Showing papers in "International Social Work in 1995"

Social security in developing countries: basic tenets and fields of state intervention

Abstract: The birth of the conventional concept of social security The term ’social security’ in its modern-day sense was coined in the 1930s in the United States of America, as the mass poverty of the depression took on dimensions which made the introduction of a social network appear essential. This new social security system was anchored in the terms of the Social Security Act (1935) (Eichenhofer, 1990; Magill, 1989). Different motives led to the introduction of the Bismarckian social insurance in Germany at the end of the 19th century. The economic and social system was to be stabilized by making certain concessions to organized labour. Thus in the German context the introduction of a social insurance system specifically geared to

Caregiver burden among three-generation immigrant families in Israel:

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to examine the difficulties of immigrants who have young children at home and at the same time are the primary caregivers of older relatives sharing the same household. The mass immigration of Jews from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to Israel began in late 1989, and up until June 1992, 360,000 arrived (Central Bureau of Statistics, 1992a, 1992b). During 1991, about 17 percent of the CIS immigrants were 65 years old or over (Central Bureau of Statistics, 1992a). It is

Redefining social work's emphasis on the 'social': the path to development:

Abstract: The practice commitments made by the social work profession flow from moral principles which draw on a specific conception of morality and social justice. These principles include respect for persons, recognition of clients’ rights to self-determination, autonomy and participation in the helping transaction. These value commitments are expressed in the profession’s reformist, humanitarian, egalitarian and social development goals. Traditionally we have used a residual/institutional framework to examine the philosophy and values which underlie particular social policies. In this paper the residual/institutional paradigm has been broadened to include developmental and radical models as described by Hardiker, Exton and Barker (1991). The use of this structure facilitates our understanding of the relationship between social work and social welfare and their political, social and economic context. It will also be argued that an understanding of these models helps to highlight the kinds of changes which are needed for social work practice in the South African context. In this paper this expanded framework and the concepts which underlie it are discussed. The nature of self-help/mutual aid and its relevance for social work are outlined. The self-help and mutual aid literature is used to show how the use of informal systems can help social workers, particularly South African social workers, to move away from a remedial therapeutic concentration and commit themselves to a more appropriate (and economically viable) sharing of responsibility for adequate service provision within a developmental approach. It is argued that if we, as social workers, are to make this commitment we need to reflect on our current values. Such reflection should enhance our understanding of the importance of changing our practice focus to one of co-operation and

Can social work intervention increase organizational effectiveness

Abstract: Introduction In recent years, client participation in community organizations has re-emerged as a solution to many of society’s problems (Martinez-Brawley, 1991). Published work about this intervention covers case studies and research projects in Europe, Canada, America and the third world. The rich and developed literature regarding client participation (Bernstein, 1960; McDermott, 1975; Wandersman, 1979: Freedberg, 1989; Rothman, 1989; Spicker, 1990; York and Itzhaky, 1991; Bavely and York, 1995) has assumed that involvement makes for a more effective social work intervention, that is the higher the degree of client participation the more effective is the community organization. This assumption has yet to be tested empirically. Unfortunately, much of the literature on client participation and organizational effectiveness has not used variables such as sense of community belonging (CB). Bavely and York (1995) found that there is a correlation between CB and client participation, but they did not examine whether CB has a connection to organizational outputs as well. Since this research relates to social agency, we postulate such a correlation. This article will report the findings of a study that sought to examine the differences between clients of two models of Israeli community centres. In the first, the policy of the community centre

Information about the absent parent as a factor in the well-being of children of single-parent families:

Abstract: The extensive literature, accumulated over the last 50 years, suggests that the children of single-parent families are more likely to exhibit problems than their two-parent counterparts. These include behavioural difficulties (e.g. aggression, burglary, lying, temper tantrums, disobedience, running away, alcohol and illicit drug use, promiscuity); psychological problems (e.g. low selfesteem, depression, withdrawal); and educational difficulties (e.g. truancy and under-achievement). In other words, a host of studies suggests that single parenthood is inimical to healthy psychological, social and intellectual development (e.g. Austin, 1978; Bowlby, 1944, 1973, 1980; Dennis and Erdos, 1992; Elliot and Richards, 1991; Emery, 1988; Glueck and Glueck, 1950, 1962; Hetherington, 1973; Hetherington and Arasteh, 1988; Landis, 1960; McCord

The law of karma and social work considerations

Abstract: The people of India have a complex and unique system of religious and cultural beliefs/values which have profound influences on the social dynamics of Indian society. One historically predominant belief has continually been present in the Indian social structure. This belief has been termed the ’doctrine of karma or law of karma’ (Omprakash, 1989). In an attempt to understand the influences of this belief on a social level and to examine its implications for social work intervention, we discuss the following: (1) the philosophical conceptions that provide a foundation for defining the intentions of the law of karma in the context of traditional Hinduism; (2) the perceptions and interpretative application of the law of karma by higher and lower castes; (3) the contributing factors related to the law of karma that perpetuate social dysfunction and social stratification; (4) a case study which illustrates the social consequences of various interpretations of the law of karma; (5) social work practice and policy considerations as social workers intervene (at multiple levels) in client systems which incorporate the law of karma in their primary belief system.

Children in foster care: their present situation and plans for their future:

Abstract: A basic assumption in child-rearing in the western world is that children should live with their biological families until they reach maturity. It is only when the family cannot function as a safe environment for the child that out-of-home placements such as foster care are sought. Removing children from their biological families and placing them with families considered more suitable to care for them is a decision of great individual and societal consequence (Maluccio and Fein, 1983). Such a placement may help relieve the child’s and family’s distress, and pave a new and hopeful road for their future, but it may also result in anguish and irreversible harm to the children and to their families (Kadushin and Martin, 1988). In England, since the Children Act of 1948 fostering has been the preferred method of care for young children who have to be placed out of home, and the number of children placed in foster care has continued to grow (Rowe et al., 1984). Similarly, in the United States, family foster care is one of the largest components of child welfare and seems to be growing (Terpstra, 1987). In Israel foster care has also become a preferred alternative for many children who cannot or should not be adopted, and for whom residential care is not suitable (Jaffe, 1982). In 1989 there were about 1700 children placed in about 1200 foster families across Israel. Most of these placements are voluntary and do not involve the courts. While in the United States, foster care providers may be private

Troubled and troublesome: young people, urbanization and the case of Hong Kong:

Abstract: on juvenile crime was undertaken and new youth services were introduced. Yet there has been no marked improvement in the situation, although juvenile crime figures have dropped slightly since 1989 and seem to show a more stable picture. Troubled and troublesome youth cause great concern in many countries. Despite the volume of research that has been carried out, it remains an unresolved problem. Perhaps juvenile crime is a problem with which all societies must live, particularly in big cities. To explore the causes, we have to look more closely at the environment that nurtures the young generation. A variety of research studies have been undertaken in Hong Kong. The environment of Hong Kong as it relates to possible factors contributing to juvenile crime will be analyzed through examining the results of this research.

Cultural pluralism and Asian-Americans: culturally sensitive social work practice

Abstract: The term ’Asian-American’ in this article refers to persons whose origins are in the Far East, the Pacific Islands, or South East Asia. This group includes over 20 nationalities, but the majority of AsianAmericans are Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino. While each of these groups has its own language and culture as well as a different ethnicity, they have commonality. Their unique Oriental cultures contrast to western culture, and they all have been faced with problems of acculturation and discrimination since their immigration to the United States. The first Asian immigrants to the United States were the Chinese who arrived on the West Coast in the 1840s. Between 1890 and 1924

The political economy of unemployment and unemployment insurance in the People's Republic of China:

Abstract: The question of how China, burgeoning with one-fifth of the world’s total population, avowedly and unswervingly a state socialist society, yet moving towards a market economy, responds to the problem of unemployment should be of interest to social policy analysts around the world. During the Maoist era, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proudly claimed that the problem of unemployment in China was ’non-existent’. According to the ideology of the CCP, labour is

Bulgarian social services and social work education

Abstract: The milieu in Eastern Europe and Bulgaria Bulgaria, like other Eastern and Central European countries, is confronting the dilemma of how to change its social welfare system, its social and mental health services, and social work education in order to adapt to the massive social, political, and economic metamorphosis in the establishment of a democratic government and a market-oriented economy. All these countries are trying to emulate the West while creating their unique institutions and simultaneously satisfying the stringent economic requirements set by the European Community, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This author taught and consulted in Bulgaria several times both before and after the political changes of November 1989 (including twice as a Fulbright Fellow in 1989 and 1993). In describing the changes and directions of social work services and education, she uses Bulgaria as an example of the conflicts, confusion, rigidity and creativity these countries are experiencing. Because each country is at a different stage of economic and political development, they differ during this transition period. Nevertheless, they share enough similarities, both before and after the fall of Communism, to use Bulgaria as an example of the common trends in the area. During Communism, most Eastern European countries were forced to shift from a rural to an industrial economy, but their factories, technologies and products were of poor quality and industrial pollution was rampant. Because everything, including the people, was controlled by the central government, during the present transition the entire philosophical, political and economic infrastructures are being rethought, restructured and very slowly

Professional commitment among graduating BSW students in Israel

Abstract: The verb ’commit’ is a curious one. It can refer to an internal state, to external actions, or to the linkage between the two. When one commits oneself to an ideal or to a religious doctrine (the intransitive use of the verb), the reference is to a promise or resolution, which may or may not require action at some future time. On the other hand, to commit suicide, murder or an act of charity (the transitive use) is to perform a concrete deed. The third use of the term, commitment as ’a decisive moral choice that involves a person in a definite course of action’ (Gove, 1986: 457), subsumes the resolution, the deed, and the relationship between them. It is this last use that is germane to the discussion of commitment to the social work profession. The social work profession has been consistent in its emphasis

Social informatics: beyond technology A research project in schools of social work in the European Community

Abstract: The authors review the findings of a research project conducted throughout schools of social work in Europe on the level of attention paid to the vocational use of information technology in social work education. Provided is an outline of the research design and an overview of how information technology is being applied in service provision across Europe. The study introduces the concept of social informatics. Research results suggest a wide gap between the use of informatics in social work agencies and the expectations of social work students because of the attention paid to this topic in the curricula of the schools of social work.

Book reviews : Schaufeli, Wilmar B., Christian Maslach and Tadeusz Marek (eds) (1993) Professional Burnout: Recent Developments in Theory and Research. Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis

Abstract: children, they constitute 3 percent of the State’s population. Thorpe uses the findings to analyse the development of child protection services and how they have consumed child welfare. Poorly resourced parents (mostly women) often from a discriminated against minority are now monitored and policed rather than resourced and supported. Their identified problems e.g. alcohol and drug abuse are rarely treated and their child rearing practices are assessed with little reference to their cultural traditions. Thorpe attributes this to the professional agenda being determined by the, mostly medical, specialists who have had as their professional concern the small minority of children who have been seriously , abused tastelessly called a ’rear end led’ system. This has led to the ’decontextualisation’ of child abuse where poor parenting is divorced from the social and economic environment in which it occurs and is essentially blamed on the parents. Where his study is strong is in the marshalling of evidence to show that it is predominantly poor rather than abusive parenting that the child protection services

US welfare policy in historical perspective: a bifurcated system

Abstract: Recent debate on welfare reform has centered on the obligation to work, the availability of jobs, and more universal approaches to social provision (Gilder, 1981; Murray, 1984; Mead and Wilson, 1987; Skocpol, 1991; Mead, 1992). This essay will focus on the evolution of welfare policy during the 20th century. One aim will be to determine the extent to which current policy ’reform’ is similar to earlier propositions in terms of ’rights’ and ’responsibilities’. Policy will be analyzed according to watershed periods: the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Great Society, and the Reagan/Bush years. It will be shown that a trend toward aid established in the 19th cen-

The social worker as an educator for self-control:

Abstract: Clinical social workers differ from other clinicians by their ability adequately to meet client needs (Wodarski, 1981). Their use of multi-targets and multi-methods is directed toward the achievement of positive change and the solving of human problems (Schinken, 1981). In addition, they aim to embrace shaping, educating and teaching roles, for example to implement self-help skills or problemsolving models. Another distinctive component of clinical social work is the development of new prevention programs for increasing clients’ ability to cope and manage better in the future (Hardiker and Barker, 1981; Wodarski, 1981). The goals of social work have been defined by the National Association of Social Work (NASW) as follows: ’to assist individuals and groups to identify and resolve or minimize problems arising out of disequilibrium between themselves and their environment ... to prevent the occurrence of disequilibrium and ... to seek out, identify and strengthen the maximum potential in individuals, groups and communities’ (NASW, 1980). These goals can be summarized as: immediate problem-solving; prevention; and facilitating human potential. This paper proposes self-control interventions as a treatment of choice for clinical social workers, in order to address all of these social work goals. It is suggested that, by gradually moving from being therapists who treat immediate problems to becoming teachers of self-help skills and educators for self-control, social workers can facilitate clients to become their own change agents and

Revisiting a repopulated village: a step backwards in the changing status of women

Abstract: In response to the United Nations Centre for Social Development call for ’case studies of successful experiences’ in women’s social development (1989 : 189), I prepared an article describing and analyzing the status of women in repopulated villages in Central America during 1991 (Julid, 1994). Based on a case study of the repopulation of Copapayo, El Salvador, the evolving situation of these resettled communities 2 was discussed with an emphasis on changes in the roles and status of women. Despite conditions of extreme poverty, and despite living in a country that had been experiencing a civil war, these women had made more progress in their struggle for gender equality than many women from the socalled developed world. Dramatic changes have taken place in El Salvador since the original study was completed in 1991. After nearly a decade during which the military government of El Salvador struggled with domestic insurgency in a civil war that ravaged the country, a peace treaty was signed between the two sociopolitical groups. Efforts to implement the terms of the peace accord were in progress at the time this latest follow-up study was conducted in October 1993.3 3

The functions of negative aspects of welfare in capitalist societies: a case study of temporary accommodation for the homeless in Britain and housing policy for small households in Hong Kong

Abstract: In the 20th century laissez-faire capitalism has gradually given way to state welfare capitalism. Almost all advanced industrial societies have a large proportion of their incomes and wealth spent by government or government related organizations on social and public services (George and Wilding, 1985). This is not the result of an end of ideology (Bell, 1960), but related more to a particular characteristic of social services; they can serve different and even conflicting ends (Offe, 1984). This characteristic enables social services to survive on a temporary consensus between dominant ideology and subordinate class (Walker, 1984a) with contradictory functions. On the one hand social services can fulfil some welfare goals and bring welfare to the needy (Walker, 1984b). On the other hand, it is possible for the dominant class to use social services to control the dependent class (Ginsburg, 1979; Gough, 1979). In order

Southeast Asian refugee resettlements in Japan and the USA

Abstract: same objective for resettling refugees in their societies, namely, assimilation with self-sufficiency, we learned in this visit that Japan and the US have developed essentially different approaches to the resettlement: Japan uses an ’institutionalized approach’ while the US uses an ’individualized’ one. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the approaches used in Japan and the US in order to identify common as well as different issues involved in each approach and to identify the knowledge and skills needed to assist refugees. Although this paper focuses on Japan and the US, we assume that such knowledge would be equally or partially applicable to other countries which offer permanent resettlement of Southeast Asian refugees.

Outcome measures in social work education in the United States: a national survey

Abstract: The most recent Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation guidelines require schools of social work to develop adequate outcome measures for their educational program. The CSWE evaluative standard number 5.5 also specifies that schools of social work are required to conduct systematic and continuous evaluation of outcomes (Buchan, 1991). However, Whiteman and Nielson (1984) note that although sophisticated mechanisms of evaluation and accountability are increasingly available to social work practitioners, little has been done to develop more adequate

Financial support for informal care in Britain, Finland and Michigan: a comparison of system functions

Abstract: The growth of financial support for informal care During the 1980s discussions on the development of social welfare and health care services began to attach increasing importance to the role of informal care. Today, the calls for support to informal carers continue to gather momentum in social service policies. The support may be provided in the form of either services or cash benefits. The purpose of this article is to describe and compare three different systems for financially supporting informal carers. The main concern of the discussion here is with so-called carer’s

Reflections on social work from Cuernavaca, Mexico

Abstract: see snow-capped volcanos now obscured by perpetual urban haze, is an epic mural painted in 1929 by Diego Rivera. Dramatic scenes flow from one doorway of the balcony to the other portraying the invasion of the Spanish forces, the subsequent exploitation of native peoples and their enduring resistance, and finally celebrating the Mexican revolution led by Emiliano Zapata. Toward the center of the mural there is a scene in which the active violence of the battles is suspended for the moment, expressing as much sorrow as outrage (see Figure 1 overleaf). A large tree is leaning down, almost fallen over a ravine. It is a kind of tree common in Cuernavaca with thick oval leaves and leather-smooth bark with folds at its branches like skin. Men in simple clothes, some without shirts or barefoot, are clinging to the branches some hugging the limbs, others hanging by their hands while at the base of the tree, stepping on the exposed roots, helmeted and armored, the invading forces are stabbing at the living trunk with spears, an ax waiting. According to Helms (1986 : 268-73), this scene, La Toma de Cuernavaca, depicts Cort6s’ use of downed trees to cross the barrancas that had temporarily protected the town.

Youth and family welfare services in Germany

Abstract: ~ an increase in the divorce rate, and in single-parent and stepfamilies; ~ a growing number of working mothers and a decreasing regard for homemakers, leading to changes in the role of women; ~ a decline in the number of children per family about a third of all children do not have siblings; ~ a growing importance and ’value’ assigned to their children by parents, often leading to pampering and over-protection; ~ a growing number of parents feeling insecure in child-rearing due to lack of experience with children and the plurality of norms and sociocultural values; ~ an increase in the number of families suffering from unemployment, alcohol or drug abuse, racial discrimination, child abuse, parental psychopathology, etc.;

The butterflies of ARKA: grassroots initiatives for child welfare in Poland

Abstract: Poland’s political and economic transformation demands the restructuring of its centralized industrial, business and social institutions into a free market economy. Social workers, along with all Poles, face many challenges that come with this decentralization. The provision of quality social welfare services has been neglected for many years by the communist-governed bureaucracy. The breakdown of the communist regime during 1989 and the appointment of the first independent government by Tadeusz Mazowiecki opened the door to economic reforms, private initiatives and grass-

Book reviews : Gabor, Ivor and Jane Adridge (eds) (1994) In the Best Interests of the Child: Culture, Identity and Transracial Adoption. London: Free Association Books, 249 pp

Abstract: This book argues the case for trans racial adoption. The editors, however, take great pains to say that adoption across racial boundaries should only occur as a last resort. The overall emphasis in the publication is to put the case that children are more harmed by other factors (such as long waiting periods before placement, inappropriate placement setting, etc.) than they are by being placed transracially. It is unfortunate that the foreword to the publication is written in a rather inaccessible style. Semi-neologisms, and obscure words such as ’synecdoche’, which send one rushing to the dictionary, tend to be off-putting. Coming at the beginning it tends to induce in the reader some anxiety that the whole book will be an effort.

Book reviews : Kroll, Brynna (1994) Chasing Rainbows: Children, Divorce and Loss. Dorset, UK: Russell House Publishing, 187 pp:

Abstract: much as anything else. The majority cultural perspective inherent in the book enables the author not to consider those of British descent as ’immigrants’. Surely, in the Canadian context, only the First Nations peoples are not ’immigrants’ in some sense of the term. Furthermore, the ’Timeline’ on which the Framework is predicated is not one which would necessarily be followed by any particular group, let alone by individuals within it. There are movements backwards and forwards, up and down, not just forward. Some of us, ’first generation immigrants’, have already superceded the AF in our own biographies. Moreover, the processes in which we engage include not only

The cross-cultural exchange of development and evaluation of programs for drug education:

Abstract: on drug abuse treatment and prevention endeavors in other countries is even more scarce. Accordingly, the information contained in two US federal government reports International Narcotics Control Strategy: March 1987 and Final Report: Asia Regional Narcotics A wareness Survey (May 1987) has particular relevance for helping professionals with interests in drug abuse prevention through education. In the author’s view, educational programs to combat drug abuse need to make greater use of techniques employed in marketing in the business sector; and it is suggested that these techniques are not dissimilar to task-centered approaches to social work practice which have gained professional acceptance in recent years. Moreover, it will be seen that the author has adapted the frequently used problem-solving model in social work education to the application of these marketing techniques. Although all cultures must develop their own unique drug education endeavors, the dissemination of information on drug education technology can provide assistance in determining appropriate and feasible methods and vehicles.

Book reviews : Simon, R.J., H. Alstein and M.S. Meli (1994) The Case for Transracial Adoption. Washington DC: American Universities Press, 124 pp

Abstract: where a statutory task had to be accomplished. It therefore represents a therapeutic approach to the task of assessing children’s views, feelings and state of mind in the context of parental divorce or separation. However, it is a model which could equally well be employed by any professional involved in child-centred work. Working with children in distress is not easy. This book is a valuable contribution to helping workers understand the difficulties while at the same time providing a very practical framework for undertaking the task.

Book reviews : Reamer, Frederic G. (1994) Social Work Malpractice and Liability. New York: Columbia University Press, 266 pp

Abstract: as majority (as in North America) or minority (Africa), there are similarities in the patterns of treatment meted out to the indigenous populations. Dixon and Scheurell explore seven variables to unravel their current situation: political subjugation, negligence, focus of social policy, social and legal discrimination, provision of social welfare services, ethnic, cultural and political rejuvenation and overall perspective. While each analysis is a self-contained study, there are obvious gaps in terms of depth and linkages. As the inquisitive reader leafs forward with curiosity, the train of ideas suddenly stops at Sierra Leone without a warning. An abrupt end without