This book explores the challenge of making a life: finding meaning, livelihood and social connectedness. Drawing on research with young people, the analysis goes beyond traditional treatment of youth issues or 'problems', providing discussion of topics like young people's learning and work, their creativity, wellbeing and active citizenship.

This book establishes asylum seekers as a socially excluded group, investigating the policy of dispersing asylum seekers across the UK and providing an overview of historic and contemporary dispersal systems. It is the first book to seek to understand how asylum seekers experience the dispersal system and the impact this has on their lives. The author argues that deterrent asylum policies increase the sense of liminality experienced by individuals, challenges assumptions that asylum seekers should be socially excluded until receipt of refugee status and illustrates how they create their own sense of 'belonging' in the absence of official recognition. Academics, students, policy-makers and practitioners would all benefit from reading this book.

Human rights tend to focus on the relationship between the individual and the state the individual is the rights-holder, the state is the duty-holder. Children's rights bring a third player much more into the picture, namely the parents. Although, legally speaking, they are not duty-holders under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, parents do have a number of responsibilities under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments. Child rearing may still be considered by many to be within the private domain, i.e. a matter of concern only within the relationship between children and their parents, with the exception of instances of child abuse or neglect. However, States may be obligated to turn parental responsibilities into national legal duties if this is needed to improve the legal and social position of children. In this volume, child-rearing responsibilities are examined in the light of children's rights and other human rights. All the contributions focus in particular on the proposal to introduce an upbringing (or parenting) pledge. The upbringing pledge contains not only a statement of lasting commitment towards the child, but also an explicit declaration of commitment to respect and promote the rights of the child both as a person and as a human being who is utterly dependent upon parents for wellbeing and the development of his or her personality. By means of the upbringing pledge as a child rights-based social institution, the responsibilities of society and the state towards both parents and children are re-affirmed as well.

Norman Cousins once wrote that "In any inventory of the natural resources on this planet", Steve Allen's conscience is "high on the list". It is this wonderfully prolific, highly educated conscience which prompted each of the articles included in But Seriously ... Steve Allen Speaks His Mind. Such a dynamic, energetic conscience has encouraged Allen throughout his career as an author and entertainer to examine the innumerable facets of modern American society, identifying the many problems which desperately need to be corrected and developing provocative new solutions to do so. Allen's razor-sharp insights always cut to the core of the issue, whether the topic involves labor relations, the atomic bomb, gifted education, or the lessons to be learned from the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. This collection of speeches, articles, personal correspondence, and other writings constitutes a well-reasoned anthology filled with good humor, irony, and a deep concern for the human condition. Allen's devotion to common sense and serious social involvement carves a path for others to follow.

This volume examines the source of ideas in active labor market policies in the US, France, Denmark, UK and at European Union level. What are the most likely trajectories of active labour market policies in different national settings? Will welfare reform become more punitive towards welfare recipients, thus implying that the EU will just pay lip service to the commitment to social justice that is at the core of the European social model?

"Presenting a cartographic journey into the world of the production(s) of disability, this book examines embodiment, transhumanism, subjectivity, technology and jurisprudence. It concerns matters of order/disorder and the normal and pathological, and explores the way stories about wholeness, health, enhancement and perfection are told"--Provided by publisher.

This work not only makes the case that responsible nonprofit managers must routinely utilize cost-effectiveness analysis, but also gives many outstanding examples of how it can be done. The examples are drawn from prestigious nonprofit organizations as varied as the National Gallery of Art, Girls Inc., and the Nature Conservancy.

Drawing on TechnoServe's search for a practical methodology to measure the cost-effectiveness of its own work, editor Schmaedick provides a unique synthesis of the principles of cost-effectiveness analysis in the opening chapter. The guidelines he provides are almost universally applicable and make cost-effective management an attainable goal for all nonprofits. Rather than subject the reader to arcane explanations of intricate mathematical formulae, Schmaedick provides hard-nosed practical directions for nonprofit managers. Those seriously interested in upgrading the management systems of their organizations to produce more results at lower costs will find this a challenging, but not intimidating, prescription.

Since the late 1990s, new strategies concerning the role and shape of welfare states have been formulated, many of which are guided by a logic of social investment. This book maps out this new perspective and assesses both its achievements and shortcomings. In doing so, it provides a critical analysis of social investment ideas and policies and opens up for discussion many of Europe's most pressing concerns--such as an aging population, the current economic crisis, and environmental issues-- and whether social investment can provide adequate responses to these challenges.

This book adopts novel theoretical approaches to study the diverse welfare pathways that have been evolving across Central and Eastern Europe. Beyond existing path dependency and neo-institutionalist explanations, it highlights the role of explanatory factors such as micro-causal mechanisms, power politics, path departure, and elite strategies.

This book is a timely response to the current U.S. crisis in public funding. Offering a new philosophy of public service that defies the old categories of conservative and liberal, this practical book shows how the problem-solving abilities and profit-making discipline of the business community can make it a productive alternative for meeting public needs. Using education as an example of what should be a high domestic priority, the authors argue that business should recognize that it has a major stake in the quality of the product of our schools and should provide support. The book delineates other areas of national concern that merit the attention of American business. It concludes with an insightful discussion of how business involvement might be reinforced by incentive systems.

With new devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, this book makes a comprehensive assessment of the impact of devolution on social policy. It provides a study of developments in the major areas of social policy and a full comparison between Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. To what extent is it valid to speak of agendas for government driven by social policy? With new governments in each country, has a fresh dynamic been given to the emergence of distinct social policies? The impact of devolution on social policy uses a framework of analysis based on the nature and scope of social policies, ranging from major innovations and policy distinctiveness, to differences in implementation, policy convergence and areas of overlap with UK policies. This framework facilitates an integrated analysis and comparison of social policy developments and outcomes between the four UK nations. An assessment is also made of the ideas and values which have driven the direction of social policy under devolution. With devolution becoming increasingly important in the study of social policy, the book will be of key interest to academics and students in social policy, public policy and politics, and will also be a valuable resource for practitioners involved in policy making.

Pro-'workfare' governments justify their policies by claiming 'workfare' helps enhance self-esteem and promote the dignity of unemployed recipients. On the other hand, welfare activists argue that 'workfare' suppresses the dignity of unemployed persons. This book examines the concept of human dignity in this context and attempts to clarify its meaning. For the first time, it formulates a framework for evaluating the dignity of welfare recipients; uses this framework to explore the dignity of unemployed persons in four different welfare systems: UK, Sweden, China and Hong Kong and compares the conditions of human dignity in each case and identifies factors which enhance or suppress it. Human dignity and welfare systems is important reading for students and academics in the fields of social policy, social work, philosophy and politics. It is also a useful reference text for politicians, welfare administrators and activists.

As pressure grows on care managers and staff to work with ever more complex needs, this book is a timely account of how introducing the Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) principles into a care home will improve work practice and outcomes for residents. The PIE approach enables staff to: Have improved understanding of residents' needs Better understand how to respond effectively to complex behaviour Introduce trauma-informed practice into their work Improve staff support and morale Improve outcomes for even the most hard to reach clients Reflecting on one care home's journey to becoming a PIE this book shows how low-cost, high-impact interventions delivered on the frontline can have far reaching effects on the wellbeing of residents, staff and wider culture of the care environment. It will be of interest to all professional, academics, policy-makers and students working in the fields of adult social services and health and social care more broadly.

Reflecting the growing interest in social policy history, this book provides a penetrating examination of the development of social policy in the twentieth-century America. An introductory chapter serving as an overview to the field is followed by seven original essays which explore the historical context for understanding the formulation, implementation, and administration of social policy.

Robert Kelly's Foreword discusses the growth of policy history in recent years. In his introduction Donald Critchlow argues that "policy history" encompasses historical reconstructions of development in particular social policy areas and attempts to make overall sense of policy-making processes. The chapters are presented in two sections.

The first, Reconstructions of Policy Developments, includes W. Andrew Achenbaum's account of federal policies toward the aged since 1920; Brian Balogh's discussion of the emergence of the Social Security Board as a political actor, from 1935 to 1939; and Judith Sealander's examination of policy formation and women's issues between 1940 and 1980.

In the second section, The Historical and Institutional Contexts of Policy-making, Morton Keller addresses social policy and the liberal state in twentieth-century America; Jack L. Walker examines interests, political parties, and policy formation in the American democracy; and Edward Berkowitz concludes with an essay on social welfare and the American state.

With studies representative of the best work in the historical analysis of social policy, this volume will be of interest to scholars in history, political science, and public policy, as well as to educated laymen seeking to understand social policy as it has emerged in modern America.

Traditional approaches to vocational rehabilitation, such as skills training classes, job clubs, and sheltered employment, have not been successful in helping people with severe mental illness gain competitive employment. Supported employment, in which clients are placed in jobs and then trained by on-site coaches, is a radically new conceptual approach to vocational rehabilitation designed for people with developmental disabilities. The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) method utilizes the supported employment concept, but modifies it for use with the severely mentally ill. It is the only approach that has a strong empirical research base: rates of competitive employment are 40% or more in IPS programs, compared to 15% in traditional mental health programs. The third volume in the Innovations in Practice and Service Delivery with Vulnerable Populations series, this will be extremely useful to students in psychiatric rehabilitation programs and social work classes dealing with the severely mentally ill, as well as to practitioners in the field.

This book explores men's ambiguous relationship with intimate caring work within a context where carefree and nurturing expectations for men are competing for influence. For men, to be more involved carers clashes with commonly valued expectations of them as men and this book analyses how men confront this contradictory expectation.

Coordination of risk assessments and risk communication strategies requires information sharing and establishing networks of working relationships between groups and agencies. Establishing these relationships necessitates overcoming - stitutional, cultural, and political boundaries. Signi?cant barriers exist between r- ulatory agencies and industry groups. Traditionally, these groups have mistrusted one another, and cooperation and collaboration, including sharing information, c- respondingly has been limited. The adoption of radio frequency identi?cation te- nology for tracking livestock, for example, has been met with signi?cant resistance due in part to mistrust between regulatory agencies and producers (Veil, 2006). In the food industry, the need for coordination has been enhanced by industry in- gration and globalization of both markets and production. In the case of GM foods discussed earlier, disagreements between U. S. , European Union, and Canadian r- ulatory agencies fueled the debate over the safety of GM crops. Overcoming institutional and cultural barriers, and mistrust is necessary to create consistency in risk messages. Open communication and information sharing can help clarify where risk perceptions diverge and identify points of convergence. The outcome may not be universal agreement about risks, but convergence around the general parameters of risk. Summary These best practice strategies of risk communication are not designed to function as distinct steps or isolated approaches. Rather than being mutually exclusive, they serve to complement one another and create a coherent approach to confronting risk communication problems.

" In 1995 Kentucky governor Brereton Jones granted parole to ten women who had been convicted of killing, conspiring to kill, or assaulting the men who had abused them for years. The media began referring to them as the ""Sisters in Pain,"" a name they embraced. These are their stories. L. Elisabeth Beattie and Mary Angela Shaughnessy's interviews of seven of the Sisters in Pain detail the physical, sexual, or psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends, battery beyond comprehension. Anyone who has ever asked, ""Why don't they just leave?"" will come to understand the interconnected strands of abuse that make just living through another day a personal triumph. Beattie and Shaughnessy address the pervasive nature of domestic violence in America and explore the legal ramifications of fighting back. Their interviews with the Sisters in Pain reveal the ways in which these women have picked up the pieces of their shattered lives and learned to face the future.

Apply knowledge from the latest research to urgent social problems and programs Cutting-Edge Social Policy Research is a careful selection of the finest papers from the 2004 Social Policy Conference held in Charleston, South Carolina. These presentations from respected experts spotlight the latest and best research on a wide variety of crucial social policy issues. Explanations are provided on how to use qualitative and quantitative methods to research social policy questions, with a clear view on how to apply research results to today's social problems and programs. Cutting-Edge Social Policy Research discusses various social policy topics, approaches, and the latest high-quality research and findings. Students learn how others have researched the topics using different approaches, while practitioners gain important new information relevant to their jobs and practice areas. Chapters explore vital perspectives, such as how to link program evaluation to policy practice, how clients' in their own voices views bring more convincing rationale to policymakers, and how the trauma perspective can spotlight the true effects of poverty, inequality, and oppression in our society. The text includes extensive up-to-date bibliographies and literature reviews. Topics in Cutting-Edge Social Policy Research include: measuring program implementationto differentiate between theories that don't work and programs that aren't effective inclusion of qualitative methods into research in social policy the latest quality-of-life research for the elderly in nursing homes effective intervention practices for deaf and hard of hearing children susceptible to abuse in-depth analysis of the eight variables of the Section 8 Housing Program policy process trauma theory and its application to poverty policy the impact of work incentive policies examination of state and local governments granting large tax breaks to corporationsand the implications for social welfare practitioners Cutting-Edge Social Policy Research is stimulating, insightful reading for practitioners, educators, and students in social policy, social work, sociology, and political science.

Find out howand whylegislation has made economic rights more important than human rights Since 1996, politicians and public officials in the United States have celebrated the success of welfare reform legislation despite little, if any, evidence to support their claims. The Promise of Welfare Reform: Political Rhetoric and the Reality of Poverty in the Twenty-First Century presents articles from 23 community practitioners and researchers who challenge the reform that has turned public aid from a right to a privilege. The authors transcend conventional academic writing, offering careful and thoughtful analysis that examines the history of welfare reform, its connection to poverty, family issues, and the impact of racism on poverty and on the treatment of the poor. The Promise of Welfare Reform analyzes the consequences over the past ten years of legislative changes made to the public assistance program formerly known as Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC). This powerful book examines the social, political, and economic context of welfare reform, including the elimination of poverty as a societal goal, how racial and ethic groups have been targeted, popular stereotypes about the poor and their work ethic, anti-immigrant hostility, the struggles of single mothers with children, domestic violence, and marriage as a realistic escape from poverty. The book's authors address the need for empathy and understanding to change public sentiments about welfare and poverty. Contributors to The Promise of Welfare Reform include: Elizabeth A. Segal and Keith M. Kilty, co-founding editors of the Journal of Poverty (Haworth) Frances Fox Piven, co-author of Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare Ann Withorn, co-editor of For Crying Out Loud: Women's Poverty in the United States Mimi Abramovitz, author of Under Attack, Fighting Back: Women and Welfare in the United States Joel Blau, co-author with Mimi Abramovitz of The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy Margaret K. Nelson, author of The Social Economy of Single Mothers: Raising Children in Rural America Gwendolyn Mink, co-editor of Welfare: A Documentary History of U.S. Policy and Politics Kenneth J. Neubeck, co-author of Welfare Racism: Playing the Race Card Against America's Poor Lynn Fujiwara, author of Sanctioning Immigrants: Asian Immigrant Women and the Racial Politics of Welfare Reform Nancy C. Jurik, author of Bootstrap Dreams: U.S. Microenterprise Developments in an Era of Welfare Reform and much more! The Promise of Welfare Reform challenges current views on welfare reform and promotes alternative methods to alleviate poverty. It is an essential resource for sociologists, political scientists, economists, public policy and management specialists, social welfare and human services workers, and anyone else concerned about changes made to public assistance by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

This book analyzes the vulnerabilities and inefficiencies associated with international labor migration from the Kyrgyz Republic brought to light by the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes policy options to address them.