Showing papers in "Social Work in 1980"

Children of lesbians: their point of view

Abstract: Karen Gail Lewis, MSSS, is Director, Child's Outreach Program, South Shore Mental Health Center, Quincy, Massachusetts, and in private practice. Material from this article was presented at the International Congress of Psy choanalysis, Germany, 1977, and at the American Association of Psychiatric Services to Children, Washington, D.C., 1977. The author gratefully acknowledges the support of Henry Grunebaum, Ken Lewis, and Sheldon Waxenberg. CHILDREN INTERVIEWED

Engaging the disengaged: proposals on madness and vagrancy

Abstract: Reprinted from SOCIAL WORK. Vol. 25. No. S. September 1980 ngaging the disengaged: proposals on madness and Vagrancy Steven P. Segal and Jim Baumohl Urban areas have become host to young chronic ex-mental patients who often live on the street or in single-room occupancy hotels. The authors analyze obstacles to humane community care and sug- gest future policies and programs. Steven P. Segal. Ph.D.. is Associate Professor and Director. and Jim Baumohl. MS W. is Field Research Specialist. Mental Health and Social Welfare Research Group, Scltool of Social Welfare. University of Califor- nia. Berkeley. The research on which this paper is based was supported in part by Grant No. SROI MI! 254 I 7-05 from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies. National In- stitute ofMental Health, ttnda Faculty Research Grant from the Committee on Research. University of C altfornia. Ber/reley. This paper is a revised ver- sion of one prepared for the President's Commission on Mental Health. Winter I977. The authors express appreciation to Howard Levy, Kathryn Komatsu. Satinder Cheema. Lynn Everett-Dille. and Elsie ./ohnsonfor their comments. 358 YOUNG ADULT males will be the most difficult mental patients of the 19805. Although the rate of residence in men- tal hospitals for the overall population has declined markedly since I955. the‘ rate for young adult males has changed little in this time. Moreover. the size of this population has grown enormously and is projected to grow further during the 19805.‘ As elderly patients are removed to nursing homes and similar institutions, state and county hospitals will contend with a growing population of young patients. many of whom will become familiar, periodic guests. In this era of commu- nity care. most will receive only “re- volving-doorq treatment: they will be briefly hospitalized. treated with major tranquilizers. and discharged. After discharge, some of these young people will “return to parents or spouses; others will find congenial halfway houses or board-and-care set- tings. Some will gravitate to cults or other communities of believers and. in retrospect. may view their madness as a necessary religious awakening.’ A significant number. who have lost or exhausted their kin or who place au- tonomy before the refuge of home. will pursue independent lives. Perhaps they will never again need treatment. Unfortunately. many of these young. primarily male ex-patients will simply disappear into the tenderloins. youth ghettos. and -skid rows of America. Between hospitalizations. they will live on the street and. in time, become qcareerq mental patients and middle- aged urban nomads. Most probably. they will drift through rundown welfare hotels and be repeatedly involved with the police and mental health agencies as a result of public complaints.’ This article is concerned with the di- lemmas of this group of ex-mental patients—the so—cal|ed space cases. The authors discuss six major obstacles to their humane care in the community and describe approaches to social sup- port that might prevent the worst con- sequences of madness and disatTiIia- tion. in this article the authors use the terms qex-mental patient“ (or “ex- puticntq). qstreet person.q and qspace case“ to describe the subjects of their inquiry. These terms are not synony- mous. and the authors will be remiss in their obligation to those who partici- pated in the research if the distinctions are not clear. The term qstreet peopleq is a gross. imprecise term that is applied to a het- erogeneous population with only a few characteristics in common. Street people hang out on the street, using the sidewalks and parks of the city as the living rooms that most cannot afford: they participate in the various social and economic activities associated with street life the world over. However. there is no widely accepted “code of the streetsq in this country. If there is an encompassing tradition among street people in predominantly white. univer- sity-dominated Berkeley. California. rather than sets of expectations adher- ing to specific roles (such as that of the drug dealer). it is a vague legacy of the “psychedelic leftq that is. today. more veheer than substance.‘ The term “space case.q however. is specific and grounded in the authors‘ field research on social boundaries among street people. Space cases are those judged by other street people to be delusionary. unpredictable. and unreliable—in the lexicon of the street “burned out.q qfried.q or qspaced.“ Space cases have invariably been hos- pitalized. but not all street people who have been hospitalized are space cases.’ The term “ex-mental patientq refers to all individuals of such status. space cases included. Since the space case is a particular son of street person. he or she is also a special kind of ex-mental patient. PRESENTING PROBLEM In addition to psychiatric status. two dimensions of the ex-mental patient‘s life are of primary importance to caretakers: social functioning and propensity to violence. Kears. although referring to the whole population of young male ex-patients -in his area. provides a description that fairly repre- sents the mental health professional‘: view of space cases. He finds that space cases are “chronically dysfunc- tionalq or “violent and destructive.q‘ 0037-8046/803505-0358 $0.50 © I980. National Association of Social Workers. lnc.

Feedback from the experts: a study of foster mothers

Abstract: Robert B. Hampson, Ph.D., is Assis tant Professor, Department of Psychol ogy, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. Joseph B. Tavormina, Ph.D., deceased, was Associate Profes sor, Department of Psychology, Uni versity of Virginia, Charlottesville. Dr. Hampson would like to express appreciation to Jennifer Browne for assistance in coding the written data. Nearly 500,000 children in the parents, caseworkers, and agencies, United States reside in foster homes.1 lead to less than positive outcomes for Thus, foster parents currently provide foster children. In fact, one study ac a family setting and socialization for a tually found harmful psychological ef substantial proportion of the children fects: one-third of fifty-four children in the nation. Consequently, to maxifollowed for three years in foster care mize the quality of care for these childeteriorated psychologically to the dren, it is essential that professionals point of requiring hospitalization.8 listen to the concerns of foster parents Typically, however, the onus for the about the foster care system. general ineffectiveness of foster care is Being a foster parent is not an easy placed upon the foster parents, job. The children entrusted to foster

Older people and their ‘responsible others’

Abstract: Regina Kulys, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor, Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, Chicago. Sheldon S. Tobin, Ph.D., is Associate Professor, School of Social Service Administra tion, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Eleventh International Congress of Gerontol ogy, Tokyo, Japan, August 23, 1978. The study described in this article was supported by Grant 90-A-515 from the U.S. Administration on Aging. Contrary to popular opinion, elwith the future is apparently not to derly people in this country are neither dwell on what might happen but isolated from their families nor alienrather to assure themselves that sup ated from their peers. Although port would be available were a crisis nowadays they may live separately actually to occur. Because of the im from their children, they certainly are portance of interpersonal supports for not cut off from them, as the oftenthe security of the elderly, the focus heard phrase "the isolated nuclear in the present article is on those who family" would suggest. might be expected to provide such As demonstrated by such authors as support. Specifically, attention has been Rosenmayr and Kockeis, Shanas et given to the person termed the "re al., Shanas, Townsend, and Troll, data sponsible other." This individual was gathered in modern societies confirm identified during a study by asking that the elderly interact with their each of a number of elderly people children with great frequency and that the following question: "If you were a good deal of mutual interchange admitted to the hospital and had to takes place across the generations.1 name someone who would be respon Similarly, data on peer interaction sible for you and your affairs, whom among the elderly indicate that friends would you choose?" The authors' in and neighbors provide older persons tent in focusing on the responsible with important interpersonal support.2 other was to determine whether older Indeed, a recent survey of the elderly people do indeed have someone on in Cleveland conducted by the U.S. whom they can depend in times of General Accounting Office revealed crisis and to examine the relationship that 56 percent of those surveyed that exists between the older person were receiving personal care from and the individual designated as re friends and family.3 Although indisponsible other. Also, the concern was viduals who are not family members with those elderly persons who may may provide an important form of not have anyone they can designate natural support to elderly people, it as responsible other or whose respon is to their kin that the elderly turn sible other exists in name only, when a crisis occurs. Cantor found that when children or other relatives

Working with stepfamilies: principles of practice

Abstract: Harriette C. Johnson, Ph.D., is Assis tant Professor, School of Social Work, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York. An earlier version of this article was presented at a conference entitled "Symposium on the Family—A Chang ing Institution," sponsored by the School of Social Work Alumni As sociation, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, January 1979. Despite the prevalence today of the connotation that it is a deviant, families that include stepparents and aberrant, or second-class form of the stepchildren, relationships among the "real" family, which consists of bio members of stepfamilies have received logical parents and their children, relatively limited attention in the proThe stigma and negative associations fessional literature. The preponderance attached to stepfamilies derive from of books that have appeared on steptwo cultural traditions: first, the families have either been "how to do "wicked stepmother" image from ar it" manuals or anecdotal accounts.1 chaic fairy-tale representations of the Accurate statistics on the number of family reconstituted after the death of adults and children who have become one parent; and second, the image of related through remarriage have not the contemporary stepfamily that is been compiled. It has been well docmost often the aftermath of divorce, umented, however, that a large and innot widowhood. Consider the ugly creasing number of marriages end in pictures of the jealous stepmother and divorce, that many of these marriages the tarnished divorcee: add the philan have produced children, and that the dering husband who abandons his fam majority of divorces are followed by ily for a home-wrecking temptress; and the remarriage of one or both partners.2 round out the myth with an image of Estimates of the number of stepfamilies the innocent victims—that is, the chil in this country range up to fifteen mildren—who must endure years of pain lion or more.3 and suffering because of their par Social workers frequently encounter ents' behavior. No wonder the result stepfamilies in a variety of settings, ing composite is the unsavory, less Although every family has features that than-whole, "reconstituted" family. In are idiosyncratic, several characthis scenario, parents are the objects of teristics of stepfamilies are inherent in blame, children are the objects of pity, the institution of the stepfamily itself, and some stigma attaches to all family Each of these phenomena is described members. in all or most of the existing works on The existing literature on step the subject. Nevertheless, practitioners families emphasizes the analysis of the sometimes fail to recognize these stepfamily as a psychological phenom situation-generated dynamics for what enon separate from its environmental they are and instead interpret them as context. With the exception of Duber being indicative of "family pathology." man, who has examined the stepfamily This article will attempt to cull from from a sociological perspective, too lit the literature the common charactie attention has been directed to the teristics of stepfamily relationships. It sociological and economic origins of is intended to provide a framework for the stepfamily.4 Stresses and tensions understanding these relationships that endemic to stepfamily relationships will be useful to practitioners in both have their roots in social conditions counseling and noncounseling situaarising from economic change and cui rions. To understand the origins of the turally conditioned beliefs and expec characteristics commonly seen in tations. The tendency to overlook these stepfamilies, it is first necessary to exorigins may result, in social work prac plore the sociological and historical tice, in a worker's making a "case" out contexts in which the present-day pheof a stepfamily—that is, in the worker's nomenon of remarriage involving chillooking for pathology and then applying dren has developed. a medical therapeutic model to treat it. Unfortunately, such an approach tends

Alcoholism among Native Americans: an analysis

Abstract: Laurence A. French, Ph.D., is Assis tant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska, Lin coln, and an adviser to the Executive Director of the Lincoln Indian Center and the Nebraska Indian Commission. Jim Hornbuckle, BS, is Director of Human Services, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee, North Carolina. This article will approach aleosingle causal-lineal relationship be holism among Native Americans from a tween isolated factors, psychocultural perspective, which isoAlcohol is a factor in 75 to 80 percent lates Native American alcoholism from of all Native American suicides and alcoholism in society in general. At about 90 percent of all homicides, how times, this approach may appear to be ever.' The Federal Bureau of Investi at odds with more conventional gation's Uniform Crime Reports etiologies and popular methods of (1958-77) support these statistics, treating alcoholism that are advocated indicating that Native Americans have by psychologists, psychiatrists, social the highest conviction rate for crimes of workers, and medical personnel, violence.4 Their conviction rate is twice Nevertheless, this approach fits the that of Blacks and Hispanics and three current multidisciplinary framework times that of whites.5 Not all Native recommended by the National Institute Americans who drink are involved in on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.' violent crime, however. The rate of other alcohol-related offenses such as

Integration of primary prevention into social work practice

Abstract: Although much has been written about the concept, primary prevention has not been integrated into social work practice. The author discusses factors that might move the profession toward adapting this concept and discusses as well those that inhibit its integration.

Knowledge base of clinical social work

Abstract: Eda G. Goldstein, DSW, is Assistant Director of Staff Development, Social Service Department, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Westchester Division, White Plains, New York. This article is a revised version of a paper presented at the NASW National Invitational Forum on Clinical Social Work, Denver, Colorado, June 8, 1979. The issue of the knowledge base of efforts and prevented the profession all social work practice is at the heart of from amassing a core of theoretical and the concerns of the profession and, at practice knowlege that would inform the same time, is its Achilles' heel.1 interventions.2 The values, mission, and areas of comAttempts at overcoming these pain :petence of social workers determine ful divisions have sought to link the the nature and boundaries of the profession's dual mission to a unified knowledge essential to practice. This conception of social work practice. Ac article addresses the knowledge base of cording to this conception, practice clinical social work practice. The auefforts are directed toward maintaining, thor's thesis is that a broad definition of restoring, or enhancing social func clinical work encompassing a variety of tioning through transactions that in specific approaches is essential to unitduce growth and improve the environ ing professional practice. Thus, the ment.3 Problems in living are not core of knowledge necessary to clinical viewed exclusively in terms of the indi social work is not dissimilar from that vidual or the environment. As one au informing all social work practice. It thor has stated,

Marital and family counseling in prisons

Abstract: David Showalter, MSW, and Charlotte Williams Jones, MSW, are Social Workers, Kansas State Penitentiary, Lansing. Traditionally, the criminal justice finding employment that will provide system's main focus has been on proan adequate income. She is faced with tecting society from criminals and on making major decisions by herself. In punishing the individuals who violate many instances this may be a new ex the law. In the last few decades, the perience, since in the past she may rehabilitation movement has created either have shared this responsibility alternative methods of treating crimiwith her husband or let him make the nals instead of solely depending on decisions. Suddenly faced with making punishment. The alternatives that have these decisions, she may experience been developed include a number of great fear and anxiety. The fear and ideas and programs designed to treat anxiety can increase her lack of self individuals while they are incarcerated, confidence and lead to serious emo Among the more widely used of these tional problems such as depression or activities are individual counseling, withdrawal. If there are children, the group counseling, job training, educawife becomes totally responsible for tional programs, and work release them. The children, reacting to the pain plans. The tendency in these reof losing their father, may become dif habilitative programs has been to focus ficult to handle. entirely on the incarcerated individual. Also, Morris's study of social service The authors believe that contrary to the agencies showed that community agen current trend, the inclusion of the priscies did not have extensive contact oner's family in rehabilitative programs with families of prisoners, even though will increase the effectiveness of treatthe families needed the agencies' ser ment. vices.3 On top of these problems the While society is punishing the indiwife is faced with personal problems of vidual who violated the law, members loneliness, sexual frustration, and lack of the prisoner's family suffer serious of emotional support from her mate, consequences. Little attention is paid Faced with many opportunities for to the fact that "many legally innocent having these needs met from other men people, closely related to prisoners and only limited contact with her have experienced the suffering which spouse, the woman is forced to make a imprisonment brings."1 The family extough decision. Many marriages will periences many hardships when its not last if the husband undergoes a long main breadwinner, father, or husband period of incarceration. Holt and Miller is not present. Professional awareness report that "contacts from legally mar of these problems has been limited, as ried wives of first term inmates grew demonstrated by the relatively few fewer through the second year, studies that have been conducted on suggesting that the marital relationship the subject. Some studies that have deteriorates as the years in prison been completed, however, have found pass."4 that severe stress and strain was

Coordination of client services

Abstract: Case coordination is an important social work activity with roots in the earlest objectives and functions of the profession. This article outlines the theoretical framework of case coordination and describes the tasks, skills, and knowledge essential to it.

Information system design in foster care

Abstract: John Poertner, DSW, is Assistant Pro fessor, Lincoln College, Lincoln, Illi nois. Charles A. Rapp, MSW, is Research Associate, School of Social Work, University of Illinois, Urbana. The authors are listed alphabetically. The project on which this article is based was made possible through a Title XX training grant. The authors express their appreciation to Jesse Viers and Joan Kelly for their leader ship in mounting the project and to Merlin Taber and Richard Bolan for their assistance in the conceptualiza tion of this article. In 1959 Maas and Engler found that have this information enhance organi more than half the children they studzational control. Information systems ied seemed likely to live a major part have not helped social service person of their childhood in foster families nel make decisions that enhance the and institutions.1 Nearly twenty years achievement of goals. Sophisticated later, Fanshel and Shinn found that computer hardware, prepackaged com after five years 40 percent of the chilputer software, and experts in man dren they studied were still in longagement information systems have term foster care.2 The phenomenon of become ubiquitous, and this new tech children in unplanned, long-term fosnology has been heralded as the savior ter care is contrary to the accepted of large bureaucracies. Any manager notion of foster care as a short-term who wants to can have a desk or a service. This phenomenon has been closet full of computer printouts. How termed the "drift" of children into ever, these printouts never seem to long-term care, and it is well docucontain the information that managers mented in the literature on child welneed to make important day-to-day fare.3 In Illinois, over half the children decisions. in foster homes have been in care more It is widely recognized that the cul than two years. This is approximately prits concerning the unfulfilled promise 4,700 children, 42 percent of whom of management information systems are less than 12 years old and most are the traditional designs of these sys of whom have no serious handicap. tems.7 The traditional approach has re Several innovative attempts to relied on models from business or com duce the number of children in longputer science rather than on models term foster care have had positive outfrom child welfare or social service, comes. Emlen's Permanent Planning Designers have worked to the specifi Project, Stein and Gambrill's Alameda cations of a few top-level administra County Project, and the Child Welfare tors rather than to those of the broad League's Second Chance for Families range of personnel who become the all obtained positive results.4 Yet the users of the systems. It has also simply problem remains. Implementation of been assumed that administrators and successful innovations has been slow, managers need the information they The term "drift" implies that the want, rather than involving these indi system is aimlessly carrying the child viduals in determining and testing into long-term care; it is not a characdecision-related rules, teristic of the child that is causing the Managers have traditionally as need for long-term care. Several intersumed little or no role in the design ventions that emphasize correcting sysprocess. They dismiss information sys tems have been applied to the problem terns as inaccurate and therefore use of drift. Case management, case planless. They have been slow to recognize ning, and case review systems are exthat there is a relationship between the amples of such solutions. Fanshel validity of a system and the extent to highlighted the potential of computerwhich it is used. They also view infor ized management information systems mation systems as synonymous with to help reduce drift.5 When such syscomputers, failing to recognize that tems collect and maintain records on such systems are sets of methods for such activities as the caseworker's congathering, storing, and retrieving in tact with the parents and the parents' formation and for aiding in the control contact with the child, the computerof organizations, ized reports can be used to control The project described in this article these critical variables. However, as responded to the difficulties of design Fanshel and Grundy observe, !nS useful management information systems by using a mutual-learning ap it is one order of activity to collect data proach to develop a case review sys about thousands of children it is yet tem tha{ would redl]Ce the drift of another task to distill useful informa,, . . , ~ _ tion from this effort.* chlldren m ^Herm foster care. Mu tual learning" refers to the sharing of It is still another order of activity to knowledge and experience by the users

Cooperation between police and social workers: hidden issues

Abstract: appeals for increased interprofessional Bard> reflecting on the impiications of cooperation. Of all the barriers cited a newly formed crisis intervention to explain the lack of cooperation beteam> noted the following: tween police officers and social work ers, the one most frequently mentioned The project has yielded the impression is the stereotyped perception that each P°'ice and mental health consul group has of the other.1 By and large, tants can 'earn 10 work together effec the police perceive social workers as tively" In fact> in this Pr°iect changes bleeding hearts, and social workers have been "°ted ,.in tbe feotyPed view police as rigid and punitive. These perceptions of police by the profes sionals and consultants with whom they stereotypes are clearly incompatible. have worked andi indeed> there have This article focuses on stereotypes been changes in the stereotyped per as barriers to cooperation between ceptions of mental health personnel police departments and social service held by the police.4 agencies. In addition, it presents data _ suggesting that it may be more useful Tfger Presents a slmiIar descnpt.on to view the barrier as one of sex-role of the consecluefes of a Proeram stereotypes instead of professionala'TMd at interprofessional cooperation role stereotypes. If the problem is in Illlno,sHe claimed that formulated in this manner, the soluas police-social worker cooperation tions offered in the past no longer becomes more widespread, stereotypes seem relevant. One is forced to look throughout each professional commu for structural solutions rather than nity will be eroded, thus reducing the personal or organizational ones, and need t0 overcome negative attitudes this draws attention to the hidden and Prove t'le worth of one s profes issues—the social inequality that exists sjon since il wil1 have a'ready been . , ,, demonstrated, and hopefully commu between the sexes and, consequently, nicated 5 the need for a political analysis of so cial services. These three authors revealed the current drive toward cooperation be

Toward a rational policy on status offenders

Abstract: Junior League of Worcester for its financial support in collecting the data for this article. The juvenile court's jurisdiction the Supreme Court recognized in the over status offenders is the subject of Kent decision was that treatment had national controversy. The debate fobecome synonymous with custodial in cuses on the contradictory objectives stitutionalization and with a high rate of of the juvenile court: social control and recidivism. Furthermore, this pater treatment. Historically, the juvenile nalistic philosophy allowed courts to courts were not mandated simply to adjudicate as delinquent youths whose sanction and treat criminal offenders, only crime was running away, truancy, but also to care for those juveniles or disobeying parental authority.4 whose behavior indicated a proclivity These status offenses, which are not toward becoming an adult offender. By considered crimes if committed by implementing the philosophy of parens adults, subject children to the jurisdic patriae (the power of the state through tion of the juvenile courts. This broad the court to act in behalf of the child as definition of deviant behavior has come