.). Reviewed By Shanti Khinduka, Washington University In St. Louis., Shanti Khinduka

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of James Midgley, Martin B. Tracy and Michelle Livermore (Eds.), The Handbook of Social Policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1999. $85.00 hardcover.