Social Service Sector Research Articles

Relato de experiência: a percepção sobre o serviço social escolar a partir da atuação no colégio nossa senhora das neves - Natal/RN

The following experience report presents my perception during the curricular internship period at Nossa Senhora das Neves School, as a social services undergraduate at UFRN. This work is fruit of the final report and intervention project, both made during my internship experience between 2013 and 2014. Some difficulties will be shown in the professional field, from little recognition about the work done by the social services sector in the institution, to the difficulty of delimiting the professional attributions and skills of the social assistants in the institutions because of the constant articulation of social services with the other professions. As part of the intervention project, questions were applied with parents and other familiars of students of the location to know their perception about the professional exercise in the institution and from the information gathered, marketing was done and orientations about the professional skills of the social assistant in the educational field, understood until then as a still recente field of work and not very discussed in the profession.

Enhancing the practice of immigrant child welfare social workers in the United States

Responding to the needs of growing immigrant populations, many US social service sectors have recruited bilingual and bicultural practitioners, including immigrants. However, little is known about the immigrant social workers. This article explores the practice context of immigrant child welfare social workers in the United States. First, acculturation theory is applied to frame the experiences of US immigrants. Second, we explore professional development of practitioners working with immigrant families. Third, we discuss the intersectionality connecting immigration and social work professionalization. We conclude that the immigration and acculturation experiences of immigrant social workers are unique strengths for working with immigrant populations.

Multisector Involvement Among Adolescents With Disabilities

When youth experience psychosocial difficulties, multiple sectors of care may intervene. The present study examined the prevalence and sociodemographic predictors of multisector involvement related to psychosocial difficulties among adolescents with disabilities. Using a nationally representative sample of 9,230 students who participated in the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2, we estimated students’ rates of involvement in school, health, social service, and juvenile justice sectors and used logistic regression models to ascertain the relations to student characteristics. Students with disabilities were frequently involved with a variety of sectors of care, but schools remain the primary provider. Multisector involvement was commonplace, particularly for adolescents with emotional disturbance or autism. Disability and insurance type consistently predicted involvement of each sector, but other sociodemographic characteristics commonly related to disparities in involvement were not significant in most of our models. Communication and collaboration across systems can support the school-based problem solving and individualized planning for students with disabilities.

Organisational transformation: a case study of the Chinese Mainland

It is necessary to develop a social service system as an efficient and effective system that is fit-for-purpose from the moment it is commissioned and flexible enough to adapt to a different social economic environment. In this paper, the case being studied is a small-scale social work organization in X city of Guangdong Province. The agency has to restructure itself in order to face the external changes in the environment. A 3PE model is originally an industrial service engineering model which is adapted and applied in this case study. The 3PE concepts represent the product, process, people and environment. This article brings significant implications to knowledge building in the social service sector. Moreover, it suggests ways for social work managers on how to act quickly to environmental changes.

‘How could management let this happen?’ Gender, unpaid work and industrial relations in the nonprofit social services sector

In order to compete in increasingly tight quasi-markets generated by government cutbacks and contracting-out, management in nonprofit agencies have argued that wages and benefits must be reduced or jobs and services will be cut. These arguments have motivated some of the female-majority workers to join and/or organize unions and undertake strike action. Focusing on two case studies exploring restructuring in the highly gendered nonprofit social services in two liberal welfare states (Scotland and Canada), this article explores shifts in industrial relations at the agency level, as well as workforce resistance and union activism. Through the analysis of gendered unpaid work and gendered forms of social and union solidarity, this article extends feminist political economy and mobilization theory. It also suggests convergences at several layers of practice and policy, including private and nonprofit industrial relations cultures, managerialism and the underfunding of contracted-out government services.

Finnish Apprenticeship Training Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Vocational Expertise and Experiences of Workplace Learning and Guidance

This study examines Finnish apprenticeship training stakeholders’ perceptions of vocational expertise and experiences of workplace learning and guidance. The semi-structured interview data was collected in 2015 in two vocational fields: the social and health care services sector (five workplaces) and the technology sector (five workplaces). The sample (N = 40) consisted of apprentices (n = 10), their co-workers (n = 10), workplace trainers (n = 10) and employers (n = 10). The study applies the classifications of natural abilities and self-regulation to identify the most important individual characteristics related to vocational expertise. The socio-cultural approach to workplace learning and guidance illustrate that vocational expertise also develops from external support through participation and guidance in everyday interactions in the contexts of education and work. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that individuals with fluent cognitive skills (e.g., problem solving skills) combined to advanced social skills, self-awareness and self-regulation are perceived as vocational experts. The apprenticeship training was considered to draw upon an extensive learning environment to facilitate an apprentice’s vocational development by offering access to authentic work tasks and collective support by experienced workers. Yet, the lack of time, resources and pedagogical approaches were found to hinder individual guidance and reciprocal workplace learning between apprentices and experienced workers. The workplaces were shown to provide fruitful learning possibilities for those apprentices with strong self-regulatory skills.

Development of the organisational health literacy responsiveness (Org-HLR) framework in collaboration with health and social services professionals

BackgroundThe health literacy skills required by individuals to interact effectively with health services depends on the complexity of those services, and the demands they place on people. Public health and social service organisations have a responsibility to provide services and information in ways that promote equitable access and engagement, that are responsive to diverse needs and preferences, and support people to participate in decisions regarding their health and wellbeing. The aim of this study was to develop a conceptual framework describing the characteristics of health literacy responsive organisations.MethodsConcept mapping (CM) workshops with six groups of professionals (total N = 42) from across health and social services sectors were undertaken. An online concept mapping consultation with 153 professionals was also conducted. In these CM activities, participants responded to the seeding statement “Thinking broadly from your experiences of working in the health system, what does an organisation need to have or do in order to enable communities and community members to fully engage with information and services to promote and maintain health and wellbeing”. The CM data were analysed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to derive concept maps and cluster tree diagrams. Clusters from the CM processes were then integrated by identifying themes and subthemes across tree diagrams.ResultsAcross the workshops, 373 statements were generated in response to the seeding statement. An additional 1206 statements were generated in the online consultation. 84 clusters were derived within the workshops and 20 from the online consultation. Seven domains of health literacy responsiveness were identified; i) External policy and funding environment; ii) Leadership and culture; iii) Systems, processes and policies; iv) Access to services and programs; v) Community engagement and partnerships; vi) Communication practices and standards; and vii) Workforce. Each domain included 1 to 5 sub-domains (24 sub-domains in total).ConclusionsUsing participatory research processes, a conceptual framework describing the characteristics, values, practices and capabilities of organisational health literacy responsiveness was derived. The framework may guide the planning and monitoring of health service and health system improvements, and has the potential to guide effective public health policy and health system reforms.

“You’ve Just Cursed Us”: Precarity, Austerity and Worker’s Participation in the Non-Profit Social Services

Though not monolithic, the non-profit social services sector has been an arena where workers and management participated in various forms of shared planning, service development and organizing the labour process. This included: 1- formal participation processes such as collective bargaining with union representation, and 2- practice-profession or task participation. Drawing on 34 qualitative interviews undertaken with a variety of actors (Chief Executive/Senior Directors, senior operational management, Human Resource Managers, frontline staff, and, where available, union representatives) in two non-profit social service agencies in Ontario (Canada), the article traces how these forms of participation have changed as a result of government austerity policies alongside the expansion of precarious employment and funding in the non-profit sector. Using exemplar quotes and qualitative analysis, the article shows that worker’s participation in each form has declined, while management simultaneously has extended greater control over the labour process and removed or reduced forums and opportunities for input from staff. In terms of task participation, measurement and governance structure of New Public Management (NPM) and austerity have led to less autonomy and choice, especially in the area of working time. The study also found that unitarist approaches, intolerant of staff voice and possible dissent, have displaced earlier representative participatory approaches that either utilized the management chain, or embraced and worked constructively with unions. Though these pressures existed prior to the introduction of austerity policies, the data show that decreased worker’s participation coincides and is further undermined by the financial and governance processes associated with NPM and austerity-linked cuts in government and other forms of funding. Overall, the data and analysis suggest that participation in the Non-profit Social Services (NPSS) may be another casualty of this current wave of neoliberalism.

The expertise for social rights for children and the unique expertise system for children with handicaps, developmental disabilities, rare and chronic diseases in croatia

Objective: The Methodology of Expertise and Measuring Disability as the unique expertise system for children with handicaps, developmental disabilities, rare and chronic diseases was implemented in Croatia on January 2015. The List for measuring functionality is applied for social rights for children and an interdisciplinary approach is applicable in Councils of experts in the 1st or 2nd degree of expertise. This unique methodology of determining disability is implemented by only one expertise institution instead of six as it was before. Methods: Data of 344 children, aged one to 21 years, were retrospectively elaborated, analysing diagnoses, functional impairments and disabilities. Results: Between 344 children (55% girls and 45% boys), 47% of children had less than 7 years of age and 53% were between 7 and 21 years. Diagnoses in 51% were congenital disorders, in 2 % developmental disorders, in 9% solid tumours and haematological malignancies, in 4% sense disorder, in 6% mental disorder, 2% pervasive disorder and 26 % of acquired diseases. Severe disabilities were found in 15% of children, moderate in 71%, in 6% disabilities had a slight and in 8% there was no impact to functioning. After expertise 59% of children received personal disability allowance, 10% child allowance, 10% status of a parent caregiver, 14% maternity and childbirth allowance, 7% allowance for assistance and care. Conclusion: Analyses of the second degree of expertises showed a great utility and efficacy of this unique methodology in Croatia to help children with functional impairments and disabilities. Collaboration was good among people working in the health, education and social service sectors. More effort must be done to obtain more precise medical and social data necessary for expertise that is more appropriate.

Bridging the Gap between Indian Urban Youth and Rural, Civic and Social Service Sector: A Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Development in Higher Education

In the fast paced world of the urban set up, the youth in the cities is far removed from the concerns and realities of Rural India. The Internship Model proposed in the Higher Education segment which makes it mandatory for all technical students to undertake work with Non Government Organizations (NGO) helps bridge this gap. It provides an interface with society through social initiatives when young students align themselves with working with them thereby getting new and fresh perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of the environmental, social and economic issues from both an urban and rural perspective. Internship program is a pre-service training designed to render practical experience of a given job. For better execution of policies during one’s professional career, a technocrat is required to come to terms with the realities of life. The internships are designed to impart to students values and/or duties which include justice, freedom, equality, diversity, authority, privacy, participation, truth, patriotism, human rights, rule of law, tolerance, mutual assistance, self-restraint and self-respect. The Objectives of Rural, Civic Social Service Internships are to develop a holistic view of social work and social welfare in the community, with special emphasis on the role of different agencies like Govt. departments and NGOs in human services; to allow students to apply, evaluate, test and integrate academic knowledge and theoretical concepts in a work setting; to reduce intellectual and geographical parochialism of the students; to understand the NGO and other civic bodies and welfare agency as an organization, and understand its structure, functions, activities and sources of funding; to develop an understanding of the opportunities in working with diverse populations. The present paper is based on a study conducted on a group of 687 engineering students of First Year of Gujarat (Ahmedabad). Feedback from the students about the Internships and feedback of the coordinators from over 187 NGO’s, Government and Civic and Social Service organizations was taken to understand the reach out of the Urban Youth and the impact it had on their understanding of the people of rural India and the functioning of the NGO’s , Government and Civic bodies. The role of Higher Education to bridge the Gap is also discussed and analyzed. Findings of the survey and internship feedback reflected a high acceptance and a strong sense of sensitivity towards rural population and the amount of work that goes into making efforts to create a change for the betterment of less privileged people. The role of Higher Education in bridging this gap between Urban Youth and Rural population becomes significant as the future workforce is sensitized to the real India which dwells on the periphery of the Urban modern glitz of the smart cities hence leading to an assurance that this will lead to inclusivity and acceptance of people from all across the spectrum of Indian populace.

PERUBAHAN POLA PERGERAKAN MASYARAKAT SEBAGAI DAMPAK PENERAPAN TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI DAN KOMUNIKASI DI KOTA YOGYAKARTA

<p><em>The density of urban network occurs due to the society temporary relocation in a short distance. Yogyakarta is one of the cities that has a high network density with working as the most dominant society movement patterns. Yogyakarta now also implementing the concept of city development based on information and communication technology (ICT) as stated in Yogyakarta Cyber City since 2005. The application of ICT in Yogyakarta has been done in the administration sector (e-government) and several other society service, in which the application of ICT allows some changes in the pattern of society movement. The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of ICT application toward the changing patterns of society movement seen from the condition of before and after the use of ICT in accessing various social services sector. This research was conducted throughout 14 districts in Yogyakarta and also in several service sectors necesarry for the people. Methods applied to determine the changes of society movement pattern as a result of ICT application was reviewed based on the variable of service sector performance, the level of ICT used by the public, the number of people’s destination of their respective service sector, and also the quantity of movement among society zones seen from the point of origin and the destination point. The result of the research proved that there are changes in the society movement patterns at the decline the network density indicated by the decline of the number of people’s destination and by the decrease in the network density path, and also the decrease in the movement quantity among society zones which proves the theory of movement decline from the suburbs area to urban area. The application of ICT in several service sectors has enabled people to access the service at anytime and anywhere easily. However, the application of ICT in Yogyakarta has limited human resources in operating the service, and this make the number of society movement can not be completely substituted by the application of ICT.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords:</em></strong><em> Cyber City, ICT Use, Movement Patterns</em><em>, E-Government</em></p>

Long-term cost-effectiveness of thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke in real life: An analysis based on data from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke).

Background Randomised controlled trials have demonstrated substantial clinical benefit for thrombectomy in patients with acute ischaemic stroke and proximal anterior circulation arterial occlusion. Aim We investigated the long-term cost-effectiveness of thrombectomy after thrombolysis versus thrombolysis alone using real-world outcome data on need for health care, home help and nursing home care. Methods We used real-life resource use and survival data from the Swedish Stroke Register and pooled outcomes from five randomised controlled trials published in 2015 in a newly constructed Markov cost-effectiveness model with a societal perspective. Data were stratified by age (18-64; 65-74; 75-84 years) and modified Rankin scale at three months for patients with an index ischaemic stroke in 2014 fulfilling inclusion criteria NIHSS ≥ 8 before treatment and treated with thrombolysis ( n = 710). Univariate sensitivity analyses explored robustness of results. A life-time perspective and 3% discount rate were applied. Results Thrombectomy increases the health care cost per patient (+GBP 9000) mainly because of intervention costs, but the reduced burden on the social services (home help services -GBP 13,000; nursing home care -GBP 26,000) implies overall cost savings. The average patient gain was 1.0 quality-adjusted life year (QALY) with higher gains for younger age groups. Thrombectomy was a dominant strategy in the base case and all sensitivity analyses where social services were considered. Conclusion Thrombectomy has a small effect on hospital costs except for the direct intervention cost. However, thrombectomy is highly likely to lead to substantial cost savings in the social service sector, up to four times the increase in health-care costs.

Reconciliation as a Woman-Centered Approach to Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious and prevalent issue throughout the world (Devries et al. 2013, 1527). IPV takes place within an intersectional context that includes race, gender, culture, power, and sexuality. The types of actions taken to combat this violence vary greatly between different cultural contexts. The United States and Canada frequently take a law-based approach toward dealing with perpetrators and attempt to assist the victims through various social service sectors. Countries of reconciliation, such as Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Kazakhstan, where individuals wish to keep the issue in the private sphere, often employ an approach aimed at maintaining the family system. Acts of reconciliation as a response to IPV have been deemed as inappropriate and oppressive reactions to the violence perpetuated against the victims (Coker, 2002; London, 1997). However, this criticism neglects the cleawr intersection of IPV responses and cultural contexts, thereby neglecting the autonomy of the woman to choose the response she believes most aligns with her cultural values. Through its emphasis on family, hospitality, respect, as well as religious texts and parables, the Society of Muslim Women (SMW) in Kazakhstan provides an example of a culturally and gender-appropriate reconciliation process. With the example of Kazakhstan, this paper shows that the reconciliation approach can allow the autonomy and cultural values of the female victim to be appreciated.

A Multi-Valenced Perspective on Consumer Engagement Within a Social Service

The literature on customer engagement has focused on its positive valence at the expense of its negative manifestations. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring how positive, disengaged, and negative valences of engagement operate within the social service sector. Focus groups are used to create a multidimensional model exploring how different customer engagement valences operate through affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions, and in relation to two objects (service community and service provider). This approach provides a new and expanded view of customer engagement, and the process by which multiple valences of engagement manifest within a focal service relationship.

Integrating social context into comprehensive shared care plans: A scoping review

BackgroundFailure to address social determinants of health (SDH) may contribute to the problem of readmissions in high-risk individuals. Comprehensive shared care plans (CSCP) may improve care continuity and health outcomes by communicating SDH risk factors across settings. PurposeThe purpose of this study to evaluate the state of knowledge for integrating SDH into a CSCP. Our scoping review of the literature considered 13,886 articles, of which seven met inclusion criteria. ResultsIdentified themes were: integrate health and social sectors; interoperability; standardizing ontologies and interventions; process implementation; professional tribalism; and patient centeredness. DiscussionThere is an emerging interest in bridging the gap between health and social service sectors. Standardized ontologies and theoretical definitions need to be developed to facilitate communication, indexing, and data retrieval. ConclusionsWe identified a gap in the literature that indicates that foundational work will be required to guide the development of a CSCP that includes SDH that can be shared across settings. The lack of studies published in the United States suggests that this is a critical area for future research and funding.

Mediating and caring: line managers and employee commitment in the voluntary sector

ABSTRACTSince the mid-1980s, New Public Management (NPM) and cuts in social funding have resulted in highly restructured organisations in the voluntary social services. These changes moved front-line supervisors, often referred to as line managers (LMs), away from direct, front-line service and replaced much of their supervision and support with tasks connected to contract compliance, particularly documenting progress on outcome metrics and other performance indicators. This article explores whether, in an era of NPM, LMs are able to apply leadership behaviours that encourage and sustain notions of altruism, care and commitment to the job among care workers in the voluntary social services sector. The article analyses qualitative interview data collected in five case studies in three countries (Australia, New Zealand and the UK) to explore the changing labour process in nonprofit services aimed at supporting society’s most vulnerable people. The article contributes to understandings of changes in work process under austerity policies and adds to theorisations of work in the voluntary social services.

Service User Involvement in UK Social Service Agencies and Social Work Education

ABSTRACTForming partnerships with service users became a requirement for social work education programs in the United Kingdom as of 2003, leading to the development of innovative approaches to social work education that involve service users as experts who are helping to teach the future generation of social workers. This article examines the perceptions of service user involvement and how it is implemented in the United Kingdom in the social service sector and the university setting, and concludes with implications for the United States.

Reconstructing the professional domain: Boundary work of professionals and volunteers in the context of social service reform

Shifts from professionals to volunteers are observed across national contexts and in various types of public services, particularly in long-term care and social work. This article examines how professionals and volunteers in the Netherlands perform boundary work to construct, maintain and dissolve boundaries between them in the context of social service reform. Two types of boundary work were found: demarcation work and welcoming work. Demarcation work relates to a situation where differences in knowledge, authority and reliability between professionals and volunteers are emphasised. Welcoming work involves the efforts of professionals to welcome specific volunteers to their professional domain. This study examines the implications of the second type of boundary work for structural characteristics of the social service sector. It concludes that although welcoming work can lead to deprofessionalisation, it can also promote the professionalisation of nurses and social workers.

From Punishment to Pragmatism: Sharing the Burden of Reducing Drug-Related Harm

Over the last 40 years, approaches to drug control around the world have been the focus of heated debate. At the end of the twentieth century, harm minimization became a dominant policy consideration around the world, but tension arises in relation to how reductions in drug-related harm can best be achieved. This article explores the different ways this type of policy platform has been put into practice by contrasting police-centred applications of this concept with formulations that operate across a spectrum of social policy sectors. In doing so, it compares dominant law enforcement trends in South East Asia and China with the development of Australia's broad-based National Drug Strategy Framework. We argue that the effective application of harm minimization to address drug problems involves adopting an understanding of a continuum of harm that productively positions drug users as members of the broader society, favours pragmatic policy action over moral judgment, and shares the burden of harm reduction across all social service sectors (for example, education, health, and law enforcement). We conclude our article with a brief overview of some strategies for implementing best practice in the development of pragmatic preventive partnerships designed to reduce drug-related harm. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

The relationship between the growth in the health sector and inbound health tourism: the case of Turkey.

One of the consequences of globalisation for Turkey, as well as in other emerging countries, has been an increasing trend in health tourism. Households have been considered choice the best option in terms of price and alternative possibilities while they have been solved their health problems. Previous studies have argued that the main drivers of the growth of inbound health tourism to developing countries are lower costs, shorter waiting periods, and better quality of care. This study aimed to test the effect of health and social service sector growth on the flow of inbound health tourism between 2004:Q1 and 2015:Q4 by employing Granger causality and Johansen cointegration approaches. Our findings suggested that there is a long-run Granger causality from domestic health and social work expenditures to health tourism income whereas this is non-existence in the opposite direction.