Social Work Commons^™

Social Protection In Africa: Beyond Safety Nets?, Leila Patel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social protection is one of the most recent, yet fastest growing social policy instruments in low and middle income countries to end poverty. At least 50 countries in Africa have non-contributory social protection programmes targeting poor and vulnerable households and individuals. Are these social policies an extension of residual social policies, or do they signal new directions in social policy in the Global South? This article reviews the theoretical approaches that inform social protection policies as well as their practical application in different African countries. The analysis suggest that there is a changing trend towards more expansive social investment-oriented poverty …

Asset Building And Property Owning Democracy: Singapore Housing Policy As A Model Of Social Investment And Social Justice, James Lee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper discusses a fundamental issue that continues to haunt Western welfare states: despite rising levels of social expenditures and a rigorous social investment-oriented social policy, poverty and acute social inequalities persist. Using the concept of Property Owning Democracy (POD) advanced by John Rawls, this paper argues that an asset-based housing policy might be able to improve social justice and reduce poverty. Using Singapore’s housing system as an example, this paper illustrates the connection between asset building and POD, and suggests that Singapore’s housing system, to some extent, fulfills the requirements of Rawls’ theory of justice in terms of maintaining …

Investing In Adoption: Exploring Child Development Accounts For Children Adopted From Foster Care, Amy Conley Wright

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Adoption is arguably the most powerful intervention available for children in foster care who are unable to be restored to their birth families. Adoption promises stability and a family for life, in contrast to foster care or guardianship, which are expected to end when the child reaches adulthood. In comparison to foster care, adoption is associated with better educational, financial, and social outcomes. However, because children adopted out of foster care have had adverse experiences, they may have additional support needs in later years. These unknown costs can be off-putting to potential adoptive parents, who may not be in the …

Human Rights-Based Social Investments, David Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Human rights provide a normative framework for social policy. Social investments are required for a state to realize the rights of its people. For example, the human right to health requires a well-funded system of health care infrastructure with a well-trained workforce of health care professionals. However, the implications of human rights for social development policies have not been examined. This paper attempts to fill in this gray area by exploring a rights-based approach to social investment. Human rights-based approaches to poverty, health, mental health, child welfare, and older adults are analyzed for their implications for social investment policy proposals. …

Review Of Unmaking The Global Sweatshop. Rebecca Prentice And Geert De Neve (Eds.), Jacob Van Pelt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of: Rebecca Prentice and Geert De Neve (Eds.), Unmaking the Global Sweatshop. University of Pennsylvania Press (2017), 304 pages, $79.95 (hardcover).

Review Of Creative Teamwork: Developing Rapid Site-Switching Ethnography. By Pat Armstrong And Ruth Lowndes, Zhong Xin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of: Pat Armstrong and Ruth Lowndes, Creative Teamwork: Developing Rapid Site-Switching Ethnography. Oxford University Press (2018), 194 pages, $55 (hardcover).

Review Of The War On Kids: How American Juvenile Justice Lost Its Way. By Cara H. Drinan, Rong Bai, Robert Fischer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of: Cara H. Drinan, The War on Kids: How American Juvenile Justice Lost Its Way. Oxford University Press (2018), 215 pages, $27.95 (hardcover).

Review Of The Human Instinct: How We Evolved To Have Reason, Consciousness And Free Will. By Kenneth R. Miller, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of: Kenneth R. Miller, The Human Instinct: How We Evolved to Have Reason, Consciousness and Free Will. Simon and Schuster (2018). 294 pages. $26.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Technology, Activism, And Social Justice In A Digital Age By John G. Mcnutt, Joel Izlar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 45 No. 1

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Dimensions of Charity versus Development: The Century-Old Debate in the Profession of Social Work- Héctor Luis Díaz and Antonio López Peláez

Common Law, Charity and Human Rights as Responses to the Socio-Economic Crisis in Galicia, Spain Francisco- Xabier Aguiar Fernández, Santiago Prado Conde, and Carmen Verde Diego

Maximization vs. Inclusion as a Value Conflict in Development Work- Johnny Ramírez-Johnson, Héctor Luis Díaz, and Vijayan Kumara Pillai

Use of Technology, Pedagogical Approaches and Intercultural Competence in Development - Dee Ann Sherwood, Marian Tripplett, Sarah Hoyle-Katz, and Joy Langereis

The Debate on Minimum Income in Spain: Charity, Development or Citizen Right -Arantxa …

Maximization Vs. Inclusion As A Value Conflict In Development Work, Johnny Ramírez-Johnson, Héctor Luis Díaz, Vijayan Kumara Pillai

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article builds on previous research studies strongly suggesting that high levels of social capital are positively associated with the economic and political progress of community residents. As previously proposed by the authors of this article, such findings may encourage policy makers of government and non-governmental development organizations to concentrate their efforts and resources in communities whose residents have been identified as having high levels of social capital. Policy- makers may view pre-existing high levels of social capital among community residents as a factor likely to increase the level of success of their respective socio-economic development initiatives. Such course of …

The Debate On Minimum Income In Spain: Charity, Development Or Citizen Right, Arantxa Hernández-Echegaray, Javier Pacheco-Mangas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current retrenchment of social protection in capitalist welfare economies has triggered the expansion of aid-based practices in response to vulnerability, far removed from the ideals of social work. This study analyzes the practices and strategies of social workers that take part in regional minimum income systems (MIS) in Spain, using a qualitative approach that makes it possible to demonstrate leading professional discourses. Findings show a limited consolidation of regional policies on minimum income in Spain, resulting in significant regional disparities. Authors emphasize the need to increase social work’s participation in formulating policies aimed at inclusion and consolidation of local …

Class Activist Lens For Teaching About Poverty, Susan Weinger, Linda C. Reeser

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The mission of social work is to serve the poor and oppressed and engage in social reform. This article proposes a conceptual framework, and teaching and practice strategies to equip students to understand poverty from a class perspective. The action component is to politicize practice and become allies with the poor in resisting injustice and promoting their social and economic development.

The Importance Of Social Work In The Latin American Association Movement Of People Affected By Low Prevalence Diseases, Enrique Pastor Seller, Juan Carrión Tudela, M. Bañón Hernández

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article analyses the experiences of the association movement in Latin America that brings together individuals and families with rare (RD) or low prevalence diseases (LPD). It also looks at their needs from global health, social, research and education perspectives. The nature of social work assessments and interventions in rare diseases helps us better understand the needs of people with RDs or LPDs and facilitates the creation of associations. Social work aims at consolidating the social fabric that will lead to the recognition of RDs as a health and social priority at an international level.

Assisting The Most Vulnerable Populations In The Regions Of La Rioja And The Maghreb: The Human Rights-Based Approach And Social Work, Neus Caparrós Civera, Domingo Carbonero Muñoz, Esther Raya Díez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the evolution of social assistance provided to the most disadvantaged populations in La Rioja, Spain and the Maghreb, going from charity to the human rights-based approach (HRBA). A case-analysis methodology was applied to two social interventions: the ABDEM project, which is part of the EU Tempus program, and the UNICEF program to combat poverty in the Spanish region of La Rioja. In these two cases, the HRBA represents a conceptual leap in the promotion of people’s autonomy and an effective means for sustainable progress in response to the inequality, discrimination and unjust power relations negatively affecting the …

Long-Term Retention Among Child Welfare Workers In Michigan: A Phenomenological Study, Andrea Vajdic-Pena

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High turnover of child welfare workers is a problem to the children and families that receive services and the child welfare organizations that lose their staff. For children and their families, turnover of their assigned worker may interrupt their ability to achieve their permanency goals. Child welfare organizations encounter high costs for hiring staff due to the turnover and the staff that remain suffer with higher caseloads and not being able to provide the quality of services that they should be able to offer. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of child welfare workers …

Shortage Of Licensed Independent Social Workers With The Training Supervision Designation, Justa Link

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a shortage of Licensed Independent Social Workers with the Training Supervision Designation (LISW-S) in a county in rural Ohio. If there are not enough LISW-Ss, social workers may not have the ability or opportunity to work independently or gain the supervision needed to become more competent in specific areas of practice. The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of why some social workers in rural Ohio decide not to pursue an LISW-S credential, as well as whether there are resources or incentives that might prompt individuals to pursue this credential. This action research project …

Understanding Parenting Styles Of Second-Generation Parents Of Residential School Survivors Within Treaty 8 Reserves, Judy Kim-Meneen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 150,000 First Nation, Metis, and Inuit children attended Canadian residential schools from the 1840s to 1996. Most residential school children had negative experiences of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse that led to parenting repercussions once these children became parents. These repercussions of residential schools led to a rate of neglect for First Nation children 12 times higher than non-First Nation children. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological descriptive study was to explore the lived experiences of second generation parents, who were schooled in residential schools as children and their current parenting styles. The conceptual frameworks of trauma theory and …

Effectiveness Of Practice Change From Risk Model To Safety Model At Dhs, Shirlana Norene Dash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported an estimated 686,000 victims of child abuse and neglect. Forty-nine states reported a total of 1,593 fatalities. This quantitative research study examined the relationship between the variables: age of child, gender of child, age of parent/caregiver, prior substantiated reports of abuse, and incidents of abuse in Philadelphia at the Department of Human Services using risk practice model (RPM) and safety practice model (SPM). Although child welfare practitioners have examined the relationship between family and societal factors that affect child abuse; few researchers have examined the correlation between service delivery …

Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program For Patients With Depressive Disorder: A Parental Perspective, Emmanuel Akpan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychosocial support from family is important in outpatient treatment programs for individuals with depressive disorder. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of parents of patients with depressive disorder regarding intensive outpatient treatment. The research question was what are the experiences and perceptions of parents of patients with depression regarding their role as caretakers in intensive outpatient treatment? The conceptual framework was a biopsychosocial framework and family systems theory. Content analysis was used to analyze data provided from interviews with parent participants (n = 8). Many participants reported high levels of involvement with …

Social Worker Engagement Of Substance Abusing Rural Young Adults: An Action Research Study, Samantha L. Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a dramatic increase in opioid-related overdoses and deaths that have had extensive health impacts in Delaware County, New York. Social workers play a crucial role in working with individuals who have substance use and co-occurring disorders. The study was guided by ecological systems theory and the generalist intervention model focused on the engagement process between social workers and local young people. The current action research study explored the social work practice problem of challenges encountered by clinical social workers who engage in services with young adults ages 18-25 who have or are at risk for substance use …

Working With The Enemy? Social Work Education And Men Who Use Intimate Partner Violence, Rebecca Jury, Kathy Boxall

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article examines service user involvement in social work education. It discusses the challenges and ethical considerations of involving populations who may previously have been excluded from user involvement initiatives, raising questions about the benefits and challenges of their involvement. The article then provides discussion of an approach to service user involvement in social work education with one of these populations, men who use violence in their intimate relationships, and concludes by considering the implications of their involvement for the social work academy.

Cultural Stressors, Identity Development, And Substance Use Attitudes Among Hispanic Immigrant Adolescents, Timothy J. Grigsby, Myriam Forster, Alan Meca, Byron L. Zamboanga, Seth J. Schwartz, Jennifer B. Unger

Psychology Faculty Publications

The goal of this investigation was to determine whether various cultural stressors (bicultural stress, perceived discrimination, and perceived negative context of reception [PNCR]) predict positive and negative substance use attitudes, directly and indirectly through personal identity, in a sample of immigrant Hispanic adolescents. Data on cultural stressors, substance use attitudes, and covariates were collected from 302 Hispanic immigrant adolescents (152 from Miami [61% Cuban] and 150 from Los Angeles [70% Mexican]) at 3 time points. PNCR was associated with identity confusion (𝛽=.175, p=.033). Identity confusion significantly predicted higher positive attitudes toward alcohol and other drug (AOD; 𝛽 =.216, p<.001) and cigarette use (𝛽=.191, p=.015) and mediated the relationship between PNCR with unfavorable AOD attitudes (𝛽 =-.019, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.052,-0.001]) and favorable AOD attitudes (𝛽=0.038, 95% CI [0.003, 0.086]). Perceptions of a negative context of reception may hinder successful personal identity formation and impact health outcomes for immigrant youth.

Participative Approach To Professional Development, Peer Learning And Evaluation In Youth Work: Summary Report, Trudi Cooper, Miriam Rose Brooker, Orietta Simons

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Youth work evaluation is frequently driven by funders’ requirements, which usually focus on quantitative data about outputs that are easy to measure (Jeffs & Smith, 2005). This approach to evaluation is incomplete and excludes information that would permit a more rounded assessment of the impact of youth work (Cooper, 2014). Missing from funder-driven evaluations are young people’s perspectives on what they have gained from youth work, and youth workers evaluations of how youth work processes have operated to achieve the results presented...

Family And School Impact On Psychological Functioning From Childhood To Late Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study Of Rural Chinese Youth, Yang Yue

Theses and Dissertations

The transition from childhood to adolescence can be a significant stressor for youth, leading to increases in internalizing problems for those who are vulnerable. Compared to the mounting research conducted on U.S. youth, children and adolescents in China have received less attention on their psychological adjustment. As Chinese youth constitute roughly 15% of the world’s population (World Health Organization, 2010), and the disproportionate quantity of longitudinal investigation on Chinese youth psychological functioning, understanding the influence of risk and protective factors, and their interactive effects on internalizing problems among Chinese youth is critical.

According to Life Course Theory, Ecological Systems Theory, …

School Standpoint': Understanding Effects Of Personal Experiences Within School-Based Social Work Practice, Emily Shayman

Dissertations

This qualitative, phenomenological study used Standpoint Theory combined with Positionality theories as a lens to understand the data and an analytical tool to determine how school-based social workers consider their general 'sense of self' within their professional decisions and practice approaches. Findings included three main themes that emerged from the data regarding participants' overall 'sense of self' within school-based social work practices: social structure, personal identity, and professional role. Participants described these influences in fluid, flexible, and dynamic ways, and as having both positive and negative impact on their professional practices. These three components of school-based social work practice came …

Psychological And Economic Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Citizens Receiving Governmental Assistance, Vorricia Fechon Harvey

Dissertations

This dissertation study examines dynamics of psychological self-sufficiency (PSS) using a frame of reference that comes from perspectives of low-income citizens who receive some form of governmental assistance (i.e., public aid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and/or housing subsidies). It explores the validity of integrating PSS as a psychological capital into the holistic theory of change in workforce development. Because in the past, great emphasis has been placed on human capital development and fast track movement into the labor market, little has emerged on the influence of psychological capital properties. Subsequently, policy has guided the evolution of employment program …

Using Person-Centered Scheduling With Geriatric Patients To Reduce Anxiety With Telepsychiatry, Jody Long, Patricia A. Wilkerson, Evi Taylor, John Hall, Christopher Peters

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study explored using person-centered scheduling with telepsychiatry for rural community geriatric patients. Quantitative research approaches were used to determine the level of satisfaction participants experienced with person-centered scheduling and geriatric telepsychiatry. Quantitative data were collected by using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) before scheduling the first appointment and to assess the intervention’s effectiveness after the telepsychiatry session. Person-centered telepsychiatry scheduling decreased geriatric patients’ anxiety as evidenced by Zung SAS scores. Conclusion: Older adult patients saw telepsychiatry as a viable means of treatment. Future research with geriatrics from different regions is needed. Implications and future directions include exploring patient …

Mental Health Difficulties And Service Use Of Incarcerated Women: The Influence Of Violence Perpetration And Victimization, Rachel C. Casey

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to expand the knowledge base regarding incarcerated women’s experiences with violence and their mental health with the goal of identifying avenues for more tailored, compassionate responses to their mental health difficulties in both macro and direct practice contexts. To achieve this aim, a secondary data analysis was performed using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF) completed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in 2004. Six research questions pertaining to women’s experiences with violence and their mental health difficulties and service utilization guided the inquiry, which involved univariate, bivariate, and multivariate …

Strengthening Social Networks Of Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care: Promoting Positive Adult Outcomes, Rachel D. Rosenberg

Theses and Dissertations

During the transition to adulthood, youth often rely on the people in their life for support. However, for transition-aged foster youth, these supports may not be available or may look different than supports available to youth in the general population. Relationships with supportive adults have been found to help former foster youth transition to adulthood, but little is known about the adults youth have in their network. Foster youth who report increased levels of social capital have been shown to experience higher levels of success in young adulthood. However, as former foster youth transition to adulthood, a lack of in-depth …