Child Welfare Workers' Adoption of Decision Support Technology

Child welfare workers must process complex information in deciding to refer clients to appropriate mental health services. Decision support systems have been demonstrated in other fields to be an important tool, yet little research has been done in child welfare. This study focused on the adoption of a specific decision support system into child welfare practice. Quantitative analysis was used to demonstrate the diffusion of innovation process among a sample of state child welfare workers, while qualitative analysis was used to explain the facilitators and barriers to decision support systems adoption. Results indicate that for decision support systems to be widely adopted in child welfare practice, they should be integrated into the referral system and include workers' knowledge and experiences with referral resources. For successful adoption, decision support systems need to respect the natural logic and flow of worker interaction as well as organizational constraints.     

Development Guidelines from a Study of Suicide Prevention Mobile Applications (Apps)

Every day, Americans are inundated with advertisements and appeals to purchase the latest mobile technology in the form of smart phones, tablets, and their accompanying applications (apps). Human service organizations (HSOs) across the United States have begun to recognize that apps can provide a valuable resource for individuals and communities by addressing social issues. Additionally, forward-thinking HSOs are aware that apps are a fresh and important way of reaching a rapidly changing, tech-savvy population. But just like the marketplace at large yields a variety of apps that range from useful and engaging to poorly contrived and ineffective, HSOs' foray into app development has achieved mixed results. This report analyzes existing mobile applications available for one specific field of HSO service delivery—suicide prevention—in order to describe what is currently available and to generate beginning guidelines for the development, implementation, and evaluation of new suicide prevention apps for underserved populations. Twenty-seven apps were analyzed and recommendations for HSOs and future research are presented.     

School Social Work Information Systems (SSWIS): A Relational Database for School Social Workers

SUMMARY

After a review of their information management system, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Social Work Office began a process to improve data collection and information management. The result was the creation of the School Social Work Information System, a relational database designed and developed by the school social workers themselves. This article reviews the process of evaluating existing systems, developing and implementing the new system, evaluation and continued development of the new system, and implications for further social work practice. This article is intended to provide the school social worker with the necessary information to develop similar systems.     

Factors Influencing Uptake and Use of a New Health Information App for Young People

Abstract

When young people need health information they are increasingly likely to use online sources and health apps (applications). Yet, these are not necessarily well-designed, reliable or appropriate, and research has primarily focused on adult use. Our study is the first to use qualitative mixed methods (focus groups and interviews) to apply the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to understand 26 young people’s uptake and use of a new, clinically-approved health app (application) for 16–25?year olds. We found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease-of-use, social influences and trust, all differently impacted children and young people health-app acceptance and effectiveness. Implications for future research and young-person health-app development are discussed.     

Who Controls Whom? History and Educational Technologies

Abstract

Considering the lack of research on the historisation of educational technologies, the current study attempts to fill this void. To do so, the following research question is posed: To what extent have educational technologies and local histories controlled one another? Data for this question came from a naturalistic enquiry into a university in the Saudi Arabian public sector. Having analysed documents, interviews, and observations by means of the grounded theory technique, two key themes emerged: local histories controlling educational technologies and educational technologies controlling local histories. The consideration of both themes brought forth a theoretical proposition — that there are political dynamics between educational technologies and micro histories, with one continuously directing and driving the other. The recommendation is therefore that policymakers, scholars, and commentators should be more cognisant of the political tensions between local histories and educational technologies.     

Working Across the Disciplines/Shifting Perspectives: Student Experiences with an Online Course Focused on Interdisciplinary Practice with Children and Families

SUMMARY

As more universities and other places of higher learning respond to the changing needs of the community-bound learner, new technologies are being harnessed to shift the delivery of historically “classroom-bound” programs to alternate and more universally accessible formats. This article describes how an online course uses interactive exercises to engage students in mutual exploration of cross and/or interdisciplinary work. The course serves students from various professional schools, including social work, child and youth care, nursing, and education. Through the use of online discussion and case-study role-plays, it facilitates an experiential learning environment that is reflective of the student's own practice in a learning setting.     

Establishing and Evaluating an Industrial Social Work Programme:

The process of establishing and evaluating an industrial social work programme in a small distillery using a third party university model is described. The programme is based on a participatory philosophy and the importance of joint management and union "ownership" of the programme is emphasized. The evaluation examined health and attitudes of employees, absenteeism and productivity, cost effectiveness and reduction in grievances. The overall finding was that both the employees and the corporation benefitted substantially from the project.     

依托信息技术 提升司法实践效能

随着我国社会经济快速发展,社会规制与现实的不相适应性日益凸显,社会各利益主体间的矛盾相互交织,司法环境则更加复杂,这些都迫切要求加快提升司法实践效能,以不断适应科学发展、和谐发展的社会期待。国际国内旨在提高司法实践效能的探索,尤其是上海法院依托信息化服务审判质效的实践为社会提供了可学习借鉴的经验:依托信息技术手段从加强审判专业知识库建设的视角,探究如何更好地统一司法尺度、智能辅助又好又快办案,筑牢办案质效基础;从加强科学调配审判资源的视角,探索如何提高"单位审判资源"的办案质效;从加强审判专业队伍建设的视角,挖掘如何培育和发挥法官业务潜能,提升办案质效源动力。     

Pharmaceutical Intimacy: Sex,Death, and Methamphetamine

ABSTRACT

In this article, I draw from ethnographic work conducted among residents of an “in-house” drug and alcohol treatment center in Baltimore, Maryland, to discuss the relationships born of pharmaceutical (ab)use. By looking in close detail at the autobiographical accounts of one man in treatment for addiction to methamphetamine, I attempt to chart the way life and death are at times brought into close proximity, and at others wedged firmly apart, by such things as love and avoidance. My concern is with the ethics of care that emerge through the so-called “small events” in everyday relations; that so often define a life or a relationship as falling under the category “normal” or “pathological.” I ask how such things as the known demands placed on the body by the need to maintain or avoid relations, whether pharmaceutically mediated or not, come to bear on the decision to “let die” or the resurgence of moral worlds. I end by discussing the different aspects of relatedness revealed by the dependencies and alliances formed by the kinship between pharmaceuticals and humans.

In compliance with current ethical research standards, the names of all informants have been changed to assure their anonymity.     

连续审计与传统审计的比较分析

传统的审计范式与当前的实时经济已不相适应.连续审计在定义上存在诸多争论,为更好的理解其本质,本文拟对连续审计和传统审计从审计频率,审计方式等七个方面进行对比分析,这可以更好地理解连续审计的本质内涵,并能够对推动连续审计的理论与实务研究有所裨益.