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Youth who are not engaged in school or work face many challenges as they transition into adulthood. In the United States, federal policy provides funding and oversight to a complex, community-based system of workforce development for this youth population, as well as adults with barriers to employment. The COVID-19 pandemic caused extensive disruption to this system, as well as the overall employment and education sectors. This study examines the impacts of COVID on the delivery of workforce services to the youth population. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 61 respondents involved in planning and delivery of services in different regions of the U.S. Key themes from the interviews included: challenges of operating during the pandemic, adaptations to these challenges, and fears for impacts on young people. Although greatly impacted by the pandemic, respondents reported several innovations but continuing concerns regarding effects on vulnerable youth and widening societal inequalities related to poverty and race. Based on these data, we offer several ideas for further development in policy and practice to learn from the experiences reported.

In this paper, we utilize both English and German language scholarly literature to describe the use of four core concepts in child protection. Using the scholarly literature, we address the research questions: (1) How are these four concepts used in regard to child protection services? (2) How do these four concepts address and reflect the social circumstances of families? Expansion to just one other language adds important insight to our understanding and might serve to guide further scholarship expansion to other languages. Inclusion of Kindeswohlgefährdung (Endangerment of the best interest of the child) as a specific concept in the German language environment facilitates this bi-lingual approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth engagement in municipal government has the potential to benefit both youth and the community. Yet, some forms of youth civic engagement may be related to social class and race resulting in benefits to select youth and communities, thus perpetuating a longer term trajectory of privilege or marginalization. Informed by theories of social capital and civic engagement, the present study examined how youth councils may reduce or reinforce social inequality among young people at the city level. Data collection included interviews with youth council members, interviews with adult allies, observations of youth council meetings, and a review of council documents. Thematic analysis identified four overarching themes related to social inequality: member representation, social networks, community engagement, and youth engagement in governmental decision making. Although the council was committed to diversity and authentic youth engagement, findings identified areas in need of further attention. One important area is recruiting diverse youth, including those who attend non-traditional school settings. Another key area is providing youth with ongoing training and support focused on effective strategies for community engagement. Finally, more emphasis should be placed on engaging socially disadvantaged youth in municipal government and assisting them in enhancing their social networks.

Because of advances in psychotropic medications, psychiatric rehabilitation methods, the implementation of civil rights legislation, and empowerment movement of consumers with psychiatric disabilities, students with mental illnesses are increasingly able to access and complete higher education. Disability services offices on college campuses can be an important resource to these students. This article reports the results of a survey of disability services offices at colleges and universities in 10 states. Data were collected from 275 disability services offices regarding the number of students with psychiatric disabilities seeking assistance, characteristics of the disability services office, and the services provided. We tested a multivariate model examining the relationship between a set of predictor variables (characteristics of the school and disability services office) and the number of students with psychiatric disabilities enrolled with the disability services office. Significant predictors included size of school, school type, and having an outreach/recruitment policy regarding students with psychiatric disabilities. Also significant were several characteristics of the disability service office. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Post‐secondary educational outcomes for care‐experienced youth are poor. This has been a consistent finding across studies in many countries. Most studies do not distinguish between different types of post‐secondary educational pathways and outcomes, however. There has been limited attention to the potential for post‐secondary vocational education (PSVE) as a viable educational path that may lead to positive employment and social outcomes. In this paper we examine PSVE for care leavers by reviewing available data, examining policy context and utilising relevant theories. We offer next steps in policy, practice and theory development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges of contemporary child welfare practice are well documented in many countries worldwide. The current study enhances this work by reporting the lived experiences of child welfare workers in Chile, who negotiate their practice in a strained political and organisational context. A qualitative methodology was used to understand the complexities of the survival strategies of these workers. Data were collected via multiple individual interviews and group workshop sessions with six workers of different Chilean National Service for Minors' collaborating organisations. Through a constructivist grounded theory analysis, we identify three major complexities that shape and construct the strategies of survival that the Chilean child welfare workers deploy in a neo-liberalised labour context: (1) Surviving a violent labour context (precariousness and dehumanisation); (2) surviving labour ambiguities (fractures and resistance) and (3) surviving oneself (pain-filled and violence executors' bodies). We discuss these findings in the context of the scholarly literature and offer implications for policy and macro practice to alter the work conditions of this professional field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State public child welfare agencies have statutory responsibility for responding to allegations of child maltreatment and providing appropriate services. Governors have oversight of the work of the state agencies that provide this function. Consequently, governors can be major policy actors in child welfare. When a tragedy occurs with a child in state care, governors often are visible on child welfare issues and a reactive response typically is employed. This raises questions about governors' attention to child welfare in more routine circumstances. To further understand governors' attention, we provide an analysis of governors' state-of-the-state addresses in early 2019. Our study used these data to answer two questions: (1) How are governors addressing issues of child welfare? And (2) What other child-focused issues are governors addressing? We conclude that there is insufficient attention to child maltreatment and other issues affecting child well-being. Consequently, advocates, practitioners, and researchers need to enhance efforts to gain governors' (and other policy-makers') attention to these issues. We offer ideas on how to do so., Child maltreatment is a major social problem requiring intervention. A recent study of child maltreatment incidence estimated that in the United States, more than 1.25 million children experienced maltreatment during [...]

Family engagement is a critical component of child welfare practice. Studies report improved experiences and outcomes when families are involved in decision making. Robust engagement may also serve as a culturally responsive approach to improving outcomes for families. Although practice-level interventions have received attention in the literature, there is a dearth of research on program- and system-level family models. The present study contributes to the emerging literature by analyzing publicly available data to document U.S. state efforts to engage families. Findings describe the origin, membership, and activities of four macro-level practice models. Similarities and differences among states as well as implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Youth who are disconnected from both education and work are at risk for a difficult life trajectory. This population requires policy and practice attention from social work. In this article, we report results from two research studies in the United States focused on the workforce development system serving the disconnected youth population. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 61 respondents in various geographic areas. Findings: The focus of the analysis was data related to youth strengths and employment-related realities. Additionally, we examined the extent to which social work was reportedly engaged in this work. Respondents identified strengths of the youth population to include resilience, creativity, and willingness to contribute their perspectives. The described realities of employment suggest many challenges (e.g., employer reluctance, limited information on opportunities, and immediate economic realities). Social work was only mentioned in a few instances but in a positive light. Applications: The findings have direct application for guiding further social work engagement in this practice and policy area. These applications include providing leadership to workforce development systems in the use of strengths perspectives, meeting youth where they are at, engaging in holistic interventions to address basic needs, and strengthening collaborations. Applications to social work research and education are also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentoring for youths transitioning out of the foster care system has been growing in popularity as mentoring programs have enjoyed unprecedented growth in recent years. However, the existing empirical literature on the conditions associated with more effective youth mentoring relationships and the potential for harm in their absence should give us pause, as meeting these conditions may be especially challenging when working with transitioning youths. Using the social work professional lens to examine the potential and challenges of mentoring approaches for foster care youths, the authors review the literature on the effectiveness of youth mentoring programs and on the psychosocial outcomes and needs of youths leaving foster care. They offer a set of considerations for maximizing the potential benefits of mentoring for transitioning youths. The authors suggest that although mentoring may serve as an important component of a larger complement of services for transitioning youths, an individual-level intervention such as this does not eliminate the need for more systemic action to meet the many needs of these vulnerable youths.

Social support is needed by everyone, but particularly by vulnerable populations at times of transition. This study utilizes data collected from 96 former foster youth regarding supports they received during the transition from care. The report addresses three questions: (1) What types of supportive relationships did the sample report? (2) What are the characteristics of supportive relationships? (3) What is the relationship of social support to outcomes? Based on the analysis, the authors draw implications for intervention and research. (Contains 5 tables and 4 footnotes.)

Although staff training in public child welfare agencies is thought to be a critical component of effective practice, little is known about the delivery and effectiveness of training interventions. Few evaluations are published in the literature and it is uncertain how much evaluation activity is being conducted and utilized. This study collected data from 48 public child welfare agencies in the United States regarding the conduct of training evaluation and the utilization of training data. The data are discussed within the context of planning the next steps for public agencies' efforts in training evaluation. (Contains 2 tables.)

Training is widely believed to be an important element in promoting good child welfare practice. Scholarly attention to training, however, has been limited. To facilitate further development of child welfare training, in this article, we discuss the importance of conceptualization in the design and evaluation of training projects, offer a conceptual model developed for a national evaluation project, and suggest modifications to the model for further use in other settings. (Contains 1 footnote and 1 figure.)

In this paper, I identify how the child welfare challenges of Northern Ireland are partially similar to, and partially different from, those in the United States. To do so, I provide a discussion of current US child welfare legislation, critical prevailing themes, and observations regarding the similarities and differences with Northern Ireland legislation and child care practice. I outline the challenges that appear to be similar as both countries struggle to move toward systems that emphasize support for families rather than primarily child protection. Differences, too, in approaches and context are identified and discussed.

Recognizing the challenges of addressing plagiarism within schools of social work and diverse faculty opinion on the issue, our school of social work engaged in several efforts to clarify issues and establish consensus among the faculty. Issues that required clarification included: definitions of plagiarism, steps to take when confronted with suspected plagiarism, the role of the administrative disciplinary committee, and the range of consequences. At a minimum, consensus was needed regarding faculty steps in confronting suspected plagiarism to ensure equitable treatment of students and to fulfill the school's role as a gatekeeper to the profession. This article describes the concerns, steps, and outcomes of the work that was conducted. We offer recommendations and invite further professional discussion about this educational issue. (Contains 1 table.)

Ethiopia has made important progress on several measures of child well-being, yet children are still faced with numerous economic and social challenges. In 2017, Ethiopia passed the first national policy in regard to children. Based on our review of this policy we offer thoughts about the next steps for policy development to enhance the well-being of children in Ethiopia. In particular, cultural themes reflect the geographic context of children's lives and are also relevant to the development and implementation of social welfare policies. Increased attention to the needs of children is of the highest importance given the current circumstance of ongoing violent conflict within Ethiopian society and its devastating effects on young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes an existing longitudinal survey of adolescent mothers (N=315). Data from Time 1 were used to predict victimization reported in the year between Time 1 and Time 2. Explores factors that increased the likelihood of reported sexual victimization at Time 2 and factors that reduce the risk of victimization. Investigates risk factors for revictimization. (MKA)

This article, written for state policy makers, child welfare administrators, and training directors, describes findings from a phone survey of 60 state child welfare training administrators; all 50 states and other governmental jurisdictions were included (92% response rate). The survey examined perceptions of the impact of the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) process on the state's training agenda and the impact of training in rectifying problems identified in the CFSR process. Respondents perceived the impact of CFSRs to be positive; however, close to half voiced concern about the potential misuse of training to rectify problems identified in the CFSRs. Future studies should examine the impact of CFSRs on the transfer of training and the effect of the training-related elements of the state's Performance Improvement Plans on agency performance outcomes. KEYWORDS Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), child welfare training, state training administrators, impact of CFSRs on training, training as a response to CFSRs DOI: 10.1080/03643100903173032

Borders play a profound role in human life. In many settings, land borders are highly permeable and provide little barrier to movement, communication and interaction. In other circumstances, borders are highly rigid, difficult to cross and can demarcate vast economic and social disparities. The widely differing circumstances related to border creation and maintenance have deep effects that are worthy of social work attention and engagement. There has been serious attention to issues of globalisation, immigration and human rights in the social work literature. Our focus on borders is related to, but distinct from these issues, and therefore, has something unique to offer. Increased globalisation has led to a major reconceptualisation in our understanding of borders. The COVID-19 epidemic demonstrates the limited relevance of borders in some circumstances (spreading of the virus) but the heightened relevance of borders in other circumstances (travel restrictions). Social work practitioners have a role in framing the understanding of borders and resulting policies. Our focus is to address the question: How has social work engaged with border issues? We examine three international cases and conduct a comparative analysis to examine similarities and differences. From the analysis, we draw conclusions to further understanding for social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated positive individual and community benefits from youth civic engagement. But not all youth have access to opportunities for engagement. Race and class have been identified as key factors that can influence opportunities. Other factors may also contribute to disproportionality in this important realm. System-involvement, for example, is an important factor requiring focused attention. This paper contributes to the research on youth civic engagement by examining opportunities and barriers for system-involved youth. An intersectional lens is used to highlight youths' system-involvement as a key variable and offers suggested strategies for better supporting the civic engagement of these youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]