Worldwide, children face significant health risks. The right to health of the child offers insight into the ways in which these risks should be mitigated. However, the concept of 'the highest attainable standard of health of the child' as laid down in article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child remains unclear. Therefore, this book seeks to clarify the international normative framework on the right to health of the child. It does so by looking at the international children's rights framework, international health and human rights law and by taking a particular look at relevant legislation in the European region, covering both European Union legislation and human rights law of the Council of Europe, including the Guidelines on Child-Friendly Healthcare. Also, the interpretation of the right to health by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is analyzed for 35 countries of different levels of development. On the basis of these sources, priorities are identified that should be realized to achieve the highest attainable standard of health of the child. This book addresses the question how the implementation process influences the interpretation of the highest attainable standard of health of the child. This results in a definition of the highest attainable standard of health of the child that takes into account the varying capabilities of individual children and which considers children as active rights-holders, notwithstanding their age or level of development.

Despite emancipation from the evils of enslavement in 1838, most people of African origin in the British West Indian colonies continued to suffer serious material deprivation and racial oppression. This book examines the management and treatment of those who became insane, in the period until the Great War.

Throughout the postwar period, changes in individual behaviour and legal reforms have transformed traditional notions of family life throughout Western Europe. However, interpretations of what constituted a desirable family life varied, together with the type of social intervention adopted towards it. Taking Britain and Italy as comparative cases, the author explores the extent to which dominant notions of family life differed in postwar Britain and Italy and the implications this had on the development of family policy in these two countries.

Based upon Crawford's extensive survey of more than 300 U.S. businesses, this book explores and describes in detail the various types of employee benefits policies designed to ease the burdens of employees caught between the conflicting demands of work and the need to provide care for dependent children and/or parents. Crawford examines in depth such policies as flextime, referral services, on-site daycare, and dependent care service partnerships, identifying the strengths and drawbacks of each and the extent of their current use in American businesses. She also offers the reader a rationale for companies' adoption of dependent care policies, showing that a failure to implement such measures can lead to problems such as increased absenteeism and decreased productivity that will eventually impact the corporate bottom line.

Crawford demonstrates that the combined impact of more women in the workplace and a growing aged population has created a dependency crisis that is only beginning to be adequately addressed by American businesses and policymakers. The policies that are now being developed to address this problem are examined both from the standpoint of how they actually work in practice and how they can provide real benefits to employers as well as employees. Concerned throughout to provide both descriptive detail and practical advice, the author illustrates ways in which to lay the foundation for effective dependent care employee benefits packages. She also reviews and evaluates current legislative activities on behalf of parental leave. Concluding with a look at the future, Crawford assesses the demographics that will define what kinds of dependent care assistance the labor force of tomorrow will require. An indispensable guide for human resource professionals, Crawford's work will also be of significant interest to students in business and management programs.

This up-to-date bibliography of heretofore scattered references to nursing assistants includes literature pertinent to the construction of models to improve nursing assistant practice and emphasizes the psychosocial skills that are invaluable to the nursing assistant's work. Annotated reviews center on the tasks and context of nursing assistant work and ways to improve practice through training, organizational development, advocacy, and bargaining. Additional chapters present a tentative psychosocial model of nursing assistant practice, offer six intervention models, and investigate ways of further developing the nursing assistant occupation. Very highly recommended. Choice The role of the nursing home has expanded in the late twentieth century due to both the growing percentage of elderly in the U.S. population and to society's tendency to over-institutionalize people. In recent years, the kinds and quality of care given to the elderly in nursing homes have received intense scrutiny. This timely bibliography focuses on nursing assistants--the personnel who are with the elderly around the clock, doing a variety of tasks, ranging from helping them with basic functions to comforting them during periods of distress. Nursing assistants provide as much as 90 percent of the direct care received by the elderly in the nursing home setting. Emphasizing the psychosocial skills that make the nursing assistant's job so important to the well being of nursing home residents, Geriatric Nursing Assistants collects and annotates the heretofore scattered references to nursing assistants and includes literature pertinent to the construction of models that improve nursing-assistant practice. The first four chapters present the annotated reviews, which are organized in anticipation of the practice enhancement models discussed in Chapter Six. These reviews center on the tasks and context of the nursing assistant's work and on ways to improve practice through training, organizational development, advocacy, and bargaining. Chapter Five offers a tentative psychosocial concept of nursing-assistant practice that requires further development, detailing the various resident psychosocial circumstances to which the nursing assistant might respond helpfully and the kinds of interventions and techniques which the nursing assistant might attempt. In Chapter Six, intervention models--on inservice training, organizational development, advocacy, and bargaining--are presented in ideal-typical forms that recognize the limitations of daily practice; also, these models emphasize rigorous practice and its evaluation. Activities necessary to further develop the nursing-assistant occupation, including political action, are investigated in Chapter Seven, which also considers the moral aspects of a progressive agenda for nursing assistants. This reference seeks to improve services to nursing home residents and represents a valuable, practical contribution to the geriatric field. It will be useful to nursing home administrators and directors of nursing homes who must address ways to improve the working conditions of nursing assistants; to academicians in their research, training, and advocacy efforts; and to the training directors and supervisors in the field who can directly aid nursing assistants in the acquisition of needed knowledge and skills.

It describes the process of solution-focused intervention in a step-by-step fashion and includes case examples, sample assessment forms, and advice for how this approach can be adapted to a variety of service programs.

For some, Sweden is proof that a generous welfare state is fully compatible with a growing competitive economy. For others, it is a frightening example of what big government can do to a once thriving economy. Sweden and the Revival of the Capitalist Welfare State tackles a number of controversial questions regarding Sweden's economic and political development: How did Sweden become rich? How did Sweden become egalitarian? Why has Sweden since the early 90s grown faster than the US and most EU-countries despite its high taxes and generous welfare state? The author uses new research on institutions and economic reforms to explain the rise, the fall and the recent revival of the Swedish welfare state. The central argument is that a generous welfare state like that of Sweden can work well, provided that it is built on well-functioning capitalist institutions and economic openness. The book expertly explains how Sweden developed from a poor and highly unequal society to one of the richest and most egalitarian countries in the world by building a universal welfare state on a capitalist foundation. It also engages in an important discussion about the current and future challenges for the welfare state in general. The book will fit well in introductory and advanced courses on welfare state policy, social work, sociology, economic history, institutional economics and political science. In all these disciplines, the case of Sweden has always provoked interest and debate, due to Sweden's combination of prosperity, equality and extensive welfare state. The rapid pace of change in Sweden over the last 25 years, however, means that most other books are descriptively dated. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Prosperity and equality: The golden years 1870-1970 3. The 'not quite so golden' years 1970 - 1995 4. The return of the capitalist welfare state 5. The capitalist welfare state's bloc-transcending history 6. The consequences of increasing competition 7. The resilience of labor market regulation and rent control 8. Challenges ahead: Can the capitalist welfare state survive? Appendices Bibliography Index

This book explores the adoption of "active ageing" policies by EU15 nations and the impact on older peoples' work and retirement policy options. It explores the labor market policies (including unemployment benefits, active labor market policies and partial pension receipt) and pension policies (pension principles, early retirement and incentives for deferral) adopted by these nations from the mid-1990s onwards, addressing three main questions. First, to what extent was the EU's vision of "active ageing" adopted in EU15 nations between 1995 and 2010? Second, what was the nature of policy reforms in these nations over this time period? Finally, which sub-groups within the older age cohort were subject to active ageing policies in these countries? The data indicate convergence towards the EU-vision of active ageing is complex, with nations adopting a variety of different reforms and policy mixes, which in turn focus on different groups within the older age cohort.

This is an ethnographic study of predominantly Puerto Rican low-income people on the Lower East Side of Manhattan who have been involved in the rehabilitation of abandoned buildings through sweat-equity urban homesteading from 1978 to 1993. The study combines a portrait of homesteading in a contemporary urban environment with an analysis of homesteading in the context of economic and political developments at the local, state, and national levels. As participant-observer of the rehabilitation efforts, von Hassell was impressed with the ingenuity and initiative of poor and working-class people. She came to the conclusion that housing as a central factor in poverty amelioration must be interpreted with other factors such as labor, education, and health care, and that despite internal conflicts the project could have been more successful if it had received local political, governmental, and social services support.

Illicit drug use is an issue that triggers a wealth of debate and concern. Drawing on well-respected authors in the field, this textbook is at the cutting edge of contemporary debates about illicit drug use. Comprehensive in its coverage, the book examines the major theoretical questions, themes and policy debates and presents them in a straightforward, lucid manner. Knitted together by a strong editorial framework and student-friendly features such as study exercises, Drugs in Britain is essential reading for students of sociology and criminology taking courses in this area.

Leo Strauss's connection with Martin Heidegger and Carl Schmitt suggests a troubling proximity to National Socialism but a serious critique of Strauss must begin with F. H. Jacobi. While writing his dissertation on this apparently Christian opponent of the Enlightenment, Strauss discovered the tactical principles that would characterize his lifework: writing between the lines, a faith-based critique of rationalism, the deliberate secularization of religious language for irreligious purposes, and an "all or nothing" antagonism to middling solutions. Especially the latter is distinctive of his Zionist writings in the 1920s where Strauss engaged in an ongoing polemic against Cultural Zionism, attacking it first from an orthodox, and then from an atheist's perspective. In his last Zionist article (1929), Strauss mentions "the Machiavellian Zionism of a Nordau that would not fear to use the traditional hope for a Messiah as dynamite." By the time of his "change of orientation," National Socialism was being led by a nihilistic "Messiah" while Strauss had already radicalized Schmitt's "political theology" and Heidegger's deconstruction of the ontological Tradition. Central to Strauss's advance beyond the smartest Nazis is his "Second Cave" in which he claimed modern thought is imprisoned: only by escaping Revelation can we recover "natural ignorance." By using pseudo-Platonic imagery to illustrate what anti-Semites called "Jewification," Strauss attempted to annihilate the common ground, celebrated by Hermann Cohen, between Judaism and Platonism. Unlike those who attacked Plato for devaluing nature at the expense of the transcendent Idea, the emigre Strauss effectively employed a new "Plato" who was no more a Platonist than Nietzsche or Heidegger had been. Central to Strauss's "Platonic political philosophy" is the mysterious protagonist of Plato's Laws whom Strauss accurately recognized as the kind of Socrates whose fear of death would have caused him to flee the hemlock. Any reader who recognizes the unbridgeable gap between the real Socrates and Plato's Athenian Stranger will understand why "the German Stranger" is the principal theoretician of an atheistic re-enactment of religion, of which genus National Socialism is an ultra-modern species.

The history of adoption from 1918-1945, detailing the rise of adoption, the growth of adoption societies and considering the increasing emphasis on secrecy in adoption. Analyses adoption law from legalization in 1926, to regulation and reform in the 1930s, with regulations finally being enforced in 1943 amid concern about casual wartime adoptions.

This collection provides a guide to the legal requirements surrounding children's rights. The book discusses the practicalities and problems of listening to the child in educational, social and health settings.

"By focusing squarely on the cultural dimensions of social welfare policy, Sanford Schram brilliantly illuminates recent turns in policy and politics. Nor does he slight the material for the symbolic. Ratherhe shows the close connections between the cultural and material aspects of policy. Most welcome of all, Schram's work is imbued with a rare empathetic concern for the people who are both the beneficiaries and victims of social welfare."
--Frances Fox Piven, Graduate Center of the City University of New York

"If you want a flesh-and-blood story of the real agendas that lie behind policy-making in the age of tough love, After Welfare is the best book on the topic. Schram's incisive expose makes for spectacular common sense."
--Andrew Ross, New York University

"This engagingly written book lays bare the 'dirty little secrets' of a new order of social policy, one that shores up inequality by tapping into cultural reserves of race and gender prejudice while publicly presenting a neutral face. Its power derives from Schram's eloquence, his sharp wit, and his talent for persuading the reader to scrutinize social policy through the lens of social theory."
--Lisa Disch, University of Minnesota

"Sanford Schram's After Welfare is an exemplary combination of political theory, cultural critique, applied policy analysis and astute and comprehensive mapping of the contemporary politics of welfare. It should engage a wide readership in both academia and the policy community."
--Michael J. Shapiro, University of Hawai'i

Do contemporary welfare policies reflect the realities of the economy and the needs of those in need of public assistance, or are they based on outdatedand idealized notions of work and family life? Are we are moving from a "war on poverty" to a "war against the poor?" In this critique of American social welfare policy, Sanford F. Schram explores the cultural anxieties over the putatively deteriorating "American work ethic," and the class, race, sexual and gender biases at the root of current policy and debates.

Schram goes beyond analyzing the current state of affairs to offer a progressive alternative he calls "radical incrementalism," whereby activists would recreate a social safety net tailored to the specific life circumstances of those in need. His provocative recommendations include a series of programs aimed at transcending the prevailing pernicious distinction between "social insurance" and "public assistance" so as to better address the needs of single mothers with children. Such programs could include "divorce insurance" or even some form of "pregnancy insurance" for women with no means of economic support. By pushing for such programs, Schram argues, activists could make great strides towards achieving social justice, even in today's reactionary climate.

Chapters in this work describe and analyze homelessness in 15 states, from all geographic regions of the US. The diversity of survey locations reveals a variety of forces contributing to homelessness. There are frequent efforts to situate the problem within the sociopolitical context of the 1980s. An occasional chapter contains rich theoretical commentary. . . . the scope of the findings is compelling and the contradiction of stereotypes is effective. Choice This volume reads and holds together well even though each of the 14 chapters was written by a different individual or group, covers a different section of the country, uses different types of data sources and analytical methods, and evidences differing perspectives. An excellent foreword and introduction (Bruce Wiegand, Howard M. Bahr) put everything in context . . . Library Journal The essays in this volume attempt to answer some of the basic questions involved in the study of homelessness. They address such issues as the nature and extent of homelessness in the United States, the socioeconomic and demographic features of the homeless population, and how homelessness is conceptualized. Other examined matters include family background, duration of homelessness, shelter and social needs, socioeconomic causes, and the demands of the homeless issue on national policy. This work provides a unique sociological and demographic perspective on the problems of homelessness. Its emphasis on local and state-level studies will make it invaluable for civic groups and policy makers. It will also interest scholars in the fields of housing, urban sociology, and social problems.

Human Service Organizations in the Disaster Context explores the efforts of human service practitioners to support communities facing the impacts of large-scale hazardous events. Using the stories of frontline workers and managers who lived through devastating earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand in 2010 and 2011, and drawing on international research and sociological theory, van Heugten astutely analyses the challenges and opportunities that arise. In the immediate aftermath of disasters, there is often a surge in altruism giving rise to hope for improved social cohesion. This hope wanes when negative impacts fall unequally on people living in poverty and other vulnerable populations. Political, financial, and professional interest groups vie for power and local citizens' voices are frequently overruled. Human service workers act as boundary spanners, networking between organizations to draw attention to the concerns of vulnerable people, and to advocate for human rights and social justice.

This volume discusses the determinants of happiness and presents case studies of how public policy can help promote happiness. Happiness is a private matter and individual pursuit, however public policy does have an important role and can contribute much through various enabling means. Possible examples of such influence include establishing a set of institutions that allow private enterprises to flourish, investing in infrastructure and in education, protecting people from harm and reducing risks and alleviating pain when harm is unavoidable. This book takes a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science and an international perspective.

This book is concerned with the complexities of achieving quality in care transitions. The organization and accomplishment of high quality care transitions relies upon the coordination of multiple professionals, working within and across multiple care processes, settings and organizations, each with their own distinct ways of working, profile of resources, and modes of organizing. In short, care transitions might easily be regarded as complex activities that take place within complex systems, which can make accomplishing high quality care challenging. As a subject of enquiry, care transitions are approached from many research, improvement and policy perspectives: from group psychology and human factors to social and political theory; from applied process re-engineering projects to exploratory ethnographic studies; from large-scale policy innovations to local improvements initiatives. This collection will provide a unique cross-disciplinary and multi-level analysis, where each chapter presents a particular depth of insight and analysis, and together offer a holistic and detail understand of care transitions.

This book investigates how constructed representations of the child have and continue to restrict children's opportunities to engage in moral discourses, and the implications this has on children's everyday experiences. By considering a moral dimension to both structure and agency, the author focuses on the nature of the images that are used to represent the child and how these sit in contrast to the active and meaning-driven way in which children negotiate their everyday lives. The book therefore argues that 'morality' provides a filter to understand the backdrop for interaction, as well as offering a focus for engaging with the individual as a social agent, acting and reacting in the world around them. Negotiating Childhoods will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, childhood studies, criminology, social work, culture and media studies and philosophy.

In India today only 35 percent of people have access to medicines. This book examines the rise of drug prices in India, and develops a new healthcare model, which if implemented, would extend access to medicines to India's entire population. Sensitivity tests show that the proposed model is affordable, equitable and implementable