Make sure your practice skills are up-to-date with the changes brought on by managed care As a result of escalating costs, the focus of health care in the United States has shifted from inpatient, hospital-based care to outpatient care in the community. Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care is a comprehensive guide to the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective and efficient practice within a managed-care context that's focused on a diversified, aging consumer population and high-risk health conditions. This unique book examines the essential elements of community health practice, including logic modeling for planning and evaluation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of technology and telemedicine in social work practice. Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care presents practical information for social workers in the wake of the insertion of managed care as a "third party" to the relationship between physicians and their patients, and advances in medical care that are transforming previously acute and life-threatening illnesses to chronic conditions. The book offers a critical analysis of available research and model service delivery innovations, applying evidence-based practice to case studies in a style that's easily accessible to practitioners, administrators, supervisors, and social work students. The book also includes glossaries at the end of each chapter and appendices that analyze online resources and address cultural background assessment questions. Topics discussed in Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care include: the revolution in funding and delivery evolving trends and healthcare needs of the consumer population a conceptual framework for culturally competent practice the nature of social work in ambulatory health a brief history of healthcare social work emerging practice settings the use of new communication technologies in practice methods for evaluating direct practice ethical considerations current community-based programs for culturally diverse and at-risk populations and much more Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care is an important resource for social work practitioners, academics, and students.

Make sure your clients get the best possible care throughout their lives
Contemporary Issues of Care presents the latest research findings on human behavior and the social environment for social workers practicing at the individual, family, and community levels. This timely book applies the functional-age model on intergenerational therapy (FAM) to examine the interaction between the care recipient 's biopsychosocial and spiritual functioning and the capacity of the family/caregiver to adapt. The book 's contributors examine the functions of various social systems in caregiving as well as the social worker 's role in processing and integrating information to help develop family-centered and community-based interventions.
Contemporary Issues of Care focuses on caregiving situations across the life span, using research findings to shape social work curriculum and to improve social work practice and services. With the family still the primary caregiving institution in the United States, the book examines the mutual interdependence among family members and the dynamic development of family structure and organization. An exemplary textbook for students in social work, the book also includes a workbook and CD.
Topics addressed in Contemporary Issues of Care include:

• shifts in human behavior paradigms
  
• family systems interventions
  
• case management
  
• sibling caregiving
  
• the impact of culture on mental illness and mental health
  
• the importance of self-care
  
• elder abuse
  
• substance abuse
  
• children with cancer
  
• HIV/AIDS
  
• diabetes
  
• posttraumatic stress
  
• inner-city challenges
  
• caregiving for gay men and lesbians
  
• caregiving for persons with dementia
  
• community caregiving
  
• and much more

Make sure your clients get the best possible care throughout their lives Contemporary Issues of Care presents the latest research findings on human behavior and the social environment for social workers practicing at the individual, family, and community levels. This timely book applies the functional-age model on intergenerational therapy (FAM) to examine the interaction between the care recipient's biopsychosocial and spiritual functioning and the capacity of the family/caregiver to adapt. The book's contributors examine the functions of various social systems in caregiving as well as the social worker's role in processing and integrating information to help develop family-centered and community-based interventions. Contemporary Issues of Care focuses on caregiving situations across the life span, using research findings to shape social work curriculum and to improve social work practice and services. With the family still the primary caregiving institution in the United States, the book examines the mutual interdependence among family members and the dynamic development of family structure and organization. An exemplary textbook for students in social work, the book also includes a workbook and CD. Topics addressed in Contemporary Issues of Care include: shifts in human behavior paradigms family systems interventions case management sibling caregiving the impact of culture on mental illness and mental health the importance of self-care elder abuse substance abuse children with cancer HIV/AIDS diabetes posttraumatic stress inner-city challenges caregiving for gay men and lesbians caregiving for persons with dementia community caregiving and much more Contemporary Issues of Care is filled with charts, tables, diagrams, and sample interviews that supplement articles from the leading practitioners and academics in the field. This book is an essential resource for anyone involved in social work practice for individuals, families, and communities.

Puzzled by terminology, skills, law, or theory? Revising for your placement or exam? Then look no further! This series of concise and easy-to-use A-Zs will be your guide. Designed for both students and newly-qualified social workers, this book will introduce you to over 300 key laws, legal terms, and legal processes in a concise and no-nonsense way. It covers all areas of social work practice - adults, children and families, mental health, and youth justice - ensuring you have the knowledge you need to apply the law appropriately, ethically and with confidence.

Discover the roots of international transracial adoption International Korean Adoption: A Fifty-Year History of Policy and Practice explores the long history of international transracial adoption. Scholars present the expert multidisciplinary perspectives and up-to-date research on this most significant and longstanding form of international child welfare practice. Viewpoints and research are discussed from the academic disciplines of psychology, ethnic studies, sociology, social work, and anthropology. The chapters examine sociohistorical background, the forming of new families, reflections on Korean adoption, birth country perspectives, global perspectives, implications for practice, and archival, historical, and current resources on Korean adoption. International Korean Adoption: A Fifty-Year History of Policy and Practice provides fresh insight into the origins, development, and institutionalization of Korean adoption. Through original research and personal accounts, this revealing text explores how Korean adoptees and their families fit into their family roles-and offers clear perspectives on adoption as child welfare practice. Global implications and politics, as well as the very personal experiences are examined in detail. This source is a one-of-a-kind look into the full spectrum of information pertaining to Korean adoption. Topics in International Korean Adoption: A Fifty-Year History of Policy and Practice include: adoption from the Korean perspective historical origins of Korean adoption in the United States adjustments of young adult adoptees marketing to choosy adopters ethnic identity perspectives on the importance of race and culture in parenting birth mothers' perspectives sociological approach to race and identity representations of adoptees in Korean popular culture adoption in Australia and the Netherlands much, much more International Korean Adoption: A Fifty-Year History of Policy and Practice is illuminating reading for adoptees, adoptive parents, practitioners, educators, students, and any child welfare professional.

A unique practical application of poststructuralist theory to lesbian mothers' narratives, Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming analyzes the personal stories of 40 lesbian mothers to discover the complex ways their sense of self is constructed in the current legal, political, and social climate. These intimate narratives are examined by using Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's conceptual framework to understand subjectivities by focusing on the many flexible lines of movement that constitute subjectivities, or 'becomings.' This unique source reveals deep insight into a lesbian's construction of self through her stories about her own sexuality, parenting, and other experiences in becoming a mother. Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming challenges the assimilation/resistance perspective typically expressed by scholars of lesbian motherhood. Qualitative interviews reveal startling new perspectives to lesbian mother subjectivities viewed within the context of the legal, political, and social areas that seek to define and regulate contemporary family life. This powerful source explores in detail the discursive strategies through which lesbian subjectivities are created and recreated. Deleuze and Guattari's concept of 'becoming' provides a valuable framework for analyzing the discursive strategies employed by those participating in this study. Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming offers insightful, powerful information that is indispensable to GLBT scholars, and social theorists.

A unique practical application of poststructuralist theory to lesbian mothers' narratives, Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming analyzes the personal stories of 40 lesbian mothers to discover the complex ways their sense of self is constructed in the current legal, political, and social climate. These intimate narratives are examined by using Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's conceptual framework to understand subjectivities by focusing on the many flexible lines of movement that constitute subjectivities, or 'becomings.' This unique source reveals deep insight into a lesbian's construction of self through her stories about her own sexuality, parenting, and other experiences in becoming a mother. Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming challenges the assimilation/resistance perspective typically expressed by scholars of lesbian motherhood. Qualitative interviews reveal startling new perspectives to lesbian mother subjectivities viewed within the context of the legal, political, and social areas that seek to define and regulate contemporary family life. This powerful source explores in detail the discursive strategies through which lesbian subjectivities are created and recreated. Deleuze and Guattari's concept of 'becoming' provides a valuable framework for analyzing the discursive strategies employed by those participating in this study. Lesbian Motherhood: Stories of Becoming offers insightful, powerful information that is indispensable to GLBT scholars, and social theorists.

A powerful guide to transcending childhood trauma-from the people who've done it It's like a dark thread woven through a piece of cloth: You can't pull it out without unraveling the whole thing. And it shows up here and there among all the other threads. Surviving and Transcending a Traumatic Childhood: The Dark Thread weaves together 90 stories of survival to create a silver lining of hope for those struggling to heal from childhood trauma. This unique book documents the endless challenges facing children and adults who have been subjected to physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, and examines the proactive coping strategies that have made their recoveries a success. Each poignant story reveals an amazing capacity for growth and an ability to adapt emotionally that offers a positive spirit to others suffering abuse. Surviving and Transcending a Traumatic Childhood: The Dark Thread examines how 90 people who have experienced childhood trauma and abuse have been able to rise above the suffering to not only endure, but prevail. In their own words, trauma survivors discuss what happened to them as children and the process they went through to become healthy, happy adults. Their stories are heartfelt, heartbreaking, and sometimes surprising in the variety of traumatic experiences, the intensity of the stress, and the number of people who were forced to deal with multiple issues in childhood, including sexual and physical abuse, alcoholism, neglect, and violence. The stories told in Surviving and Transcending a Traumatic Childhood: The Dark Thread explore: when the trauma began common feelings associated with trauma therapy and support groups getting married escaping abuse the role of religion and spirituality significant people who provided help types of homes where abuse occurred the positive effects of surviving trauma school life patterns of survival and much more Surviving and Transcending a Traumatic Childhood: The Dark Thread also includes a list of resources that might be helpful to those in the process of transcending trauma and a self-study guide for developing a deeper understanding of the healing process.

Make sure your practice skills are up-to-date with the changes brought on by managed care As a result of escalating costs, the focus of health care in the United States has shifted from inpatient, hospital-based care to outpatient care in the community. Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care is a comprehensive guide to the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective and efficient practice within a managed-care context that's focused on a diversified, aging consumer population and high-risk health conditions. This unique book examines the essential elements of community health practice, including logic modeling for planning and evaluation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of technology and telemedicine in social work practice. Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care presents practical information for social workers in the wake of the insertion of managed care as a "third party" to the relationship between physicians and their patients, and advances in medical care that are transforming previously acute and life-threatening illnesses to chronic conditions. The book offers a critical analysis of available research and model service delivery innovations, applying evidence-based practice to case studies in a style that's easily accessible to practitioners, administrators, supervisors, and social work students. The book also includes glossaries at the end of each chapter and appendices that analyze online resources and address cultural background assessment questions. Topics discussed in Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care include: the revolution in funding and delivery evolving trends and healthcare needs of the consumer population a conceptual framework for culturally competent practice the nature of social work in ambulatory health a brief history of healthcare social work emerging practice settings the use of new communication technologies in practice methods for evaluating direct practice ethical considerations current community-based programs for culturally diverse and at-risk populations and much more Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care is an important resource for social work practitioners, academics, and students.

Learn the latest social service interventions to promote HIV medication adherence Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) can significantly improve the health outcomes of people living with HIV. Still, benefits rely on the steady adherence to the medication regimen as prescribed. Social Work and HIV: Challenges to Treatment Adherence is a practice-friendly resource with the latest HIV medication client adherence strategies and guidelines. This valuable book provides the tools for assessment of client adherence, and includes approaches and helpful guidelines to develop specialized counseling, social services, and provider training programs. Treatment plans for HIV can be complicated and client adherence can hinge on several diverse factors. Social Work and HIV: Challenges to Treatment Adherence explains in detail how professionals can help individuals with HIV to stick to the prescribed medication plan. This book focuses on the daunting psychosocial, spiritual, and biomedical challenges that social workers, social service professionals, and healthcare providers often encounter and provides strategies to effectively address these issues. Innovations in adherence counseling and provider training programs are explored. Practitioners will learn psychosocial interventions that are empirically based, with predictors of adherence closely examined on how they may vary by gender, socioeconomic, and ethnocultural diversity. Co-occurring health and behavioral conditions, such as substance use, are considered in detail. Chapters are extensively referenced and several have tables and figures to clearly present data. Topics in Social Work and HIV: Challenges to Treatment Adherence include: key themes within current treatment adherence research from the 2006 NIMH/IAPAC International Conference on HIV Treatment Adherence reviews of studies of psychosocial predictors of HAART among HIV positive clients research on the impact of support from partners, family, and health care providers has on medication adherence factors that predict medication adherence among HIV positive adults research on the differential effects of social and religious support and background variables on treatment adherence interventions to improve HAART adherence in methadone clinics specialized adherence counselors and their impact on adherence training to increase counselor knowledge of HIV medications, adherence strategies, and improved counseling skills studies on the prevalence of continued drug use and everyday adherence decision making Social Work and HIV: Challenges to Treatment Adherence is a valuable resource for social workers; substance abuse counselors; social service and other health care providers; researchers; educators; and policy advocates. The book is also a relevant supplemental text for graduate courses in counseling; multi-systems interventions; community health; social development practice; research methods; and program evaluation as offered through departments of social work, public health, nursing, health psychology, community medicine, and interdisciplinary health professional training programs.

Read the latest studies on the effectiveness of religious-based services-and the problems revealed in the assessment The Charitable Choice provision and the Bush Administration's National Faith-Based Initiative have broadened the scope of social services delivered through faith-based organizations. There are expectations that these faith-based social service providers will be more effective-but how should that effectiveness be measured? Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness explains the nature and quality of religion-based social service delivery while serving as a point of reference for future research and work. This unique source tackles the important, complex issue of measuring the effectiveness of faith-based social services in comparison to secular services while providing analysis of the latest available studies. Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness provides a conceptual analysis of FBOs (faith-based organizations) that reflects the need to gather detailed studies to assess social service effectiveness while reviewing the crucial issues challenging public policy. The latest empirical research is detailed, including the problems found when comparing secular and faith-based social service providers, their organizational structures, and the types of services offered. Analysis is included of the data from a three-state evaluation of welfare to work programs, a study of four types of faith-based services found in four cities, and an assessment of a church-based program for teenage drop-outs. Topics in Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness include: discussion on how social science research shunned faith-based services and how this neglect affected effectiveness problems inherent in efficacy assessment making funding priorities decisions the causes of outcome differences a model of evaluation based on randomized controlled clinical trials using measurement practices currently used by the nonprofit sector comparative case studies in transitional housing, parent education, and residential substance abuse treatment programs latest analysis of research involving faith-based organizations and the provided services' efficacy much more! Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness is illuminating reading, perfect for social work professionals, students, educators, sociologists, religious leaders, and seminary educators.

Stop intimate partner violence before it starts Intimate partner violence touches everyone. With more than 1 million cases reported each year, this pervasive social problem has devastating effects on victims, families, and communities. Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence presents a comprehensive overview of the wide range of efforts and approaches that have been successful in preventing physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. A growing frustration with the limits of therapeutic intervention and with the costs imposed on society by intimate partner violence has created a need for greater emphasis on state-of-the-art prevention programs that really work. Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence addresses the challenges of conducting and evaluating such programs, gaps that exist in programming and research, and future trends in those areas. A panel of domestic violence experts, researchers, and healthcare professionals examines how to change the ways individuals and the current health care system think about, and respond to, intimate partner violence; how to change the ways young people deal with anger in intimate relationships; and the ways society can support families to reduce the occurrence of violence in intimate relationships. Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence examines: identifying risk factors the cost-benefit of universal and targeted programs the effectiveness of parenting, stress management, and substance abuse programs community capacity theory community development social networks media and public awareness campaigns healthcare screening programs and much more Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence documents the effectiveness of prevention interventions, encouraging prevention specialists to use evidence-based interventions to enhance the effectiveness of their own work. This powerful book is an invaluable professional resource for social workers, family life educators, researchers, and practitioners.

Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice presents an inside look at the complicated nature of disaster preparedness and how it relates to poverty, trauma, community development, and service delivery systems. Health, human services, and mental health professionals from countries still reeling from the devastations of the Asian Tsunami of 2004 reflect on the challenges facing survivors, the effects of the disaster, and interventions by the community and social work professionals. This unique book offers real-life accounts of practice models and the experiences of recovery from natural and man-made events. When disaster strikes, social workers and other human service professionals not only are the first responders, they are also called upon to help victims with the effects of trauma and displacement, providing social and emotional support in the recovery and rebuilding of families and communities. Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice explores social interventions used in relief efforts to aid hundreds of thousands of people who were left at risk and in need in affected areas of South Asia and East Africa, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, and Indonesia. Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice examines: mental health practice in emergency response the connections between disability and disaster social and physical conditions after the tsunami of 2004 state and civil society responses in India service delivery frameworks the effective use of volunteers training programs for social workers and recovery workers the economic, social, and psychological impacts on survivors and much more Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice is an invaluable aid for students, practice professionals, and educators in health and human services, as well as anyone working in international aid and disaster relief.

Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice presents an inside look at the complicated nature of disaster preparedness and how it relates to poverty, trauma, community development, and service delivery systems. Health, human services, and mental health professionals from countries still reeling from the devastations of the Asian Tsunami of 2004 reflect on the challenges facing survivors, the effects of the disaster, and interventions by the community and social work professionals. This unique book offers real-life accounts of practice models and the experiences of recovery from natural and man-made events. When disaster strikes, social workers and other human service professionals not only are the first responders, they are also called upon to help victims with the effects of trauma and displacement, providing social and emotional support in the recovery and rebuilding of families and communities. Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice explores social interventions used in relief efforts to aid hundreds of thousands of people who were left at risk and in need in affected areas of South Asia and East Africa, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, and Indonesia. Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice examines: mental health practice in emergency response the connections between disability and disaster social and physical conditions after the tsunami of 2004 state and civil society responses in India service delivery frameworks the effective use of volunteers training programs for social workers and recovery workers the economic, social, and psychological impacts on survivors and much more Asian Tsunami and Social Work Practice is an invaluable aid for students, practice professionals, and educators in health and human services, as well as anyone working in international aid and disaster relief.

Find out how evaluators, mediators, and judges deal with the issues of relocation in divorced families In the past, the relocation of a parent or child in custody cases was rarely a problem for divorced familiesthere was little conflict and little need for court intervention. But with the growth of shared custody, more fathers involved in parenting after divorce, and an increase in litigation between conflicted parents, relocation has become a complex issue that's difficult for evaluators, judges, and public policymakers to resolve. Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases offers a firsthand look at how evaluators investigate, predict, and make recommendations; how judges reach decisions based on those recommendations; and how individual states deal with relocation cases. Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases examines how evaluators, mediators, and judges can best facilitate an environment where a child has an ongoing relationship with two parents, regardless of where each parent lives. This unique book looks at how the landscape in relocation cases has changed since the California Supreme Court's landmark 2004 ruling in the LaMusga move-away case, examining relevant topics, including individual state statutes on relocation; a survey of courts in the United States; the functions of an evaluator; how a judge analyzes data before reaching a decision; parental conflict; domestic violence; change of circumstances; primary residence; and the process of developing parenting plans. Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases examines: whether negative outcomes of parental relocation after divorce were a result of pre-existing conflict and domestic violence whether the best interests of the child is an acceptable standard in relocation cases investigative models for evaluators for the move and against the move biasesand how to reduce them a format for analyzing evidence in relocation cases the risks and benefits of presumptions in family law matters and much more Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases is an essential resource for evaluators, mediators, judges, caseworkers, child psychologists, family therapists, and child advocates.

Worldwide, there has been a growth in service user involvement in education and research in recent years. This handbook is the first book which identifies what is happening in different regions of the world to provide different countries and client groups with the opportunity to learn from each other. The book is divided into five sections: Section One examines service user involvement in context exploring theoretical issues which underpin service user involvement. In Section Two we focus on the state of service user involvement in human services education and research across the globe including examples of innovative practice, but also identifying examples of where it is not happening and why. Section Three offers more detailed examination of such involvement in a wide range of professional education learning settings. Section Four focuses on the involvement of service users in research involving a wide range of service user groups and situations. Lastly, Section Five explores future challenges for education and research to ensure involvement remains meaningful. The book includes forty-eight chapters, including seventeen case-studies, from all regions of the world, this is the first book to both highlight the subject's methodological and theoretical issues and give practical examples in education and research for those wishing to engage in this field. It will be of interest to all service users, scholars and students of social work, nursing, occupational therapy, and other human service subjects.

Multiple perspectives for more in-depth personal and professional knowledge Though much literature is devoted to treating GLBTQ individuals, relatively little has focused on working with their family members. Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out presents ten first-hand, in-depth personal and professional perspectives by educators, researchers, administrators, and practitioners discussing various ways of working with families of GLBT individuals. This valuable reference explores the latest research and current innovative therapeutic approaches to work effectively with this unique population. Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out relies on the inside out experiences of professionals from multiple disciplines, showing us different ways of addressing their very special needs. The text focuses on working deeply with people through understanding their very particular situations and building whatever help they want around them. Broadly, the articles highlight the origins of our national family support groups, research, supervision, and the different models of treatmentindividual, couple, and family. More specifically, discussions explore therapist training, effective resolution of conflict, loss for those mothers whose daughters now identify as transgender, the adoption of an ally identity, heterosexual bias in treatment, and various approaches for transgender clients, their partners and family members. Specific topics in Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out include: systemic therapeutic approaches the beginnings and growth of support groups a qualitative study on mothers of transgender sons research on gay and lesbian stepparentinghighlighting the need to view the relationships beyond a heterosexist focus Sexual Orientation Matrix for Supervision (SOMS) as a starting point to begin examining attitudes, beliefs, skills and behaviors of both supervisor and trainee an interview with two sexologists, who insist that treatment with trans children and adolescents must be both family- and community-focused historical and therapeutic perspectives on working with transgender people, including the development of therapeutic models a moving personal account of a clinician grappling with her own uncertainties as she journeys her way through treatment with a young transgender client Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out is a flexible and useful classroom text and reference for educators and students at every level, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers.

For decades, community-centered social services have been promoted as an admirable ideal. Yet the concept of decentralized services delivered where people live has proved to be an elusive ideal as well, with the promise of empowerment often giving way to disinterest and apathy.

"Community-Based Interventions" examines the reasons community programs tend to founder and proposes a realistic framework for sustained success. The book's theoretical, philosophical and political foundations begin with the importance of context, as in local knowledge and community self-definition and engagement. Innovative, often startling, approaches to planning, design and implementation begin with the recognition that communities are not "targets" or "locations" to be "fixed," but social realities whose issues require concrete answers. The variety of examples described in these chapters demonstrate the power of community interventions in providing effective services, reducing inequities and giving individuals greater control over their health, their environment and in the long run, their lives. Included in the coverage: Redefining community: the social dimensions.A new epidemiology to inform community work.The role of research in designing community interventions.The conceptual flow of a community-based project.Building autonomy through leadership from below.Relating social interventions to social justice.

Attuned to the current era of health and mental health reform, "Community-Based Interventions" represents a major step forward in its field and makes an inspiring text for social workers, clinical social workers, public health administrators and community activists.

Read the latest studies on the effectiveness of religious-based services-and the problems revealed in the assessment The Charitable Choice provision and the Bush Administration's National Faith-Based Initiative have broadened the scope of social services delivered through faith-based organizations. There are expectations that these faith-based social service providers will be more effective-but how should that effectiveness be measured? Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness explains the nature and quality of religion-based social service delivery while serving as a point of reference for future research and work. This unique source tackles the important, complex issue of measuring the effectiveness of faith-based social services in comparison to secular services while providing analysis of the latest available studies. Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness provides a conceptual analysis of FBOs (faith-based organizations) that reflects the need to gather detailed studies to assess social service effectiveness while reviewing the crucial issues challenging public policy. The latest empirical research is detailed, including the problems found when comparing secular and faith-based social service providers, their organizational structures, and the types of services offered. Analysis is included of the data from a three-state evaluation of welfare to work programs, a study of four types of faith-based services found in four cities, and an assessment of a church-based program for teenage drop-outs. Topics in Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness include: discussion on how social science research shunned faith-based services and how this neglect affected effectiveness problems inherent in efficacy assessment making funding priorities decisions the causes of outcome differences a model of evaluation based on randomized controlled clinical trials using measurement practices currently used by the nonprofit sector comparative case studies in transitional housing, parent education, and residential substance abuse treatment programs latest analysis of research involving faith-based organizations and the provided services' efficacy much more! Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness is illuminating reading, perfect for social work professionals, students, educators, sociologists, religious leaders, and seminary educators.

While in no way supporting the systemic injustices and disparities of mass incarceration, Gifts from the Dark: Learning from the Incarceration Experience argues that we have much to learn from those who have been and are in prison. Schwartz and Chaney profile the contributions of literary giants, social activists, entrepreneurs, and other talented individuals who, despite the disorienting dilemma of incarceration, are models of adult transformative learning that positively impact the world. The authors interweave narratives with both qualitative and quantitative research references to analyze the role of solitude, writing, non-verbal communication; race and gender; physical exercise; education; technology; family and parenting; and the need to "give back" that precipitate transformative learning. The prison cell becomes a counterspace of metamorphosis. In focusing upon how men and women have chosen the worst moments of their lives as a baseline not to define, but to refine themselves, Gifts from the Dark promises to forever alter the limited mindset of incarceration as a solely one-dimensional, deficit event.

This highly practical text surveys the myriad legal and ethical issues that social workers encounter both in daily practice and under special circumstances. Its initial section presents concepts in law and ethics that unite practitioners, researchers, and academics in the field, such as confidentiality, informed consent, and the interplay between social work and administrative and judicial systems. A selection of representative cases illustrates legal aspects involved in providing services to families, children, elders, and persons with disabilities. Also included are chapters on advocacy in social work, both in its potential to influence policy and on the global stage as part of the ongoing struggle for human rights and dignity. Among the topics covered: Confidentiality and the social worker-client relationship Liability issues for social workers in the clinical context Legal issues arising in the context of social work research The social worker and forensic social work Social worker involvement in access to school and school services Social work in the context of health care Legal issues working with immigrants, refugees, and asylees The interface between social work and human rights Legal Issues in Social Work Practice and Research is an interdisciplinary text aimed at social work, mental health, and legal professionals. It enhances the power of social work as an integrative system to support clients' rights and agency.

Introduction to Family Processes: Diverse Families, Common Ties serves to provide an explanation of the complex workings of inner family life. The text primarily focuses on family processes and dynamics (the "inside" of families) as opposed to sociological trends, political topics, or the individual psychological approach. The text further presents the research underlying these processes and effectively presents ways to increase the positive aspects of family life. This edition has been updated to include current research and contemporary topics. The text has been divided into four parts: Foundations, Building and Establishing Families, Maintaining Families, and Change/Turbulence/Gains/Losses. While the research methods chapter still provides an introductory examination of family science research, it now includes an expanded discussion on research design, methods, and advances in the area. A new chapter, titled "Forgiveness, Kindness, Hope, and Gratitude" has been incorporated to amplify positive family processes and highlight emerging research. This edition provides added emphasis on diverse families (e.g., race/ethnicity, family structure, LGBTQIA, ability, culture, and family formation), and each chapter includes a new "Discussions in Diversity" section related to that chapter. The authors have consciously included an epilogue as a way of reflecting on what they have learned, along with what they hope to learn in the future. Aimed at courses related to family studies and family dynamics, this text provides a comprehensive review of family processes. Whether it is used for undergraduate or graduate classes, professional growth, or personal enrichment, the text assists readers in enhancing the positive aspects of family life, avoiding undesirable aspects, and more effectively managing the challenges and obstacles families face that cannot be avoided. Thus, the text holds an appeal for people who live (or will live) in families, as well as those who want to work with families.

This sensitive guide for carers and professionals working with children and young people explains the serious issues of sexual content and harm that children face online. Covering technologies used by children aged two through to adulthood, it offers clear, evidence-based information about sexual-based online harm, its effects and what adults can do to support children should they see, hear or bear witness to these events online. Catherine Knibbs, specialist advisor in the field, explains the issues involved when using online platforms and devices in family, social and educational settings. The guide offers an accessible explanation of how online harm impacts developmental, neurological and social development, as well as young people’s mental health and well-being. Examined in as non-traumatising a way as possible, the book covers key topics, including consent, pornography, online grooming, sexting, live streaming, revenge porn, ASD sexuality and gender, and vigilantism. Offering guidance and proactive and reactive strategies based on neuroscience and child development, it shows how e-safety is not one-size-fits-all and must consider the vulnerabilities of individual children and families. Children and Sexual-Based Online Harms will equip professionals and carers with the knowledge to support their work and to direct conversations about the online harms that children and young people face. It is essential reading for those training and working with children in psychological, educational and social work contexts, as well as parents, policy makers and those involved in the development of online technologies.

Find out how group care for children has changed in the last 20 years Group Care Practice with Children and Young People Revisited focuses on the core issues that shape the quality of care that's provided in institutional and residential care settings, as well as day care services that rely on the group process. Leading authorities on residential group care practice from around the world examine practice concepts centered on three broad themes: working directly with children; working indirectly to support children and their families; and organizational influences on practice. This unique book offers valuable insights for dealing with the daily challenges of working with young people in responsive group care. Group Care Practice with Children and Young People Revisited builds on contemporary themes that were explored by the editors more than 20 years ago in Group Care for Children: Concept and Issues, and Group Care Practice with Children, both out of print. Contributors to this updated collection put a fresh spin on the original material, as well as cross-cultural analysis from both sides of the Atlantic, Australia and New Zealand, Malaysia, China, and the United Arab Emirates. They revisit the key issues identified in the earlier books and provide personal and professional reflections on what has happened to their practice themes since the early 1980s. Special attention is paid to how social policy imperativesnormalization, de-institutionalization, mainstreaming, least restrictive environment, minimal intervention, and diversionhave reshaped the field, group care methods and skills needed for direct and indirect care, and group care as an occupational. Group Care Practice with Children and Young People Revisited examines (and re-examines): the relationships between group care practice and education how group care programs can become hostile to families primary care in secondary settings the importance of shared language in a group care center group development how group composition can influence the overall functioning of the group managing occupational stresses in group care practice patterns of career development in child and youth care economic influences that impact group care challenges facing the future of group care services for children and much more Group Care Practice with Children and Young People Revisited is a must-read for youth case workers, child and youth care educators, and anyone working in child welfare, including youth justice managers, administrators, and policymakers.