Intensive Casework Research Articles

Development of successful entrepreneurial education initiatives enabled by EU funded projects - The case of FH JOANNEUM

This paper presents the lessons learned from different formal and non-formal entrepreneurial education initiatives at the University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM in Graz, Austria conducted in the period 2016-2019. Four projects funded through the European Commission provided the opportunity to explore a variety of teaching and learning methods to develop the “sense of initiative and entrepreneurship” as one of the key competences for life-long learning set by the European Union. While the target groups were different and the objectives were manifold, all of these projects aimed at fostering this key competence for students to effectively develop and implement creative and market-oriented ideas. Different entrepreneurial education methodologies have been developed, customised for the requirements of the target group and setting. This paper analyses them using the “Learning by sharing model” by Thijssen & Gijselaers. The analysed teaching methods and approaches have different efficiency for alternative target groups or objectives. The Business Case Challenge allows to involve intercultural student groups in intensive case work, with real live cases. A blended approach which combines a MOOC, face-to-face teaching, presentations and mentoring by a role model has proven to successfully provide entrepreneurial competences to athletes. A moderated MOOC for intrapreneurship including interactive teamwork and professional moderation to keep participants to be consciously active, resulted in high completion rate on an offline level. Finally, action learning sets and development of business models for case studies through e-communication are presented as an alternative learning model for international teams. Based on the in-depth analysis of these cases, the authors have proposed four factors which may serve as a frame for development of successful entrepreneurial education initiatives in various education and training environments. The frame offers additional fifth factor, student career development, specifically significant for formal education institutions.

How to avoid driving DNA caseworkers crazy: CaseSolver, an expert system to investigate complex crime scenes

DNA analyses can be used for both investigative (crime scene-focused), or evaluative (suspect-focused) reporting. Investigative, DNA-led exploration of serious crimes always involves the comparison of hundreds of biological samples submitted by the authorities for analysis. Crime stain comparisons include both evidence to evidence profiles and reference to evidence profiles. When many complex DNA results (mixtures, low template LT-DNA samples) are involved in the investigation of a crime, the manual comparison of DNA profiles is very time-consuming and prone to manual errors. In addition, if the person of interest is a minor contributor, the classical approach of performing searches of national DNA databases is problematic because it is realistically restricted to clear major contributors and the occurrence of masking and drop-out means that there will not be a definitive DNA profile to perform the search with.CaseSolver is an open source expert system that automates analysis of complex cases. It does this by three sequential steps: a) simple allele comparison b) likelihood ratio (LR) based on a qualitative model (forensim) c) LR based on a quantitative model (EuroForMix). The software generates a list of potential match candidates, ranked according to the LRs, which can be exported as a report. The software can also identify contributors from small or large databases (e.g., staff database or 1 mill. individuals). In addition, an informative graphical network plot is generated that easily identifies contributors in common to multiple stains. Here we describe recent improvements made to the software in version v1.5.0, made in response to user requirements during intensive casework usage.

Intensive family casework with ‘problem families’: Past and present

In the United Kingdom during the Second World War, poor, working-class mothers and children evacuated as a result of the Blitz were subject to an intensive form of family casework delivered by Pacifist Service Units (later renamed Family Service Units). Some 60 years later, the New Labour Government championed the establishment of Family Intervention Projects to deal with a small number of families deemed to be the cause of anti-social behaviour. Each of these services emerged from very different social and economic contexts, yet this article seeks to demonstrate the continuities between the two forms of intervention that both have as their primary target the ‘problem family’. In so doing, this article raises new questions and ideas that are relevant to current debates about the role of intensive casework in the governance of the family.

The Failure of Intensive Casework Services to Reduce Foster Care Placements: An Examination of Family Preservation Studies

The Failure of Intensive Casework Services to Reduce Foster Care Placements: An Examination of Family Preservation Studies

Ethical and Supervision Issues in the Use of Counselling and Other Helping Skills with Children and Young People in School

This paper explores the use of counselling and other helping skills with young people in schools, focusing on how teachers, who may not be formally trained, work in this area. The author argues that counselling in schools may not be common but that teachers’ use of counselling skills and the involvement in intensive case work is much more so. The ethical issues in this work are identified. It is argued that schools should draw up their own ethical position statements and that staff who are involved in intensive support work with pupils should receive supervision.

Youth Violence: Prevention, Intervention, and Social Policy

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book ReviewFull AccessYouth Violence: Prevention, Intervention, and Social PolicyCarl C. Bell, M.D.Carl C. BellSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:1 Apr 1999https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.50.4.570AboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail The books in the publisher's clinical practice series are designed to "give the mental health clinician a practical, clinical approach to psychiatric problems"—in this case, youth violence—and to provide up-to-date literature reviews and highlight current treatment strategies. Unfortunately, since the topic is a social problem rather than a clinical phenomenon, the reader has to extrapolate the information contained in the text to make it useful for clinical practice.A major strength of the book is that the chapter authors uniformly assert that multicomponent prevention programs focusing on the social ecology of at-risk children and families are the best bets for prevention and intervention rather than society's current criminal justice response, which is an inadequate control strategy. In addition, psychotherapy and intensive casework programs are found to be ineffective for youth violence, and biomedical approaches have not produced effectiveness.The chapters also reveal the complex interdependence between aggression, victimization, exposure to violence, perpetration, and the development of other psychiatric disorders. There appears to be a consensus that integrated, systematic, long-term approaches that include multiple disciplines and intervene at multiple levels are the core strategies necessary to create change.Useful correlations are made between combat veterans' and children's exposure to violence. Army principles of prevention and treatment of "battle fatigue" are outlined, with applications for children exposed to violence. One chapter condemns the "gendered habits" of researchers that have caused girls' involvement with gangs to be neglected, sexualized, or oversimplified and concludes that traditional models of law enforcement, which guide policy for boys, are inappropriate for girls.Differences in philosophy between advocates of gun control from a public health perspective and those who cite criminological studies supporting the protective value of firearms are presented with the caveat that even gun control opponents agree that firearms should not be available to children and adolescents. Parental criminality, maltreatment, parenting practices, and family relationship characteristics are adequately explored as causes of youth violence.The editors appropriately note that even though neurobiology plays a role in causing violence, violence is also a form of learned behavior, and, accordingly, families have a role in preventing youth violence. Thus youths taught social competence and problem-solving skills will obtain the expertise necessary to resolve conflicts and avoid violence. The editors suggest that clinicians need to know the potential impact of exposure to violence and victimization on neurodevelopmental pathways that affect children's behavior. Further, by recognizing warning signs of risk factors, clinicians can reduce future victimization or reduce the chance that victimized children will perpetrate violence.Clinicians are admonished that just focusing on reducing risk or managing aggressive behavior will not be as effective as an intervention strategy that enhances social competence. Further, though we may not be able to change violent neighborhoods, by involving families we can change home environments and social networks. Social policy to reduce violence should strengthen support for families, neighborhoods, and communities and prevent youth from joining gangs. Finally, investment in rigorous evaluation of policy and program initiatives must be enhanced.All of the authors are experts in the field. What makes their contributions valuable is that they have all done basic empirical research on violence among youth and are able to merge scientific thought with the practical realities of working with violent youth.Dr. Bell is president and chief executive officer of the Community Mental Health Council in Chicago and professor of psychiatry and public health at the University of Illinois.edited by Daniel J. Flannery, Ph.D., and C. Ronald Huff, Ph.D.; Washington, D.C., American Psychiatric Press, 1999, 332 pages, $48.50 FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 50Issue 4 April 1999Pages 570-571 Metrics History Published online 1 April 1999 Published in print 1 April 1999

The design and implementation of Family Foster Care Services for high risk delinquents Transitioning from Correctional Confinement

ABSTRACTSpecialized Family Care (SFC) provides planned, long term family foster care to youth who have been adjudicated as delinquent and who are at high risk of on‐going delinquent behavior following their transition into the community from correctional confinement. The program is funded and operated through a collaborative arrangement among The Casey Family Program‐Bismarck Division, the North Dakota Department of Human Services (DHS) and the North Dakota Division of Juvenile Services (DJS).Specially recruited, trained and supported foster families work closely with a dual case management system of services provided by SFC social workers and DJS case managers responsible for community‐based aftercare. Individual case plans for youth involve a mix of intensive aftercare programming for delinquent behaviors, individually designed intervention strategies, intensive supervision, and intensive casework. This article discusses the program model, implementation challenges, costs and preliminary outcomes.

Telework as an employment option for people with disabilities

This feasibility study, based on intensive casework, examined the potential of home-based teleworking arrangements for people with severe physical disabilities. Eleven teleworking arrangements, each involving a unique combination of work, working conditions and worker characteristics, were set up in different parts of Ireland and monitored over periods ranging from 6 to 18 months. Eight were still operational at the end of the project and, with one exception, were set to continue as longer-term arrangements. Outcomes from this action-research project suggest that teleworking is a feasible form of employment for such persons--provided care is taken over selection of workers, identification of work that is suited to the telework format and management of telework units by employers. They also suggest that teleworking arrangements can be quite flexible, ranging from examples in which work is performed mainly from home to those which combine home-based activity with varying degrees of conventional office-based activity. It is concluded that telework will create new opportunities for people with severe disabilities, as well as enabling others who become disabled during employment to retain their jobs. However, it is important that workers are appropriately trained in the use of computers and advanced telecommunications and, in many cases, home-delivered training is required.

Delinquency Prevention: Toward Comprehensive Models and a Conceptual Map

The conceptual uncertainty which currently plagues the field of delinquency prevention poses a crucial barrier to understanding, planning, and evaluating delinquency prevention programs. "Preventive services," in the broadest sense, describes a myriad of activities, ranging from intensive casework, to group recreational programs, to the installation of street lights. In addition, programs failing under the prevention rubric deal with diverse target populations. Some programs are targeted to youths who have evidenced delinquent behavior; others are focused upon youths who show few signs of future delinquent activity. Most youths approach prevention programs with more than their visible delinquent tendencies or behaviors; in truth, they may bring with them a multitude of problems which may not be so evident, including drug abuse, alcoholism, broken families, and school failure. Unfortunately, the prevention literature often fails to consider the multiple influences on a youth's behavior and the important need for linkages with other service delivery systems. This article discusses several conceptual frameworks for organizing the larger prevention picture, including: (a) the public health model; (b) classification by treatment strategy; (c) conceptualization by theories or crime correlates; and (d) classification by intervention level. Consideration of each model raises several additional issues that are as important as questions pertaining to program policy impact. The final section identifies and discusses sevral strategies for improving the methodology in conducting integrative reviews of program evaluations.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF FAMILY BACKGROUND AND CASEWORK INVOLVEMENT TO PLACEMENT STABILITY

Stability of foster family placements is viewed as a function of the types of families foster children come from and the involvement of caseworkers in the children's cases. Two groups of children (N = 30) whose foster care histories differed in the number of placements they had experienced were compared. The identification of children prior to their first placement as at risk for instability in foster care is recommended, with the targeting of intensive casework activities on those children to follow as a means of lessening the likelihood of later placement changes.

Effects on growth and development of social, psychological and environmental factors

This study reports the longitudinal findings in 47 infants and children recognised as “At Risk” in whom it was decided initially that they should remain at home with case work support over a 5 year period. At the time of the study 38 children were still with one or both natural parents. On the basis of behaviour characteristics, mental development, speech attainment and growth outcome for the children, these were classified as satisfactory (12), unsatisfactory (18) and uncertain (17). A history of psychiatric disturbance was the factor most likely to be associated with an unsatisfactory outcome though generally unfavourable social circumstances such as poor housing, unemployment and a criminal record were also more frequent in the unsatisfactory group. Examination of the records indicate that the unsatisfactory group are either families with overwhelming difficulties which prevent adequate parental care or families under severe stress because of psychiatric illness or mental inadequacy. There is a need for identifying in advance those situations where failure of supportive management is likely. Intensive case work, while preventing major injury to children was relatively ineffective in preventing the subtler consequences of child abuse and neglect. The data support the arguments that in many families where child rearing practices are unsatisfactory, the problem arises from parental inadequacies which are also responsible for the negative associated social factors. The dilemma created by this situation makes action in the interests of the child very difficult.

The effect of casework: a research note

Raymond M. Berger, MSSW, is a doctoral candidate and Irving Piliavin, DSW, is Professor, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin, Madison. The authors greatly appre ciate the help given them by the late Margaret Blenkner, her research staff, and Mary Hemmy, Executive Director of the Benjamin Rose In stitute. All the analyses reported here made use of the data file originally developed by Dr. Blenkner and her staff. In a review of eleven controlled experimentais and controls other than studies, Fischer concluded that social that the experimentais were less likely casework services—defined broadly as to survive and more likely to be in the services provided by professional stitutionalized than were the controls, caseworkers—yielded no greater imAlthough institutionalization was re provement among a variety of client lated to poor survival for both groups, populations than did no intervention it did not account for the different at all.1 One of the studies reviewed by survival rates between experimentais Fischer was the Protective Services and controls. Statistical tests were not Project for Older Persons, a longitudireported but experimentais among nal study directed by Blenkner under both institutionalized and noninstitu the auspices of the Benjamin Rose Intionalized participants were said to be stitute in Cleveland, Ohio.2 Accordless likely to survive than the controls, ing to Fischer, the results of this study The reason for the poorer survival rate suggested that the special, enriched among experimentais remained some services of the institute in fact worked thing of a mystery, against the clients, since the mortality In reviewing the analytic procedures rate of the clients who received the utilized in the Rose Institute study, special services was higher than that the authors found two possible ex of the control clients. Three years planations for the findings reported after the beginning of the program, by Blenkner and her colleagues. The 47.4 percent of the special service first concerns the influence of im clients were still alive compared to portant covariates of survival. AI 64.9 percent of the controls.8 The though the original investigators implication that social services can found that pretest data on age, physi have debilitating effects is obviously a cal functioning, and mental status of matter of concern. participants were linked to survival This research note presents a more (see Table 1), these variables played elaborate statistical analysis of the only a limited role in the analysis of original data than that carried out by experimental and control survival the researchers of the Rose Institute rates.4 This was unfortunate, since study. Such analysis indicates that the these variables indicated that the ex apparently negative effects of the inperimentals were more debilitated stitute program are attributable to facthan the controls, tors other than the special services proThe second possible explanation for gram itself. Blenkner's findings involves the sub Participants in the Rose Institute stantial number of cases with missing study were 164 elderly persons who pretest data. The overall comparison were in need of protective services of control and experimental death and who had come to the attention rates included individuals for whom of various community agencies. Sevinformation on physical functioning enty-six persons were randomly asand mental status was lacking. Ad signed to an experimental group and mittedly, the percentage of such in received intensive casework and other dividuals was about the same for ex services for a period of one year, perimentals and controls, but it is Eighty-eight persons were assigned to possible that the health status of non a control group and received only assessed experimentais was worse than those incidental services normally that of nonassessed controls. Unfor provided by community agencies. The tunately, there is no way of directly effects of service were evaluated by confirming this possibility since the a variety of variables that measured original Rose Institute study provides mental and physical competence, envery little information on the proce vironmental protection, affect, and dures by which diagnostic information effect on family and close friends. on participants was obtained at the Analyses reported by the researchinception of the experiment. However, ers revealed few differences between there are data—the variables just dis

FROM CUSTODIAL CARE TO INTENSIVE TREATMENT OF THE GERIATRIC PATIENT*

AbstractThe Mental Health Institute at Independence, Iowa, as part of a progressive State mental health program, made substantial gains in treatment of the mentally ill, with a marked reduction in the average daily census even though the admission rate had increased. Because of limited funds, however, the treatment of geriatric patients did not approach the progress made in other areas of the hospital. In 1966, with the aid of a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, the intensive treatment of geriatric patients became a reality. The staff was strengthened in all disciplines and a fully equipped physiotherapy department was added to the geriatric unit. Whereas previously all patients over 65 were admitted to psychiatric units, under the new plan these patients were admitted directly to the geriatric unit. There they received a complete medical and psychiatric review before being assigned to one of two areas within the unit. In one area were the patients who had potential for making substantial gains with intensive psychiatric treatment (group and individual therapy, ward government, remotivation techniques, occupational therapy and other activity therapies such as music, recreation, adult education and homemaking services, as well as intensive case work by experienced social workers). In the second area were the patients who were markedly regressed and organically deteriorated; even some of these showed enough improvement to be transferred to the more intensive unit. Patients unable to benefit from intensive treatment were transferred to nursing homes. Under the new regimen, the discharge rate for geriatric patients increased from 36 per cent to 59 per cent, and the discharge rate to their homes from 28 per cent to 47 per cent. The average length of stay in the hospital was markedly reduced from 112 days to 65 days.

Intensive Casework with Captive Clients

Intensive Casework with Captive Clients

Aspects of intensive casework with children

Aspects of intensive casework with children

The prevention of break-up of families; an intensive casework service for problem families.

The prevention of break-up of families; an intensive casework service for problem families.