Welfare Staff Research Articles

Detention and its discontents: punishment and compliance within the U.K. detention estate through the lens of the withdrawal of Assisted Voluntary Return

ABSTRACTDetention centres and return programmes are increasingly important instruments of border control across Europe. In 2014, the U.K. Home Office removed Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) from detention, meaning it is no longer available to detainees. Drawing on both secondary data analysis of interviews with welfare staff in an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) and Home Office senior managers and primary data from follow-on interviews with welfare staff and NGO workers, the paper analyses the Home Office rationale behind this withdrawal. Using this policy change as a lens reveals how through a responsibilisation discourse inherent in Home Office policy the subject of the ‘detainee’ is criminalised and framed as non-compliant and thus undeserving of ‘privileges’, such as AVR, in an increasingly punitive space. In contrast, both welfare officers and NGO workers frame detainees in a more nuanced, sometimes contradictory, manner; recognising the role of the state in creating vulnerabilities. By examining how dominant forms of discrimination are held in place by the banal ways categories are repeated in everyday discourse, this paper highlights the increasing pathologisation of deviance and framing of detainees as criminal ‘other’. As such it contributes to debates on the contradictory world of detention and the sociology of punishment.

The relationship between education and child welfare in Japanese children’s self-reliance support facilities

ABSTRACT In comparison to the foster care system in western countries, in Japan most child protective care is conducted in facilities. This article examines the institutional changes necessary for the introduction of school education in children’s self-reliance support facilities (CSSF) and considers the relationship between the spheres of education and welfare from the narratives of the school teachers who conduct the education practices and the facility staff who conduct the welfare practices. By examining these issues, this paper seeks to identify the challenges in introducing school education to the CSSF and discuss how the spheres of education and welfare can work together to overcome them. Following the introduction of school education into the CSSF, study guidance in the facilities was taken out of the hands of the facility staff and was conducted by qualified teachers. From teacher and welfare staff narratives, this introduction of school education was seen as an ‘erosion by school education’ for child welfare. However, from the perspective of Goffman’s total institution approach, this erosion has gradually generated new practices that differ from the conventional perspectives of school education or welfare. Building off of this perspective, this article suggests that school education in the CSSF can allow the children to temporarily experience a pseudo-society separate from their life in the child welfare facility, and this can offer benefits for the child’s eventual social re-integration.

A Study on Social Security Schemes in Selected Non Banking Financial Companies

This paper explores satisfaction level of employees’ on social security schemes provided by Non Banking Financial Companies and also to study what extend these schemes helps to improve standard of living, motivation level, reducing the risk factor and cost burden of the employees’. The researcher has chosen selected NBFCs such as Equitas Finance Ltd., Cholamandalam Investment and Finance company Ltd., Magma Fincorp Ltd., HDB financial Service Company Ltd., in Chennai city. The primary data are collected from employees through structured questionnaire. The researcher has used simple random sampling method for collecting data from 90 respondents. The study revealed that employees are satisfied with medical facilities, maternity benefits and accidents benefits and its promotes standard of living, maintenance of dependency, motivation of employee and lesser positive impact on protection from risk factors and reducing cost burden. The study suggested that NBFCs need to concentrate other factor which has lesser impact and also to improve sickness benefits, retirement benefits and staff welfare funds.

Does investment in human resource development affect financial performance? Empirical evidence from the banking sector of Bangladesh

The study aims at examining the impact of investment in human resource development (HRD) on the financial performance of the banking sector of Bangladesh. Using the economic data as well as survey data collected from purposively selected 120 bank executives of 20 private commercial banks of Bangladesh. The study through regression models finds that there is a significant positive correlations between HRD investment (in salaries and allowances, provident fund and gratuity, bonus and incentives, staff welfare and training, workshop, and seminar) and financial performance of the sample banks. Though, training is one of the important HRD indicators, the lowest investment was made in this sector by the sample banks. The findings of the study may be useful for bankers, policymakers, HR professionals, and the stakeholders of all types of organizations regardless of the geographical boundary. Finally, further investigations on manufacturing and other service sectors through case study, focus groups, and longitudinal study are also suggested.
 IIUC Studies Vol.14(2) December 2017: 35-54

Psychotropic Medications for Youth in Child Welfare: Developing and Pilot-Testing A Field Guide for Team Decision-Making

ABSTRACTHigh rates of children involved with the child welfare system are prescribed psychotropics. In response, federal legislation has mandated state child welfare agencies to develop policies to improve the coordination and oversight around the use of psychotropics. This project aimed to support such policies by developing and pilot-testing a field guide for team discussions and decision-making related to the use of psychotropics among youth in child welfare. We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework to engage a team of local stakeholders, including former youth in foster care and parents, in the research. We developed a field guide to facilitate team discussions and decisions around the individual needs and preferences of youth and families, and we pilot-tested the field guide with child welfare staff, parents, and care team members in seven team meetings. Parents and care team members, in particular, highly valued the guide and found it useful to increase knowledge and improve practices such as side effect monitoring and information sharing. Child welfare responses were more mixed, and some reported feeling burdened by the additional tasks. More work is needed to integrate the guide into routine child welfare practice and reduce burden on staff.

Children Protection, Politics and Procrastination: The Discourse of Deferral

The Discourse of Child Protection and its ensuing political responses are discussed here following a 6 month analysis of media platforms in which child protection reforms were recommended following child abuse and neglect reports. The headlines, in social and other media were analysed to identify the significant aspects of reactions to horrifying tales, stories and reports of child deaths, injuries and other abuses. Clear evidence emerges of a disturbing discourse of deferral and political inaction that is only relieved when inquiries and Royal Commissions advocate strong and immediate changes. In addition, this study shows that lacunae (or what is missing in text or discourse) show that the voice of children is only heard after the event of horrific abuse and often relies on whistle-blowers or advocates. Despite the warnings and research of many distinguished child protection academics a cycle emerges which needs to reflect community desires to protect children via legislation and stronger regulations. Further, some inquiries have indicated stronger regulation and training of beleaguered child welfare staff.

Medical complexity and placement outcomes for children in foster care

ObjectiveMedical complexity threatens placement stability and permanency outcomes for children in foster care (FC). This study aimed to characterize for US children in FC: 1) medical complexity, using number of diagnosed types of disability as a proxy; 2) demographic and removal characteristics based on level of complexity; and 3) whether increasing levels of complexity were associated with foster care placement outcomes. MethodsThe analysis included children in FC, ages 0–21 whose disability status was clinically assessed and documented (n=538,695). Using data from the FY 2014 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, medical complexity was categorized (0–4+) based on 5 disability types: emotional, hearing/vision, intellectual, physical, and other. Bivariate analyses (χ2 tests, Kruskall-Wallis) compared the distribution of demographic and removal characteristics among complexity groups. Multiple logistic regression evaluated relationships between medical complexity and placement outcomes, including length of stay in FC, placement stability, and permanency. ResultsTwenty-three percent of the sample had 1 disability type, 7% had 2, 3% had 3, 1% had 4+, and 67% had no disability. Children with increasing complexity were more likely to be older, older on FC entry, male, Black, non-Hispanic, placed in a group home or institution, have abuse, neglect, and/or child disability/behavior as reason for removal, and have poor placement outcomes. ConclusionChildren in FC with greater medical complexity are at risk for undesirable placement outcomes. By recognizing and addressing the unique needs of this vulnerable population, pediatric providers and child welfare staff may identify strategies to improve placement outcomes.

Foster and Adoptive Parent Perspectives on Needs and Services: a Mixed Methods Study.

Caring for children with complex needs severely stresses foster and adoptive parents, but few studies have examined their perspectives on needs and services. To examine parental views, the authors analyzed four focus groups (n = 27 participants) and one state-wide survey (n = 512 respondents, 42% of 1206 contacted) of foster and adoptive parents in one state. Results highlighted inadequate communication between providers and families, cultural and legal barriers, needs for parent training and preparation, the importance of several types of parent supports, and needs for specialized mental health treatment for the children. Surveyed parents identified children's behavior problems as their top challenge, and over half rated the availability of mental health providers who treat attachment and family as insufficient. The findings suggest specific areas in which state leaders could enhance training and supports for child welfare staff and foster and adoptive parents and improve mental health services for children in foster and adoptive care.

Comparative Study of Staff Welfare Administration in Public and Private Secondary Schools in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

This study critically examines the administration of staff welfare services in private and public secondary schools using Akoko North-West district in Ondo State, Nigeria as a case study. The study used 3 research questions in a bid to guide the researcher. The population of the study was ten (10) private and fifteen (15) public secondary schools in the area of study. Fifty (50) teachers were selected from ten (10) secondary schools using simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected and analyzed using simple percentage method. The findings revealed that Teachers’ in public secondary schools does enjoy regular payment of salaries and allowances compare to teachers in private secondary schools, public secondary schools are fairly equipped with necessary facilities such as toilets and health centers compare to teachers in private secondary schools, that employers in private secondary schools provide payment of transportation allowance, housing allowance while employers in public secondary schools do not and that regular payment of teachers’ salary enhances their job productivity. Base on the findings, it was recommended that government should ensure proper funding of education and put in place good welfare program which embraces insurance scheme, study leave, workshop seminars, leave bonus, car loan, housing allowance, rent subsidy, regular payment of salary, health allowance and so on, should be provided as applicable to other professions. Teachers should receive attractive salaries and allowances and other incentives should be given to the teachers to boost their moral and improve their standard of living. Consequently, their productivity in the schools would be improved.

Childhood Maltreatment and Child Protective Services Involvement Among the Commercially Sexually Exploited: A Comparison of Women Who Enter as Juveniles or as Adults

A risk for commercial sexual exploitation is childhood maltreatment. It’s unknown whether juveniles in commercial sexual exploitation experience more childhood maltreatment than adults or how involved child protective services is in investigating maltreatment, a focus of this study. Women (N = 96) who sold sex commercially completed a cross-sectional questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t tests, chi-squares, and odds ratios were used to examine differences in background, childhood maltreatment, and child protective services involvement by juvenile or adult entry. Although 93% of participants experienced child maltreatment, juveniles had increased odds of parent/caregiver sexual abuse, being left alone, being kicked out, and running away from a parent/caregiver. There were no differences in cumulative childhood maltreatment resulting in an investigation or removal, indicating that juveniles not investigated or removed by child protective services had as much childhood maltreatment as juveniles who were investigated or removed by child protective services. Results highlight the need for child welfare staff to recognize childhood maltreatment as risks for commercial sexual exploitation.

The influence of sense of coherence, self-care and work satisfaction on secondary traumatic stress and burnout among child and youth residential care workers in Switzerland

ABSTRACTThe present study aimed to investigate the incidence of post-traumatic and secondary traumatic stress as well as burnout symptoms among child and youth welfare workers in residential care in Switzerland and to assess the predictive value of sense of coherence, self-care, and job satisfaction. A sample of 319 child welfare professionals in Swiss child and youth residential care was assessed using questionnaires that addressed sense of coherence, perceived collective efficacy, self-care, and work satisfaction, as well as symptoms of traumatic stress and burnout. Linear regression analyses were conducted to determine the influence of sense of coherence, self-care and job satisfaction on symptoms of burnout and traumatic stress. Enhancing sense of coherence, work-related self-care and work satisfaction could reduce stress symptoms and increase the well-being of child and youth welfare staff. The authors discuss how child and youth residential care institutions could improve these factors among their staff.

A Study of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Coping Strategies, Work Stress, and Self-Care in the Child Welfare Profession

ABSTRACTThis mixed-method study examines child welfare professionals’ adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and coping strategies they use to mitigate work stress. Survey data are from 104 child welfare services professionals in a Midwestern state. Participants reported high stress levels and frequent unhealthy coping strategies. Their ACE scores were higher than those of the general population. Quantitative analyses showed that the relativity of ACE to their career choice and unhealthy coping strategies also predicted their work stress. Qualitative analysis revealed challenges these workers face in self-care when dealing with work stress. Implications for child welfare staff, supervisors, and educators are suggested.

Automated teller machine fraud in south-west Nigeria: Victim typologies, victimisation strategies and fraud prevention

Extant studies have not examined the unintended consequences of automated teller machine (ATM) subscription, particularly factors making individuals susceptible to fraud. To address this gap in the literature, this study investigated ATM fraud victims in south-west Nigeria. Using the in-depth interview method, data were collected from 20 victims of ATM fraud in the states of Lagos and Oyo. The results showed that victims were young, elderly and included both males and females. Fraudsters were typically lovers, friends, relatives and sometimes the children of the victims. Card cloning, card swapping and physical attacks at ATMs were reported tactics for defrauding. Vulnerability factors included illiteracy, ill health, routine activity and time of withdrawal. As means of mitigating fraud, it was found that banks employed an assortment of strategies including, but not limited to, improvements in staff welfare, stringent penalties for culpable staff and enhanced fraud awareness through customer alerts. The paper reveals the limits of trust in cashless policy. It raises salient policy issues concerning the need for the governance of trust to engender adoption and ensure victim compensation.

Oxleas NHS Rehabilitation Service Redesign and Staff Wellbeing: A CaseStudy of Ivy Willis House

There is no disputing the fact that the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is currently in deep financial trouble. With steady increase in the population and increasing demands on its services, the pressure on all the NHS trusts continues to increase day-by-day. Despite all these, the country still grapples with its own economic problems which make it extremely difficult to provide enough money needed to fund the NHS. Owing to the importance of health care to national development, the UK public is not ready to compromise its demand for quality health services that must be free at the point of delivery. As the prime minister pointed out in one of her TV interviews, there is no magic tree from which money could be plucked endlessly to fund the NHS services. The government however considered it necessary to cut funding to public sector services to fill the hole in the economy. This translated into pressures mounted on all government departments to cut their expenses and the NHS is not exempted. Different NHS trusts responded differently. For example, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust responded by redesigning many of its services and directorates to devise a new way of working in a smart, efficient and less expensive way. The aim of this paper is to look into one of these redesign programmes with a view to evaluate its impacts on staff welfare.

Review Article on the Interprofessional Education of Home Care Health and Social Welfare Staff

Review Article on the Interprofessional Education of Home Care Health and Social Welfare Staff

Education of Diabetes care for Nursing Care Welfare Staff in Primary Care

Education of Diabetes care for Nursing Care Welfare Staff in Primary Care

Perception of Teachers on the Role of Staff Welfare Programmes in Selected Public Secondary Schools in Nakuru Sub-County, Kenya

Perception of Teachers on the Role of Staff Welfare Programmes in Selected Public Secondary Schools in Nakuru Sub-County, Kenya

A10-A A Good Enough Death?

The aim of the project is to provide those in New South Wales who wish to die at home the opportunity to do so and to understand whether this opportunity contributes to a good enough death. Surveys consistently show that up to three-quarters of Australians would prefer to die at home. The local reality has been very different - only 16% of people living in Australia with a terminal illness die at home The Palliative Care Home Support Program is addressing this end-of-life care gap with three strategies:1.The provision of end-of-life packages for up to 48 hours of specialised supportive palliative home-based care, day or night, provided by community workers specifically trained for the task, and working as part of existing specialist palliative care multidisciplinary teams.2.The provision of state-wide access to two collaborative education programs: one to train and up-skill the supportive palliative community care workers; and one delivered interactively from HammondCare’s University-linked Clinical Training Centres in collaboration with community professionals working in end-of-life care, including GPs, nurses, allied health and welfare staff, supporting care provision in people’s homes.3.Evaluation of quality and outcomes of service provision and their impact on bereavement and hope and independent evaluation of the educational programs. After almost three years, 78% of the people taking up palliative care home support packages have died at home. Evaluations show that this is a supportive and effective program as judged by patients, family carers and professionals. We have designed and implemented a program covering three quarters of NSW which has significantly improved the opportunity for people in the terminal or deteriorating phase of their illness to die at home.

THE DIFFICULTIES OF STAFF WELFARE IN THE ORGANIZATION OF NIGERIAN PRISONSERVICE (NPS) AN INVESTIGATION OF OKE KURA PRISON, KWARA STATE NIGERIA

This paper looks at the "Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) and the difficulties of staff welfare organization: An investigation of Oke Kura prison, went for determining the degree to which welfare administrations were being managed in Oke Kura prison and the elements influencing it. Overview outline through organized poll was utilized to remove applicable information for the study. Speculation was tried utilizing chi-square (X2) measurable device. The study found that Oke Kura prison has been not able meet least U.N standard in welfare administrations on account of blockage. There is a constant utilization of pail lavatories which open inmates to wellbeing dangers. Aside from lacking assets, it was found that bungle of welfare assets has presented detainees to unfortunate circumstance, which can result to scourges and less than ideal passing of the inmates. We in this manner prescribed that administration ought to assemble more structures in the prison to oblige the perpetually expanding number of detainees, states governments ought to be permitted to make state confinement focuses as other option to penitentiaries, consistent preparing and retraining of prison staff in accordance with current worldwide best practices for prisons gets to be essential.

Working relationships between obstetric care staff and their managers: a critical incident analysis.

BackgroundMalawi continues to experience critical shortages of key health technical cadres that can adequately respond to Malawi’s disease burden. Difficult working conditions contribute to low morale and frustration among health care workers. We aimed to understand how obstetric care staff perceive their working relationships with managers.MethodsA qualitative exploratory study was conducted in health facilities in Malawi between October and December 2008. Critical Incident Analysis interviews were done in government district hospitals, faith-based health facilities, and a sample of health centres’ providing emergency obstetric care. A total of 84 service providers were interviewed. Data were analyzed using NVivo 8 software.ResultsPoor leadership styles affected working relationships between obstetric care staff and their managers. Main concerns were managers’ lack of support for staff welfare and staff performance, lack of mentorship for new staff and junior colleagues, as well as inadequate supportive supervision. All this led to frustrations, diminished motivation, lack of interest in their job and withdrawal from work, including staff seriously considering leaving their post.ConclusionsPositive working relationships between obstetric care staff and their managers are essential for promoting staff motivation and positive work performance. However, this study revealed that staff were demotivated and undermined by transactional leadership styles and behavior, evidenced by management by exception and lack of feedback or recognition. A shift to transformational leadership in nurse-manager relationships is essential to establish good working relationships with staff. Improved providers’ job satisfaction and staff retentionare crucial to the provision of high quality care and will also ensure efficiency in health care delivery in Malawi.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1694-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.