The Masses are the Ruling Classes proposes the radical, yet seemingly innocuous view that social policy in the United States is determined by mass consent. Contemporary explanations of decision making in the US typically attribute power over policy making to a variety of hidden forces and illegitimate elites holding the masses innocent of their own problems. Yet the enormous openness of the society and near-universal suffrage sustain democratic consent as more plausible than the alternatives - conspiracy, propaganda, usurpation, autonomous government, and imperfect pluralism. Contrary to prevailing explanations, government is not either autonomous or out of control, business and wealthy individuals have not usurped control of the nation, large segments of the population are not dispossessed of the vote or of a voice in public affairs, and the media has not formed a conspiracy with Hollywood and liberals to deny Americans their God-given freedoms. Despite the multitude of problems that the nation faces, its citizens are not oppressed. In this pithy yet provocative book, Epstein argues that Democracy in the United States is not progressive but is instead populist, and that the core of the populist ideology is romantic rather than pragmatic.

This book addresses a range of key issues concerning social work education, research and practice in India and Australia from a cross-cultural perspective. The respective chapters focus on specific areas of social work regarding e.g. the status and recognition of the profession, regulatory mechanisms, roles and functions of social workers in different settings, and issues and challenges faced by the social work community. The book shares valuable perspectives to help understand the culturally sensitive practice of social work in various socio-cultural, economic and political contexts in both countries. Given the scope of its coverage, the book is of interest to scholars, students and professionals working in the areas of social work, social development and social policy practice.

The high profile cases of Charlie Gard, Alfie Evans, and Tafida Raqeeb raised the questions as to why the state intrudes into the exercise of parental responsibility concerning the medical treatment of children and why parents may not be permitted to decide what is in the best interests of their child. This book answers these questions. It argues for a reframing of the law concerned with the medical treatment of children to one which better protects the welfare of the individual child, within the context of family relationships recognising the duties which professionals have to care for the child and that the welfare of children is a matter of public interest, protected through the intervention of the state. This book undertakes a rigorous critical analysis of the case law concerned with the provision of medical treatment to children since the first reported cases over forty years ago. It argues that understanding of the cases only as disputes over the best interests of the child, and judicial resolution thereof, fails to recognise professional duties and public responsibilities for the welfare and protection of children that exist alongside parental responsibilities and which justify public, or state, intervention into family life and parental decision-making. Whilst the principles and approach of the court established in the early cases endure, the nature and balance of these responsibilities to children in their care need to be understood in the changing social, legal, and political context in which they are exercised and enforced by the court. The book will be a valuable resource for academics, students, and practitioners of Medical Law, Healthcare Law, Family Law, Social Work, Medicine, Nursing, and Bioethics.

Cutting Down provides a practical and accessible treatment programme based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) principles for young people who self-harm. This fully revised and updated second edition includes new techniques from 'third' wave CBT, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). This enriches the material and brings the concepts up to date. Another key addition to this new edition is the inclusion of strategies for young people who engage in suicidal behaviour. The manual is evidence based and focuses on a flexible and formulation driven model to direct treatment in around 15 sessions for young people and six sessions for parents and caregivers. It provides a clear structure for each session and an easy-to-follow outline on how the therapist should deliver each session. The content of each session is supported by handouts and worksheets which can be used within sessions or as homework between sessions. Enhanced with online resources, the workbook will be useful for all professionals working with young people who self-harm across a wide range of settings from schools, primary care and voluntary sector, to community mental health services and inpatient units.

This volume provides a close look at the ways in which LGBTQ2 people form familial bonds. It brings together stories from non-binary families across continents and cultures and recenters care as a foundational value for creating familial ties. This volume therefore addresses a gap in the literature concerning non-binary family configurations by going beyond the legal battle for non-binary partnership rights. In recent discussions on marriage equality, the notion of familial bonds, which was important in early discussions on non-binary family research, has been decentered in favor of legal and homonormative understandings of individual rights. This volume centers familial bonds as the first step toward reimagining how to do research on the family and adds to research on family studies as well as gender studies. Students and researchers of sociology, anthropology, social work, gender studies, family research, well-being research, and anyone else working on or with non-binary families will find this book highly topical and interesting.

Some engage in high-risk behaviors. Others need help with emotional skills. Many are affected by mental disorders. While every school has its share of students needing comprehensive mental health services, personnel struggle to address these needs effectively in an era of scarce resources and dwindling budgets. Preventive Mental Health at School gives school-based practitioners and researchers an accessible, nuanced guide to implementing and improving real-world proactive programs and replacing outmoded service models. Based firmly in systems thinking and an ecological-public health approach, the book outlines the skills needed for choosing evidence-based interventions that are appropriate for all students, and for coordinating prevention efforts among staff, educators, and administration. As schools become more and more diverse, school-based practitioners must become knowledgeable in regard to the critical racial and cultural differences that affect students, their families, and enrich our schools. Research currently available to help meet the needs of various groups of children and their families is included as each topic is addressed. In addition, the author provides a theoretical groundwork and walks readers through the details of assessing resources and needs, applying knowledge to practice, and evaluating progress. Instructive case examples show these processes in action, and further chapters address questions of adapting programs already in place for greater developmental or cultural appropriateness. Included in the coverage: Student engagement, motivation, and active learning. Engaging families through school and family partnerships. Evidence-based prevention of internalizing disorders. Social emotional learning. Adapting programs for various racial and ethnic populations. Adapting programs for young children. Preventive Mental Health at School offers solid guidance and transformative tools to researchers, graduate students, and professionals/practitioners/clinicians in varied fields including clinical child and school psychology, social work, public health and policy, educational policy and politics, and pediatrics.

The County Lines phenomenon has become one of the most significant drug market developments in the UK over recent years. This book analyses how it is being responded to by the police in affected provincial areas. Drawing on unique ethnographic fieldwork, it takes readers into police stations and out onto the streets with officers, providing timely insight into the policing of this high profile and challenging drug market context. The book considers the use of new police tactics that have been proposed and familiar methods that officers regularly embarked on. Through a sophisticated theoretical framework it argues that the policing of County Lines can often be considered 'symbolic', with concerns regularly placed on sending out strong messages that appear superficial when closely examined. Alongside this, however, there appears to be a progressive shift towards a more pragmatic drugs policing approach that embraces harm reduction principles.This cutting-edge research speaks to academics in Criminology and Policing, and to practitioners and policy makers.

This book is a novel contribution to academic discourses on the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and how it has impacted societies globally. It proffers an overview on the social development and political measures, from both the Global North and Global South, to prevent COVID-19's spread. It illuminates major social, political and economic challenges that already existed in different contexts and which are also currently being amplified by COVID-19. Curiously, this global pandemic has opened spaces for different actors, across the globe, to begin to fundamentally question and challenge the hegemony of the Global North, which sometimes is evident in social work. Linked to the foregoing and while reflecting beyond the pandemic and into the future, the book proposes that social work must become more political at all levels, and strive to transform societies, global social development efforts, and economic and health systems. This contributed volume of 38 chapters discusses and analyses ethical, social, sociological, social work and social development issues that complement and enrich available literature in the socio-political, economics, public health, medical ethics and political science. It provides various case studies which should enable readers to gain insights into how countries have responded to the pandemic and learn how COVID-19 negatively impacted countries in different parts of the world. This book also provides a platform for the articulation of neglected and marginalized voices, such as those of indigenous populations, the poor, or oppressed. The chapters are grouped according to three main themes as they relate to research on the COVID-19 pandemic and social work in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America: Analysis: Social Issues and the COVID-19 Pandemic Strategies and Responses in Social Work: Globally and Locally Outlook: Looking Ahead Beyond the Pandemic Intended to engage a global, diverse and interdisciplinary audience, The Coronavirus Crisis and Challenges to Social Development is a timely and relevant resource for academics, students and researchers in inter alia Social Work, Philosophy, Sociology, Economics, and Development Studies.

This interdisciplinary volume examines the relationship between community resilience and family resilience, identifying contributing factors on the micro-, meso-, and macro-level. Scholars and practitioners focus on how community-level policies and programs facilitate the distribution of resources, assets, and opportunities that provide valuable assistance to families who are struggling or in crisis due to economic hardship, mental illness, and the effects of natural and human made disasters. Additionally, representatives of local government and community agencies on the "front lines" of developing policies and programs to assist families provide valuable context for understanding the ways communities provide environments that encourage and nurture family resilience. Among the topics covered: How cities promote resilience from a public health perspective Family resilience following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Resilience in women from trauma and addiction Trauma-sensitive schooling for elementary-age students Developing family resilience through community based missions Resilience and the Community will be of interest to policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners seeking to facilitate the development of evidence-based resilience practices, programs, and/or policies for those working with families at risk.

This book advocates the application of holistic and humanistic approaches in elderly care and services to achieve the goal of ageing with dignity in Hong Kong and Asia. It responds to the needs of an increasing ageing population that has to deal with related health needs in long-term care, community health and social services, particularly for chronic conditions and psychosocial support. The book consists of three sections on policy and development of aged care, holistic and humanistic care for older adults, and capacity building for ageing with dignity, respectively. Topics include the latest initiatives in aged care, appropriate services and delivery models, lifestyle modification, psychosocial and environmental considerations, professional development, technologies, and social capital. The chapters review and discuss these issues within a global context, illustrated by examples from Asian countries, underpinned by locally based empirical research. Contributors include academics and practitioners from diversified professional backgrounds that include medicine, nursing, pharmacy, traditional Chinese medicine, dietetics, and allied health. The book traverses into territories in the social sciences, life sciences, and sports sciences, while also touching on areas of business and administration, hospitality, law, public policy, and information technology in connection with public health. The contents serve as a topical reference for tertiary studies in ageing and related disciplines such as well-being and are also useful to policymakers, community and public health practitioners, health executives and interns working in areas of policy and practice pertinent to care development, health delivery models, planning, quality, ethics, better health promotion, professional training, and monitoring for older adults.

Preventing Harmful Behaviour in Online Communities explores the ethics and logistics of censoring problematic communications online that might encourage a person to engage in harmful behaviour. Using an approach based on theories of digital rhetoric and close primary source analysis, Zoe Alderton draws on group dynamics research in relation to the way in which some online communities foster negative and destructive ideas, encouraging community members to engage in practices including self-harm, disordered eating, and suicide. This book offers insight into the dangerous gap between the clinical community and caregivers versus the pro-anorexia and pro-self-harm communities - allowing caregivers or medical professionals to understand hidden online communities young people in their care may be part of. It delves into the often-unanticipated needs of those who band together to resist the healthcare community, suggesting practical ways to address their concerns and encourage healing. Chapters investigate the alarming ease with which ideas of self-harm can infect people through personal contact, community unease, or even fiction and song and the potential of the internet to transmit self-harmful ideas across countries and even periods of time. The book also outlines the real nature of harm-based communities online, examining both their appeal and dangers, while also examining self-censorship and intervention methods for dealing with harmful content online. Rather than pointing to punishment or censorship as best practice, the book offers constructive guidelines that outline a more holistic approach based on the validity of expressing negative mood and the creation of safe peer support networks, making it ideal reading for professionals protecting vulnerable people, as well as students and academics in psychology, mental health, and social care.

Provides an in-depth understanding of how certain features of ASD may provide the context of vulnerability to engaging in a number of types of offending behaviours Written by a world-leading expert in the field of violent crime and its relationship to ASD Evidence-based, practical guide to working with Suspects, Defendants and Offenders with Autism, making it suitable for both researchers and professionals across Psychology and Legal domains

Entrepreneurship is the result of various contextual factors in the community, which are shaped by social challenges and business needs. Recent research efforts have focused on the dynamics of communities and how they facilitate entrepreneurship among a diverse group of people and organizations. This book highlights research on the importance of communities and their role in providing an entrepreneurial ecosystem that promotes innovation and business activities. Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective, it explores what it takes to create an entrepreneurial community that fosters creativity. Sharing valuable insights, it will enhance readers' understanding of how entrepreneurship is formed by and exists in communities.

This edited collection brings together academics, artists and members of civil society organizations to engage in a discussion about the ideas of living with others, through concepts such as cosmopolitanism, solidarity, and conviviality, and the practices of doing so. In recent years, right wing and populist movements have emerged and strengthened across Europe and North America, rejecting the value of cultural, ethnic and religious plurality. Governments in Europe and North America are weakening their commitment to the international refugee regime, erecting new barriers to entry. Even as governments fail to accommodate growing pluralism, however, civil society initiatives have emerged with the aim of welcoming newcomers, such as migrants and refugees, and finding alternative ways of living together in diverse societies. Motivated by a desire to show solidarity, these initiatives demonstrate enormous creativity in fostering pluralism in an environment that has largely become hostile to the arrival of newcomers. The contributions gathered here seek to explore such initiatives and the important work that they do in fostering ways of living together with others from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. In focusing conceptually and empirically on discussions and examples of civil society initiatives, this book interrogates why, how and under what circumstances are some communities more welcoming than others.

Russia's attempt to replace the failed Soviet system and its command economy with a capitalist, democratic society has produced a health and social welfare crisis, at considerable human cost. "Russia's Torn Safety Nets" presents a series of essays by distinguished Russian and American scholars which describe and analyze the consequences of the collapsed socialist system, focusing on issues of health and demography, HIV/AIDS, drug addiction and abuse, the disabled, aging and pensions, education, women and sexism, and social issues in the military. The essays conclude with a section on the private and public efforts to ease the impact of the ongoing transition on the Russia people.

This open access volume provides an understanding of the different aspects of success, school continuity and social mobility among European Roma, including the motives justifying the high rates of school dropout and failure among this group. It offers a critical and reflexive perspective about social reality from a multidisciplinary and transversal point of view, sharing knowledge and practices in different countries about the articulations between Roma families, individuals, school and public policies. Over time, there has been an increase in the educational attainment of European citizens, but there are still persistent inequalities between Roma and non-Roma, including gender inequalities, which greatly affect Roma women. The volume explores the issue of Roma education and includes chapters from Western European, South and Central and Eastern European researchers using different theoretical and methodological perspectives. The intersection of this diversity and plurality of standpoints makes possible to obtain a comprehensive view on the education and schooling of European Roma.

Taking a new and innovative angle on social work, this book seeks to remedy the lack of holistic perspectives currently used in Western social work practice by exploring Indigenous and other culturally diverse understandings and experiences of healing. This book examines six core areas of healing through a holistic lens that is grounded in a decolonizing perspective. Situating integrative healing within social work education and theory, the book takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from social memory and historical trauma, contemplative traditions, storytelling, healing literatures, integrative health, and the traditional environmental knowledge of Indigenous Peoples. In exploring issues of water, creative expression, movement, contemplation, animals, and the natural world in relation to social work practice, the book will appeal to all scholars, practitioners, and community members interested in decolonization and Indigenous studies.

The symposium on "Worldwide Advances in Communications Networks" which was held on May 14-15, 1992 at GMU was an ambitious attempt to bring together leaders in the communications area to discuss the major issues in this rapidly-changing technology. The symposium was a success and many of the ideas presented at the conference are being implemented. This proceeding contains the majority of the papers presented at the symposium and abstracts of the remainder. The papers may be divided into seven general categories. The first five papers explore some important design issues for high speed networks (gigabit networks). Traffic modelling, quality of service guarantees, switching alternatives, and routing are discussed. The next two papers focus on applications for broadband communications. Weinstein begins by asking, "ARE THERE ANY APPLICATIONS?" and then proceeds to develop a wide variety of potential uses. Personick concentrates on multimedia applications. The next three papers deal with Personal Communications Services (PCS) and the notion of communicating with anyone, at any time, anywhere. Several of the key technical issues such as CDMA vs TDMA are analyzed in detail. The fourth area is satellite communications. Two papers discuss some of the major changes that are taking place and potential new systems. The next two papers discuss signal coding and digital video. Jayant provides an excellent overview of the impressive capabilities that are available for the compression of speech, audio, image, and video signals. Bellisio concentrates on video encoding.

Following the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2020, and the creation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, there is increased interest in and a need to develop national human rights' bodies for children's rights. This book provides an in-depth look at one domestic independent children's rights institution: the Irish Ombudsman for Children's Office, to highlight the learnings for an international audience and the methodologies that can be used to promote and protect children's rights at a national level. Co-authored by Ireland's first Ombudsman for Children and a children's rights professor, the book will present an original and informed analysis of how a national human rights institution can advocate, most effectively, for the rights of children. By using illustrative case studies, the book will highlight how the powers of a national human rights institution can be put to strategic use to address specific children's rights deficits in areas of child protection, youth detention and public awareness about children's rights. Each chapter focusses on a case study, identifies a problem, the approach or intervention by the Ombudsman for Children, the outcome and reflects on lessons learned. It ensures that the cases can be extracted, examined and replicated in other jurisdictions by an international community interested in the promotion, monitoring and protection of children's rights. It speaks to those interested in Human Rights; Children's Rights; Socio-legal studies, Social Work; Childhood Studies; Administrative Law, Constitutional Law and International Law, and to practitioners and policy-makers in this field.

This topical book shows that racism by skin color is much more embedded and prevalent in the modern world than racism by race. In the aftermath of globalization, humanity has experienced unprecedented levels of interaction. This book presents evidence to show that in the 21st century which is dependent on ever-expanding communication technologies, and new forms of visual media actually exacerbate historical mores of colorism in the lives of humanity, i.e.: African, Asian, Latinx, Native and European descent. The book discusses the historical roots and current values of idealization of light skin, skin bleaching practices, stereotypes of skin color developed through migration and cultural assimilation, and health and educational consequences of colorism.

This book introduces Casual Agency Theory as a framework for defining self-determination and describing its development and essential characteristics. It synthesizes the research on promoting and enhancing self-determination and explores implications for practice in a disability context across the life course. The book also highlights future directions for theory, research, and practice in areas of positive psychology and disability. Key areas of coverage include: Theoretical basis of the development of self-determination as well as research findings and implications for practice across the life course. Issues relating to the implementation of evidence-based practices to promote self-determination in a disability context. Potential strategies for overcoming barriers to self-determination through research-based practices. Future directions for further integrating Casual Agency Theory into positive psychology interventions and the systems of supports in the disability field. Self-Determination and Causal Agency Theory is an essential resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, and other professionals in the fields of developmental and positive psychology, educational policy and practice, special education, social work, occupational, speech, and language therapy, public health, and healthcare policy.

How are behavioral scientists increasingly involved to advise global decision-makers in the United Nations and elsewhere?" In 2020, the Psychology Coalition at the United Nations (PCUN) launched a bold new series of books, describing how evidencebased behavioral research is increasingly used by United Nations and other decision-makers, to address global issues. These issues reflect the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030-such as health, poverty, education, peace, gender equality, and climate change. This PCUN volume brings together 34 experts in 14 concise chapters, to focus on diverse issues in mental, spiritual, and social health (detailed below). The chapters are co-authored by leading global experts as well as "rising star" students from many nations-offering readers a concise overview of each topic, a glossary of key terms, study questions, and bibliography. This volume is suitable as a textbook for diverse courses in psychology, social work, cross-cultural and international studies.

This open access book provides practical guidance for non-profits and community sector organisations about how to get started with data analytics projects using their own organisations' datasets and open public data. The book shares best practices on collaborative social data projects and methodology. For researchers, the work offers a playbook for partnering with community organisations in data projects for public good and gives worked examples of projects of various sizes and complexity.

* Balanced theoretical and historical perspective on juvenile justice written in clear, engaging language * Coverage of new issues in juvenile justice from the opioid epidemic to technology's impact on juvenile crime and juvenile victims * Extensive ancillaries for both instructors and students, including interactive materials such as flash cards and resources for evidence-based learning