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What role do texts play in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) parents’ experiences of disability service systems? In interviews with 15 LGBTQ parents of disabled children in Toronto, Canada, participants selected documents to be used as a focus for discussion. Parents considered how LGBTQ identity and other intersectional identities influenced their experiences of institutional texts including adoption certificates, intake forms, and assessments. Findings suggest that documentation practices can operate as forms of systemic gatekeeping. LGBTQ identity was sometimes very significant in parents’ accounts, and sometimes less central than other aspects of their families' identities and experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper will consider the impact and implications of changing the method of selection for social work students on one BA/Diploma in social work course for mature students with family commitments. The change was instituted following research which suggested that interviewers' preferences were a poor predictor of successful outcome of course completion for students, and further, that other predictors such as quality of written application material and student motivation were factors which had a strong correlation with successful outcome. Consequently, in 1999, selecting students by interview was replaced by paper selection. While it is the long-term aim of academic staff to evaluate the merits of paper selection in terms of students' outcomes, this initial paper considers the organisational and administrative implications of changing to paper selection and the students' and selectors' perceptions of paper selection. In particular, this paper will consider whether it is possible to be objective in selecting applicants, or whether subjectivity will always be part of the process. Finally, the article considers the relative cost of paper selection as opposed to interview. The findings of this study suggest that interviewing is twice as costly on academic and agency staff time - a factor which in the present financial climate has considerable implications for the future of interviewing on social work courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a content analysis of papers on social work in Australia published between 2002 and 2005. Balance is seen in papers reporting original research or evaluation which comprise 43% of the 112 papers published within the period. Twelve percent focused on describing new or innovative service developments. Sixty-six percent discussed the nature of social work, social work skills, community programmes and knowledge about the characteristics of particular client groups. Calls for papers are also made.

Calls for more attention to social work student writing have gone largely unanswered in the literature and, it can be assumed, in the classroom. An emphasis on writing skills will help prepare students for active and effective advocacy in their practices and in policy arenas. To assure social work instructors that writing instruction, like writing, is no mysterious and impossible chore, this article introduces three key concepts of composition theory: writing to learn, writing as process, and writing as social act. To demonstrate the interrelated applications of these concepts, various uses of classroom journals are presented. Further, instructors are encouraged to require multiple drafts of papers and to provide written assignment guides. Some suggestions for useful commenting on drafts are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Thousands of term papers, essays, research papers, and theses are available from the Web for free or a fee. Some online paper mills have specific sections for social work. Countless other websites provide excellent information that can easily be stolen and pasted into papers. The best prevention approach is education. Help students develop accurate and in-depth working definitions of plagiarism. Most people agree that the primary problem is that students do not really understand the meaning of plagiarism. Determining whether students' work is entirely their own or whether it has been electronically boosted by unquoted sources or a paper mill is a difficult task. Unambiguous detection and confirmation become the primary tasks. Three approaches are possible: directly investigating theft by search, use of a detection service, and routine analysis via plagiarism-detecting software programs. A professor can directly search on the Web for suspect prose by using search engines. This usually consists of directly copying a short sample of the suspect prose into a search engine and looking for its mirror counterpart.

Community development activities and some social service delivery have been progressively shifting toward networked collaborative models over recent years, contributing to increasing interest in the conditions which support organizations working together effectively. One such condition is a coordinating organization acting to build relationships, ensure program cohesion, and develop shared goals. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of a collaborative model delivering programs for families and children in an area experiencing complex social issues and socioeconomic disadvantage. It illustrates how the right coordinating organization, in this case a not-for-profit with deep links to the local area; a relational approach to coordination; and a commitment to fostering a collaborative culture can support partnerships and improve outcomes for communities. The findings suggest that not-for-profits can be ideally placed to act as coordinating organizations, bridging the divide between government funders and communities and effectively acting as the "friendly" local face of collaborative activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faculty book clubs are one way to engage in discussion and promote action with colleagues around topics that impact our classrooms. One of the many benefits of book clubs is that the format and process can be altered to fit the needs of the intended audience. This paper describes one faculty group's use of three different models of a book club process, which all capitalize on the utility of book clubs to both identify and implement practical strategies for student engagement. The book club resulted from an interdisciplinary college-wide initiative focused on increasing student engagement within a College of Education and Human Services in a large midwestern public university in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for book clubs to be used as a professional development opportunity for faculty. Concrete ideas for implementing similar efforts in the university or college setting are shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social-ecological systems (SES) research has emerged as an important area of sustainability science, informing and supporting pressing issues of transformation towards more sustainable, just and equitable futures. To date, much SES research has been done in or from the Global North, where the challenges and contexts for supporting sustainability transformations are substantially different from the Global South. This paper synthesises emerging insights on SES dynamics that can inform actions and advance research to support sustainability transformations specifically in the southern African context. The paper draws on work linked to members of the Southern African Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (SAPECS), a leading SES research network in the region, synthesizing key insights with respect to the five core themes of SAPECS: (i) transdisciplinary and engaged research, (ii) ecosystem services and human well-being, (iii) governance institutions and management practices, (iv) spatial relationships and cross-scale connections, and (v) regime shifts, traps and transformations. For each theme, we focus on insights that are particularly novel, interesting or important in the southern African context, and reflect on key research gaps and emerging frontiers for SES research in the region going forward. Such place-based insights are important for understanding the variation in SES dynamics around the world, and are crucial for informing a context-sensitive global agenda to foster sustainability transformations at local to global scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic led to different ways of working for social work and human service practitioners across the globe. This paper examines the use of technology by practitioners during nationwide stay at home orders due to COVID19. This study consisted of interviews with fifteen social work and human services practitioners in Southeast Queensland, Australia. While technology is frequently used in practice, the challenges and benefits of using technology as a primary practice method whilst working from home are discussed in this paper. The findings of this study suggest that the use of technology whilst working from home may be a viable option for future practice in well-resourced organizations with technologically proficient practitioners. However, for practitioners and clients without limited access to technology or reduced digital capabilities, such arrangements risk becoming discriminatory. Considerations therefore must be made in ensuring access to technology and the appropriateness of working from home for some social work and human services practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human service non-profit organisations (HSNPs) looking to improve the representation of clients in the work of their organisation may decide to hire people with lived experience as peer providers. This paper looks at how HSNPs that provide services to sex workers make decisions about hiring those with lived experience of sex work as staff. To address the issue, the following questions were asked: 1) how do HSNPs make the decision to hire sex workers as staff members; and 2) if hired, how are individuals actually involved in the organisation? The study aimed to answer these questions using open-ended interviews with 64 staff in HSNPs in the US Midwest that indirectly or directly provide services to sex workers. Findings indicate that while many organisations hire individuals with lived experience in sex work, the expectations placed on these individuals vary considerably depending on the perceptions other HSNP staff have about sex work. When HSNPs hire individuals with lived experience to further their organisational agendas with respect to sex work, they should include sex workers in a substantive and inclusive way to minimise organisational bias and ensure sex worker views are accurately represented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how people think about aiding others in a way that can inform both theory and practice. It uses data gathered from Kiva, an online, non-profit organization that allows individuals to aid other individuals around the world, to isolate intuitions that people find broadly compelling. The central result of the paper is that people seem to give more priority to aiding those in greater need, at least below some threshold. That is, the data strongly suggest incorporating both a threshold and a prioritarian principle into the analysis of what principles for aid distribution people accept. This conclusion should be of broad interest to aid practitioners and policy makers. It may also provide important information for political philosophers interested in building, justifying, and criticizing theories about meeting needs using empirical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article introduces the papers in the March 2005 issue of the "Journal of Social Work Practice." Stefanie Buckner's paper considers the process of interpretation in qualitative research on the concept of reflexivity. Linda Andersen applies ethnographical methods and psychodynamic ideas to the exploration of a flashpoint in modern welfare and in modern ‘individualisation’. Gerhard Riemann’s paper focuses on ethnographic and narrative methods in social work training, and focuses on field notes as a means of allowing the author to step back from his/her own practice and make it ‘strange’. Sue Brennan reflects on her work with parents in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, while Brian Rasmussen writes about cumulative trauma, which he carefully distinguishes from ‘burn out’.

Organizational behavior management (OBM) is the application of behavioral principles to individuals and groups working in business, industry, government, and human service settings. In this paper, we describe OBM methodology in research and practice, highlighting pinpointing, measurement of performance, procedural integrity, and maintenance. We conclude by noting some limitations of contemporary OBM methodology and by suggesting some topics for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review focused on the supply side of mobility services, providing relevant insights at the conceptual, operational, and modelling levels. Definitions are first drawn from the Mobility as a Service paradigm due to its predominance in the literature. This is followed by an assessment of the operational features of a range of mobility services, including carsharing, bikesharing, ridehailing, and demand responsive transit. To conclude the review, the state-of-the-art in modelling approaches for mobility services is reported, at different levels of complexity and integration. Three of the most important findings and arguments from this paper suggest that a high degree of generality exists for operational features of mobility services; that it is essential to make a distinction between Mobility as a Service and a mobility service in isolation; along with the argument that human agency should be carefully considered in modelling efforts, both for user agent and driver agent decision-making processes. Finally, key considerations are proposed for the future development of a conceptual framework for modelling the supply side of mobility services, which would have a generic service provider model as its core component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines global statistics on water availability, water demands, access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, and human development in 2015, a milestone year for the transition from United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The results of nonparametric statistical tests point out that, in most countries, water endowment – or potential water availability – has not been a determining factor for economic prosperity and human development. However, it is possible to delineate a strong nexus between water and human development from the perspective of water demands, particularly when considering primary water uses for drinking and sanitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet provides an additional channel for manufacturers to provide information about and sell their products. The electronic channel has the advantage of reduced search cost and its reach is increasing, but it has limited capability to provide product information. This paper examines how Internet technology affects a monopoly manufacturer's distribution problem in an environment where product information is important for consumers to identify their ideal product. The model suggests that a manufacturer uses the electronic channel in addition to the physical channel when the product information is very valuable and product information is largely about digital attributes, or when the product information is not valuable. The model also suggests that when the manufacturer chooses to sell through both channels, there is an increase in price competition between the two channels such that the manufacturer need not sell through the electronic retailer with the highest reach. Also, when a large proportion of consumers have access to both channels, the manufacturer may sell through only one channel. The paper also examines the case where the manufacturer operates in the electronic channel and the case where the retailers are integrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the benefits of community living service to people with intellectual disabilities. Use of institutional environments in evaluating community services; Features of community living; Definition of home.

Australia would support efforts by the UN system to strengthen human rights mechanisms and remains open to further examination of how existing international human rights law and frameworks can be upheld and applied to these emerging issues (Gyngell, [9], 220-221). These include gender equity initiatives within the UN Secretariat and across the UN system more generally and bolstering youth participation and engagement in UN deliberations (Payne, [14]). A productive way forward would be for Senator Wong to appoint a committee of public servants and experts to prepare a White Paper on Australia's relations with the UN system. In welcoming the I Agenda i Australia's Ambassador to the UN stated: 'Australia remains steadfast in our support for a UN system that is fit for purpose, effective, open, transparent, and accountable to all Member States'.[1] Australia's contributions to the consultations to date suggest careful interest in following developments, albeit unevenly focussed on a rather select set of issues. [Extracted from the article]

This paper describes methods for conducting equity-focused needs assessments in human service organizations (HSOs). We begin with an overview of needs assessments in social welfare, then describe a three-phase methodology for bringing an equity lens to traditional needs assessment approaches. Central to this methodology is convening stakeholders and addressing issues of power and trust between those leading the needs assessment and those impacted by the process. Key challenges for executing equity-focused needs assessments are discussed, including the need to coordinate across multiple levels of government; enhance collaboration between academics, practitioners, and communities; and improve secure access to high-quality data for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing data from 93 semi-structured interviews, this paper identifies common forms of citizen participation, motives driving these efforts, uses of feedback, and engagement challenges. It also explores interrelationships among these aspects of participation. The findings suggest that organizations with more motives for engagement offered a wider array of opportunities for participation and used the input in more ways. In addition, organizations more active in engaging citizens and using feedback were more likely to experience challenges. This study highlights the complexity of public participation and encourages public and private managers to be informed about its many benefits and barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers began the new millennium enmeshed in a climate of change. Educators are revisiting debates about how best to conceptualize the social work curriculum. Clients are facing a wide range of problems as they confront the uncertainty of daily life. These conditions call for a "sustained, critical examination of the profession" and "our definition" of social work (Call for Paper, 2000). In response to this current crisis in social work, this paper examines the profession's primary mission, purpose, and central focus. It discusses select social influences that necessitate the continued reconceptualization, if not renewed definition, of our educational and practice approaches. The author asks: Can the profession come together with an overarching purpose? Can the profession claim to have a common base to social work practice? and What is the impact of socioeconomic forces on social work practice and education? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an overview of the November 1, 2001 issue of the "Journal of Social Work Practice." This issue looks at a different role for psychoanalytic theory: its integration into all aspects of mainstream social work. This is not a blueprint for therapeutic social work, which will remain a specialist option, but an attempt to illustrate the way in which psychoanalytic theory can inform and underpin all aspects of the social work task-making assessments, working with the effects of abuse, trauma and racism, finding a helpful position in the family and professional system. It is not possible to cover every aspect of social work, so the author has chosen to concentrate on the area of social work with which he is most familiar, child and family work. However, this is one area of social work which is being forced to re-examine itself in the light of the Victoria Climbie enquiry. There are also some more positive pressures towards change, the new 3-year degree and a new expectation of continuing training and personal development.

Since 2009, homelessness has been on the rise, with growing evidence that welfare reforms are a key driver of this increase. However, does this mean that welfare reform has failed? In this paper, we use policy failure as a lens through which to critically examine welfare reform and homelessness in England. Drawing on McConnell's definition of failure, which seeks to bridge the gap between objective definitions of policy failure (where failure is understood as the gap between policy objectives and actual outcomes) and subjective definitions (where failure is understood as actors' perceptions), we examine welfare reform and homelessness to understand whether, how and by whom policy in this area might be considered to have failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there many factors outside of the human service context that influence client motivation, the label of an "unmotivated client" obscures the fact that in some significant measure the problem is not "unmotivated clients" but a missed opportunity for the social worker/counselor to engage the client. Assigning culpability for disengagement to the client, rather than the context, disinclines social workers to explore opportunities to support motivation. Reframing motivation as an attribute contingent on counseling practices provides opportunities to influence client motivation. This paper examines the implications for human service practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neighbourhood Houses in Australia are community place-based organisations that provide education, support services, and develop responses to local issues with local communities. The practices within Neighbourhood Houses are informed by community development. Yet knowledge, understanding and practices of community development vary across the workforce. In 2019, Neighbourhood Houses Victoria commenced a programme of professional learning for the workforce. This paper draws on data from an impact evaluation and examines the benefits and barriers to embedding a professional learning programme in community development within its workforce. Using practice theory to examine the tensions and contradictions inherent in delivering professional learning in neoliberal times of managerialism and accountability in not-for-profit organisations. The contradictions of practice will resonate with organisations seeking to implement a professional learning across a broad range of human service organisations such as settlement houses, human services and community education settings. We claim most not-for-profit workforces are impacted by the discursive practices of neoliberalism such as contractual arrangements and the adoption of business practices to comply with funding requirements. These compliance requirements contrast with the philosophy and practices of community development and have the potential to impact on professional learning and the practices within these workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advances a critical conceptual discussion and paradigm shift regarding the preparation of human and social service students. This work looks to make apparent the racial and class realities of preparing a primarily white, female, upper/middle-class human service professional to work in a field that overwhelmingly serves poor Black and Brown communities. The frameworks/concepts of The Racial Contract, Structural Competency, and The nonprofit Industrial Complex are employed to examine and understand social systems and structures of pertinence to human services. Finally, implications for human services, both in terms of human service curricula and practice are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work practice invariably means attention to both human and non-human aspects of the work. It is now widely argued that spending time on computers and bureaucratic requirements comes at the expense of direct work with families and children. But this is a simplistic dualism. This paper advocates a move beyond this dualism through three broad aims. First, this paper argues that social work has been rather slow at rendering non-human 'things' of interest to practice debates, and the literature is reported on to show how this has happened. Second, a theoretical model is presented in order to overcome this. Actor Network Theory is offered as a theoretical and practical method where 'things' in practice can be conceptualised as partners in the work. The third aim of the paper illustrates this method in action in one local authority setting through a brief anonymised practice illustration. 'Child In Need' plans are drawn on to show that for empowerment to be successful social work must draw on its non-human partners. A related aim is to add to the 'child in need' practice literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on the condition of social work in Great Britain. These authors are focusing on the upgrading of the social work, training, and practices after the death of a certain infant and Shannon Matthews. They emphasize on reflective social work practices and the application of emotion at work. Furthermore, they also assert the relevance of safe practice methods.

The article presents news briefs regarding community health nursing. A report which has been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) is discussed. Guidelines which have been provided by the American Nurses Association (ANA) regarding the way in which health care workers should respond to emergencies and disasters are mentioned.

With widespread adoption of the Internet, focus groups can now be conducted using Internet-mediated (IM) “chat” group technology. However, the methodology used for face-to-face groups must be adapted to this new communication medium. This paper presents a case study that describes feasibility issues of the IM “chat” focus groups, which arose when they were used to collect formative data for the NC STRIDES (STRategies for Improving Diet, Exercise, and Screening) project. This population-based study used the focus group to develop tailored and interactive health communication strategies to reduce the risk of recurrence of colon cancer. In this paper, we describe: (a) the characteristics of IM chat communication, (b) technical implementation of the NC STRIDES “chat” focus groups, (c) methodological considerations, d) chat focus group formation and management, and (e) participants, satisfaction with their chat focus group experiences. Finally, we offer suggestions for best practice in the use of chat focus groups in health behaviour and social work research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an account of an access encounter, and uses this case to reinforce the potential for access meetings to provide a rich source of ethnographic data. The paper originates from one of the authors' experience of negotiating research access in a UK local authority social services department. In response to a summary research proposal sent in advance that expressed interest in social work with men, a gatekeeper expressed his concern during an initial meeting that the author might be a ‘paedophile’ wanting to make contact with others of a similar persuasion. This encounter, and the issue of sexual abuse that it introduced, highlights a number of ethical, epistemological and gendered tensions for ethnographic work, which this paper attempts to negotiate. Some of the potential implications of this specific access meeting are discussed, and set within broader methodological and empirical contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early client-tracking databases were strongly influenced by the structure of previous paper-based systems. More recently, there has been evolution toward databases that attempt to represent the interconnectedness of people in the human service environment. No consensus on best practices, however, has yet emerged. This paper presents a systems analysis technique and a data model based on one of the theoretical foundations of current social work practice: the ecosystems perspective. This approach facilitates a range of knowledge management and performance measurement capabilities that have so Tar been uncommon in client-tracking systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a case study of a merger between four agencies working with youth in trouble, this paper argues that the building of trust can be hindered by managers' attempt to tighten organizational control. It describes the cultivation of distrust by workers, and the trust-control dynamics played out with the introduction of a new treatment philosophy through the integration of professional counselors into residential care teams. The metaphor of crazy and epoxy glueing is used to analyze these organizational dynamics. Trust and control can be viewed as the resin and the hardener of the epoxy glue: They must be effectively balanced when bringing together two organizations. The joint development of this balanced approach, taking into consideration the needs of managers and workers, is an essential step toward building trust within merging organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a vision for reworking social work's frequently marginal commitment to disability work. Through the lens of an interdisciplinary Maternal Child Health project for children with neurodisabilities and their families, it advocates for several shifts in the profession's commitments. These include a heightened focus on disability practice, a non-pathologizing family-centered approach, the integration of direct and indirect social work methods, and the membership of social workers in interdisciplinary teaming efforts designed to work with families who have children with disabilities. The paper also describes an interdisciplinary project opportunity for students, educators, and practitioners to renew their commitment to families who have children with disabilities in the current practice context and suggests some strategies for generalization to all social work students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Education is integral to social work practice with groups and a central component of educational groups. Yet the social work literature has not offered much guidance in the development of educational groups other than to report on the content and/or evaluation of groups that are focused on a specific condition or population. This paper offers a generic process model for educational groups that are developed and led by social workers. The educational groups described here are differentiated from psychoeducational groups, which are treatment-oriented. The paper provides guidelines on how to set up educational groups with particular attention to their structure, content of the curriculum, implementation, and evaluation. Two checklists are offered to assist in the development and implementation and evaluation of educational groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the contemporary international refugee regime is grounded in a paradigm of ‘homesickness’, which puts the refugee in an inferior position of the supplicant, whose subjectivity is framed by the regime of fixed belonging. In order to address this situation, we need to challenge the ontological primacy of homesickness and embrace ‘homelessness’, which offers the possibility of rethinking the positions of both refugees and non-refugees in ethical terms. While the responsibility of the non-refugees lies in cultivating an ethos of hospitality, the refugee can take hold of her subjectivity through the practice of care of the self. This paper first examines Nietzsche’s thought on homelessness and compares it with Foucault’s reading of the role ofanakhōrēsisin the Hellenistic practice of care of the self. It then suggests how, by building on the project of universal hospitality, we can interpret the figure of the refugee through the prism of an ethic of freedom, anchored in a positive break with the city. From this perspective, the refugee regains her ethico-political agency by cultivating the relationship with her own living self, which offers new avenues for resistance against the dominant paradigm of ‘homesickness’ that governs her subjectivity today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the findings of a qualitative study comparing social work and human service practice with people who have sought asylum in Germany and Australia. Globally social workers are concerned with the record high of people forcibly displaced worldwide and the Global North host-nations' increasingly hostile, discriminatory and restrictive policies towards people seeking asylum. This policy context is antithetical to the professional values of social workers and human services practitioners. The findings of this study reveal how the policy directly impacts social work and human service practice, creates unique ethical challenges and dilemmas and, subsequently, diverse practice responses. The paper also suggests that the country of practice influences how practitioners perceive and respond to ethical challenges and dilemmas. Through doing so, the findings challenge traditional understandings of critical practice theories that suggest that practice focused solely on the individual level is inadequate for work with people seeking asylum. Due to the diversity of contexts and their influences, we encourage social work and human services to view practice on a personal-political continuum when working with people seeking asylum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over two-thirds of Australians are owner-occupiers and a majority of the population holds most of their wealth in housing. Australian taxation privileges homeowners and retirement income policy is built around the assumption that state pensions can be kept low because an overwhelming majority of older Australians are outright homeowners and therefore have a considerable asset base and low housing costs post-retirement, a situation often referred to as ‘wealthfare’. However, ageing of the population and falling housing affordability mean that the number of asset-poor older Australians unable to rely on ‘wealthfare’ – lifetime renters or those who drop out of homeownership – is likely to grow in the future. In this paper we look at housing career pathways into precarious housing in older age, its impact on older Australians’ ontological security and coping strategies as they grapple with the housing circumstances that typically accompany asset poverty. Based on 30 interviews conducted with older Australians, the paper reports qualitative findings from a mixed methods research project conducted in Melbourne in 2009–2010. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The numbers of English public houses or “pubs” have reduced significantly in the last two decades. Politicians have called on the planning system to resist their closure but, at the same time, demand further controls over high-street bars. This paper explores the reasons for the decline and the rationale for supporting the continuation of the “traditional” English pub. Using evidence drawn from a wider study of the relationships between places and youth drinking cultures, the paper discusses young adults' use of pubs. While recognising the adverse effects of heavy drinking, arguments are put forward in support of the traditional pub as a site for restrained and responsible social interaction for young adults. The paper discusses the issues this raises for the UK planning system in the context of responsibilities for social sustainability and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The literature on critical thinking (CT) in counselling and therapy generally posits higher quality outcomes when CT is applied in therapeutic treatment. We critically examine support for the claim that CT improves clinical outcomes. The purported effects of CT are first identified by arguments in favour of using CT in therapeutic treatment, both in terms of its general efficacy and with regard to its applicability in professional counselling. We then underscore limitations in the current literature, highlighting mainly a gap between theory and practice. Overall, our results suggest that available evidence provides primarily inferential, rather than direct, support for the claim that CT positively influences therapy outcomes. We close the paper by proposing research questions to guide further empirical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency and intensity of disasters continue to increase. Following large-scale and catastrophic disasters, local organisations integrate with other responding organisations to form hastily disaster relief supply chain networks. Such supply networks are infrequently activated in a single location, generate unparalleled uncertainty, change quickly, and are driven by the urgency of saving lives and restoring livelihoods. Unfortunately, even where sound supply chain management practices are used, supply networks have encountered diverse levels of resilience and adequate disaster relief performance has remained elusive. In this paper, several unique characteristics that disaster relief efforts exhibit are examined as compared with demand-driven, steady-state supply chains. Important differences in the flows of resource, money, and information are identified. A complex adaptive supply network (CASN) lens is used to frame what existing literature has uncovered regarding disaster relief efforts, showing how relief organisations, their interactions, and their environmental context help determine the level of resilience that supply networks experience following disasters. This CASN characterisation is leveraged to help explain why traditional supply chain management practices lead to varied results in disaster relief. Finally, complexity science theory is drawn on to set forth eight testable propositions that may help to enhance supply network resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The United States has historically accepted and resettled refugees by opening its doors to those fleeing violence, armed conflict, or persecution around the world. However, the degree of receptivity toward refugee resettlement has vacillated over time. This study examines the challenges and opportunities that Refugee Resettlement Agencies (RRAs) experienced prior to and after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. The findings presented in this paper, based on focus groups with the RRA staff, revealed that there is a greater need for understanding the refugee resettlement process and how changing immigration policies impact state-federal funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central concern of this paper is to address the question, “Is it more dangerous to be a woman journalist when reporting conflict”. Beck states “risk is the anticipation of the catastrophe—so it is existent and non-existent”. Is the contention that female journalists are more at risk, knowledge, or a construction of knowledge? Are editors and journalists who decide that women are more at risk merely anticipating a catastrophe? There is no certainty, of course, that women are more at risk, but the fear that they might be can prevent them from being sent to cover conflict, or force them to decide not to go to dangerous places. Certainly, an improvised explosive device or rocket fire does not distinguish between sexes. In many situations being female actually helps women journalist in conflict zones. In this paper we present findings from a survey of journalists who work in conflict zones and ask whether it is the job or the gender which is the most dangerous? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper considers the experiences of people ordered by the courts in one area of England to attend parenting education classes and also parents who voluntarily attend these programmes. There has been increasing intervention into family life, designed to improve ‘poor’ parenting, most notably the use of parenting education programmes. These programmes deliver skills training with the aim of enhancing parenting practices and improving the behaviour of children. The paper provides analysis of parenting programmes delivered by a voluntary organisation service and considers how the parents are surveilled by the parenting workers, who in turn are also subject to scrutiny and monitoring by their managers, using the Foucauldian concepts of pastoral power and governmentality. While there are many theoretical analyses of welfare interventions this paper uses in-depth interviews with those providing and receiving these interventions (n = 22), in one service in the north of England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information about "Global Health Action (GHA)," an international, peer-reviewed Open Access journal affiliated to the Umeå Centre for Global Health Research (CGH) at Umeå University in Sweden. All the articles published in GHA will be accessible online after these articles are accepted for publication and they can also be linked, downloaded and stored by anybody with a computer and access to the internet. The journal is inclined to establish what is needed to be implemented in order to address the public health challenges. In addition, it also envisions to provide a more concrete and practical approach to global health challenges.

The paper draws on a study aiming to work with practitioners' perspectives to support involvement through family services. Data were collected from a cluster sample of practitioners conducting father groups in south-west England. The paper focuses upon working with their perspectives. Two issues in their perspectives were associated with 'masculinity' and 'blocks' preventing father involvement. Using an interventionist-based method known as the 'change laboratory', conducted through a series of development work research (DWR) workshops, practitioners reflected on contradictions in their practice. Implications from the study suggest that, first, if practitioners identify contradictions with which they work, they can explore possibilities for developing their work. Second, being an involved father may be played out differently in terms of identity, according to social and cultural contexts. By implication, practitioners can help fathers to express themselves in several identities and support them in their understanding, through being part of a group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper explores whether sufficient grounds exist for articulating an indigenous value base for social work practice. Since the value base is fundamental for practice, it seems that the call for the development of an indigenous social work practice requires an indigenous value base to guide it. However, in the eyes of skeptics, the idea of an indigenous value base for social work practice may be the result of a conceptual confusion between 'positive' and 'normative' morality. To illustrate the need for making this distinction, this paper critically appraises the literature that argues for indigenization based on the recognition of the diversity and differences of cultural values. Building on this analysis, the paper suggests that we need to re-examine the conceptual issue of whether the assumption of the discontinuity of social explanation and normative evaluation is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the evolution of social work education in Nepal. The history of social work education and training in Nepal is rather nascent. Imparting social work education and training is a challenging task in Nepal due to the ongoing political instability, multi-cultural issues and lack of social work educators, and the lack of a professional association, in addition to the lack of government recognition for the social work profession in the country. The paper is divided into four sections. After a general introduction, Section 2 discusses the evolution of social work education in the context of the development of higher education in Nepal. The paper describes Nepal and its changing social context, the challenges for social work and how social work education is meeting these challenges. Nepal's efforts to realize indigenous and international practices of social work education are discussed in the third section. The paper indentifies these gaps and a Nepalese model of social work is presented in Section 4. The paper is written on the basis of the author's personal narrative of many years' work in Nepal in order to start a discussion on indigenous and international social work perspectives along with challenges for social work education in the context of the current global climate of social, political and economic changes in order to draw lessons for Nepal and South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]