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information for practice August 2009 archives

August 31, 2009

The NCSS is a service improvement workstream, commissioned by DH and DCSF, to deliver a programme of specific activities relating to CAMHS. The NCSS's business plan for 2009/10 (at Annex A) is included so that regional colleagues etc can see the activities the NCSS are expected to undertake within the regions as part of the agreed integrated approach to supporting Public Service Agreement (PSA) 12 (to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people).

Deputy Tim Myers and Pinellas Hope resident and volunteer Johnny Timmons visit while Myers makes rounds at the homeless community near Pinellas Park. Myers is assigned to help homeless people in Pinellas County find shelter and resources through a community outreach program.

C Leslie

An extended drought in Kenya has caused dire food shortages. According to the UN World Food Programme, which launched an appeal this week, as many as one in 10 people are in desperate need of help, with the elderly and children at particular risk

In 2009, world population stood at 6.8 billion, up about 83 million from 2008. The world total is likely to reach 7 billion in the latter half of 2011, with the bulk of growth in the world’s poorest nations. The less developed countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean are projected to increase by just under 50 percent in the 41 years between now and 2050, and the poorest of these are projected to double in population size over that period.

Organization Yori

Han Young-mi, third from left, co-director of Organization Yori, and staffers are in a cooking class. The organization is devoted to helping immigrant women, female heads of households and teenagers gain financial independence through cooking. Jung Moo-sung, a professor from the Department of Social Work in Soongsil University, said at the symposium, "Companies will have to focus on raising social enterprises as they make contributions to society and the local community becomes a goal and a place to achieve the goal." He also pointed out that some local governments are issuing ordinances to foster social enterprises, including Seoul City, Gyeonggi Province and 20 more.

The book presents a selection of papers reporting the proceedings of a conference titled “Deconstructing Psychosis” convened by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The conference was designed to be a key element in the multiphase research review process for the fifth revision of DSM. This book is one in a series of ten that reflects some of the most current and critical examinations of psychiatric disorders and psychotic syndromes. APA published the fourth edition of DSM in 1994 and a text revision in 2000. DSM-V is scheduled for publication in 2012.

Submitted photo

Suicide: Russell Neblett died at his own hand May 10, 2008. His wife, Therese, hopes that she can help other families avoid a similar tragedy.

The GeroRich Monograph, Achieving Curricular and Organizational Change: Impact of the CSWE Geriatric Enrichment in Social Work Education Project, synthesizes data gathered and lessons learned from the CSWE Geriatric Enrichment in Social Work Education (GeroRich) Project.

This report presents the findings from an extensive review of recent research examining the views and experiences of low-income children and parents, covering topics such as housing, schools, neighbourhoods, public services and family life. The author draws on evidence from in-depth interviews, focus groups, group work, case studies, participatory workshops and action research to describe the lived experience of contemporary poverty amongst children and parents in the UK.

DER SPIEGEL

The German company Tutogen's business in body parts is as secretive as it is lucrative. It extracts bones from corpses in Ukraine to manufacture medical products, as part of a global market worth billions that is centered in the United States.

Results suggest that subsidy receipt is associated with increases in BMI and a greater likelihood of being overweight and obese. We also find substantial variation in subsidy effects across the BMI distribution. In particular, child care subsidies have no effect on BMI at the lower end of the distribution, inconsistent effects in the middle of the distribution, and large effects at the top of the distribution. Our results point to the use of non-parental child care, particularly center-based services, as the key mechanism through which subsidies influence children’s weight outcomes.

The Capital Journal

Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Don Jordan accused Sedgwick County prosecutors of bullying state social workers to amend affidavits used in child custody cases.

The book begins with a thoughtful, and occasionally macabre, history of electrical stimulation of the brain. The authors then provide an accessible and concise overview of electricity and its effects on the brain. The essence of the book, though, is its thorough exploration of the clinical applications of electrical stimulation. Brain Stimulation Therapies for Clinicians covers the wide range of existing electrical stimulation therapies, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and a host of other clinical applications.

Barbara Wilding, of South Wales Police, told a newspaper police would have to be "very careful" to make sure it "does not become a way of getting rid of a burden".

This report provides an analysis of focus groups held with tenants to explore their attitudes towards council housing finance and rents policy.

To estimate the relative efficacy of alcohol use disorder treatments, the authors meta-analyzed studies that directly compared 2 bona fide psychological treatments. The authors accommodated problems with the inclusion of multiple treatment comparisons by randomly assigning a positive/negative sign to the effect size derived from each comparison and then estimating the extent to which effect sizes were heterogeneous. The authors' primary hypothesis was that the variability in effect sizes of bona fide psychological treatments for alcohol use disorders that were directly compared would be zero. For both alcohol measures and measures of abstinence, analyses indicate that effects were homogenously distributed about zero (I² = 10.61, 0.00, respectively), indicating that different treatment comparisons yielded a common effect size that was not significantly different from zero. Analyses also indicate that allegiance accounted for a significant portion of variability in differences between treatments. Implications for the treatment of alcohol use disorders as well as research on the mechanisms responsible for the benefit of treatment are discussed.

In part because of rejection rates during the World War II draft, concerns about the health - including mental health - of the U.S. population developed in the 1940s. The issue was further spotlighted by efforts to deal with readjustment of returning veterans. Hollywood films such as "Spellbound" (1945) and "The Snakepit" (1948) also highlighted the issue. This video provides a popular introduction to the issue. At the time, drug therapies often used today were not available. The only such therapy mentioned is insulin injection. Electroshock is shown as a treatment for depression. There is a vague discussion of brain surgery - perhaps a reference to lobotomy. A version of group therapy is also shown. Psychoanalysis is briefly referenced.

August 30, 2009

In recent years, the debate over same-sex marriage has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a nationwide controversy. Indeed, in the last five years, the debate over gay marriage has been heard in the halls of the U.S. Congress, at the White House, in dozens of state legislatures and courtrooms, and in the rhetoric of election campaigns at both the national and state levels. Moreover, the battle over whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to wed shows no signs of abating. In the last year alone, three states have banned same-sex marriage and four states have legalized the practice.

AFP File

Policy is inevitable. Once approved, the policy would particularly protect interests of more than two million children born into poor households every year.

On Nov. 18, 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state's highest court. In the years since the Massachusetts decision, five additional states have legalized gay marriage, and 29 states have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage.

Social Workers who represent their professional colleagues at career threatening conduct hearings across the UK have hit out at the General Social Care Council (GSCC) for its arrogant and unfair treatment of staff in England. . . . BASW long campaigned for independent regulation of the profession in the interests of public safety and we entirely respect the right of the Care Councils to challenge social work practice in a firm and thorough way. However, the experience of our Advice and Representation Team is that the GSCC have a deal to learn from their counterparts about oppressive working practices.

B Joshi | AP

A Nepalese beggar eats donated food at a roadside temple in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. Large pockets of extreme poverty and hunger persist in Asia, where the global downturn makes it more difficult to achieve U.N. goals to reduce the ranks of the poor, the Asian Development Bank said Wednesday. Nepal is the worst off with 55.1 percent of its population surviving on less than $1.25 a day.

While, overall, immigrants have a high uninsured rate and face greater access barriers relative to U.S.-born residents, the findings suggest that many immigrants eventually gain insurance and improved access to health care as they acquire language and job skills, improve their economic standing and become more familiar with the U.S. health care system. Recent immigrants are most at risk for lacking coverage and facing access problems. Addressing coverage and access barriers for this group will be important to any effort to reduce overall disparities between immigrants and U.S.-born residents.

The death of a toddler killed by her mother and her partner may have been prevented if concerns about her welfare had been reported, a report has said.

V Kuypers | AFP/Getty

Laura Dekker is fighting for her right to sail solo

The data presented in this report indicate that many young persons in the United States engage in sexual risk behavior and experience negative reproductive health outcomes. In 2004, approximately 745,000 pregnancies occurred among U.S. females aged <20 years. In 2006, approximately 22,000 adolescents and young adults aged 10--24 years in 33 states were living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and approximately 1 million adolescents and young adults aged 10--24 years were reported to have chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis.

The seventeen interventions included in this review in 14 countries show us that community-based mental health services can provide improvements in mental health outcomes, and the limited cost analyses suggest cost savings associated with community models of care. These findings are in line with much of the research on higher income countries. In addition, the studies also point to the gaps in the literature on costs, rural areas, bipolar disorders, and panic disorders, and note the need for further reviews of interventions targeting additional diseases, children, and adolescents as well as studies published in languages other than English. This review of the literature serves as a stepping stone for further research in community-based mental health services in low- and middle-income countries.

101 Careers in Social Work serves as both a catalog of social work job descriptions as well as a guide to career planning. The authors highlight the interdisciplinary nature of social work, and include unconventional, cutting-edge career options such as forensic social work, entrepreneurship, working in political systems, international careers, community planning, and more. Written in a user-friendly style, each chapter focuses on a specific social work career, and outlines the challenges, core competencies and skills, and educational requirements needed to succeed. This book also includes questionnaires and checklists to help readers choose a career tailored to their unique talents, interests, and passions.

Journal | M Murphy

John Freitas, one of the founders of Camp Runamuck, talks with East Providence police after he and others from a tent city in Providence set up their tents under the Washington Bridge in East Providence.

The Tories say more radical ideas are needed to help people find work

While, overall, immigrants have a high uninsured rate and face greater access barriers relative to U.S.-born residents, the findings suggest that many immigrants eventually gain insurance and improved access to health care as they acquire language and job skills, improve their economic standing and become more familiar with the U.S. health care system. Recent immigrants are most at risk for lacking coverage and facing access problems. Addressing coverage and access barriers for this group will be important to any effort to reduce overall disparities between immigrants and U.S.-born residents.

Most Medicare Part D prescription drug plans use tiers with different cost-sharing amounts for generic, preferred, and non-preferred drugs, and also include an additional “specialty” tier for very high cost and unique drugs. This 2009 Part D Data Spotlight examines use of the specialty tier, including the numbers and kinds of drugs included on specialty tiers, what beneficiaries pay for those drugs, and trends over time.

Julie became a full-time carer when her husband and her mum were both diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. She describes how this affects her own health and her social life, and where she found help

August 29, 2009

RG Franklin | Penn State

Split face photo used in evaluation of how women determine facial attractiveness by Robert G. Franklin, graduate student in psychology and Reginald Adams, assistant professor of psychology and neurology, Penn State.

This report summarizes findings from a series of Medicare Part D 2009 Data Spotlights documenting changes in drug coverage and costs since 2006. It presents key findings related to Medicare drug plan premiums, the coverage gap, benefit design and cost sharing, the specialty tier, formularies, and utilization management, based on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for all plans participating in Part D.

AP | G Baker

A man sleeps in a building entrance in Tokyo Friday Aug. 28, 2009. Japan's unemployment rose to an all-time high in July, and prices fell at a record pace, the government said Friday.

This study used data from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment III Study to examine the dietary patterns of school meal program participants and nonparticipants and the relationship between school meal participation and children’s Body Mass Index (BMI). School Breakfast Program (SBP) participants ate more low-nutrient energy-dense (LNED) baked goods and more calories at breakfast than did nonparticipants. National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participants had lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and a lower percentage of calories from LNED foods and beverages than did nonparticipants.

K Gelineau | AP

In this May 29, 2009 file photo, locals sit on a street side in downtown Wadeye in the Northern Territory of Australia. Australia breached international obligations on human and indigenous rights by imposing radical restrictions on Aborigines during a crackdown on child abuse in Outback communities, a United Nations expert said Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009.

Too many students graduate from high school unprepared for the rigors of postsecondary education. As a result, leaders at the federal, state, and district levels are developing new initiatives to help high school students, particularly those in low-performing schools in high-poverty communities, prepare for the academic demands of college by providing a strong, college preparatory curriculum and academic supports. In conjunction with these curricular changes, most programs also institute a formalized system of advising to help students overcome the complicated college and financial aid application process, improving their access to postsecondary education. This combination of raised academic expectations, additional academic supports, and advising aid is designed to provide students, especially those who would not previously be considered “college material,” with the skills and ability to succeed in postsecondary education.

J Hubbard

Stanford researcher Eyal Ophir explains the study to a student.

This study investigated factors that influence students’ participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The analysis used recently collected data on a large, nationally representative sample of students certified for free and reduced-price meals during the 2005–06 school year. Results show that, although eligible students are very likely to participate in the programs (i.e. pick up the meal offered that day), eligible elementary school students are more likely to participate than are middle or high school students.

UNICEF | Bailey

Jaevion Nelson, author of a recent editorial on child rights in the Jamaica Observer, is a member of the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network.

This paper presents a systematic review of studies which consider the causes of police use of improper force, both in terms of which officers are more likely to use it, and against whom and under what conditions it occurs. The number of studies that do more than estimate the prevalence of improper force is small, and as such are reviewed in detail. What research there is suggests that situational factors have the most substantive impact on police use of improper force within police-citizen encounters, and that it is more likely to be employed by young, inexperienced, male officers across multiple encounters.

• Agricultural Explosion in Brazil: Exploring the Impacts of the Brazilian Agricultural Development over the Amazon
• Consolidation in the North American Organic Food Processing Sector, 1997 to 2007
• The Genetic Engineering of Food and the Failure of Science – Part 1: The Development of a Flawed Enterprise
• The Genetic Engineering of Food and the Failure of Science – Part 2: Academic Capitalism and the Loss of Scientific Integrity

In all states, social workers are required to report suspected child abuse and neglect, and face serious penalties if they fail to do so. But not all cases of abuse are obvious. Mandated reporters are thus confronted with a host of both legal and ethical quandaries when filing a report.

Several experts representing various educational settings talk about different strategies to approach educating children on the autism spectrum. Series: M.I.N.D. Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Physicians and reproductive healthcare professionals who work to provide abortions are frequently denied government and societal support for their critical work. As a result, women in the U.S. are denied their fundamental human rights.

This programme will provide advice and practical support on how to update your skills in finding a position within a children and families setting.

August 28, 2009

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Colored areas show locations of brain injury, including injury to the frontal lobe, in a patient with mild traumatic brain injury.

Combined 2002 to 2007 data indicate that an annual average of 8.3 percent (2.6 million) of Hispanics aged 12 or older were in need of alcohol treatment in the past year, and 3.4 percent (1.1 million) were in need of illicit drug use treatment. Among Hispanics, the need for alcohol treatment was highest among Mexicans (9.2 percent), and the need for illicit drug treatment was highest among Puerto Ricans (6.1 percent). Among those in need of alcohol treatment in the past year, 7.7 percent received it in a specialty facility, and 15.1 percent of those in need of drug treatment received it in a specialty facility.

Anxiety Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year, causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event (such as speaking in public or a first date), anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if they are not treated. Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. In some cases, these other illnesses need to be treated before a person will respond to treatment for the anxiety disorder.

Tribune | C Sweda

Andrew Lopez, 19, of Lakeview, takes a break. More than 21 percent of Illinois adults smoke, higher than the national average.

This consultation seeks views on a green paper setting out a vision for a new care and support system. It highlights the challenges faced by the current system and the need for radical reform to develop a national care service that is fair, simple and affordable for everyone.

M Poloway | UNP

Debbie Mayes, academic researcher at Lancaster University.

Thorough and practical, this book examines social work policy and practice within the context of global interdependence and culturally appropriate modes of everyday practice. Its country-by-country coverage includes Peru, Mongolia, Portugal, Malawi, Costa Rica, and South Africa, following a consistent structure that, in addition to offering real-life examples, delves into the theoretical underpinnings, ethical dilemmas, policy concerns, and strategies for promoting social and economic justice.

This annual statistical bulletin examines the prevalence and trends of illicit drug use among a nationally representative sample of 16 to 59 year olds (with a particular focus on young people aged 16 to 24) resident in households in England and Wales. The bulletin is based on results from the 2008/09 British Crime Survey (BCS) and updates results presented in the previous bulletin in this series (Hoare and Flatley, 2008). New results for 2008/09 are presented along with comparisons with 2007/08 and trends in drug use since 1996.

M Sykes

Single mother Kylie Harding says she wants to use her own experience to assist others.

The findings indicated that obesity prevalence among low-income, preschool-aged children increased steadily from 12.4% in 1998 to 14.5% in 2003, but subsequently remained essentially the same, with a 14.6% prevalence in 2008. Reducing childhood obesity will require effective prevention strategies that focus on environments and policies promoting physical activity and a healthy diet for families, child care centers, and communities.

In this book Sue Newton shares her view of the fundamental principles that underpin the basic Adult Placement model in the UK. She shows how Adult Placement is becoming a growing and important community resource that fits in well with the Government’s current thinking on the future development of social care. The author explains what Adult Placement is, where it has developed from, who would benefit from using the resource and describes the roles and responsibilities of the people involved in a placement. The placement process is described in detail including the assessment of the service user and the Adult Placement Carer, and the matching and supporting of the placement.

The new imperative to be more methodologically inclusive has generated a burgeoning interest in synthesizing the findings of qualitative and quantitative studies, or mixed research synthesis. Yet, the very diversity seen to define the mixed research synthesis enterprise is also considered to defy it as it intensifies the problem of comparing the seemingly incomparable to enable the combination of the seemingly uncombinable. We propose here that the research synthesis enterprise, in general, and the mixed research synthesis enterprise, in particular, entail comparability work whereby reviewers impose similarity and difference on the studies to be reviewed. The very study diversity requiring management does not exist a priori but rather is itself an outcome of comparability work already done whereby judgments have been made about what constitutes methodological and topical diversity and uniformity. Conceiving the research synthesis process as defined by comparability work moves the backstage interpretive work of systematic review to center stage and, thereby, sets a new stage for addressing the methodological issues involved.

CBC

About 300 homeless people in Montreal will be picked to take part in a new federal housing project.

Oxfam travelled to the Somali region of Ethiopia to see how the food crisis is affecting the lives of millions of people.

• Atypical Antipsychotic Medications in Alzheimer’s Disease: Effectiveness Versus Expectations
• Personalizing the Care of Geriatric Depression
• A Promising Debut for Computerized Therapies
• Translational Research for Panic Disorder
• Issues for DSM-V: The Medical Diagnostic Model
• Postoperative Delirium
• Rechallenging With Clozapine Following Neutropenia: Treatment Options for Refractory Schizophrenia
• Art as a Portal Into the Minds of Those With Mental Illness
• Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Bipolar Disorder: Seeking Synchrony, Harmony, and Regulation
• Sleep Disturbance in Bipolar Disorder: Therapeutic Implications
• Clinical Symptom Responses to Atypical Antipsychotic Medications in Alzheimer’s Disease: Phase 1 Outcomes From the CATIE-AD Effectiveness Trial
• Empirically Derived Decision Trees for the Treatment of Late-Life Depression
• Depressive State- and Disease-Related Alterations in Neural Responses to Affective and Executive Challenges in Geriatric Depression
• Computer-Assisted Delivery of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Addiction: A Randomized Trial of CBT4CBT
• Dissociated Functional Brain Abnormalities of Inhibition in Boys With Pure Conduct Disorder and in Boys With Pure Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Increased Anxiety During Anticipation of Unpredictable But Not Predictable Aversive Stimuli as a Psychophysiologic Marker of Panic Disorder
• Prevalence and Correlates of Shoplifting in the United States: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC)

Girls’ delinquency has attracted the attention of federal, state, and local policymakers for more than a decade as girls have increasingly become involved in the juvenile justice system. For example, from 1995 through 2005, delinquency caseloads for girls in juvenile justice courts nationwide increased 15 percent while boys’ caseloads decreased by 12 percent. Also, from 1995 through 2005, the number of girls’ cases nationwide involving detention increased 49 percent compared to a 7 percent increase for boys.

August 27, 2009

T Hicks | NY Times

PAVED OVER Jobs, like modern highways, are reaching into rural India and changing its social patterns.

This survey brief, based on the 2009 Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS, examines African Americans' reported views and experiences with HIV testing. The U.S. AIDS epidemic has disproportionately affected African Americans, who account for nearly half of new infections, while representing just 12 percent of the U.S. population. The brief highlights trends and differences among African Americans by age and gender when noteworthy.

This report fills a request for a study of food deserts—areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food—from the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The report summarizes findings of a national-level assessment of the extent and characteristics of food deserts, analysis of the consequences of food deserts, lessons learned from related Federal programs, and a discussion of policy options for alleviating the effects of food deserts. Overall, findings show that a small percentage of consumers are constrained in their ability to access affordable nutritious food because they live far from a supermarket or large grocery store and do not have easy access to transportation.

D Zao

A social worker teaches a special extracurricular class in Gumei community of western Shanghai's Changning District.

This brief explains the current role of Medicaid in today’s health care system and answers some of the key questions and issues related to Medicaid that could emerge in the context of broader health reform discussions.

Women make bamboo baskets in a poverty-stricken district of the Central highland's Dak Lak Province. Vietnam’s labor and society authority has been told to propose a new official poverty line that takes into account international standards and domestic alleviation policies.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives Federal civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, State and local government services, and telecommunications.

S Estrada

“Comfortable people have long imagined that American poverty is far more luxurious than the third world variety, but the difference is rapidly narrowing,” says Barbara Ehrenreich, author of “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” and numerous other writings that address the plight of the nation’s working poor.

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of American children within U.S. borders. It is the “recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act” where the person is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident under the age of 18 years. The age of the victim is the critical issue — there is no requirement to prove force, fraud, or coercion was used to secure the victim’s actions. In fact, the law recognizes the effect of psychological manipulation by the trafficker, as well as the effect of threat of harm which traffickers/pimps use to maintain control over their young victims.

T Kurdzuk | Star-Ledger

An unidentified 8-year-old girl sits watching cartoons inside Angel's Wings, a former children's shelter that was changed to a group home in 2007.

A systematic review was performed implementing rigorous identification strategies, and 103 health concordance research articles were identified and reviewed to understand what research has been conducted in mental health, physical health, and health behavior concordance among couples. The research overwhelmingly suggests evidence for concordant mental and physical health, as well as health behaviors among couples. Each area of health concordance research offers room for greater research and deeper understanding for the causes of health concordance.

A must read for all human service practitioners who serve clients with disabilities. This sensitive and detailed book highlights a strengths-based social model that emphasizes diversity, identity, and empowerment. Mackelprang and Salsgiver use clinical practice and social advocacy to provide practical solutions to combat stereotypes.

This is an excerpt from Witness to Revolution: The Story of Anna Louis Strong contains original film footage from 1919, the only known footage of the strike. Produced and directed by Lucy Ostrander. The excerpt is part of an award-winning documentary film biography of Anna Louise Strong, Seattle's most famous radical. The General Strike began February 6 and ended February 11, 1919. It was called to support the shipyard workers demands for higher wages after a World War I ended.

This statistical release presents data collected from local safeguarding children boards in England.

AFP

Laura Dekker with her father Dick, left, and her lawyer.

• Poetic Expression and Human Enacted Realities: Plato and Aristotle Engage Pragmatist Motifs in Greek Fictional Representations
• Perform Strikes. A Case Study
• Intimate Intrusions Revisited: A Case of Intimate Partner Abuse and Violations of the Territories of the Self
• Mobilizing Voices: A Discussion of Leadership in an Environmentally Contaminated Community
• The Absurdalities of Mental Illness – A Narrative Inquiry Into Psychiatric Diagnosis
• Authenticating Tourists: The Politics of Authenticity in a National Heritage Site in Israel
• "Turning Points" for Aging Genealogists: Claiming Identities And Histories in Time
• Cynicism in the Indian I.T. Organizations: An Exploration of the Employees' Perspectives

August 26, 2009

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as the WIC program, serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children younger than 5 who are at nutritional risk.

A JACOBSEN

TACKLING TRUANCY: Youth aid officer Jeff Mosaati and Panmure community constable Janet Briggs talk to a student who’s running late for school.

This survey brief, based on the 2009 Survey of Americans on HIV/AIDS, takes a deeper look at the U.S. public's attitudes towards and reported experiences with HIV testing, including which groups are most likely to report being tested for HIV, reasons for being tested or not being tested, communications with doctors and partners about HIV/AIDS, information needs related to testing, and perceptions of testing-related stigma.

>

If approved, organizers say Project Hope will fund new ways to help the homeless, including the Workforce Initiative for Supportive Housing (WISH) program. Through WISH, Sarah Covington, 28 (above with daughter Carman, 10), found a job and a home and learned how to save for a down payment on a car.

In many countries around the globe, the institution of marriage is in flux as governments consider whether to allow gay and lesbian couples the right to marry or enter into other legally recognized forms of domestic partnership. Currently, countries around the world, mostly in Europe, offer varying levels of marriage rights to gay couples.

AP

The desolate, dusty town of Pibor on South Sudan's border with Ethiopia has no running water, no electricity and little but mud huts for the population to live in.

Mr. Kennedy on Capitol Hill in 2007.

This report provides an overview of the development of rights and responsibilities in the UK social security system and elsewhere, describes current and future policy in the UK and summarises key evidence on the effectiveness of conditionality and benefit sanctions.

F Orr | LA Times

At 18, Jamal King was sent by the child welfare system into adulthood without a single form of identification: no driver's license, no Social Security card.

In fiscal year 2008, about 31 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program and more than 10 million children participated in the School Breakfast Program each school day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) spent $11.7
billion on the school meal programs in that year. The majority of school meals are provided for
free or at a reduced price to low income students.

Twenty-four studies were identified, of which 12 were qualitative. Only one study specifically examined interventions that promote participation in falls-prevention programmes; the others explored older people's attitudes and views. The factors that facilitated participation included social support, low intensity exercise, greater education, involvement in decision-making, and a perception of the programmes as relevant and life-enhancing. Barriers to participation included fatalism, denial and under-estimation of the risk of falling, poor self-efficacy, no previous history of exercise, fear of falling, poor health and functional ability, low health expectations and the stigma associated with programmes that targeted older people.

Dr Rob Hicks explains the causes, symptoms and treatment for different types of sciatica (pain radiating from the lower back along the legs and calves)

AP

Sebastian Faulks, the best-selling author, has risked angering Muslims after claiming the Koran has "no ethical dimension" and dismissing the words of Muhammad as the "rantings of a schizophrenic".

• Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency Among Healthy Infants and Toddlers
• Consultation With an Arthritis Specialist for Children With Suspected Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Study
• Impact of Kinship Care on Behavioral Well-being for Children in Out-of-Home Care
• Association Between 100% Juice Consumption and Nutrient Intake and Weight of Children Aged 2 to 11 Years
• Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Chronic Disease Risk Factors in Australian Adolescents
• Family, Peer, and Media Predictors of Becoming Eating Disordered
• Hypovitaminosis D Among Healthy Children in the United States: A Review of the Current Evidence
• Kinship Care and Lessened Child Behavior Problems: Possible Meanings and Implications

California’s 110 community colleges are an essential part of the state’s higher education and workforce development structure, serving over 2.6 million students annually. But a growing number of students face major obstacles to success, including inadequate preparation for college-level courses, and many end up dropping out. New scholarship suggests that student support services, such as academic and personal advising, counseling, tutoring, and financial aid, are critically important for promoting better academic outcomes for students.

In addition to obesity (an issue that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States), the Handbook deals with problem eating behaviors, eating disorders, and the associated psychological issues that underlie these problems. This Second Edition provides the latest research and theory, along with empirically validated assessment tools for measuring attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with regard to food

August 25, 2009

Salem-News.com

The overhaul of the nation's welfare system 13 years ago was supposed to help set poor families on a path toward self-sufficiency, but that goal has moved further away for Oregon families currently served by the program, according to the Oregon Center for Public Policy.

As the California and Iowa rulings suggest, while the gay marriage controversy has many elements, including disagreements over religious and social norms, much of the debate is a legal one. Indeed, it was a 2003 Massachusetts high court decision legalizing same-sex marriage that elevated the issue onto the national stage, where it has remained ever since. Since 2003, courts in a number of states have handed victories to both opponents and supporters of gay marriage.

E Mosley

These candles are tested for pollutants.

The brief describes the results of a study exploring how consumers buy policies, how much policies cost and how they work, and what regulations exist to protect consumers. It also discusses some key challenges that policymakers face when considering whether to enlarge the role of private long-term care insurance in financing long-term care.

This brief examines a new option under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 that allows states to receive federal funds for providing Medicaid and CHIP coverage to lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women regardless of when they entered the country. Previously, states had been prohibited from using federal Medicaid or CHIP funds to cover legal immigrants who had been in the country fewer than five years.

Public support is needed to ensure that the Government and other organisations take action to tackle poverty in the UK. The perception of poverty is often misguided, with people believing that it is a result of laziness, or an inevitable part of modern life. The aim of this research is to identify ways of changing such perceptions and building public support for addressing the problem.

AFP

A volunteer (R) speaks to homeless man (L) in Kitakyushu

Reith and Payne trace the development of palliative care and the important role of social work within it. The book’s unique sociological focus on required practitioner knowledge of death, dying, and bereavement helps balance out the prevalent psychological focus of other books in the field. Chapters in the book focus on practice skills and interventions.

APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has a 57-year history. The first edition was published in 1952 and contained a glossary of descriptions of the diagnostic categories and was the first official manual of mental disorders to focus on clinical utility. It was followed by DSM-II in 1973, DSM-III in 1980, DSM-III-R in 1987, DSM-IV in 1994, and DSM-IV-TR in 2000. DSM-V is scheduled for publication in 2012.

Policymakers and other stakeholders can use cost-benefit analysis as an informative tool for decision making for substance abuse prevention. This report reveals the importance of supporting effective prevention programs as part of a comprehensive substance abuse prevention strategy.

Letter from David Nicholson to NHS Trusts, PCTs, Chief Executives at NHS Trusts and PCTs at NHS Trusts in England about setting out expectations to the further improvements required to the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) Review on the arrangements in the NHS for safeguarding children.

UPPA

Lord Justice Wall described East Sussex's conduct as "disgraceful – not a word I use lightly" and also as "about the worst I have ever encountered in a career now spanning nearly 40 years". "The social workers in question," he said, appeared "not only to have been inadequately managed, they do not appear to have been properly trained".

The book offers a new paradigm for understanding ADHD, viewing it not as a simple behavior disorder but as a complex developmental impairment of executive functions in the brain. In describing combinations of disorders in various age groups, this effective guide shows that significant impairments can occur in adolescence and adulthood, when individuals face increased demands for self-management. And because adults with ADHD are likely to have at least one additional psychiatric disorder at some point in their lives, this handbook also describes how to adjust treatment strategies for both ADHD and additional disorders to reduce the impairments resulting from comorbidity.

Even if households work to age 65 and annuitize all their financial assets, including the receipts from reverse mortgages on their homes, the National Retirement Risk Index (NRRI) has shown that 44 percent will be ‘at risk.’ ‘At risk’ means they will be unable to maintain their standard of living in retirement. When health care costs were included explicitly, the percentage of households ‘at risk’ increased to 61 percent. Our previous analysis of health care costs, however, did not consider possible expenses for long-term care towards the end of life. This brief explores how the need for long-term care could affect the NRRI.

• Introduction: Is a General Theory of Violence Possible?
• Micro and Macro Causes of Violence
• Violence, Crime, and Violent Crime
• The Uses of Violence: An Examination of some Cross-Cutting Issues
• Is a General Theory of Socially Disapproved Violence Possible (or Necessary)?
• Violence as Situational Action
• Conceptual and Theoretical Frameworks for Organised Violence
• Understanding the Other’s "Understanding" of Violence: Legitimacy, Recognition, and the Challenge of Dealing with the Past in Divided Societies
• Motive Structures and Violence among Young Globalization Critics. A Statistical Typology of the Motives for Protest at the 2007 G8 Summit

C House | For The Times

Records show that Yolanda Tijerina exhibited signs of mental illness months before she decapitated her son Lars Sanchez, 4. But the risk was not deemed sufficient to remove him from her care.

This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in improving self-esteem among depressed adolescents aged 13–18 years. A search identified 265 references, 33 articles were acquired, of which two papers met the inclusion criteria. Two excluded studies are also discussed. A total of 82 participants from two trials were included in the meta-analysis. The data suggest CBT may be an effective treatment for increasing global and academic self-esteem when compared to wait-list controls. However, more research is needed due to the limited number of studies conducted in this area and the need for further investigation into the long-term effects of CBT.

The weather has never been perfectly predictable in Uganda -- no more than it is anywhere else -- but in the last few years it has become more and more unreliable, making life increasingly precarious for communities, like Martina Longom's, who rely on farming to survive.

August 24, 2009

This report presents the findings of a Strategy Unit study of leading-edge innovations in world-wide public services. The report highlights more than 30 case studies from 15 countries.

AFP

Self-employment, a solution to unemployment.

States and communities are responding to the obesity epidemic in the United States by working to create environments that support healthy eating and active living (8,9) and by giving public health practitioners and policy makers an opportunity to learn from community-based efforts to prevent obesity. However, the absence of measurements to assess policy and environmental changes at the community level has impeded efforts to assess the implementation of these types of population-level initiatives for preventing obesity.

The number of people killed by those with a mental illness increased between 1997 and 2005, official figures show. The National Confidential Inquiry reported while 54 people were killed in England and Wales in 1997, this had risen to over 70 in both 2004 and 2005.

Mormons stand out from the general population and other major religious traditions for their conservatism on both cultural and political issues. Strong majorities of Mormons say there are absolute standards of right and wrong and that they feel their values are often threatened by Hollywood. They also are considerably more Republican than any other major religious tradition, including members of evangelical Protestant churches, and tend to take conservative positions on whether abortion should be legal or illegal, whether homosexuality should be accepted or discouraged by society and views of the size and role of government.

This report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies presents findings from the first year of an initiative to assess what works to enable low-income communities of color build assets. The executive summary highlights predisposing factors and promising practices in ten states, highly rated in the 2007-2008 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard for asset building among low-income people. The featured states include: Delaware, Hawai'i, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

HBO Documentary Films

Honduran children pursuing the American dream: Above left, Fito, 13, riding the rails in “Which Way Home,” Monday night on HBO; above right, Kevin, 14, at left, with his friend Fito atop a train.

The United States has consistently had racial and ethnic disparities in unemployment rates. Nationally, the black unemployment rate tends to be about twice as high as the white rate; the Hispanic rate tends to be about 1.5 times the white rate. This means that within states with high unemployment rates overall, Hispanics and blacks tend to have even higher rates of unemployment.

Millions of older people face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time in a generation that payments would not rise. The trustees who oversee Social Security are projecting there won't be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the next two years. That hasn't happened since automatic increases were adopted in 1975.

Childhood obesity remains a serious public health problem even among this subset, particularly among AI/AN children. A sustained and effective public health response is necessary across the United States to reduce childhood obesity. Strategies should emphasize improving environments and policies that promote physical activity and a healthy diet.

A Cusack | LA Times

Sondra Sykes gets a hug from son Stedman, 16, center, and daughter Ronniesha, 4. Parenting classes have come in handy since the children came back from foster care.

Asylum is never far from the headlines at the moment. In the media, in Parliament and at ‘street’ level it is a topic everyone appears to have an opinion about. Much of the content of these discussions is negative and frightening, serving to heighten concerns around the presence of asylum seekers and other migrants. This book has arisen out of a desire to separate truth from fiction and myth from reality, not least because the consequences of this distorted vision are experienced in the most brutal of ways by those so defined.

Reith and Payne trace the development of palliative care and the important role of social work within it. The book’s unique sociological focus on required practitioner knowledge of death, dying, and bereavement helps balance out the prevalent psychological focus of other books in the field. Chapters in the book focus on practice skills and interventions.

The 1934 general strike in San Francisco brought activity in the city to a standstill.

At least 38% of Indians live in extreme poverty, according to a new report by a government committee.

This is the latest in a series of annual reports covering research and development work carried out by or on behalf of any government department in relation to equipment that might increase the range and independence of older and disabled people.

• The Pervading Influence of Alcoholic Liver Disease in Hepatology
• Chronic Liver Disease—An Increasing Problem: A Study of Hospital Admission and Mortality Rates in England, 1979–2005, with Particular Reference to Alcoholic Liver Disease
• Neuropsychological Function and Platelet Monoamine Oxidase Activity Levels in Type I Alcoholic Patients
• Audit Questionnaire as Part of Community Action Against Heavy Drinking
• Pilot Study of Assertive Community Treatment Methods to Engage Alcohol-Dependent Individuals
• Valproate Treatment of Acute Alcohol Hallucinosis: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
• Childhood and Current Determinants of Heavy Drinking in Early Adulthood
• Prevention of "Risky" Drinking among Students at a Brazilian University
• Alcohol Consumption in The Netherlands in the Last Decade: Sharp Decreases in Binge Drinking, Especially among Youngsters
• Mediators and Moderators of Parental Alcoholism Effects on Offspring Self-Esteem
• Peer-Group and Price Influence Students Drinking along with Planned Behaviour

August 23, 2009

Smoking a shisha pipe is as bad for people as smoking tobacco, the Department of Health and the Centre for Tobacco Control Research has found.

“Aging is affecting every country in every part of the world,” said Richard Suzman, director of NIA’s Division of Behavioral and Social Research. “While there are important differences between developed and developing countries, global aging is changing the social and economic nature of the planet and presenting difficult challenges. The fact that, within 10 years, for the first time in human history there will be more people 65 and older than children under 5 in the world underlines the extent of this change.”

P Bradfield

Writing’s on the wall ... for sale and for lease signs tell a story of hard times in the Irish town of Dundalk.

Myth: All hearing losses are the same.
Reality: The single term “hearing loss” covers a wide range of losses that have very different effects on a person’s ability to process sound and, therefore, to understand speech.

A Levin

Spero Manson, Ph.D.: The trauma of contemporary life has a greater effect on the well-being of American Indians than does historical mistreatment.

CBC

At-risk children who live in foster homes and residential facilities were sent to the camp run by the Patro of Fort-Coulonge Mansfield for a holiday

According to estimates from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the United States has about 20,000 gangs and 1 million gang members, and gangs are active in every U.S. state and territory and Washington, D.C.1 Once considered a problem of urban areas of the country, gangs began
migrating in the 1980s and 1990s into suburban and rural communities, as well. Gangs are involved in violent crimes such as armed robbery, assault, homicide, and shootings. They dominate retail-level drug distribution throughout the country, and they are increasingly becoming involved in wholesale-level drug trafficking.

Report authors Jimmy Hawthorn and Peter Wilson at a press conference

This annual report highlights the accomplishments of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2007 in the areas of sexual exploitation, recovery of missing children, response to urgent situations, commitment to law enforcement, safety and prevention, and family and community services.

IRIN

The new Namibian Child Care and Protection bill will replace the outdated colonial Children's Act 33 of 1960. Many of the proposed changes have to do with Southern Africa's rural-urban transition, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the breakdown of traditional family structures, globalisation and various international conventions on the rights of children.

Don't stop dancing. Put pressure on world leaders to end extreme poverty. Oxfam film showing at UK festivals 2007.

• Resolution through Devolution: Policing, Youth Justice and Imprisonment in Wales
• Ethics and Vulnerability in Street Prostitution; An Argument in Favour of Managed Zones
• Who are You? We have Ways of Finding Out! Tracing the Police Development of Offender Identificiation Techniques in the Late Nineteenth Century
• 'Don't Look Now' - Masculinities, Altruistic Fear and the Spectre of Self: When, Why and How Men Fear for Others

Objective: A systematic literature review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) assessing depression treatments in primary care for Latinos is conducted. The authors rate the methodological quality of studies, examine cultural and linguistic adaptations, summarize clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness findings, and draw conclusions for improving depression care among this diverse population. Method: Electronic bibliographic databases, Web sites, and manual searches are used to identify nine peer-reviewed articles covering four RCTs. Results: Across trials, collaborative care models were more effective than usual care in reducing depression and improving functioning and accessibility to guideline-congruent care. Conclusion: The use of evidence-based treatments in primary care seems to be an effective and cost-effective strategy to reduce mental health care disparities among Latinos served in primary care.

August 22, 2009

Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld. Many of his investors lost everything and yet he pocketed $485-million. In his seventh book, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle, veteran U.S. war correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges systematically attacks what he sees as the self-deluding and corrupt character of American society, economics and global influence today.

The information included in this section deals with resources and stories unique to D/deaf women, including pregnancy and mothering, therapy, access to health care, and life experiences. The D/deaf world consists of those who identify with Deaf culture (Deaf is capitalized) where sign language is the primary method of communication, or oralism (deaf is not capitalized), where speech is the primary means of communication. There are still others who use Total Communication, which combines both signing and speaking. Lower case “deaf” has been used in citations, abstracts and descriptions unless otherwise indicated; however, this does not necessarily reflect whether or not a person, program or situation is identified with Deaf culture.

It is predicted that newborn sex ratio will increase to 115:100 in 2020.

Although it remains the goal of many households to repay their mortgage by retirement, an increasing proportion now enters retirement with a mortgage. At the same time, households are increasingly likely to hold substantial amounts of financial assets, as a result of the growth of 401(k) and similar plans. Among households aged 60 to 69 in 2007, 41 percent had a mortgage. Of these, 51 percent had sufficient assets to repay their mortgage.2 These households could, if they wanted, be mortgage-free simply by selling some of their investments and mailing a check to the lender.

Gruenke | Kalamazoo GazetteTenderCare resident Fenia Schkurko dances down the aisle with employee and usher Jason Toma Wednesday afternoon during TenderCare's first-ever fashion show.

As a dad, you may often feel as if you're pulled in a dozen directions at once. With so much competing for your attention, reading a book might be low on your list of priorities. But books about parenting can give you great insight into what it really means to be a father today, provide the children's perspective on a father's impact on their lives, or help you become enthusiastic about spending more time with your children. And you will become a terrific role model for your children when they see you enjoying and using the knowledge books bring us.

D BURGES

Susan Pope, a former nurse at Malvern St James School, has lost her legal battle against being sacked after smacking her son in her own home.

D Bartletti | LA Times

Linda Davis, left, grandmother of Dae'von Bailey, gives a prayer of thanks during a news conference Wednesday at the boy's South L.A. home. Dae'von was found beaten to death July 23.

This special report details the comprehensive service delivery system that has revolutionized child welfare in L.A. County. But although this is a story about L.A., it is an example of what every child welfare agency can achieve. L.A. reduced reliance on out-of-homecare by keeping more children with their families or reuniting them without undue delay. At the same time, they ensured child safety by making good decisions about which children needed to be in alternative safe environments and by providing the right services to families so that children could safely remain home or return home as soon as possible.

• "Dead Men Do Tell Tales": CSI: Miami and the Case Against Narrative
• From Kid Nation to Caste Nation: Mobility, Privilege, and the Paradox of Class on Reality Television
• The Repertoire of Black Popular Culture
• "Fish Are Just Like People, Only Flakier": Environmental Practice and Theory in Finding Nemo

The searing story of two drug-addicted couples trying to survive on the streets of New York City.

L Maloney

Brend: Helping prof

When the exchange of information is complex, the most effective way to communicate with a native signer is through a qualified sign language interpreter. For a simple interaction, writing back and forth may be ok. However, this should be avoided if the person is in crisis.

The purpose of this review is to present literature regarding intervention research on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) screening. Articles were obtained by searching six databases and review of reference pages. Of the articles selected for this review, all measured disclosure rates of IPV screening and five addressed safety practices, one study included both screening and safety practices. Two studies evaluated advocacy's impact on safety and the level of violence. Five studies reported referral initiation to advocacy services. The results suggest that screening is effective in identifying IPV; however, a causal link between screening practices, increased safety practices, and decreased violence cannot be established.

Using meta-analysis, the associations between stigma and mental health from 49 empirical studies were examined across various stigmatized conditions and mental health indices. Possible moderators were also explored. The mean correlation between stigma and average mental health scores corrected for sampling error, unreliability, and other artifacts was −.28 (N=10,567, k=52). No strong moderators were found, yet meaningful patterns were observed.

August 21, 2009

K Geraghty

’’It never gets any easier’’ ... a simulated car crash conducted by the road trauma forum.

Employers have long had a significant impact on workers’ retirement prospects. Aside from Social Security, employer retirement income plans are the most important source of income for the great majority of retirees. How long workers can stay employed also largely depends on employer hiring and retention and retirement decisions. Both of these functions – retirement income support and the separation process – are now in flux given scheduled declines in Social Security replacement rates, the shift from traditional defined benefit pensions to 401(k)-type defined contribution plans, and the decline in career employment relationships.

The year 1969 marked a major turning point in the politics of sexuality in America. Same-sex relationships were discreetly tolerated in 19th-century America in the form of romantic friendships, but the 20th century brought increasing legal and medical regulation of homosexuality, which was considered a dangerous illness. This change in attitude was accompanied by pockets of resistance, spaces that gays and lesbians carved out for their erotic self-expression. Sometimes these spaces were hidden, like the gay bars in Greenwich Village and Harlem that were frequented only by those in the know.

J Cortez | Houston Chronicle

Brooke Carico recently launched a peer-based support group in Katy for women with eating disorders.

The report was commissioned by the Prime Minister following the New Opportunities White Paper which examined the issue of social mobility and its importance for the economy and social justice, ensuring everyone has the chance to fulfil their potential and secure the jobs of the future.

K James

Sacramento therapist Nicola Simmersbach was stunned by the anti-same-sex marriage articles that appeared in The Therapist.

Courtesy of Dr. Jeanmonod and colleagues

MRI image of one of the patients in the study. Arrows show two small symmetrical lesions in the thalamus of the brain after the non-invasive procedure.

Employers report hiring substantial numbers of new entrants who are poorly prepared, requiring additional corporate investment to improve workforce readiness skills. And while almost half (46 percent) of the companies surveyed by The Conference Board and its research partners provide readiness training programs for new hires, the majority find these programs to be "moderately" or "somewhat successful" at best. At a time when workforce talent is a major issue in the global competitiveness of U.S. business, the report raises several questions concerning the overall effectiveness of these training programs.

The ranks of 18-24-year-olds considered to be "Neets" - not in education, employment or training - has risen by more than 100,000 in the past year.

This article offers a framework for collaborative family-centered practice that can reinvigorate our work with families who have not responded to more traditional approaches. Collaborative Helping is grounded in family-centered principles that include: striving for cultural curiosity, believing in resourcefulness, working in partnership, and making our work more accountable to the clients we serve. The article introduces collaborative inquiry as an organizing metaphor for clinical practice and offers a five-step practice framework with clinical illustrations and sample questions. The framework draws from appreciative inquiry, motivational interviewing, the signs of safety approach to child protection work, and solution-focused and narrative therapies.

EZ Event Photography

ATTENTION IS PAID A scene from the School Nutrition Association’s convention in Las Vegas.

This book describes the reasoned action approach, an integrative framework for the prediction and change of human social behavior. It provides an up-to-date review of relevant research, discusses critical issues related to the reasoned action framework, and provides methodological and conceptual tools for the prediction and explanation of social behavior and for designing behavior change interventions.

It is in all our power to change the world for the better. If only someone would explain how change works and how you can make a difference. That's where 'From Poverty to Power', Oxfam's most important book in a decade, comes in.

Objective: Developing the scientific underpinnings of social welfare requires effective and efficient methods of retrieving relevant items from the increasing volume of research. . . . Conclusions: Comprehensive searching requires the development of information management skills. The social work profession would benefit from having a dedicated international database with the capability and facilities of major databases such as Medline, CINAHL, and PsycInfo.

• Assessing the Economic Costs of Serious Mental Illness
• Improving Decision Making in the Treatment of ADHD
• Neurobiological Disturbances in Callous-Unemotional Youths
• Changing Tides in Neurosurgical Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Depression
• Chronic Insomnia
• Het Dolhuys: A Museum of People With Mental Illness and Their Treatment
• Explanatory Models for Psychiatric Illness
• Individual and Societal Effects of Mental Disorders on Earnings in the United States: Results From the National Comorbidity Survey Replication
• Reduced Amygdala Response to Fearful Expressions in Children and Adolescents With Callous-Unemotional Traits and Disruptive Behavior Disorders
• Atomoxetine and Osmotically Released Methylphenidate for the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Acute Comparison and Differential Response
• Toxic Effects of Depression on Brain Function: Impairment of Delayed Recall and the Cumulative Length of Depressive Disorder in a Large Sample of Depressed Outpatients
• Orbitofrontal Cortex Response to Angry Faces in Men With Histories of Suicide Attempts
• Transference Interpretations in Dynamic Psychotherapy: Do They Really Yield Sustained Effects?

Results. The distribution of first names in the state's population is different from the names of juvenile delinquents. Our results show that unpopular names are positively correlated with juvenile delinquency for both blacks and whites.

August 20, 2009

Some UK universities are failing to provide accessible accommodation or facilities to disabled students, an investigation has found.

This is no ordinary stress management page. We're going to go into a world that few people are aware even exists. Some people may actually deny it exists. So I'm going to tell you right now: Growing up deaf -- or hard of hearing -- in a world where most of your family, friends, and teachers expect you to conform to the hearing, auditory-based lifestyle can be incredibly taxing.

M Mitchell

John Key has taken aim at wealthy New Zealanders who he believes are 'rorting' the welfare system.

The 2007 NRS included, for the first time, measures to estimate the use of other potentially impairing drugs by drivers. Prior roadside surveys had collected breath samples to determine blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Due to developments in analytic toxicology, NHTSA determined it would be feasible in the 2007 survey to collect oral fluid and/or blood samples to determine driver use of a wide variety of other potentially impairing drugs. A pilot test conducted in 2005 demonstrated the feasibility of conducting this more complex survey procedure and confirmed that motorists would voluntarily participate in the study.

This study aims to increase understanding of how politicians think and talk about economic inequality, both in private and in public. It compares politicians' attitudes across and between five major political parties: the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, and the Scottish National Party. The research is particularly relevant given the recent turbulence with the financial system, the correspondingly high levels of attention upon the City and bonus culture, and the recession.

Since 2000, Texas has been one of 25 states also receiving funds from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fight obesity. Lindsay Rodgers, a health department prevention specialist, said the CDC has urged sending money to communities for vegetable gardens, sidewalks and work site wellness programs and to hospitals to make them baby-friendly so more mothers will breast feed, one way to reduce obesity risk in children.

The reasons for the substantial differences among states in the prevalence of obesity among non-Hispanic blacks, non-Hispanic whites, and Hispanics are complex and not well understood. CDC currently provides funding and technical assistance to 25 states to develop their own effective obesity prevention and control programs. As part of this funding, states are implementing evidence-based policies, systems, and environmental strategies to address health disparities.

M Treadway | Vanderbilt University

Individuals suffering from anhedonia, a key symptom of depression, are less likely to pursue rewards if effort is required to obtain the reward.

From year to year, child welfare directors allocate resources in the hope that their efforts will improve children's outcomes. Recently, with the help of the federal government, states have invested significant resources in the sort of information technology needed to run a smarter, more accountable child welfare system. In addition, science has made real progress when it comes to measuring change in complex systems. In this paper, we present a framework that state and local child welfare agencies might use to monitor their return on investments in child welfare services. The focus is on outcomes within the traditional child welfare system, which covers child maltreatment and foster care.

A Brown| | Star-Ledger

Kimberly Ricketts is the commissioner of N.J.'s Department of Children and Families. Her office in Trenton is decorated with photos of kids in foster care taken for the Heart Gallery.

Using meta-analytic techniques this paper examines the evidence that 29 of the 35 constructs specified by the CTC risk and protective factor model are related to alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana use. . . . The data make a strong and provocative argument for primary prevention of youth substance abuse that should be heard by policymakers and service providers involved in strategic planning and appropriate deployment of resources.

• Contextualizing Social Science in Nepal
• Role of Institutions and Organizations for the Sustainable Management of Forest and Pasture as Common Property Resources in Nepal: An Overview of the Indigenous and Traditional Practices
• Communication Aspects in Health Care Work in Nepal
• Ethnicity, National Integrity and Monument in Argal
• From Death to Life – The Hydrological Circle of Cosmos and Copulation
• Migration and the Problem of Old Age People in Nepal
• Social Inclusion and Exclusion: A Review
• Dimension of Rural Development in Nepal
• Neighborhood Deprivation and Self-Rated Health in Lagos State, Nigeria
• Senior Citizens and the Elderly Homes: A Survey from Kathmandu
• Ethno-ecological Observation of Magar of Bukini, Baglung, Western, Nepal
• Male’s Knowledge and Awareness about AIDS/STDs in Rajshahi District of Bangladesh

Editor Steven Hick has compiled this collection of essays to provide a model for the use of mindfulness in social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Focused on both mindfulness interventions and the development of mindfulness within the practitioner, this book contains exercises for use by social workers themselves or with clients.

It often comes as a surprise to people that many deaf people refer to themselves as being members of Deaf culture. The American Deaf culture is a unique linguistic minority that uses American Sign Language (ASL) as its primary mode of communication. This tipsheet provides a description of Deaf culture and suggestions for effective communication.

A psychiatrist explains how ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) affects childrens behaviour and the treatments available. See also how parents Paul and Helen manage their son's ADHD.

Social welfare: Many currently face six week wait

August 19, 2009

Atotal of 60,108 persons were admitted to the United States as refugees during 2008 (see Figure 1). The leading countries of nationality for refugees were Burma, Iraq, and Bhutan. During 2008, 22,930 individuals were granted asylum, including 12,187 who were granted asylum affirmatively by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and 10,743 who were granted asylum defensively by an immigration judge during removal proceedings. The leading countries of nationality for persons granted asylum were China, Colombia, and Haiti.

Iain Gray says it is "unacceptable" for the State to sit back and allow parents to neglect their children without examining whether foster care, adoption or a care home would be better for them.

There are more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in prisons or jails throughout the United States. This figure that has been growing steadily since 1972 and represents a 600% increase over this period. The United States has achieved the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of incarceration in the world by enacting three decades of “tough on crime” policies that have made little impact on crime but have had profound consequences for American society.

J Goettel | Indian Country Today | American Council on Education

According to the American Council on Education only 0.7 percent of American Indians attained a bachelor’s degree in 2005, compared to 6.4 percent of Asian Americans, 6.6 percent of Hispanics, 8.7 percent of African Americans and 68.8 percent of whites. There is a high correlation between poverty levels and low education attainment rates amongst American Indians.

This brief reviews the two rounds of pension reforms to determine whether Latin American countries are moving away from individual pensions. Even though this region is quite heterogeneous, its labor markets and social security systems share some common features, such as a large informal economy and a variety of uncoordinated institutions providing old-age income protection. The 2008-2009 financial crisis and economic recession is posing new challenges to systems that have introduced IRAs.

This chartpack, Financing the Response to AIDS in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: International Assistance from the G8, European Commission and Other Donor Governments in 2008, tracks funding levels of the donor governments that collectively provide the bulk of international assistance for AIDS through bilateral programs and contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

iStockphoto | JVC Roig

New research offers insights into how different cultures interpret facial expressions.

This book provides a "work-in-progress" that seeks to capture the micro (direct service) andmacro (managerial) perspectives related to identifying evidence for practice within the practice domain of public child welfare. It is divided into two categories; namely, evidence for direct practice and evidence for management practice. In Part I, the articles are categorized in the areas of child welfare assessment and child welfare outcomes. . . . In Part II, the focus is on organizational issues that relate to evidence for management practice. This section includes an overview of evidence-based practice from an organizational perspective along with evidence related to the experiences of others in implementing evidence-based practice.

The prevention of child maltreatment necessitates a public health approach. In the U.S. Triple P System Population Trial, 18 counties were randomly assigned to either dissemination of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program system or to the services-as-usual control condition. Dissemination involved Triple P professional training for the existing workforce (over 600 service providers), as well as universal media and communication strategies. Large effect sizes were found for three independently derived population indicators: substantiated child maltreatment, child out-of-home placements, and child maltreatment injuries. This study is the first to randomize geographical areas and show preventive impact on child maltreatment at a population level using evidence-based parenting interventions.

Mark Weiner with daughters Brianna, seven, and Sari, three. Mark died of cancer in May. Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County paid for Sari to attend camp at the East Brunswick Jewish Center.

Tanya Czubatynskyj and her son Kye are fending for themselves following the closure of Zoe's Place.

This article briefly reviews research findings that link adequate staffing to improved child safety and well-being, and presents approaches for evaluating agency workforce needs and managing workforce capacity. It illustrates how agency managers can accomplish the following: (a) identify common symptoms of agency understaffing; (b) estimate existing workforce capacity; and (c) estimate agency workload demand and understaffing.

This book brings together some of the best known experts in their fields to offer a cross-disciplinary summary of current research on human memory. More than this however, the book pays tribute to the work of Lars-Göran Nilsson and his many contributions to the psychology of human memory. The book is divided into three subsections: General Issues in Human Memory, Memory and Aging, and Memory and the Brain. These sections represent the three cornerstones in Lars-Göran´s scientific career and comprise contributions from senior collaborators, colleagues and former students.

Canadian Union of Public Employees members held an information picket on August 14 at South Shore Regional Hospital. The union is warning the public there may be labour relations issues coming in the fall.

Children's Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman criticizes child poverty rates in America, using the image of a family with six children who only care for five.

The goal of this review was to identify these gaps and recommend future directions for developing interventions from a public health perspective. To this end, a systematic review of the literature for 1980-2004 utilizing existing databases and found 188 primary prevention interventions that addressed a broad range of risk factors was conducted. However, few had been rigorously evaluated, and only a handful demonstrated impact on child maltreatment or its risk factors. From a public health perspective, interventions that target prevalent and neglected risk factors such as poverty, partner violence, teenage pregnancy, and social norms tolerating violence toward children need to be developed and evaluated.

As more people fall into homelessness, local service providers are seeing an increase in the demand for services. In Denver, nearly 30% of the homeless population is newly homeless. The Denver Rescue Mission has reported a 10% increase in its services. The State of Massachusetts reports that the number of families living in shelters has risen by 33% in the past year. In Atlanta, Georgia, the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless reports that 30% of all people coming into the Day Services Center daily are newly homeless. In Concord, New Hampshire, the food pantry at First Congregational Church serves about 4,000 meals to over 800 people each month, around double the rate
from 2007.

• Individualizing Exposure Therapy for PTSD: The Case of Caroline
• Plan Analysis in Action
• Manualized Psychotherapies in the "Real World"
• Prolonged Exposure (PE) for Treatment of Childhood Sexual Abuse-Related PTSD: Do We Need to Augment It?
• Between Manualized Treatments and Principle-Guided Psychotherapy: Illustration in the Case of Caroline

August 18, 2009

Finardo Cabilao is a hero to many Filipinas who became victims of human trafficking in Malaysia.

KaiserEDU.org presents a new narrated slide tutorial in which Alan Schlobohm of the Kaiser Family Foundation explains the steps in the legislative process to pass health reform. He reviews the role of the president, highlights the key leaders in the administration and the Congressional committees, and how Congress' annual budget resolution might affect health reform.

J Miller

Jack Nitschke, a UW-Madison professor of psychiatry, has found that uncertainty intensifies a person’s perception of a bad experience.

This collection of three Viewpoints responds to work by the Fabian Society and Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) that looks at attitudes towards economic inequality and how to tackle it, and the political debate around it.

The Alliance for Health Reform, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Open Society Institute co-sponsored this event to examine how mental health and substance abuse disorder services fit into the health reform discussion. Panelists address the following questions: What mental health and substance use disorder provisions are included in the health reform proposals? What cautions exist regarding the inclusion of mental health/substance use disorder benefits in health care plans? How do the quality and cost of these services, including those available for addiction disorders, fit into the discussion? How might reform legislation affect mental health parity?

"For years, social workers have been challenging a bureaucracy that clearly did not address systemic problems," says NAPE president Carol Furlong.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States is REAL, and it might be more of a threat to you than you thought. However, you can prevent HIV. Learn how.

In 1971, President Nixon proposed a national health insurance plan built on heavily employer private coverage. Senator Ted Kennedy proposed what would today be called a single-payer plan. In 1974, the debate had morphed into Nixon vs. Kennedy-Mills vs. Organized labor. Despite the prediction in the second clip shown, the result was stalemate rather than passage in 1974 or 1975.

American Chemical Society

COKED UP CURRENCY: An average of 90 percent of 234 U.S. banknotes of varying denominations tested positive for traces of cocaine in a new study.

O ARTHUR

Sarah Gabriel: 'I have a stack of speeches in my cupboard, and none of them answers to the job. So I say nothing'

Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children's Exposure to Violence is a resource to help parents and other caregivers understand the potential impact of exposure to violence on the development of their children. It provides practical suggestions for supporting the healing process. Recommended strategies are tailored to children based on age (birth to 6, 7 to 11, and 12 to 18) and are easily integrated into every day interactions.

Toward Evidence-Based Practice: Variations on a Theme is an insightful collection of previously published articles by one of social work's most controversial figures, Joel Fischer, a long time advocate of research and research-based practices. In this book, which includes his groundbreaking 1973 article, "Is casework effective?" and ending with excerpts of his most recent "Reflections," Fischer offers insight on the field of social work and the struggle toward evidence-based practice and empirically supported interventions.

One rights organisation said poverty was the root cause of the increase in reported rapes

Results A significant positive association between increased housing stability and better health-related outcomes was noted in all studies examining housing status with outcomes of medication adherence (n = 9), utilization of health and social services (n = 5), and studies examining health status (n = 2) and HIV risk behaviours (n = 1). Conclusions Healthcare, support workers and public health policy should recognize the important impact of affordable and sustainable housing on the health of persons living with HIV.

Rainy day? Snowed in? Looking for something to do for a few hours on a Saturday? Here are some movies that you and your children can enjoy together and discuss the lessons they highlight. Before selecting a movie, check its rating and description to ensure it is appropriate for your children. For example, Finding Nemo may be great to watch with your preschooler, while The Lord of the Rings may be too mature for that age group.

• Normative Deprivation in Urban Bangladesh: A Case Study of Uttara, Dhaka
• Men's Exploration of Multiple Sexual Partners: Shyamal Kumar Das Economic vs. Psychosocial Explanation
• Democratization and National Integration in Nigeria
• Identity Politics and Social Exclusion in India's North-East: The Case for Re-distributive Justice
• Impact of the British Bangladeshi Musicians of London: A Brief Look at the Popular Musical Styles of Postcolonial Migrant Peoples
• Perception of Rural-Urban Migration in Selected Rural Communities in Ondo State, Nigeria

August 17, 2009

Some deaf and hard of hearing people do not identify as having a disability or see themselves as experiencing a limitation. Instead, they identify as a member of a cultural and linguistic group. This group of people use the term Deaf with a capital D to reflect their cultural identification.

Women who drink moderate amounts of beer may be strengthening their bones, according to Spanish researchers.

iStockphoto

Kudzu bloom

In this turbulent economy, Americans are not only losing their jobs and their homes—they are also losing their health coverage at an alarming rate. The latest data from the Census Bureau indicate that some 45.7 million Americans lacked health coverage in 2007, and economists believe that the situation has only worsened in the intervening months as the economic downturn has taken its toll.

Research on public attitudes to inequality has tended to focus more on revealing attitudes than exploring what motivates them. This study aims to fill some of the gaps in existing research to provide useful insights for practitioners and policy-makers.

G Molina | LA Times

A patient receives free care. "This is a Third World country and people need to come and see this," says Dr. Mehrdad Makhani, a dentist who volunteered his services.

Author Derek Truscott skillfully presents the nine leading systems of psychotherapy, the underlying rationale and approach to treatment for each, and their seminal theorists. Each chapter showcases a specific theory's therapeutic goals, its assumptions about the therapist–client relationship, client tasks, and the related change processes.

A national campaign intended to educate the general public about Islam through a series of advertisements on buses, subways and billboards is tainted by the fact that a Web site related to the campaign links to sites that contain anti-Semitic materials.

The capital of Nunavut, Iqaluit, is outraged over this picture of two young boys sleeping on the street outside a local grocery store on July 26, 2009. The Canadian Press

Picture taken Thursday of 11-year-old Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh who was been brutalized by her father.

This issue is focused on permanency and aging out of foster care for adolescents and includes recommended practice approaches and resources to assist those working with adolescents in the child welfare system.

• Special Issue Editors’ Introduction [Urban Women & Problematic Substance Use: Framing the Issues]
• “It Fucks Your Insides Up”: The Effects of Australian Urban Women’s Opioid Use on Their Sexual and Reproductive Functioning
• Women’s Stories/Women’s Lives: Creating Safer Crack Kits
• Sex Workers Addressing Treatment
• Mother and Child Reunion: Achieving Balance in Policies Affecting Substance-using Mothers & Their Children

This slide presentation reports the results of a national online Harris Poll on foster care attitudes conducted December 16 and 18, 2008 with 2,281 adults.

The Campbell collaboration is an international nonprofit organization that supports a systematic evaluation of the effects of existing and new arising interventions in social sciences. In November 2005, 20 local volunteers launched the Belgian Campbell group. The most important tasks of this group are (a) to organize course programs on systematic reviews and (b) to assist Belgian authors willing to contribute to the Campbell collaboration in the writing of their protocol and systematic review. In this article, the authors introduce the concept of a systematic review and present the first achievements of the Belgian Campbell group, its current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

"There are 800 social workers on the ground, which is unusual in Slovakia – double the number compared to the past," said Caplovic.

Frank McCourt, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angela's Ashes, discusses his latest work, Angela and the Baby Jesus. Marking a departure from his familiar memoir form, this Christmas tale - published in editions for both adults and children - revolves around the early years of the eponymous Angela, and her attempts to keep an effigy of the baby Jesus warm. Hosted by Sandip Roy of KALW's UpFront Radio, this conversation is sure to offer insight into one of the master storytellers of our time - Commonwealth Club of California

August 16, 2009

VNA/VNS | T Anh

Students in HCM City hand out free condoms in a bid to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Public understanding of poverty in the UK is limited. The media can give people with experience of poverty the opportunity to present their views, experiences and opinions, which can help to inform and create a groundswell of public opinion supporting efforts to tackle poverty.

IFSW President, Dr David N Jones, has been awarded a doctorate in social work by Warwick University

Clothes worn by Baby P - hard evidence of the problems facing social workers in Britain

This paper reports on the results from a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) conducted to review the UK and international literature assessing the effectiveness of interventions for persistent and prolific offenders in reducing re-offending behaviour.

This report summarises the main findings, conclusions and recommendations from an experimental study of the impact of different types of Black male role model on Black and non-Black school children and on young Black men.

X Rice

Regina Wanza, 19, and child in Nairobi. They were held for three months because she could not pay for the delivery charge.

Designed for families who have adopted a child with special needs, this resource directory explains the different services that are available to families and provides contact information for: diagnostic evaluations, Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT), federal and State Adoption Assistance, additional adoption resources, educational supports, Early Intervention Services, mental health resources, Promoting Safe and Stable Families Programs, respite care, law enforcement/juvenile justice, out-of-home placements, search and reunion services, developmental disabilities services, and support groups.

A photo of Gabriel Myers from 2007.

• The burden of disease and injury in Iran 2003
• An average/deprivation/inequality (ADI) analysis of chronic disease outcomes and risk factors in Argentina
• Calculation of health expectancies with administrative data for North Rhine-Westphalia, a Federal State of Germany, 1999–2005
• The episodic random utility model unifies time trade-off and discrete choice approaches in health state valuation
• A procedure to correct proxy-reported weight in the National Health Interview Survey, 1976–2002
• The association of state per capita income and military service deaths in the Vietnam and Iraq wars

The contribution of qualitative research to the development of public health policy is increasingly recognised, with systematic reviews established as the methodology of choice for mapping and assessing evidence. Identifying research gaps is an essential part of the review process, and is integral to developing a sound evidence base for policy. The paper reports on a planned systematic review of qualitative research on teenage mothers and smoking terminated because of such a gap. The review raises questions about the narrow range of evidence on which smoking cessation interventions for this disadvantaged group are based, with the paucity of information on young mothers’ experiences potentially limiting the development of effective smoking cessation interventions for teenage mothers.

G Tucker

Dr. Mincy is a professor at Columbia University's School of Social Work.

This report gives information on progress that has been made to transform the lives and life chances of some of the most vulnerable members of society.

SVDPUSA Poverty Video

August 15, 2009

The figures showed that drug deaths had risen by 119 in a year

This report is the result of analysing the potential implications of disparity in the cost basis for delivering healthcare services in rural communities compared with urban communities. It was commissioned to consider the extent to which the current NHS funding allocation formula may need to be adjusted. This review was initiated in the specific context of the challenges of social exclusion amongst the older population.

AP

In this May 9, 1938 file photo, people stand in line for their portions of a federal surplus of potatoes and cabbages in Cleveland.

This page provides a range of information relating to the Government's care policies. It includes information related to the green paper on the reform of adult social care in England.

The number of people out of work in the UK has risen to its highest level since 1995, official figures have shown.

These materials have been developed specifically for schools and young people to raise awareness of the issues surrounding forced marriage and provide information about sources of support. The materials have been developed in consultation with schools, young people, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations, and are designed to be eye-catching and appealing to young people, with content appropriate to them.

P Penzes | Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

There are fewer pathways (green strands) for information to flow between neurons in the brain of a mouse bred to exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia compared to a normal mouse. Fewer pathways make it hard for information to flow between neurons and results in the symptoms of schizophrenia.

This research looked at how local safeguarding children boards manage their safeguarding role and if the new systems and arrangements are ‘fit for purpose’ and are influencing and improving frontline practice.

This report presents findings from a study that explored the nature and extent of public concern about organised crime.

Three integrative theoretical framework elements—intention, perceived norms, and an environmental constraint variable, time home alone—emerged as stable predictors of sexual behavior outcomes in this body of literature. This analysis revealed, however, a literature that has remained rather stagnant regarding its methodological quality, over time.

• The effect of bedrails on falls and injury: a systematic review of clinical studies
• Rating improvements in urinary incontinence: do patients and their physicians agree?
• Aerobic reserve and physical functional performance in older adults
• The oldest old in England and Wales: a descriptive analysis based on the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Study
• Neighbourhood deprivation and incident mobility disability in older adults
• The comparative ability of eight functional mobility tests for predicting falls in community-dwelling older people
• Psychosocial predictors of physical activity in older aged asthmatics

B van Slotten

Three residents of a children’s home draw pictures of their ideal home during a session to help the Namibian Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare design Minimum Standards for Residential Child Care Facilities.

Most people are aware of the dangers of trying to multitask while driving, but most continue to do it anyway.

August 14, 2009

University of Utah

University of Utah bioengineer Patrick Kiser analyzes polymers used to develop a new kind of AIDS-preventing vaginal gel for eventual use by women in Africa and other impoverished areas. The newly invented gel would be inserted a few hours before sex. During intercourse, polymers -- long, chain-like molecules -- within the gel become "crosslinked," forming a microscopic mesh that, in lab experiments, physically trapped HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) particles. That would prevent them from reaching and infecting vaginal cells.

In July 2008 the Department of Health published the End of life care strategy - promoting high quality care for all adults at the end of life. This report sets out progress over the first year.

J OXENHAM

SOCIAL SUCCESS: One Tree Hill College social worker Lorraine Florian is part of team dedicated to protecting and promoting the safety and wellbeing of students.

Using data from years one and three of the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, changes in depressive and anxious symptoms are compared for mothers and fathers who: 1) dissolve a cohabitating union versus remain intact; 2) dissolve a marital union versus remain intact; and 3) dissolve a cohabiting as compared to a marital union.

“Social exclusion is a complex process operating across several dimensions or domains. It involves both the lack or denial of resources, rights, goods and services, and the inability to participate in the normal relationships and activities, available to the majority of people in a society, whether in economic, social, cultural or political arenas. It affects both the quality of life of individuals and the equity and cohesion of society as a whole”

iStockphoto

A rubber dummy for practicing acupuncture, with needles.

* In 2007/08, there were 200,090 full-time first degree graduates whose destinations were known, compared to 190,385 in 2006/07. In 2007/08, 62% (124,065) were in employment only, 64% in 2006/07; 8% (15,265) were in a combination of work and study, 9% in 2006/07; 17% (33,170) were involved in further study only, 16% in 2006/07; and 8% (16,835) were assumed to be unemployed, 6% in 2006/07.
* Of those first degree graduates (both full-time and part-time) reported as being in full-time paid employment in the UK in 2007/08, 52% disclosed their salary. The median salary reported (to the nearest £500) was £20,000, (£19,000 in 2006/07). The lower quartile was £15,000 and the upper quartile £24,000. The mean salary was £20,500 (£20,000 in 2006/07).

This study was undertaken to engage the community in a discussion about the safety of children in foster care. The report provides information on the current status of children in foster care in Milwaukee and identifies best practices for keeping foster children safe. Strategies for enhancing the safety of children in foster care in Milwaukee County are suggested by key informants, foster parents, biological parents, and caseworkers.

• A randomized prospective trial of the postoperative quality of life between laparoscopic uterine artery ligation and laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomy for the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids: clinical trial design
• A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the safety, clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and satisfaction with point of care testing in a general practice setting – rationale, design and baseline characteristics
• A randomised controlled trial of the Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) for childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a protocol
• Acupuncture, or non-directive counselling versus usual care for the treatment of depression: a pilot study
• Readers as research detectives

A Levin

Natalie Turner, M.S., L.M.H.C., of Washington State University says schools have alternatives to punishing "bad" behavior by children affected by trauma.

A study by Sanjay Srivastava of the University of Oregon's psychology department suggests that freshmen who hide too many of their emotions early on may find it difficult to forge important friendships.

Pooling 53 independent comparisons, consisting of more than 250,000 elderly subjects, the overall relative risk (RR) for married versus non-married individuals (including widowed, divorced/separated and never married) was 0.88 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.85–0.91). This estimate did not vary by gender, study quality, or between Europe and North America. Compared to married individuals, the widowed had a RR of death of 1.11 (1.08–1.14), divorced/separated 1.16 (1.09–1.23), never married 1.11 (1.07–1.15). Although some evidence of publication bias was found, the overall estimate of the effect of marriage was robust to several statistical approaches and sensitivity analyses. When the overall meta-analysis was repeated with an extremely conservative approach and including eight non-significant comparisons, which were initially excluded because of data unavailable, the marriage protective influence remained significant, although the effect size was reduced (RR=0.94; 0.92–0.95).

This is a qualitative research report representing findings from the opinions and experiences of respondents identified as ‘harder to engage’ in seeking their views on the Department’s policy areas of Parental Support for Learning; Childcare; and Complaints systems in schools. The sample of parents was disaggregated into three segments using attitude statements identified in the larger DCSF customer segmentation study.

August 13, 2009

A Levin

Rural areas need more support to overcome stigma about mental health treatment, said Wilma Townsend, M.S.W., at the National Association for Rural Mental Health annual meeting.

Documents issues facing parents with psychiatric problems who come in contact with New York City's child welfare system

I learn that this disorder is best kept private. Some friends squirm when they hear about it, as if I were crazy. For that matter, phantosmia is linked to certain psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s), but I don’t have them. I do wonder, though, what it means to hallucinate smell.

This statutory guidance is issued under the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 and came into force on 25 November. It sets out the processes that agencies must have in place when exercising public functions in relation to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in cases of forced marriage.

AFP

A man is pictured in the Calton area in the east end of Glasgow

This report, based on three years of research and analysis, is the first ever to assess the costs of tobacco, alcohol and illegal and prescription drug abuse to all levels of government. Using the most conservative assumptions, the study concluded that the federal government spent $238.2 billion; states, $135.8 billion; and local governments, $93.8 billion, in 2005 (the most recent year for which data were available over the course of the study).

Life has been anything but easy for Chantell Watters. She was born with Treacher Collins, a rare genetic disorder that causes facial deformities. Step by excruciating step, she has had her face rebuilt

Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao Minister of Employment and Social Welfare,

These statistics cover patterns of absence and the relationship between absence and deprivation and absence and pupil characteristics at national, regional and local authority level.

Last year Phil Reay-Smith wrote about the process of adopting a child with his partner, Michael. Now they have Scott, aged 3 — and a host of new challenges

This review examined risk and protective factors associated with placement breakdown across k = 26 studies of 20,650 children in foster families. A series of meta-analyses were performed to assess the average effect sizes across multiple studies on the same factors. Older age at placement (k = 15), behavior problems (k = 13), a history of residential care (k = 7) and previous placements (k = 6) showed significant small to moderate associations with placement breakdown. A large combined effect size was found for behavior problems when analyzed in multivariate models. Unexpectedly, kinship care (k = 6) did not show a significant association with placement breakdown.

Ageing is changing the population profile of England, particularly in rural areas which are ageing at a faster rate than urban areas. This presents enormous opportunities for economic and social progressbut also challenges for delivering world class public services.

• Special Issue: Reaching Out to Families and Overcoming Stigma
• Stigma in Mental Health Care
• Does a Clerkship in Psychiatry Affect Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward Psychiatry?
• Reintegrating Family Therapy Training in Psychiatric Residency Programs: Making the Case
• A Model for Reintegrating Couples and Family Therapy Training in Psychiatric Residency Programs
• The Stigma of Families with Mental Illness
• Family Physicians’ Interventions with Young People in Distress and Their Parents: Managing Confidentiality and Levels of Engagement
• Does Mental Illness Stigma Contribute to Adolescent Standardized Patients’ Discomfort With Simulations of Mental Illness and Adverse Psychosocial Experiences?
• Caregivers as Money Managers for Adults with Severe Mental Illness: How Treatment Providers Can Help
• Family-Oriented Patient Care through the Residency Training Cycle
• How are the Experiences and Needs of Families of Individuals with Mental Illness Reflected in Medical Education Guidelines?
• Overcoming Stigma: Involving Families in Medical Student and Psychiatric Residency Education
• The After-Death Call to Family Members: Academic Perspectives
• Suicide and Stigma: A Review of the Literature and Personal Reflections
• Factors Influencing the Choice of a Psychiatric Residency Program: A Survey of Applicants to the Johns Hopkins Residency Program in Psychiatry
• Does a Clerkship in Psychiatry Contribute to Changing Medical Students’ Attitudes Towards Psychiatry?
• Globalization of Medical and Psychiatric Education and the Focus of Academic Psychiatry on the Success of "International" Authors
• Attitudes Toward Psychiatry: A Survey of Medical Students at the University of Nairobi, Kenya
• Attitudes of Pakistani Medical Students Towards Psychiatry as a Prospective Career: A Survey

As part of the AP's continued look at the economic hard times, travel to Bend, Ore. where the economy is crumbling from housing and timber busts.

August 12, 2009

Violence at Vietnamese schools has been on the rise, say educators who argue that a lack of on-campus counseling could be part of the problem.

Our Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) is dedicated to preventing British nationals being forced into marriage overseas. If you are worried that you might be forced into a marriage or are worried about someone else who may you should contact us.

J Dixon

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett released income information about Natasha Fuller (centre) and another beneficiary.

This report summarises findings from a research study that explored the effect of different types of role model messages in order to identify those with the most positive potential impact on black boys and black young men, and to identify any potentially negative effects.

This green paper sets out a vision for a new care and support system. It highlights the challenges faced by the current system and the need for radical reform to develop a national care service that is fair, simple and affordable for everyone.

AP

Eunice Shriver watching on in 1970 as participating members of the International Special Olympics parade at Soldier Field in Chicago

This update of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment is intended to address addiction to a wide variety of drugs, including nicotine, alcohol, and illicit and prescription drugs. It is designed to serve as a resource for health care providers, family members, and other stakeholders trying to address the myriad problems faced by patients in need of treatment for drug abuse or addiction.

K Hively | LA Times

Every night, Tony Rossi moves his RV from a public parking lot in Ventura to a Carl’s Jr. where he and his girlfriend can sleep undisturbed. Then he returns to the lot and moves his Ford Explorer. At 6 a.m., he does the reverse.

This research sought to improve understanding of the prevalence of forced marriage and to examine the way services are currently responding to such cases. The methodology comprised a literature review; a mapping study; a data sourcing and analysis exercise; and a qualitative case study element.

The Baby Peter case has become notorious, but it is only now - two years after the 17-month-old's death - that the public has officially learned that Peter's surname was Connelly, his mother is Tracey Connelly and her boyfriend is called Steven Barker.

Lawyers for Ms Shoesmith will argue that Mr Balls effectively directed the local authority to dismiss her without pay, and was influenced by media pressure. The doctor who failed to spot Baby P’s more serious injuries days before he died is also seeking damages.

This paper proposes nine recommendations for creating effective partnerships on youth permanence between the juvenile courts and child welfare in California.

Every year, more than 200,000 American children are abducted by a member of their family, usually a parent. In cases where a foreign-born parent is involved, the abducted children frequently end up in the native country of the abducting parent. Recently, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke up on behalf of Janet Greer, an American woman whose daughter was abducted 12 years ago by her estranged husband and taken to Egypt. Under U.S. law, these abductions are a federal crime. But because they involve other countries, pursuing them can be expensive and many cases remain unresolved. VOA's Julie Taboh has more.

This study assessed the financial benefits of the Supporting People programme by updating a national model to calculate the financial benefits of housing-related support services, building new client groups into the model where possible and using the revised national model to produce a local model that can be used at local authority level.

On the basis of the studies we reviewed implementation data were insufficiently strong to provide a sound evidence base for practitioners and policymakers. Notwithstanding this, we identified valuable data about the context in which such initiatives are implemented and the type of factors that might impinge on implementation.

• "They all work...when you stick to them": A qualitative investigation of dieting, weight loss, and physical exercise, in obese individuals
• Eating habits and obesity among Lebanese university students
• Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean diet: a healthy cardiovascular diet for weight loss
• An increase of cereal intake as an approach to weight reduction in children is effective only when accompanied by nutrition education: a randomized controlled trial
• Validity of a self-reported measure of familial history of obesity
• Commercial weight loss diets meet nutrient requirements in free living adults over 8 weeks: A randomised controlled weight loss trial

University of Oregon

University of Oregon psychologist Ed Vogel studies working memory, which he likens to a computer's random access memory. People with a lot of RAM are able to stay on task easier.

August 11, 2009

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August 10, 2009

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August 8, 2009

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August 7, 2009

Photographer Dorothea Lang took a picture of a California Okie migrant mother during the Great Depression.

LoC

August 6, 2009

Any reduction in Medi-Cal spending could affect approximately 88,000 LGB adults. The CHIS shows that that 12% of California’s LGB population receive Medi-Cal benefits. Of these Medi-Cal recipients, 27% report having at least one child. As a result, we estimate over 25,000 children will also be impacted.

LoC

August 5, 2009

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August 3, 2009

Under the New Deal during the Great Depression. various job creation programs were undertaken. Probably, the most unusual was the Federal Theater which provided jobs for actors, writers, and related occupations.

LoC

August 2, 2009

• Nowhere to go: How stigma limits the options of female drug users after release from jail
• Are social norms associated with smoking in French university students? A survey report on smoking correlates
• Social influences upon injection initiation among street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada: a qualitative study
• Relief-oriented use of marijuana by teens
• Memory function in opioid-dependent patients treated with methadone or buprenorphine along with benzodiazepine: longitudinal change in comparison to healthy individuals
• How much choice is there in housing choice vouchers? Neighborhood risk and free market rental housing accessibility for active drug users in Hartford, Connecticut
• Are social norms associated with smoking in French university students? A survey report on smoking correlates
• Differences in service utilization and barriers among Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites with drug use disorders
• Stereotyping and the treatment of missing data for drug and alcohol clinical trials
• The Leeds Evaluation of Efficacy of Detoxification Study (LEEDS) prisons project: a randomised controlled trial comparing dihydrocodeine and buprenorphine for opiate detoxification

Clinical Associate Professor Jose Coll (left) and Vice Dean Paul Maiden (right) consult with Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Yarvis of the U.S. Army on the school's new military social work program

Many young people in the District of Columbia are failing to make a successful transition to adulthood. Their challenges include poor preparation for the high-skills labor market and long-standing health problems. Recent District government efforts have centered around school reform and early childhood, but these areas are not sufficient to improve the well-being of older youth. This report provides comprehensive data indicators and analysis on the state of older youth (age 12-24) in the District and examines the role of area nonprofits that work with young people, their families, and neighborhoods.

M HYSLOP

Surinder Bhandar and Hari Tandon chat over tea while reading the paper.

Although poverty rates for Americans ages 65 and older have plunged over the past half century, many people continue to fall into poverty in their late fifties and early sixties. This study examines financial hardship rates in the years before qualifying for Social Security retirement benefits at age 62 and investigates how the availability of Social Security improves economic well-being at later ages. The analysis follows a sample of adults from the 1937-39 birth cohort for 14 years, tracking their employment, disability status, and income as they age from their early 50s until their late 60s. It measures the share of older adults who appear to have been forced into retirement by health or employment shocks and the apparent impact of involuntary retirement on low-income rates. The study also estimates models of the likelihood that older adults experience financial hardship before reaching Social Security’s early eligibility age.

Hecht, a social worker for the Bay Shore school district who was camping at Smith Point with his wife, Cheryl, said it took about four minutes to reach the girl.

This document is a supervisor curriculum developed by the University of Southern Maine that focuses on Performance Management and the connection between individual performance and agency outcomes. The goal of the training is for supervisors to learn to promote the use of consistent performance management, evaluation and professional development to achieve agency goals related to safety, permanency and well-being. The Curriculum teaches supervisors about performance management as a balance between encouraging professional growth and holding workers accountable for achieving agency outcomes.

Starring as a dowdy social worker in 'Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire', the glamorous singer talks about the transformation she undergoes for her part.

To increase the overall OCFS practice in identifying and exploring relatives for each and every child involved with child welfare services so that every child has lifetime family connections even in situations where children cannot live with family members.

A Innova

Tests carried out on a premature girl.

Illness perceptions of AMI patients predict attendance at cardiac rehabilitation, although the effect sizes are small and often heterogeneous. AMI patients who view their condition as controllable, as symptomatic, and with severe consequences, and who feel that they understand their condition are more likely to attend.

E Johnson

Maryanne Law of the Parenting Resource Center and Heather Steinkamp, director of the Seibel Center talk about possible budget cuts that could be announced as early as Tuesday for both the center and PRC.

This white paper sets out proposals to build on the last 12 years of reform by establishing a new pupil guarantee. It sets out new entitlements to personalised support for every child, matched by a parent guarantee for every parent. It sets out plans for securing those guarantees across the country.

• Considering the efficacy of stress management education on small-town and rural police
• Fathers in jail: Managing dual identities
• The relationship between encoding ability and aggressive behavior
• Facial affect recognition as a predictor of performance on a reading comprehension test among criminal sex offenders
• The hybrid lineup combining sequential and simultaneous features: A first test

August 1, 2009

DA Anderson | University Communications

Andrea Tenner and colleagues identified a drug that reduces damaging inflamed immune cells (red, background) and Alzheimer's lesions called amyloid plaques (green, background) from gathering in brains of mice, preventing the loss of cognitive abilities.

Despite evidence that skilled labor is increasingly concentrated in cities, whether regional wage inequality is predominantly due to differences in skill levels or returns is unknown. We compare Appalachia, with its wide mix of urban and rural areas, to other parts of the U.S., and find that gaps in both skill levels and returns account for the lack of high wage male workers. For women, skill shortages are important across the distribution. Because rural wage gaps are insignificant, our results suggest that widening wage inequality between Appalachia and the rest of the U.S. owes to a shortage of skilled cities.

J Pina | NY Times

A police officer talked to a man arrested for possession of cocaine in Buenos Aires. Another officer waited with the man’s family.

This document is a result of the 2008 National Human Services Training Evaluation Symposium. The document provides synopses of all presenters and the projects they presented.

Widespread public confusion about how much it is safe to drink may be contributing to the growth of alcohol misuse in England, say MPs.

Arenamontanus

Prozac

The Future Jobs Fund (FJF), announced in the 2009 Budget, aims to create 50,000 jobs between 2009 and 2011 for young people who have been out of work for 12 months. This paper also distinguishes between different cities. Some cities, like Swindon and Milton Keynes, have seen a sharp increase in youth unemployment from a relatively low base. In other cities, like Hull and Barnsley, youth unemployment as increased on top of already-high stocks of unemployment. This paper argues that the FJF is a short-term "sticking plaster" initiative and should therefore take a segmented, targeted approach

Transfer of Learning (TOL) is the application of skills and knowledge learned in one context (the classroom) and applied to another context (the job). Research shows that successful TOL will result in a higher level of performance and increased quality of services provided to clients. Also, staff that performs better on the job is more motivated to stay on the job. This tool has been developed to assist supervisors in planning activities for new child welfare workers that will apply classroom skills and knowledge on the job. It is a guide and intended to supplement on the job training.

Graphic shows how states rank in an annual child well-being report

Results revealed eight treatment and preventive psychoeducation studies for families of affectively ill children or children at risk for depression. Findings indicate that psychoeducation models typically adopt a workshop approach incorporating didactic teachings and interactive discussion sessions, with or without specific skills training. Given the paucity of randomized controlled trials and lack of comparability between psychoeducation models, conclusions about the true efficacy of each program as a treatment or an adjunct to the treatment of mood disorders in children and adolescents cannot be made.

A training programme for hearing impaired students aims to train teachers who have skills to teach others with hearing impairments.

This fascinating film provides an authentic view of London's East End from over a hundred years ago. A struggling tide of flat-capped men flow down Middlesex Street - better known by its unofficial name, Petticoat Lane - on a Sunday morning, as they have for generations.

Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children’s Exposure to Violence is a resource to help parents and other caregivers understand the potential impact of exposure to violence on the development of their children. It provides practical suggestions for supporting the healing process. Recommended strategies are tailored to children based on age (birth to 6, 7 to 11, and 12 to 18) and are easily integrated into every day interactions.

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