This comprehensive book is a critical introduction to the theoretical and practical issues involved in working with children and families. It sheds light on different perspectives, forms of practice, and dimensions of policy, with a focus on the practical issues of concern to professionals working with children in a range of settings.

Experts in gerontology, clinical psychology, and geriatric medicine provide an analytical survey and abstracts of the significant literature and research dealing with alcoholism and aging over the last 30 years. This research guide offers a general survey with sections dealing separately with the prevalence, precipitants, effects, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcoholism in the older generation. The book also offers directions for future research. The narrative ends with a listing of references that have been assessed. The annotated bibliography gives abstracts for 301 sources that are arranged by types of works: bibliographies, overview articles, books and book chapters, empirical studies, and miscellaneous works. Cross-references and author and subject indexes make this guide readily accessible to students and teachers in the field of sociology, gerontology, psychology, medicine, and public health.

In 1997, the Labour Government came to power in the UK and committed to reforming public service delivery, particularly towards the improvement of children's services. This book analyses Labour Party's subsequent strategy towards public service delivery emphasising, on one level, devolving more power to frontline deliverers, while on the other, strengthening central control through a variety of means, leading to a 'mixed-approach' in its overall reforms. The book focuses on the implementation process involved in rolling out its Sure Start policy in order to understand and analyse the dynamics in Labour's approach to delivery. In so-doing, it draws on implementation and policy network theories to offer an original analytical framework - 'the implementation network approach' - to explain the implementation process of Sure Start policy. This book will be undoubtedly appealing to the students and scholars engaged in the fields of Public Policy and British Politics.

The idea of community involvement and empowerment has become central to politics in recent years. Governments, keen to reduce public spending and increase civic involvement, believe active communities are essential for tackling a range of social, economic and political challenges, such as crime, sustainable development and the provision of care. Public Policy in the Community examines the way that community and the ideas associated with it - civil society, social capital, mutuality, networks - have been understood and applied from the 1960s to the present day. Marilyn Taylor examines the issues involved in putting the community at the heart of policy making, and considers the political and social implications of such a practice. Drawing on a wide range of relevant examples from around the world, the book considers the success of existing approaches and the prospects for further developments. Thoroughly updated to reflect advances in research and practice, the new edition of this important text gives a state-of-the-art assessment of the place of community in public policy.

For more than three decades, Kathleen Cash has lived and worked with impoverished people, learning about their lives. Listening to them talk about their feelings of shame, Cash heard how people suffered from being unable to change what was happening to them--HIV infection, sexual and domestic violence, violence toward children, and environmental degradation. She saw that many interventions lacked emotional and cultural integrity and thus did little to alleviate these hardships. So Cash went outside the conventional approaches to health promotion and social justice and devised a community narrative practice, a strategy for engaging people through storytelling. From numerous ethnographic interviews, she pieced together cultural stories in a way that resonated with community people and revealed the paradoxes in their suffering. Cash recruited local artists to illustrate the stories in a form resembling a graphic novel and distributed these booklets for community discussion. (This book includes excerpts from these illustrated stories.) In Thailand, Bangladesh, Haiti, Uganda, and the United States, people learned to talk about forbidden subjects and say what they could never say before. They stood up to each other, reconciled, and made health-seeking decisions. By helping others, they repaired themselves. In cathartic conversations they acknowledged shame, which led to acts of courage and generosity.

Like all other advanced Western societies, Germany is coming to terms with the phenomenon of an ageing population. The demographic challenge posed by population ageing is generally seen in terms of potential crisis in the funding of health and social programmes. Some social scientists have even suggested that the early decades of the next century will be marked by conflict between the generations, with young and old competing for increasingly scarce resources. This is the first book written in English to address comprehensively ageing policies in Germany and the contribution of older people to German society.
The book examines the development of social policies affecting older people since the origins of the German welfare state under Bismarck and looks at how policy makers have sought to cope with the growing numbers of elderly people over the years.
The social, economic and political role of older people in contemporary Germany and their contribution to society are also explored, from their development into a more politically active sector of society to their changing relationship with the labour market and their social integration in terms of their relationships with families, neighbourhoods and local communities.

Does your human services organization need help navigating the business world? Does your staff development program lack the focus on business skills you need to drive your organization forward? Are you having trouble finding a business book specifically written for human services professionals? If you answered these questions "yes," this book is for you. Since the 1970s, private human services organizations have been assuming the critical responsibility to care for people with disabilities, a duty formerly carried out by the government. Yet the philosophy of supporting individuals to live independently in the community is now colliding with the reality of limited funding. Regulators are demanding that agencies achieve quality outcomes at lower cost. Human services organizations can no longer ignore the need for their key managers to make program decisions using sound business concepts. The human services field attracts many people who "enjoy working with people, not numbers." But good mission is not possible without good business. Without a strong business foundation, your company will be unable to deliver the services that will fulfill its mission. If you are-or aspire to be-in a position of authority in our special industry, this book will be a vital tool. We hope it will enable you to understand: The world we live in Public policy Agency mission Organizational structure Corporate culture and leadership Birth, life, and death of a program Accounting and finance concepts Revenue strategies Support functions Business valuations PLUS twenty critical takeaways for industry professionals

Tragically, some older people are abused in the very places where they should hope to find 'care'. This work contains perhaps the best analysis of the state of knowledge of this abuse at the time of writing, ten years ago. The problems they describe still exist, and the analysis remains relevant.

What factors lay behind the rehabilitation of central city districts across the world? Set against the contexts of international transformations in a post-industrial postmodern society, this book examines the creation and self-creation of a new middle class of professional and managerial workers associated with the process of gentrification. These are amongst the privileged members in the growing polarisation of urban society. The book examines their impact on central housing markets, retailing and leisure spaces in the inner city. Taking as its focus six large canadian cities, the author identifies a distinctive cultural new class of urbane social and cultural professionals inspired in part by the critical youth movements of the 1960s for whom old inner city neighbourhoods served as oppositional sites to assail the boureois suburbs. The study looks at their close links with reform movements, neighbourhood activism and a welfare state that often provided their employment, in a progressive aesthetisation of central city spaces since the 1980s. The New Middle Class and the Remaking of the Central City offers the first detailed and comparitive study of gentrification which locates the phenomenon in broader historical and theoretical contexts.

No other reference provides such a comprehensive and timely overview of theory and research on family relationships, the contexts of family life, and major turning points in late-life families. It includes many suggestions for theoretical and practical applications for future research on a score of important topics. This multidisciplinary survey is an invaluable library reference and teaching resource intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and practitioners -- for gerontologists, family scholars, psychologists, sociologists, historians, social workers, health-care providers, and policy makers.

This book examines the ways in which women's experiences of poverty lead to particular demographic outcomes. It also shows the paths by which demographic events may determine women's ability to achieve well-being and escape from poverty and it makes explicit the specific circumstances that poor women face in trying to attain a healthy life for themselves and their children.

Social Policy and Change in East Asia is a collection of essays from a group of indigenous East Asian social policy researchers who met bi-annually to discuss social development issues. The book s focus is the policy responses of respective East Asian government since the 2008 financial tsunami struck the region. Together, the essays in Social Policy and Change in East Asia argue that traditional social policy approach has failed to account for the problem of economic volatility and to devise policy measures that can promote long-term stability. Avoiding a static and Eurocentric approach, the authors of this book seek to unravel the meaning of the social development approach in various policy contexts. This book supports a dynamic understanding of social policy formulation that does not neglect the problem of economic turbulence in policy and planning.

In the past few years, one of the most misunderstood concepts is income disparity. Income inequality issues are now a concern for the public. However, it was heightened by the recession in 2008-09, resulting in consequences for the corporate sector, the Occupy Wall Street movement, Covid-19 pandemic and a myriad of other events. This book analyzed how income disparity is rising with higher income distribution margins witnessed among the highest earners. This book has thirteen chapters, eliminating the introductory overview chapter, on income disparity, poverty, and economic well-being. These chapters were authored by academics who publish articles on these issues on a regular basis. The literature on these issues is substantial, and research interest in these topics has a long history. Furthermore, it is fairly unusual for academics' viewpoints on these subjects to disagree. In light of this, the subjects of the articles may best be regarded as representing the contributors' different viewpoints. Graduate students and professional researchers will also find these guides an excellent contribution to supplemental teaching in economic fields, especially labor economics, macroeconomics, and economic policies.

An unprecedented number of children around the world are working today. This volume is a must-have, up-to-date survey for student research. In the 15 examined countries, poverty, lack of education, gender inequity, the demands of the global marketplace, and easy sex tourism are key factors contributing to the child labor crisis. Each chapter depicts the child labor scene in a particular country, along with detailed conditions, the history of the problem, the present state of child labor, political policies, and social aspects, and the ultimate outlook.

Child labor is a complex social and political issue with a long and evolving history. The phenomenon of child labor, including prostitution, has been a focus of debate especially in the last two centuries and continues to generate fierce reactions. An unprecedented number of children around the world are working today. This volume is a must-have, up-to-date survey for student research. In the 15 examined countries, poverty, lack of education, gender inequity, the demands of the global marketplace, and easy sex tourism are key factors contributing to the child labor crisis. Each chapter depicts the child labor scene in a particular country, along with detailed conditions, the history of the problem, the present state of child labor, political policies and social aspects, and the ultimate outlook.

The scope of the topic is wide, and basic definitions of what constitutes child and labor vary from country to country. International laws and conventions promoted by labor and human rights groups are establishing new norms to counteract harsh cultural and economic realities, but these and similar local laws are hard to enforce. These issues are explored, and vignettes from the children's point of view add a human-interest angle to the narrative.

Within an interdisciplinary context of public health, reproductive health, and women's rights, this book chronicles the interaction of public policies and private reproductive behavior in the 28 formerly socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the USSR successor states from 1917 to the present. Focusing on the interaction of public policies and private behaviors, special emphasis is placed on the status of women--from producers of labor to reproducers of families. Consideration is given to societal values and traditions, Marxist theory, socialist and patriarchal perceptions of gender roles, status of women, changes in legislation facilitating or constraining access to modern contraceptives and abortion, pronatalist influences on demographic trends, attitudes of public health service providers, views on sex education, adolescent sexual behavior, and emerging roles of public services and nongovernmental organizations.

Included are notes on key developments in the USSR successor states in Europe and in Asia, a discussion of the societal effects of post-socialist transitions from central planning to market economies, and commentaries on the changing emphasis from demographic aspects to reproductive and sexual health, postabortion psychological responses, and the activities of antiabortion-oriented religious organizations. To the extent available, statistical data tabulated include live birth, legally induced abortions, birth rates, legal abortion rates, legal abortion ratios, and total fertility rates. Over 1250 references are listed.

Changing Welfare States is a major new examination of the wave of social reform that has swept across Europe over the past two decades. In a comparative fashion, it analyses reform trajectories and political destinations in an era of rapid socioeconomic restructuring, including the critical impact of the global financial crisis on welfare state futures. The book argues that the overall scope of social reform across the member states of the European Union varies widely. In some cases welfare state change has been accompanied by deep social conflicts, while in other instances unpopular social reforms received broad consent from opposition parties, trade unions and employer organizations. The analysis reveals trajectories of welfare reform in many countries that are more proactive and reconstructive than is often argued in academic research and the media. Alongside retrenchments, there have been deliberate attempts - often given impetus by intensified European (economic) integration - to rebuild social programs and institutions and thereby accommodate welfare policy repertoires to the new economic and social realities of the 21st century. Welfare state change is work in progress, leading to patchwork mixes of old and new policies and institutions, on the lookout, perhaps, for greater coherence. Unsurprisingly, that search process remains incomplete, resulting from the institutionally bounded and contingent adaptation to the challenges of economic globalization, fiscal austerity, family and gender change, adverse demography, and changing political cleavages.

This innovative collection extends the emerging field of stress biology to examine the effects of a substantial source of early-life stress: child abuse and neglect. Research findings across endocrinology, immunology, neuroscience, and genomics supply new insights into the psychological variables associated with adversity in children and its outcomes. These compelling interdisciplinary data add to a promising model of biological mechanisms involved in individual resilience amid chronic maltreatment and other trauma. At the same time, these results also open out distinctive new possibilities for serving vulnerable children and youth, focusing on preventing, intervening in, and potentially even reversing the effects of chronic early trauma. Included in the coverage: Biological embedding of child maltreatment Toward an adaptation-based approach to resilience Developmental traumatology: brain development and maltreated children with and without PTSD Childhood maltreatment and pediatric PTSD: abnormalities in threat neural circuitry An integrative temporal framework for psychological resilience The Biology of Early Life Stress is important reading for child maltreatment researchers; clinical psychologists; educators in counseling, psychology, trauma, and nursing; physicians; and state- and federal-level policymakers. Advocates, child and youth practitioners, and clinicians in general will find it a compelling resource.

Noted scholars of environment-aging relations and environmental psychology examine the value of selected classic, contemporary, and in one instance, completely new theories for enhancing both research and service provision on housing for elderly populations. The contributors examine the housing needs of older populations and provide theory-driven innovative solutions for improving the fit between older persons and their residential environments. Some issues covered are the need for greater understanding of the psychological needs of older individuals seeking environmental support; for a holistic understanding of elder-environment relations in physical, social, and phenomenological contexts; for inclusion of ignored perspectives; and for recognition of the continuing value of major founding theories. This book will be of interest to students, scholars, and professionals in psychology, gerontology, environmental policy, housing, and social services.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of findings from the Children's Worlds project - the most extensive and diverse study to have been conducted globally on children's own views of their lives. It provides a unique comparative insight into the similarities and differences in children's lives and well-being around the world, including findings that challenge prevailing assumptions of where, and in what contexts, children might experience a 'good childhood'. The book draws out the key messages and implications from the study and identifies directions for future work on child well-being. It will be of interest to researchers and students in the field of childhood studies, as well as a wide range of professionals and organisations concerned with improving children's quality of life.

When children become entangled with the law, their lives can be disrupted irrevocably. When those children are underrepresented minorities, the potential for disruption is even greater. The Legacy of Racism for Children: Psychology, Law, and Public Policy examines issues that arise when minority children's lives are directly or indirectly influenced by law and public policy. Uniquely comprehensive in scope, this trailblazing volume offers cutting-edge chapters on the intersections of race/ethnicity within the context of child maltreatment, child dependency court, custody and adoption, familial incarceration, school discipline and the "school-to-prison pipeline," juvenile justice, police/youth interactions, and jurors' perceptions of child and adolescent victims and defendants. The book also includes chapters focused on troubling situations that are less commonly researched, but growing in importance, including the role of race and racism in child sex trafficking and US immigration law and policy. Thus, individual chapters explore myriad ways in which law and policy shape the lives of marginalized children and adolescents - racial and ethnic minorities - who historically and presently are at heightened risk for experiencing disadvantageous consequences of law and policy. In so doing, The Legacy of Racism for Children can help social scientists to understand and work to prevent the perpetuation of racial discrimination in American laws and public policies.

Mary, a caseworker at an agency for intellectually challenged people, meets her new client Chris, whose family wants to put him in a group home. As she gets to know him, Mary begins to question Chris's diagnosis.

Even as his life circumstances appear to improve, with a job and a new home, Chris seems to get worse. After a series of disasters, including a suicide attempt, leave him homeless, Mary takes Chris to stay with her family temporarily. That's when the memories come pouring out.

This true story provides a unique view of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both from the perspective of a sexual abuse victim recovering the memories of his experiences and from the day-to-day observations of the person helping him through it. This grim topic is addressed with love, courage, and even humour, and Chris's journey to recovery offers insights into the effects of PTSD and the strategies for dealing with its symptoms.

Through interviews with 20 homeless and addicted women over a time frame of five years, the author vividly demonstrates how sexual abuse, sexism, and racism are at the base of their problems and how both neo-conservative and neo-liberal theories and prescriptions for solving their problems are unworkable. The author considers the problems of homelessness and addiction and how these problems are linked. She continues by providing statistical profiles of all the interviewees. Ralston outlines the feminist methodology used in the research and raises major questions regarding these issues. She defines and tests the main theories in relation to the women's experiences and perspectives and Uncovers new realities about the situations and problems of welfare recipients and people whom society has usually silenced.

The realities and misconceptions of long-term care and the challenges it presents for the ethics of autonomy are analyzed in this perceptive work. While defending the concept of autonomy, the author argues that the standard view of autonomy as non-interference and independence has only a limited applicability for long-term care. He explains that autonomy should be understood as a comprehensiveness that defines the overall course of a person's life rather than as a way of responding to an isolated situation. Agich distinguishes actual and ideal autonomy and argues that actual autonomy is better revealed in the everyday experiences of long-term care than in dramatic, conflict-ridden paradigm situations such as decisions to institutionalize, to initiate aggressive treatments, or to withhold or to withdraw life-sustaining treatments. Through a phenomenological analysis of long-term care, he develops an ethical framework for it by showing how autonomy is actually manifest in certain structural features of the social world of long-term care. Throughout this timely work, the rich sociological and anthropological literature on aging and long-term care is referenced and the practical ethical questions of promoting and enhancing the exercise of autonomy are addressed.