Social Welfare Commons^™

Food Insecurity In Mississippi: Examining The Relationship Between Food Insecurity And Race, Cady Cooper

Honors Theses

The relationship between food insecurity and race is examined in this thesis. The author analyzes the history and background of food and race in Mississippi to bring about a recommendation to change policy. An analysis of USDA data as well as a spatial analysis was used as the primary method for investigating the relationship between race and food insecurity in Mississippi. The findings indicate that, in the urban setting, at ½ mile, 61% of whites are food insecure, and in the urban setting, at the 1 mile, 64% of whites are food insecure. In urban settings, the White population of …

African Wildlife, Eco-Tourism & Covid, Andrew N. Rowan

WellBeing News

African wildlife conservation faces increasing economic pressure as a result of the loss of tourism due to the pandemic and other looming threats.

Sneak Peek- Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians' (Ebci) Onboarding Manuals For Employees And Supervisors, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Family Safety Program (FSP) developed a new 5-week onboarding process for new social workers. Drawing upon available research and best practice, the QIC-WD worked with FSP to create the multipronged onboarding program that includes written materials, videos, supervisor supports, tours, and shadowing. Weeks 1 and 2 orient new workers to the organizational structure, mission, purpose, philosophy, and practice of FSP and provide an introduction to Cherokee culture through various activities. Weeks 3 through 5 involve learning about each of the team units within FSP by reading and answering questions about relevant sections of …

Introduction To Workforce Analytics, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development created the Child Welfare Workforce Analytics Institute (the Institute). The goals of the Institute are to: 1. inspire and motivate child welfare leaders and human resources (HR) staff to work together to use data analytics to address child welfare workforce challenges, 2. provide opportunities for initiating and strengthening connections between child welfare and HR leaders, 3. build awareness, knowledge, and/or understanding around data analytics, and 4. support agencies to initiate plans to use HR data to address child welfare workforce challenges. This blog post provides an overview of workforce analytics as presented to …

Learning From Workforce Studies That Cut Across Social Services, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Sometimes researchers, administrators and practitioners miss studies that cut across social service fields but that include child welfare workers in their samples. For example, a Canadian study by Graham, Shier, & Nicholas (2016), Workplace Congruence and Occupational Outcomes Among Social Services Workers, has relevant implications for the child welfare field. This study found that when a job setting matches an employee’s expectations regarding workload, autonomy, the working environment, and the values of the organization, there is likely to be a lower intention to leave the job and greater life satisfaction. This finding implies it is important to help new child …

Brave New World: Ethical Considerations And Risks, Rhonda S. Binda

Open Educational Resources

The trifecta of globalization, urbanization and digitization have created new opportunities and challenges across our nation, cities, boroughs and urban centers. Cities in particular are in a unique position at the center of commerce and technology becoming hubs for innovation and practical application of emerging technology. In this rapidly changing 24/7 digitized world, governments are leveraging innovation and technology to become more effective, efficient, transparent and to be able to better plan for and anticipate the needs of its citizens, businesses and community organizations. This class will provide the framework for how cities and communities can become smarter and more …

The Effects Of Admission To Jail On Crime Rate In Mclean County, Illinois, Derek Conley

Student Research – Stevenson Center

The relationship between crime and incarceration is growing in interest in the United States. The United States incarceration rate is often double or triple the rate of other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The hardline approach the United States has taken on crime has many citizens and academics questioning its effectiveness on achieving safer communities. Traditional theory suggests incarcerating individuals for deviant behavior reduces the crime rate through the mechanisms of incapacitation, deterrence, rehabilitation, and retribution. However, some scholars believe concentration of incarceration in neighborhoods disrupts the social fabric of the neighborhood and produces the opposite of …

Accountability In A Virtual Work Environment, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many child welfare supervisors suddenly were managing a virtual team with little or no preparation. Maintaining accountability when staff telework (i.e., work from home) poses challenges in defining and measuring productivity. These challenges can feel different from managing performance in an office environment. Supervisors needed to navigate between emphasizing process (how the work is done) and the achievement of specific outcomes (what gets done). Some agencies may require daily activity logs to help supervisors manage their team, which emphasizes process. An over emphasis on process can lead to workers feeling micro-managed. Keeping track …

Youth Participation In The Development Sector Before And After The 2011 Egyptian Revolution, Saif Abdelrasol

International Programs

The socio-political situation has a huge impact on the youth participation in the development agenda, whether locally or internationally. That was obvious during and after the Egyptian revolution, which was led by young people. Youth participation in development field in Egypt has had a significant increase in comparison with before the revolution, both locally — through NGOs and youth-led organizations — and in the international development agenda, through participation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Human Trafficking And Gender Inequality In Remote Communities Of Central Vietnam, Bich Ngoc Nguyen, Mark Gordon

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Human trafficking crime is rising globally at an alarming rate. Vietnam has one of the highest prevalence of trafficking female victims for forced sex and marriages and of girls abandoning school for unskilled work. In this study, we explored human trafficking awareness in remote communities of central Vietnam and the factors for young girls leaving school for work at an early age. The study also investigated a link between gender inequality and child labor. Gender inequality and vulnerability theories provided theoretical constructs and context for face-to-face interviews with 19 villagers, mothers of the child labor victims, teachers, human services workers, …

What Are Best Practices For Conducting Hiring Interviews?, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

When it comes to conducting hiring interviews, many managers rely more on their gut instincts regarding what questions to ask and how to evaluate candidates’ responses in order to decide who to hire. Given the importance of hiring for achieving agency outcomes, it makes sense to invest time and attention into planning how to conduct your interviews. The QIC-WD reviewed the research on hiring interviews and found evidence of a number of factors that can improve the effectiveness of your interview practice. • Plan ahead. As with many things in life, advance preparation will yield the best results when you …

The Housing Department Rent Stabilization Program In The City Of San José: Has The Tracking Of Tenant Protection Ordinance Eviction Notices Been Successful To Understand Rent And Eviction Trends From 2019 To 2020?, Viviane Nguyen

Master's Projects

This study is a two-part process evaluation of the RSP’s tracking of TPO (2017) just cause eviction filings. This study also intends to understand the RSP’s collected data when it is properly processed. This study’s research questions are as follows: Was the RSP’s process for tracking just cause evictions working to achieve the program’s goal in determining eviction outcomes? At what levels did landlords pursue just cause evictions for failure to pay rent? Is there a significant disparity between market-rate property managers’ eviction filings and rent-controlled apartment landlords’ eviction filings?

Hong Kong In Brief: Children’S Subjective Well-Being, Stefan Kühner, Maggie Lau

IPS Policy Brief

The research is conducted by Professor Stefan Kuehner and Professor Maggie Lau, Lingnan University and is funded by Children’s Worlds (ISCWeB, funded by the Jacobs Foundation), completed the third wave of their international survey, asking over 128,000 children in 35 societies worldwide about their lives.

Life, Liberty Or The Pursuit Of Happiness In A Post-Covid 19 Era, Aurobindo Ghosh, Amit Haldar, Kalyan Bhaumik

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

A multi-generational pandemic has afflicted economies and convulsed worldwide health systems putting policymakers on prongs of an unthinkable trinity of choice: life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness? These inalienable rights guaranteed by the US Declaration of Independence seem farcical with three of largest four democracies in the world accounting for the highest infections. In this opinion piece, we re-evaluate the clichéd debate between life and livelihood. Second, we investigate the implementation hurdles faced by the frontline medical policymakers expediting testing regimes and vaccine development to avert an unfolding catastrophe. Medical professional are opting for mitigation strategies like isolating infections …

Does Your Agency Embrace Evidence -Based Management Practices?, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Child welfare agencies are encouraged to use evidencebased practices in all aspects of their work to try to improve outcomes for children and families. The child welfare field has made improvements in using data, research, and evaluation to inform practice and decision-making, but still has a ways to go. The primary goal of the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) is to build the evidence base regarding strategies to strengthen the child welfare workforce. One means of practicing evidence-based management for improving workforce outcomes is using workforce analytics. As part of the Child Welfare Workforce Analytics Institute, the QIC-WD …

Louisiana Progress Update- Redesigning The Child Welfare Worker Position, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

When there is a high workload, there is often a lot of turnover and when there is a lot of turnover the remaining workforce has an even greater workload. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was all too familiar with this negative cycle and the impact it was having on its child welfare workforce. When DCFS became a Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) site, they were ready to make a significant change to their workforce operations. After a thorough needs assessment, DCFS decided to work with the QIC-WD on a job redesign project to strengthen …

Informal Learning Behaviors, Megan Paul, Robert Blagg

Umbrella Summaries

What are informal learning behaviors?

Informal learning behaviors (ILBs) are self-directed, intentional activities to acquire knowledge and skill outside of formal learning environments (Cerasoli, Alliger, Donsbach, Mathieu, Tannenbaum, & Orvis, 2017). Informal learning is distinct from learning that is externally imposed or required, involves structured content or processes, or occurs accidentally (Cerasoli et al., 2017). It is the day-to-day, on-the-job learning that occurs in the workplace. ILBs include things like observing, asking questions, seeking information, and practicing (Cerasoli et al., 2017). A highly related behavior is seeking feedback, which is sometimes described as a form of informal learning but has …

Virginia Progress Update - The Timely Implementation Of A Technology Solution, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The pandemic is pushing the U.S. workforce to adapt and seek mobile solutions to carry out key tasks. Virginia’s child welfare workforce strengthening effort, supported by the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD), includes a transcription service and a mobile solution (an application or app) on iPads to help the workforce manage their administrative and family engagement tasks out of the office. The effort began in 2017 but demand has been heightened by the pandemic. This post summarizes what the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) has accomplished and learned as they roll out new technology to thousands of …

Workplace Supports For Lgbt Employees, Toby Burnham, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are workplace supports for LGBT employees?

Workplace supports for LGBT employees are organizational policies and practices that are thought to improve the work experiences of LGBT employees and foster diversity within an organization. Although there isn’t one set of specific workplace supports for LGBT employees, one way of summarizing the contextual supports in the workplace is to categorize them as (a) formal LGBT-supportive policies and practices, (b) LGBT-supportive climates, and (c) supportive workplace relationships (Webster, Adams, Maranto, Sawyer, & Thoroughgood, 2017). Formal policies and practices that are supportive of LGBT employees include things like same-sex benefits coverage, LGBT resource …

Perspectives From A Prevention Team, Jaqueta Taylor, Rynika Polk, Jackie Gooch

Other QIC-WD Products

Louisiana’s redesign includes the creation of prevention teams. The prevention teams include one supervisor, three child protective services (CPS) workers, two family services (FS) workers, and one child welfare team specialist. Over the course of the past year each team was established, trained, and worked together to build a cohesive unit. Team members expressed a mix of excitement and concern about their new roles. The redesign meant the supervisor was managing new team members, workers were delegating tasks they were previously responsible for, and team specialists were new to the team and had to establish trust with their coworkers. The …