Indigent Families Research Articles

The Digitalisation of Elitism and Sifting? Observations on the Online Registration of First-Year University Students in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This paper argues that the digitalisation of university registration processes has given rise to concealed elitism. The phenomenon became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, as elite students accessed advanced medical care and education degrees while individuals from indigent families and rural communities bore the brunt of the pandemic. Drawing from the perspectives of critical emancipatory research (CER), the observational study described in this paper sought to explain students' experiences during the transition to digitalised registration processes and to identify practical solutions for the deficiencies in the new system, ensuring inclusivity for all students in the future. This observational study did not have a specific sample size but observed the groups of incoming first-year students gathered outside many university gates during the registration period in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study consequently concluded that many universities in KwaZulu-Natal are not prepared for digitalisation of student applications for several reasons: (i) the use of technology conceals elitism, a lingering aspect of the apartheid era that disenfranchises students from indigent and rural communities; (ii) universities lack reliable infrastructure, as they were not initially designed for contemporary communication and teaching methods; and (iii) the rise of technological innovation destabilises the intentions of our South African democracy and the massification agenda. This paper proposes a dual method of communication (virtual and walk-in inquiries) that would accommodate democracy and recognise people's right to education. This approach would ensure that students from different socio-economic backgrounds are accommodated in higher education institutions. The paper recommends technological innovations that do not remind black and poor students that they were once marginalised from accessing tertiary education due to systems that were not favourable to them.

The quality of life among children with epilepsy in resource-limited settings: A pilot study in a paediatric neurology clinic at a quaternary care teaching hospital

Background. An important part of holistic care management of children with epilepsy (CWE) is measuring their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, little is known about the HRQOL of CWE who live in resource-limited settings, particularly in South Africa. Objectives. To assess the HRQOL of CWE and to identify the possible factors that correlate with HRQOL including demographic variables and epilepsy health-related factors. Methods. A cross-sectional prospective quantitative study was undertaken at the paediatric neurology outpatient clinic at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital (IALCH), a quaternary care teaching hospital in Durban, South Africa. Participants were recruited during the period between December 2019 and February 2020. CWE between 2 and 12 years old with no comorbid syndromic disorder or other chronic diseases accompanied by English-speaking caregivers were included in the study. We used the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL 4.0) generic core parent-proxy questionnaire modified with separate sociodemographic and epilepsy data collection sheets. Results. One hundred and twenty participants were recruited. The majority of patients (54.2%) had generalised epilepsy. The aetiology of epilepsy was unknown in 40.8% of patients. The most commonly used anti-seizure medication was sodium valproate (39.2%). The mean of the total score of HRQOL (SD) (coefficient of variation %) was 66.7 (24.1 (36.1). School attendance p-value<0.001, financial aid for indigent families p 0.047, monotherapy p<0.001, absence of disability p<0.001 and absence of comorbidity p <0.001were strongly associated with good HRQOL total scores. Conclusion. CWE attending IALCH in Durban, South Africa, have compromised HRQOL scores. The variables that significantly correlate with better HRQOL scores are school attendance, receiving financial aid for indigent families, monotherapy, and absence of disabilities and comorbidities. We recommend a multicentre study that involves a larger number of epileptic children with the employment of the epilepsy-specific PedsQL 4.0 module translated into local languages.

RELIGIOUS MODERATION AMONG INDIGENT FAMILIES IN JAKARTA

Intolerance in society can be prevented by increasing religious moderation. As a city representing Indonesia's plurality, Jakarta has poverty problems. At the same time, poverty is one of the triggering factors for acts of radicalism and intolerance. This study aims to analyze the concept of religious moderation in indigent families in Jakarta. This research was conducted with a descriptive qualitative approach. The informants of this research are the Beneficiary Families of the Family Hope Program (KPM PKH). The study results reveal that indigent families (KPM PKH) are still not familiar with the word religious moderation. Although in their daily attitude, they often reflect a moderate attitude. This ignorance is caused by a lack of information related to religious moderation and low religious literacy skills.

RELIGIOUS MODERATION AMONG INDIGENT FAMILIES IN JAKARTA

Intolerance in society can be prevented by increasing religious moderation. As a city representing Indonesia's plurality, Jakarta has poverty problems. At the same time, poverty is one of the triggering factors for acts of radicalism and intolerance. This study aims to analyze the concept of religious moderation in indigent families in Jakarta. This research was conducted with a descriptive qualitative approach. The informants of this research are the Beneficiary Families of the Family Hope Program (KPM PKH). The study results reveal that indigent families (KPM PKH) are still not familiar with the word religious moderation. Although in their daily attitude, they often reflect a moderate attitude. This ignorance is caused by a lack of information related to religious moderation and low religious literacy skills.

Positive Deviance Status Gizi Balita pada Keluarga Miskin di Desa Oeltua Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Baumata Kabupaten Kupang

Stunting commonly occurs on susceptible groups such as indigent families. However, there are cases where nourished babies are also found in those families despite having financial problems. This type of case is called a positive deviance found among people who are living in poverty. The research aims to explore conditions of indigent families in Oeltua Village with nourished babies. The research was qualitative using a study case approach with the subjects were poor families without stunted children in Oeltua village. The subject were selected based on the purposive sampling technique by applying the case criteria. Instruments used in this research were questionnaires, voice recorders and documentations. Data analysis was conducted by qualitative analysis based on the obtained data from in-depth interviews on the informants. The result showed that the feeding pattern, personal hygiene and given health services for the babies were shown sufficiently good. Families managed to provide good nutritions by buying foods within the household budget and harvesting vegetables from the home garden. In addition, the families maintained good personal hygiene and accessed health services to improve babies nutritional status. The support from health workers were essential in monitoring babies` nutritional status, advising mothers on nutrition and handling malnutrition. The positive deviance behavior needs to be addressed onto families by empowering and sharing among families assisted by public health office and local clinics to improve health status.

Student Teachers, Professional Development and Effectiveness: The Role of Resilience in Enhancing the Culture of Learning and Teaching

Student teachers in their initial teacher training get time to visit schools and observe and put various theories into practice. Practice teaching is the beginning of the journey towards professionalism. Yet many student teachers who visit schools in South Africa witness grim realities in different schools. Several South African education experts have written about two kinds of school systems; one is schools serving the affluent families whilst the other, numerous schools serve the indigent families and children who are faced with adversity in society. This case study examines the role of teachers in engendering hope and emotional strength among learners who face hardships. Exposed to challenging conditions in their practice teaching schools, the 10 student teachers tried to develop themselves as well as the learners through the fostering of resilience. The conclusions found that facilitating resilience among learners who face adversity is one powerful remedy in creating affable school climate and invitational classrooms. Teachers who instill this in their classrooms may have a long fulfilling career as teachers who are both life-long learners and professionally matured whilst their learners overcome their personal challenges as they face classrooms with emotional stability.

Perceived Effectiveness of Parent Representation Social Workers by Legal Professionals Involved with Indigent Defendants

The total number of children in the U.S. foster care system exceeds 428,000. Previous research indicates that when social workers and legal professionals work together, children and their families benefit significantly. Parents who effectively engage in the child welfare system are more likely to benefit from services and reunify with their children. The present study employed a phenomenological approach to explore how a parent representation pilot, which paired social workers with public defenders to better represent the needs of families in the child welfare system, was experienced by legal professionals. Judges and family court attorneys (n = 9) found the program to be helpful in reunifying families. Public defenders were able to leverage the social worker’s skills and experience to facilitate more positive outcomes, while reducing case burden. Challenges were also identified and included a lack of interdisciplinary training, potential overlap in ethical responsibilities, and role confusion. Structured intervention programs that encourage collaboration between social workers and legal professionals may improve case outcomes for indigent families involved in the child welfare system. It is advised that social work undertake a formal multidisciplinary approach in support of public defenders, which may serve to encourage positive case outcomes.

SURVIVING AND QUITTING: THE CASE OF 4PS (PANTAWID PAMILYANG PILIPINO PROGRAM) STUDENT DROPOUTS

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a version of cash transfer program here in the Philippines that aims to eradicate extreme poverty by investing in health and education. This study focused on personal experiences of students as 4Ps beneficiaries and factors that have led to their dropping out from school. A qualitative method was employed utilizing a case study design, where data was gathered from six (6) student dropouts who were 4Ps beneficiaries. Results revealed that most student beneficiaries of the 4Ps are from indigent families, highlighted that factors were due to family living conditions, the desire to help the parents and siblings. Family living conditions, the poor standard of living still is a pressing problem that can led students to drop out from school, even with the availability of financial assistance that still links to poverty as an underlying factor.

W orbicie „500+”. Funkcjonowanie ubogich rodzin wielodzietnych w warunkach zmiany polityki rodzinnej w Polsce

The analyses and conclusions presented in the article are based on the results of qualitative panel surveys conducted among large indigent families in the years 2013 to 2014 and in 2017. The survey attempted to answer the questions of whether and to what extent the implementation of a pro-family policy in Poland in 2016 influenced the situation of large families receiving institutional social aid. On what do these families spend the payments received from the Family 500+ programme? Has their new economic situation favoured their activation or increased their ability to manage? Could the programme, in consequence, hinder or limit the intergenerational transmission of poverty? The author concludes that in fact the effects of financing large families differ from those that were intended. The programme, which was intended to be pro-natal, has acquired the nature of social aid payments. It has improved the material situation of many families, but it has not sufficiently contributed to changing ways of thinking about the children’s futures, which would contribute to limiting the processes of inheriting poverty.

Methodological Approaches to Strengthening Addressed Social Supporting Indigent Families with Children

The Object of the Study.Indigent families with childrenThe Subject of the Study.Addressed social supportThe Purpose of the Study.Development of tools to strengthen addressed social support.The Main Provisions of the Article. Among the poor, whose per capita income is below the subsistence level, families with children predominate. Taking social support measures requires the addressed use of budgetary funds and strengthening it. The achievement of these goals involves the use of appropriate social policy tools, the absence of which significantly reduces the effectiveness of social support measures. A Pilot project under grant of the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society is aimed at solving this problem.The implementation of the Project in the Vologda Oblast’ as a pilot region made it possible to carry out a full range of experimental work from analyzing of the depth and causes of poverty in each specific family of the target group to providing with addressed social support on the basis of specially developed tools to strengthen it. The system of threshold criteria developed with the use of social standards of consumption and taking into account the effect of savings on consumption in cohabitation, formed the criterion basis for ensuring and strengthening addressed social supporting indigent families with children. The following tools were used at different stages of the Project implementation: the subsistence minimum of the main socio-demographic groups of the population, the equivalence scale, the equivalent differentiated subsistence minimum of families with children with the effect of saving on consumption and its components, a guaranteed minimum income.Scientifically grounded threshold levels are an important component of the mechanism for improving the economic situation of indigent families with children up to the level of the guaranteed minimum income, providing with the resources potential of the region and taking into account the assessment of the underutilized economic potential of these families and the conditions for their more active gaining additional income from employment.Receiving practical approval of the tools developed during the Project has demonstrated their effectiveness in strengthening the social support for indigent families with children

Effects and Learnings of Housing Support in Hungary, 2015-2017

Construction industry in Hungary was heavily affected by the economic crisis starting in 2008. Although there was a slight increase due to infrastructural investments as of 2012, residential construction reached a critical level in 2013. In 2015 a new housing support policy was introduced in Hungary. Main target of the regulation is to help families to implement their new home. On the other hand, government wanted to create demand on the residential market to revitalize the industry. Since then every year changes happened to the enactment which were supposed to facilitate admittance of families to the financial sources. After three years of experience it is important to evaluate the effects of this regulation and to give a short-term prognosis based on learnings. Purpose of our research was to collect and evaluate data to enable a many-sided analysis of residential construction industry in the recent past. Areas of our analysis were as follows: trend in number of construction and occupation permissions; size, location, price/sqm and technical content of residential projects starting after 2015; change in the number and sum of support applications; ratio of credit in support applications. According to our results there are areas where fine-tuning of regulation is necessary. Firstly, location and price of several projects shows that not always indigent families make use of state support. Secondly: growing number of residential projects is partly caused by postponed and advanced constructions. Therefore, capacities of the industry cannot be used balanced. Thirdly: current projects are planned to be finished by 2020 because reduced VAT for the industry is valid only until then. Further support of residential market is questionable and may effect problems in continuous and sustainable development. Fourthly: lack of minimum energetic efficiency in regulation effects a lot of new-built flats which will be inefficient by 2021.

Who Can Blame Whom? Moral Standing to Blame and Punish Deprived Citizens

There are communities in which disadvantaged groups experience severe inequality. For instance, poor and indigent families face many difficulties accessing their social rights. Their condition is largely the consequence of the wrong choices of those in power, either historical or more recent choices. The lack of opportunities of these deprived citizens is due to state omissions. In such communities, it is not unusual for homeless members of these particular groups to occupy abandoned lands and build their shelters there. However, almost everywhere, these actions constitute a crime. The typical response to this situation is prosecution and punishment. In this paper, I will defend the occupation of public places as a consequence of the failure of governments to solve the problem of housing, and I will argue that we must distinguish a social claim from a crime and avoid the use of criminal law in these “occupation cases”. I will also argue that our right—as a community—to blame and punish these “squatters” is eroded by the fact that we perpetrated their situation of injustice.

Who Can Blame Whom? Moral Standing to Blame and Punish Deprived Citizens

There are communities in which disadvantaged groups experience, severe inequality. For instance, poor and indigent families who face many difficulties to get access to social rights. Their condition is strictly the consequence of the wrong choices of those in power, either historical or more recent choices. The lack of opportunities of these deprived citizens is due to state omissions. In these communities it is not unusual that homeless members of these particular groups occupy abandoned lands and build their shelters there. However, as almost everywhere such an action constitutes a crime. The typical responses to this situation is prosecution and punishment. In this paper will defend here the of public places as a consequence of the failure of the government to solve the problem of housing and argue on the one hand, that we must distinguish between a social claim and a crime and avoid the use of criminal law in certain cases (i.e. occupation cases). On the other hand, I will argue that our right - as a community - to blame and punish these squatters is eroded by the fact that we perpetrated their situation of injustice.

Sociodemographics and the impact of a colostomy to indigent families and children with colorectal disorders in Honduras.

To describe the social impact of a colostomy on indigent families and affected children with anorectal malformations (ARM) or Hirschsprung's disease (HD) in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, we specifically targeted very low-income households that attended an international medical brigade for ARM and HD in 2016. The impact of a colostomy on the families and children's daily life was analyzed by personal interviews with a questionnaire. Twenty families with children were included in the study. Children's age ranged from 5 months to 27years (median 2.31). Annual income was reported to be less than $500 USD in 42.8%. Impairment of daily family life by the colostomy was reported in 85%. Parents of preschool children younger than 7 years are more affected than parents of older children, whereas children older than 7 years reported on more social problems. Moreover, 50% of the school-aged children did not attend school owing to issues directly related to their colostomy. Colostomies for children in the low middle-income country Honduras have significant social and economic implications for low-income families. In ARM and HD, medical brigades can offer help for definitive surgical repair to overcome and shorten the period of a colostomy presence to improve physical and psychosocial impairment, especially when performed before the children reach the school age. Cost Effectiveness Study. II.

Customer-driven management models for choiceless clientele? Business process reengineering in a California welfare agency

Business process reengineering and lean are increasingly used to restructure public sector work. This article presents a case study of reengineering in a California welfare agency. It finds extensive work intensification and reduced autonomy for the workforce, and deteriorating service for the clientele. Rather than attribute these outcomes as inherent to the business process reengineering model, this article emphasizes how cost cutting and quantitative efficiency were prioritized over worker empowerment and service quality because the organization is a government agency facing severe budgetary pressures under neoliberalism, and the clientele consists of indigent families and individuals who have no choice of an alternative provider.

Taxing the Poor: Incarceration, Poverty Governance, and the Seizure of Family Resources

In the last decades, the American state has radically enlarged the array of policy instruments utilized in today’s governance of the poor. Most recently, through a process of outright “seizure,” the state now exacts revenue from low-income families, partners, and friends of those individuals who in very large numbers cycle in and out of the nation’s courts, jails, and prisons. In an analysis of legislation, judicial cases, policy regulations, blog, chat-line postings, and survey data, we explore this new form of taxation. In doing so, we endeavor to meet two objectives: The first is to document policies which pressure individuals (mostly men) entangled in the court and prison systems to rely on family members and others (mostly women) who serve as the safety net of last resort. Our second objective is to give voice to an argument not yet well explored in the sizeable incarceration literature: that the government is seizing resources from low-income families to help finance the state’s own coffers, including the institutions of the carceral state itself. Until now, no form of poverty governance has been depicted as so baldly drawing on family financial support under the pressure of punishment to extract cash resources from the poor. This practice of seizure constitutes the very inversion of welfare for the poor. Instead of serving as a source of support and protection for poor families, the state saps resources from indigent families of loved ones in the criminal justice system in order to fund the state’s project of poverty governance.

“Suits To Self-Sufficiency”

In 1997 the women-run nonprofit organization Dress for Success opened its first location with the aim of empowering low-income women by providing gently used suits for job interviews. Drawing on eight months of fieldwork in an affiliate office, we analyze cross-race and cross-class interactions between privileged volunteers and low-income clients to demonstrate the emergence of what we term “neoliberal maternalism.” Historical forms of maternalism—the mother-centric voluntarism aimed at assisting indigent families a century ago—emphasized women’s domesticity and promoted the earliest welfare provisions. We suggest that neoliberal maternalism, instead, works alongside welfare retrenchment by insisting that single mothers become self-sufficient workers. Similar to earlier maternalisms, the benevolence of affluent volunteers serves to reinforce class and race superiority while producing moments of genuine care and connection. We argue that while all forms of maternalism come with a related body politics aimed at disciplining the bodies of othered women, neoliberal maternalism carries a distinct body politics that, rather than regulating the home and reproduction, intrusively enforces ideals of aesthetic labor required for the postindustrial service economy. Finally, we suggest that retaining maternalism as an analytic framework is particularly important for investigating the influence of neoliberalism and the eroding social safety net on interactions between women.

Erratum to: The Family Check-Up and Service Use in High-Risk Families of Young Children: A Prevention Strategy with a Bridge to Community-Based Treatment

Integration of empirically supported prevention programs into existing community services is a critical step toward effecting sustainable change for the highest-risk members in a community. We examined if the Family Check-Up—known to reduce disruptive behavior problems in young children—can provide a bridge to the use of community treatment services among high-risk indigent families. The study’s 731 income-eligible families with a 2-year-old child were screened and randomized to the Family Check-Up (FCU) intervention or a control condition. Families were provided yearly FCUs from age 2 through age 5. Regression analyses on families’ service use at child age 7.5 revealed increased service use, compared with that of the control group. Child disruptive behavior and socioeconomic status moderated the effect of the intervention on service use. Families who reported higher levels of disruptive child behavior and lower socioeconomic status showed more service use, suggesting the intervention increased service use among the highest-risk families. Greater use of community services did not mediate the effect of the FCU on reduced oppositional-defiant child behavior. Implications of these findings for the design and ecology of community treatment services in the context of evidence-based practices are discussed.

The family check-up and service use in high-risk families of young children: a prevention strategy with a bridge to community-based treatment.

Integration of empirically supported prevention programs into existing community services is a critical step toward effecting sustainable change for the highest-risk members in a community. We examined if the Family Check-Up--known to reduce disruptive behavior problems in young children--can provide a bridge to the use of community treatment services among high-risk indigent families. The study's 731 income-eligible families with a 2-year-old child were screened and randomized to the Family Check-Up (FCU) intervention or a control condition. Families were provided yearly FCUs from age 2 through age 5. Regression analyses on families' service use at child age 7.5 revealed increased service use, compared with that of the control group. Child disruptive behavior and socioeconomic status moderated the effect of the intervention on service use. Families who reported higher levels of disruptive child behavior and lower socioeconomic status showed more service use, suggesting the intervention increased service use among the highest-risk families. Greater use of community services did not mediate the effect of the FCU on reduced oppositional-defiant child behavior. Implications of these findings for the design and ecology of community treatment services in the context of evidence-based practices are discussed.

A Nonprofit’s Practical Guide to Resolving Ethical Questions

IntroductionMrs. B, a veteran nonprofit executive director of a large non profit social services agency in a major U.S. city, faced a difficult decision. A fraudulent diversion of emergency housing funds for indigent families had been uncovered just as her agency was emerging from a two-year probationary period imposed by their funding source because of a previous theft. The attention she had given to strengthening accounting controls had not been successful. Given the county government's hostility toward the agency and the even tougher sanctions it would face for a second serious failure - the existence of the agency, or at the least its ability to raise funds, was threatened. Times were hard for those in need and sympathy for them limited. In spite of the harm the poor would suffer and the loss of her employees' jobs should the agency be decertified, her obligation to both the federal funding programs and the county government was clear. Any fraud or misuse of funds was to be reported immediately and the county district attorney was to be notified of any possible criminal activity. This incident, though significant, was not likley to be detected unless the agency itself reported it. The evidence was limited to temporary requisitions that could be shredded before the next audit. The offending employee, Mr. L, a gifted young man who had shown great potential, could be fired quietly. If Mrs. ? decided to conceal the fraud, however, she would not be able to warn future employers of his misdeeds when they requested a reference. She could not risk information about Mr. L's activities getting back to one of her funding agencies. Stewardship obligations over current and future grant funding, she was confident, could be handled by further tightening signature requirements. As she pondered the situation, Mrs. ? considered whom she should involve in making this decision and what standards to apply to decide what would be the right thing to do.After discussing the situation with two trusted staff members1, Mrs. ? decided to fire Mr. L quietly without notifying the board, the funding agencies, or the county's district attorney of the fraud. After the passage of 20 years, the authors have no indication that the fraud or the concealment of it was ever detected. A conversation four years after the event with a staff member aware of what had happened indicated that additional controls had not been put in place to prevent a reoccurrence nor had any effort been made to change the culture of the organization.Mrs. B's decision not to involve the board seems contrary to the reasons to have a board in a nonprofit organization (hereafter NPO). Concealing the fraud seems contrary to the law, the organization's mission, and ethics. A simple explanation for these decisions is that Mrs. ? is an unethical or weak person who ignored board responsibility and abandoned ethics and respect for the law in the face of pressure. The discussion that follows offers a more complex look at why Mrs. ? may have made the decision she did and whether involving the board would have produced a different outcome. Recent findings from neuroscience and social psychology show limitations in the ways people make ethical judgments under the pressure of a crisis and that these limitations apply to single and multiple decision makers. We examine the strengths and limitations of the law and an organization's mission as decision criteria and discuss the inclusion of ethics standards as tests that executives and board members can use to determine the right thing to do. Four ethics tests based in traditional ethical theory but couched in language that fits comfortably into business and professional settings are described as an example of how ethics can be applied to the case. Future research is suggested on whether multiple decision makers, including board members, should be involved rather than a single decision maker. We offer suggestions for future research on organizational processes and training for actual nonprofits. …