Social Work Commons^™

Child Support Collections To Offset Out Of Home Placement Costs: A Study Of Cost Effectiveness, Trish Skophammer

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Families experiencing out-of-home placement (OHP) are in crisis. The fact that a child has been removed from the home means the family has become involved with the child welfare or juvenile justice system. Families that experience OHP are disproportionately poor, and the reasons for OHP often stem from poverty. Because OHP is expensive, and society values parental responsibility, federal and state laws require that parents be referred to the child support system to help offset the cost of OHP through child support collections. This study explores practices around OHP cases in the child support system and adds to the small …

Including Transition-Age Youth Using Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatments, Peter Szto, Susan Reay, Sarah Preston, Claire Rynearson

Social Work Faculty Publications

The inclusion of transition-age young people into community, work and cultural activities is a challenge when young people struggle with mental health issues. Young people who experience depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other issues are at risk for marginalisation and inadequate services, particularly in rural areas. The best response to these young people is to provide access to high quality, evidence-based mental health treatment, regardless of location. Project NETWORK is a $1.3 million three-year federal initiative - awarded to the Grace Abbott School of Social Work, University of Nebraska Omaha - to address these disparities. The award grants graduate social …

Transgressing Gender Norms In Addiction Treatment: Transgender Rights To Access Within Gender Segregated Facilities., Sara Matsuzaka

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Despite having disproportionately high rates of substance use disorder and co-occurring health and mental health issues compared to the general population, transgender individuals experience significant barriers to accessing and engaging in addiction treatment programs. Inpatient addiction treatment centers were originally designed to treat substance-dependent heterosexual cisgender populations and, as such, feature gender-segregated housing, bathrooms, and treatment sessions. The heteronormative structural and programmatic barriers, combined with exposures to stigmatic and prejudicial attitudes, may dissuade transgender populations from benefiting from the addiction treatment they so direly need. The purpose of this article is to examine the current policy debate surrounding the rights …

Kids In Transition To School (Kits), Beth L. Green, Lorelei Mitchell, Lindsey Brianna Patterson

Early Childhood

During the summer and fall of 2016, children and families in 16 schools in Lane County participated in the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) Program. KITS includes 16 weeks of group-based child classes and 12 weeks of parenting workshops, using an evidence-based curriculum designed to improve school readiness skills and parenting. To learn more about the KITS program from the perspective of participating families, four focus groups were held with parents who participated in KITS. A total of 44 parents participated in the groups, which were located in four different schools (two small, rural locations and two larger more …

Changing The Rules: A Guide For Youth And Young Adults With Mental Health Conditions Who Want To Change Policy, Nancy Koroloff, Barbara J. Friesen, Nicholas Buekea

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

To some people, “policy” seems like a mysterious and perhaps boring topic, compared to the busyness and intensity of everyday life. However, a growing number of youth- and young adult-led groups have shown how policy issues can influence their choices and their lives in critical ways, and that they can have substantial influence on policy. Policies may be general, and apply to all people in society (e.g., traffic laws), or they may specifically focus on particular groups of people, such as people with a mental health condition or criminal record (e.g., policies about housing or employment). Organizations such as Youth …

Waste Not, Have Not: A Study On The Possible Symbiotic Relationship Of Food Waste And Food Insecurity, Luke A. Rocco

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Households that are considered to be food insecure do not receive enough support from government agencies like WIC and SNAP to have access to adequate food sources. These agencies only supply $171 dollars per month per person in a household (Coleman-Jensen et al, 2016). The average person needs nearly $200 worth of food a month. These programs also are not offered to everyone that is considered food insecure. Twenty Seven percent of the 15.8 million food insecure households in America do not receive government assistance for food (Mill et al, 2014). This study looks at how those that need food …

Recovery From Design, Cassandra J. Ellison

Theses and Dissertations

Through research, inquiry, and an evaluation of Recovery By Design, a ‘design therapy’ program that serves people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities, it is my assertion that the practice of design has therapeutic potential and can aid in the process of recovery. To the novice, the practices of conception, shaping form, and praxis have empowering benefit especially when guided by Conditional and Transformation Design methods together with an emphasis on materiality and vernacular form.

Examining The Role Of Emotional Intelligence In The Work And Life Balance Of Foster Care Workers, Pamela Applewhite Applewhite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foster care workers are an important part of the social service system, as they are the first line of support for children without families or who have been subjected to tragic events leading to their need for foster care. Foster care workers often experience work-life boundary issues due to the emotional nature of their work. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between (a) emotional intelligence and absenteeism and (b) emotional intelligence and work-life balance with foster care workers. Data was collected from foster care workers in the state of South Carolina employed with the Department …

The Rest Of The Story: Exploring The Overall Functioning And Maturational Experiences Of Former Foster Youth In Middle Adulthood, Jessica Lynn Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Middle adulthood as a developmental stage is often neglected in developmental research, yet it is vitally important to the cohesiveness of the life span as this is a time when integrating the experiences of the earlier developmental periods such as emerging adulthood, setting the stage for healthy aging. Emerging adulthood is but one unique stage in the life course, and situating this phase within a holistic developmental context is essential. Doing so illuminates the ways in which the past influences current functioning and the ways in which one's present developmental state sets the stage for later development. To date, no …

The Anatomy Of Cbpr: A Case Study Of Cbpr Implementation For Health Promotion With The Peer Community, Cory R. Cummings

Theses and Dissertations

This case study is a qualitative examination of a health promotion project conducted in collaboration with members of the mental health peer community. More specifically, it explores the community based participatory research (CBPR) implementation process used to conduct this health promotion project to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms at work in the implementation process. While there has been considerable attention to the principles that guide CBPR (Braun et al., 2012; Israel et al., 2008; LaVeaux & Christopher, 2009), there remains important work to be done in bridging these principles to implementation; what processes or mechanisms translate these principles …

Community Gardens: Exploring Race, Racial Diversity And Social Capital In Urban Food Deserts, Jennifer F. Jettner

Theses and Dissertations

Study purpose. The study examined race and racial diversity in community gardens located in Southern urban food deserts, as well as the capacity of community gardens to generate social capital and promote social justice. Methods. A mixed-methods approach was used to describe characteristics of gardeners and community gardens located in urban food deserts, and test Social Capital Theory hypotheses. A convenience sample of 60 gardeners from 10 community gardens was obtained. Data was collected using surveys and semi-structured interviews. Analyses. Univariate and bivariate statistics were used to describe gardeners and gardens. Leader rationales for garden characteristics were analyzed using thematic …

The Influence Of Social Support And Mental Illness On Punishment For Rule Violations Among Male Prisoners, Missy T. Malone

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mental illness among prisoners is higher than the general population (James & Glaze, 2006). The purpose of this exploratory-descriptive study was to investigate the social support and mental health factors that best predict punishment severity for institutional rule violations among prisoners. I conducted a secondary data analysis on 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The survey participants in this study consisted of a sample of 11,569 male prisoners. Bivariate analyses of interrelationships were conducted to assess whether significant relationships exist between the severity of punishment …

Social Work Practitioners Working In End Of Life Care:Learning To Provide Culturally Appropriate Care To Clients Of Middle Eastern Descent, Laura Shafica Meiki

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study utilized an interpretive qualitative methodological approach to learn about the experiences of individuals with a Master of Social Work degree (MSWs) working in end-of-life (EOL) care with patients of Middle Eastern descent and their families. Specifically, it examined (1) how a sample of social workers obtained the skills necessary to provide culturally appropriate EOL care to clients and families of Middle Eastern descent; (2) the common intervention strategies social workers employ while providing this care; and (3) the recommendations they offer to others who anticipate encountering this population in their own practice. Data collection consisted of in-depth, semi-structured …

Wait Until I'M Dead! A Novel Of Family Secrets By Elda Dawber, Cordelia Anderson

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Social Work In The Black Community: A Collective Response To Contemporary Unrest, Stephenie Howard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The frequent outpour of civil unrest in the Black community in response to instances of social injustice is a manifestation of outrage and exhaustion with systems that perpetuate socioeconomic disparities and human rights violations in this community. Lessons learned from historical practices of social work in the Black community may enhance the potential of contemporary social workers to shepherd this social consciousness into sustained social change. Toward this goal, this paper will synthesize and juxtapose the parallel paths taken by early Black social workers and their majority counterparts. This paper will also identify strategies for integrating the legacy of early …

Review Of The Fourth Amendment In Flux: The Roberts Court, Crime Control, And Digital Privacy.Michael C. Gizzi And R. Craig Curtis. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Michael C. Gizzi and R. Craig Curtis, The Fourth Amendment in Flux: The Roberts Court, Crime Control, and Digital Privacy. University of Kansas (2016), 188 pages, $19.95 (paperback).

The Policy Nexus: Panhandling, Social Capital And Policy Failure, Amanda R. Tillotson, Laura Lein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this paper, we analyze a unique mixed methods data set based on survey responses (n=108) and intensive interviews (n=18) with panhandlers in Austin, Texas. We examine the way in which failures of primary and secondary social capital interact to create the conditions of extreme poverty and homelessness that lead to panhandling. We find that a large majority of these individuals are working-age adults who lack access to social policy supports that would allow them to weather periods of unemployment produced by health issues and other personal difficulties.

The Impact Of Dysfunctional Families And Sexual Abuse On The Psychological Well-Being Of Adolescent Females In Eastern Cape, South Africa: A Research Note, Jabulani G. Kheswa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Owing to fear to report abuse to significant others (e.g. educators), research highlighted that abused female youth tend to be submissive and experience impaired self- acceptance and negative relationships with others. The aim of the study was to investigate the circumstances under which sexually abused adolescent females engage in risk-taking activities. The research used a qualitative method to collect data from 8 purposively sampled participants (aged 15-18 years) from one secondary school in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Results indicated that sexually abused youth are susceptible to neuroticism and substance abuse. In recommendation, the community should be pro-active in ending abuse.

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vol. 44 No. 3

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Experiences and Responses to Microaggressions on Historically White Campuses: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis- Y. Kafi Moragne-Patterson and Tracey M. Barnett

Civic Engagement and Institutional Trust among South Africans- Yoosun Chu and Ce Shen

How the Immigration and Deportation Systems Work: A Social Worker’s Guide- Carol Cleaveland

Immigrant Health Disparities: Does Neighborliness Improve Health?- Kofi Danso

Are Older Adults Who Participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Healthier Than Eligible Nonparticipants? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study -Jin Kim

When ‘Places’ Include Pets: Broadening the Scope of Relational Approaches to Promoting Aging-In-Place -Ann M. Toohey, Jennifer A. Hewson, Cindy L. …

When ‘Places’ Include Pets: Broadening The Scope Of Relational Approaches To Promoting Aging-In-Place, Ann M. Toohey, Jennifer A. Hewson, Cindy L. Adams, Melanie J. Rock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Aging-in-place is a well-established concept, but discussions rarely consider that many older adults live with pets. In a ‘pet-friendly’ city, we conducted semi-structured interviews to explore perspectives of community-based social support agencies that promote aging-in-place, and those of animal welfare agencies. Applying a relational ecology theoretical framework, we found that pets may contribute to feeling socially- situated, yet may also exacerbate constraints on autonomy experienced by some older adults. Pet-related considerations at times led to discretionary acts of more-than-human solidarity, but also created paradoxical situations for service-providers, impacting their efforts to assist older adults. A shortage of pet-friendly affordable housing …