Search

Youths who age out of care face adverse health outcomes and high rates of homelessness. This study used content analysis to explore: "What are the post-care housing experiences of youth who have transitioned from care through an independent support program?" Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 youths who had aged out of care. Six service providers who worked with youth in care in various capacities were also interviewed. Data analysis revealed themes including: the experience of unstable housing and homelessness, lack of formal supports, and youth leaving care then wishing they could return. Another theme to emerge, I take responsibility for where I am now, adds new information to the literature. The research findings support that child welfare services should place greater emphasis on developing youths' life skills while they are in care. In addition, allowing youths the option to return to care after discharge may reduce experiences of unstable housing and homelessness post-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed-methods, exploratory study investigates the gambling activities of street youth in Mumbai, India. Data from surveys and brief interviews of 70 youth aged 12–24, two focus groups, and ethnographic observations offer descriptive snapshots of the gambling behavior of participants. The article includes details about games played, popular venues, initiation patterns, time spent gambling, and interactions with the police. Street youth gamble for social benefits, such as group membership and fun; it is also a leisure activity enabling time to go by quickly. Individual benefits include intermittent rewards and a high after winning or being referred to as a gambler. The inability to save, the lack of recreation options, living in groups, and the environment of the streets structure and sustain gambling. This study discusses the group and social dimension of gambling among street youth, and how this dimension makes their participation different from adolescent gambling in general and General Addictions Theory. It contributes to the literature by emphasizing that for street youth the social/group aspects of gambling predominate the psychological. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for practice, highlighting the need to develop recreational, income-saving, and educational awareness programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this section essay, I engage in a conversation with Timms’ (1967) A Sociological Approach to Social Problems, 50 years after its initial publication, from the perspective of an experienced social work practitioner and nascent sociologist. I use, and build on, Timms’ work in three areas, considering: the usefulness of a sociological approach to social problems for social work, the integration of critical-reflexivity in social science scholarship, and how a sociological approach to social problems can inform analysis of social work practice experience, particularly in terms of being an agent of social change or social control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]