Social Work Commons^™

Safe At Work: A Case Study On The Healthcare Response To Employee Disclosures Of Domestic Violence., Victoria Dobson

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

Domestic violence is a pervasive issue that impacts individuals and communities at every level, including professionally. Despite this known impact, workplace-based interventions to address such violence, aside from leave policies, are seldom implemented, especially in healthcare settings. This paper presents a case study on a healthcare organization’s response to employee disclosures of domestic violence.  A retrospective review of HR data, five semi-structured interviews, and a survey of hospital leadership were conducted to explore employee experiences and preliminary outcomes associated with a workplace domestic violence leave policy and concurrent, on-site supportive services (Safe At Work Program) offered to employees experiencing domestic …

Effectiveness Of Independent Living Programs On Preparing Transition-Age Foster Youth For Higher Education And Employment., Naomi Cailipan, Jasmine Nevarez, Emily Matias

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Transition-age foster youth face significant barriers to higher education and stable employment, increasing their risk of housing instability, unemployment, and long-term economic hardship. Independent living programs (ILPs) aim to support the youth develop life skills and connect them to resources that prepare them for a successful transition into adulthood, however, there is limited research that explores the youth’s perspective on the effectiveness of ILPs. This study seeks to provide insight by interviewing current and former foster youth who participated in an ILP by conducting combined research, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data will be collected through a Likert-scale …

Expand The Employ Program, Isabelle Berg, Emily Rohlik, Jesse Spencer, Samantha Tohal

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Each year, roughly 600,000 individuals are released from state and federal prisons; 6,960 in Minnesota alone. After incarceration, employment is vital to successful reentry for justice-impacted individuals, yet many depart without the necessary education and skills. Consistent post-release employment is associated with decreased recidivism rates, regardless of the individual’s criminal record. This population deserves support in preparing for employment upon reentry.

“Science Belongs Everywhere”: Outlooks On Post-Secondary Stem Education For Correctional Centers In Virginia, Shelita R. Augustus

Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success Publications

Virginia has an incarceration rate of 679 per 100,000 residents, the highest among independent democratic nations. This scoping review examines perspectives on post-secondary STEM education to promote STEM education within Virginia's correctional facilities, assesses programs to improve rehabilitation, reduce recidivism, and address systemic inequalities by developing the scientific potential of incarcerated individuals. The review finds that while STEM education in correctional facilities faces limitations, its potential benefits are being realized nationwide. Virginia has made strides through initiatives like House Bill 2158, which aims to expand higher education access for incarcerated individuals. Examples such as the programs at J. Sargeant Reynolds …

Impact Of A Breast Cancer Diagnosis On Finances And Marital Status In Young Women, Tamara Hamlish, Michelle L. Foster, Sarah Strom, Rana Jaber, M. Courtney Hughes

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Purpose

A breast cancer diagnosis can impact every aspect of a woman’s life, particularly for women diagnosed before age 45 when they are in the process of establishing stability in their personal and professional lives. This study investigated the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on employment, finances, and personal relationships among young breast cancer survivors.

Methods

We conducted descriptive statistical analysis of survey data from 315 women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 45. Surveys were administered electronically and included 40 questions on demographics asking about employment, insurance, income, and marital status at two time points: at diagnosis and …

“It’S Not Just Finding Them A Job”, (Re) Imagining Meaningful Employment And Economic Inclusion Among Forced Migrants: Narratives From Service Providers, Hanna Haran, Yesenia Alvarez Padilla, Jaclyn Kirsch, Arati Maleku

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Refugees and other forced migrants encounter numerous obstacles in securing employment that match their skills and qualifications. Building upon existing migration literature that explores integration into the United States labor market, this study investigates economic inclusion and the challenges and opportunities newcomers face in obtaining meaningful employment and utilizing their past education and work experience. We collected data through one-on-one interviews with service providers and community leaders (N = 11) engaged in refugee and forced migrant employment support, with over half (54.4%) identifying as migrants themselves. Data was analyzed using grounded theory techniques. The analysis yielded five overarching themes: (1) …

Dismantling Ableism In Social Work Employment: A Call For Disability Justice, Shannon M. Trecartin, Twyla Smith, Terrance P. Trecartin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This call to action confronts ableist employment practices in the social work profession and emphasizes the core values of the profession, the profession’s call for anti-oppressive and inclusive approaches to justice, and Principles of Disability Justice as avenues to rectify such systemic disparities. Grounded in the lived experiences of the authors, it sheds light on the barriers faced by disabled social workers seeking employment and offers context for understanding both the challenges and opportunities in the field. The authors collectively advocate for reform in social work employment to foster a more inclusive and equitable environment. Drawing on their own experiences, …

"The Most Important Thing In Ipv Right Now": The Intersection Of Intimate Partner Violence And Brain Injury, Halina (Lin) Haag

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and brain injury (BI) has been almost entirely overlooked in research, practice, and policy, despite the known risks associated with the two conditions. Individually, IPV and BI are associated with elevated rates of unemployment, poverty, and homelessness, as well as increased mental health challenges. These social determinants of health, employment status, and income impact women’s wellbeing through access to safe accommodations, food security, and (dis)ability supports. These determinants are also related to an increased likelihood of experiencing addictions, mental health challenges, and physical danger, potentially leaving women vulnerable to ongoing violence. This qualitative …

Skill Up Tennessee: Job Training That Works, Christopher T. Sneed, Sreedhar Upendram, Clint Cummings, Janet E. Fox

Journal of Extension

Employment and training services offered through Extension are part of and continue a long tradition of policy-focused employment and job training. This paper chronicles the successes of UT Extension’s work as a third-party partner in the delivery of workforce development programming geared toward individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The paper begins with an overview of the federal program and a discussion of how Tennessee forged a state-level partnership for the delivery of workforce services. Data showing program success including number of participants served, supportive services offered, and economic impact are highlighted. Finally, lessons learned are outlined.

Ot Employment Program Addressing Homelessness For Women Experiencing Homelessness, Amber Hoffman, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Women experiencing homelessness face many barriers to employment participation. Occupational therapy (OT) is a well-suited profession to address employment barriers; however, there is a lack of OT programs that address the unique barriers to employment participation for women experiencing homelessness. The purpose of the capstone project was to develop a program focused on employment obtainment and maintenance for women experiencing homelessness. The employment program was developed based upon the findings from an in-depth literature review and needs assessment.

Employed Desistance: Identifying Best Employment-Focused Interventions And Practices For Gang Desistance, Jacob Fergen Albert

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study examined those employment-focused interventions (services, programming, mentorship, other supports) most effective in supporting an individual’s desistance from gang involvement. Utilizing a qualitative approach (interviews, document analysis and nonparticipant observation), this study engaged with individuals and organizations involved in the critical work of gang desistance to learn what makes their practices most effective. The criticality of gang desistance work lies in its efforts to address the thousands of lives continually lost each year as a result of gang-involvement and activity. Where gangs exist in cities, towns and communities across the country (and world, for that matter), the approaches of …

Spotlight On Research. Leveraging Data To Deliver Quality Employment Services:, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Ensuring that job seekers with disabilities receive high-quality supported and customized employment services is key for increasing their chances of achieving their career goals. This paper describes the findings from piloting ES-Coach with nine employment programs in Minnesota and Massachusetts. ES-Coach is a tool designed to help teams of employment consultants visualize their employment support practices and leverage that information to reflect, set goals, and take action for continuous quality improvement.

Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic depression is a system of experiences where the mind, heart, and gut track happenings lingering among systemic models of prevention and intervention and personal stories. This nonexperimental correlational study aimed to provide insights into mental help-seeking and employment hope among depressed Black/African American foster care male alums. The central research question was to what degree, if any, a positive relationship exists between employment hope and seeking access to mental health-related services among male foster care alums who identify with depression. It was hypothesized that a statistically significant relationship exists. The social cognitive career theory and theory of planned behavior …

Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic depression is a system of experiences where the mind, heart, and gut track happenings lingering among systemic models of prevention and intervention and personal stories. This nonexperimental correlational study aimed to provide insights into mental help-seeking and employment hope among depressed Black/African American foster care male alums. The central research question was to what degree, if any, a positive relationship exists between employment hope and seeking access to mental health-related services among male foster care alums who identify with depression. It was hypothesized that a statistically significant relationship exists. The social cognitive career theory and theory of planned behavior …

Help-Seeking Behaviors And Employment Hope Among Depressed Black Male Foster Care Alumni, Vanessa Jennings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic depression is a system of experiences where the mind, heart, and gut track happenings lingering among systemic models of prevention and intervention and personal stories. This nonexperimental correlational study aimed to provide insights into mental help-seeking and employment hope among depressed Black/African American foster care male alums. The central research question was to what degree, if any, a positive relationship exists between employment hope and seeking access to mental health-related services among male foster care alums who identify with depression. It was hypothesized that a statistically significant relationship exists. The social cognitive career theory and theory of planned behavior …

Finding Employment For Individuals With Disabilities Utilizing Interprofessional Collaboration, George G. Gaertner

Social Work Masters Capstone Projects

This capstone is going to demonstrate my abilities to practice and apply all nine social work competencies. I will be conducting a case study on one of my clients that I have been able to assist during my time at my practicum placement. This capstone will begin by discussing my practicum placement and the agency's goals. The capstone will then thoroughly examine each competency as I describe how I have been able to utilize interprofessional social work practice and skills while working with my client. Lastly, this capstone will discuss the case outcome and how the outcomes were evaluated by …

Democratizing The Economy Or Introducing Economic Risk? Gig Work During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Daniel Auguste, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard

Social Policy Institute Research

Though the growth of the gig economy has coincided with increased economic precarity in the new economy, we know less about the extent to which gig work (compared with other self-employment arrangements and non-gig work) may fuel economic insecurity among American households. We fill this gap in the literature drawing on a sample of 4,756 workers from a unique national survey capturing economic hardships among non-standard workers like app-and platform-based gig and other self-employed workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from generalized boosted regression modeling, utilizing machine learning to account for potential endogeneity, demonstrated that gig workers experienced significantly greater …

Career Outcomes For Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates, Roberta Fox, Jesse Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The California State University (CSU) Project Rebound is a reentry program that provides educational, social, financial, and case management to formerly incarcerated college students (FICS) with the goal of helping them become successful post-incarceration and post-graduation. However, there is a penury of research on how Project Rebound actually helped FICS create pro-social bonds and develop career preparation competencies. This exploratory study is an attempt to fill this gap in the literature by looking at the outcomes of formerly incarcerated college graduates who participated in a CSU-sponsored reentry program. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 alumni of …

Supporting Employment Consultants In Their Work With Job Seekers, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This is a summary of the article "Supporting employment consultants in their work with job seekers: A longitudinal study" published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. The article highlights an urgent need for policy, practice, and research to identify and remove the roadblocks that prevent employment consultants from investing more of their time in core activities that lead to hiring.

The Percentage Of People Who Receive Vr Services Varies Greatly Across States, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Receiving vocational rehabilitation services is a key step toward employment. However, the percentage of job seekers with intellectual disabilities who receive #VocRehab services varies greatly across states, from 93% in Vermont to 34% in Nebraska. Check out this new DataNote to see how your state compares

Are Hispanics Less Likely To Receive Vocational Rehabilitation Services?, Alberto Migliore, John Shepard

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

In the US, 16% of people with cognitive disabilities self-report to be of Hispanic ethnicity (US Census Bureau, FY 2020). However, among people with intellectual disabilities who received vocational rehabilitation services, only 11% (-5%) are Hispanic (N = 32,823, RSA911, FY2020).

The Experiences Of Older Youth In And Aged Out Of Foster Care During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Material And Financial Well-Being By Foster Care Status, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Ethnicity, And Race, Johanna K. P. Greeson, John Gyourko, Sara Jaffee, Sarah Wasch

Department of Social Work - Faculty Scholarship

As a marginalized, under-resourced population, older youth with foster care experience are acutely vulnerable to the economic and social harms wrought by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study summarizes findings from an online survey deployed in April 2020 to learn about the experiences of current and former foster youth (ages 18 to 23) during one month of the COVID-19 crisis. Using purposive sampling and a cross-sectional design, the survey yielded a final analysis sample of 281 respondents from 32 states and 192 cities or districts. Findings underscore the pervasive negative impacts of COVID-19 on respondents’ housing/living situations, food security, employment, …

The Lived Experiences And Perceptions Of Young Adults Who Have Transitioned Out Of State Or Other Care, Linda Rose Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOver 20,000 young adults are released from state care annually and 100,000 young adults are released from justice centers. Past studies have revealed that young adults 18-24 years of age transitioning out of care are not prepared for independent living and may face many adversities. The problem is that young adults have difficulties finding permanent housing once emancipated from state care, their biological homes, or juvenile justice centers. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of young adults 18-24 years of age and how their experiences and life skills helped on their journey to acquire …

Engaging Santa Cruz County Employers, Jayne Prieto

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This internship was completed at the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB), which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income at-risk youth and adults. The intern was fortunate to work with the Links2Work!, an Alcance program. Links2Work! helps individuals gain work experience and find linkages to employment. Currently, the biggest challenge is finding employment for those individuals impacted by the justice system. Their past histories have disqualified them from jobs. The intern’s Capstone Project was to find fair chance employers in the county of Santa Cruz that will allow the organization to better serve job seekers and …

Paid Sick Leave Heading Into Covid-19: A Descriptive Account Of Workers Who Lacked Paid Sick Leave, David Rothwell, Sophia Fox-Dichter, Mathieu Despard, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

Paid sick leave is vital for controlling the spread of illness in the workplace and an invaluable public health tool, but too few workers have access to it. In this brief, we examine the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to assess paid sick leave coverage with a focus on the social and economic characteristics of workers without paid leave.

Using a nationally representative survey with roughly 4,000 working respondents, we found that a third lacked access to paid sick leave. Workers without paid leave were younger, more likely to be female, more likely to be white, and less likely to …

How Long-Term Case Management Can Decrease Poverty, Abigayle Brianna Brooks

Social Work Theses - Archive

Poverty is a complex issue caused by many interconnecting factors. Long-term case management programs provide an individualized approach to combating these factors in the lives of clients and helping them overcome poverty. Previous studies have found that while clients find case management programs to be helpful, there are mixed results regarding the effectiveness in outcomes of these programs. This study conducted interviews or surveys with four clients and seven case managers from two different organizations in a large Texas metropolitan area to get their opinions on the effectiveness of long-term case management programs in decreasing poverty and what can be …

Pre-Employment Transition Services For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Who Applied For Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Alberto Migliore, John Butterworth

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This data note addresses participation in Pre-ETS for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) who applied for VR services. Of the 45,110 people with ID who exited the VR program in 2018, a total of 8,809 (18%) were students who applied for Pre-ETS. Of these, 1,712 (21%) received Pre-ETS and of those who received Pre-ETS, 744 (43%) gained employment.

Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social And Economic Development: Advancing The Sustainable Development Goals, David Ansong, Moses Okumu, Jin Huang`, Margaret S. Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Li Zou

Center for Social Development Research

The concern for economic well-being undergirds most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This Perspective articulates an agenda for advancing those goals in resource-constrained countries by leveraging financial capability and asset-building (FCAB) strategies. It also specifies a role for financial technology (commonly called “FinTech”) in this work. The authors conclude with a call for better integrating FCAB and FinTech into plans for advancing the SDGs.

Comparative Analysis Of State Policies For Former Foster Youth, Erin A. Watkins

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This research is a comparative analysis of state policies aiding former foster youth in their transition into adulthood. This research looks at policies in the areas of housing, education, and employment. The objective of this research is to see what state policies are effective in aiding their former foster youth in their transition into adulthood. Effectiveness is evaluated by the National Youth in Transition Database data and Annie E. Casey Foundation data, looking specifically at rates of homelessness, rates of enrollment or attendance in school, and rates of part-time or full-time employment. Results found that the three states analyzed (Illinois, …

Attrition In A Holistic Job Skills Training Program: A Qualitative Study, Jeaniece Silas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today thousands of individuals and families are unemployed or underemployed and are seeking ways to combat poverty and become employed. One way that individuals seek to gain employment is by attending job skills training and adult education programs. However, there are barriers that hinder those individuals from successfully completing the programs. The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of applicants of a nonprofit job skills training program called FaithWorks and explore the reasons why applicants were not able to continue and, or complete the program. This study was conducted, through qualitative interviewing of four participants (N=4) utilizing …