Service Provision for Preschool Children Who Are Deaf

ABSTRACT

The data reported have been derived from the first national review of preschool service provision for deaf children and their families. This paper examines the kinds of service provision seen as desirable by families with deaf children between 0 and 5 years of age in relation to current UK Government interest in: Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening, family support initiatives including a focus on parent-professional partnerships, and Inclusive Education. Data presented includes families& responses to early identification; the information available following identification; perceptions of their own partnerships with professionals; and the value of family centred services for themselves, their children and for family life. From these data, aspects of good practice are identified and illustrated for consideration in future service development.     

Independent Service Organizations and Economic Efficiency

Following the Supreme Court's Kodak decision, numerous antitrust cases have revolved around practices of manufacturers which deter independent service organizations (ISOs) from servicing the manufacturer's equipment. Such practices include tying equipment sales to service, tying service sales to other aftermarket products, and refusing to sell replacement parts to ISOs. We show that interbrand systems competition without ISOs curbs service and equipment price distortions and, under plausible conditions, confers greater benefits to users of durable equipment than intrabrand service competition with ISOs. Hence, the effect of manufacturers' practices that foreclose ISOs from service aftermarkets can be efficiency promoting rather than anticompetitive.     

Matching AIDS Service Organizations' Philosophy of Service Provision with a Compatible Style of Program Evaluation

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to outline the unique features of AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) that should be considered when developing an evaluation strategy. It describes current evaluation approaches used by ASOs which are incongruent with the service philosophy of these organizations and the drawbacks these current evaluation efforts present. It then describes an alternative evaluation approach that better matches ASOs' philosophy of service delivery with the evaluation process. An illustrative case example is used to show how a more participatory approach can be used in an ASO and why such an approach is more likely to produce meaningful data that will be utilized for program development and refinement.     

When Popular Participation Won't Improve Service Provision: Primary Health Care in Uganda

Advocates of participatory approaches to service delivery see devolution as key to empowering people to take charge of their own affairs. Participation is portrayed as guaranteeing the delivery of services that are in line with user preferences. It is assumed that people are keen to participate in public affairs, that they possess the capacity to do so, and that all they need is opportunities. Using evidence from ethnographic research in Uganda, this article questions these views. It shows that, to succeed in the long term, devolution and participation must take place in the context of a strong state, able to ensure consistent regulation, and a well‐informed public backed up by a participatory political culture.     

认真规划公共交通 确保世博会交通服务

2010年上海将举办世博会,这给上海城市公共交通带来新的挑战和机遇。认真规划公共交通,充分发挥公共交通在世博会客运交通体系中的主体作用,加强公共交通的运行管理,这对确保世博会的顺利召开是十分重要的。1世博交通总体需求按照预测,世博会期间客流总规模为7000～8000万人次,     

Students and Refugees Together: Towards a Model of Practice Learning as Service Provision

Between 2001 and 2003, 14 assessed placements were provided for social work students through students creating a ‘virtual’ agency offering a service to refugees and asylum seekers. Drawing on research in progress regarding a unique project in South West England, this paper explores an inclusive model that creates a context for students to integrate theory and practice at the cutting edge of professional practice.

The START project is a service to refugees and asylum seekers, a group that experience acute social exclusion and media‐induced hostility, provided for two years entirely by students as part of their professional course requirements. Holistic, needs‐led assessment, cultural sensitivity and advocacy by students allow families and unaccompanied minors to access otherwise inaccessible resources.

In the current context of changing arrangements for practice assessment, emphasis on multi‐disciplinary learning and service user involvement, this offers an alternative to the ‘apprenticeship’ model for students in developing a secure professional identity. Student learning is framed as contribution rather than burden in the organisational and employment arena and service‐user outcomes have been dramatic. The focus of this paper is on the educational impact from the perspectives of students and practice teachers and an alternative model of practice learning.     

Collaboration for the Provision of Services

Abstract

This paper conducts a review of the extant literature to examine community collaboration in the provision of human services. The authors conducted a systematic research synthesis to organize literature around how community organizations should position themselves in order to maximize the benefits of collaborative relationships while enhancing service provision. Evaluation of the literature reveals 30% of the articles could be classified as empirical. Due to limitations of the studies no definitive statements could be made regarding the nature of collaboration and what works in the collaborative process; however, some generalizations are suggested. Gaps in the literature include lack of rigorous empirical studies that identify best practices, the type of training needed to prepare staff and members of organizations for participation in the collaborative process, and differing management models and practices to determine which forms of governance system achieve the best results.     

Erratum to: Modernizing State Support of Nonprofit Service Provision: The Case of Kyrgyzstan

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations -     

Framing Life as Work: Navigating Dependence and Autonomy in Independent Living

Qualitative Sociology - This paper offers an ethnographic account of the context of autonomy for participants at Moving Toward Independence in the Community (MTIC), an independent living program...     

Using a Political Economy and Life Course Approach to Understand Gendered Pension Provision in the UK

The future sustainability of pensions has gained considerable international attention over recent years. These concerns have been fuelled by increasing longevity and rising pension deficits. In addition there has been further awareness of the extent of female pensioner poverty. In order to explore this situation a suitable analytical framework is required. As pensions received in retirement are dependent on earlier events in individuals’ lives, most notably their employment history, this paper explores the need for a life course approach to examine the gendered nature of pensions in the UK. Initially the life course approach, a key mode of analysis in political economy theory, is defined. It is then used to examine the notion of the changing ‘institution’ of retirement and its subsequent de‐standardisation. Then, linked to the political economy approach, it is utilised to introduce ways in which employment experiences of men and women impact upon inequalities in retirement. Finally, the article concludes that by employing such an approach to understanding pensions it enables a better appreciation of savings behaviour and opportunities.     

Service Provision for Men with Eating Issues in Australia: An Analysis of Organisations', Practitioners', and Men's Experiences

Abstract

Research was undertaken to explore issues surrounding service provision for men with eating issues in Australia. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from key stakeholders—organisations that provide treatment (n=15), practitioners that have worked with men with eating issues (n=10), and individual men with eating issues (n=5). Four key areas were explored: rates of access to services, the expression and development of eating issues in men, factors inhibiting or facilitating the recovery process, and recommendations to improve service provision. Results highlighted the need for increased awareness about men's eating issues within society generally, but for health professionals specifically, the need for better recognition of the expression of eating issues in men, and the expansion of existing services to be more “male friendly”. It is anticipated that service providers will benefit from these findings by identifying ways to reduce barriers and encourage help-seeking behaviour in men. Future research should seek to replicate and expand these findings using a larger sample size.     

The Case for Better Maps of Social Service Provision: Using the Holy Cross Dispute to Illustrate More Effective Mapping

Third-sector organizations provide essential services, but not all types of organizations operate equally well given different intensities of public problems. This article argues for maps that would help social service funding bodies. Those maps would include three elements: (1) a measure of service demanded by a community, (2) data on the full range of organizations able to supply those services, and (3) a chart that identifies those organizations that provide services at different intensities of need. By providing information about the supply of organizations in a community, with measures of demand for services, state funding bodies, foundations, and individual philanthropists can make informed decisions about where to allocate funds. An ideal map is illustrated by using the case of the Holy Cross Dispute (2001), whereby a host of voluntary sector organizations provided a voice for residents in this divided Belfast community. The result is a call for more intensive mapping exercises of voluntary sector social service provision.     

Public‐Service Provision in Clientelist Political Settlements: Lessons from Ghana's Urban Water Sector

The politics of public‐service delivery continues to be neglected under the supposedly more context‐sensitive post‐Washington Consensus. Using interviews and documentary evidence from Ghana, this article provides an account of the networks of political interference and informal practices in Ghana's public water utility. It argues that, in order to understand why private‐sector participation succeeds or fails and why similar arrangements have different outcomes across developing countries, we need to examine the effects of the informal institutional context, particularly the country‐specific political settlement in which public‐service provision operates.     

独立学院毕业生就业指导服务体系创新研究

大学生就业问题一直是社会关注的热点,独立学院作为普通本科高等学校的重要组成部分,毕业生的就业情况不仅关系到学院的繁荣兴衰,同时也牵系着社会的稳定和可持续发展。在分析独立学院大学生就业目前存在问题及阐述独立学院一般性的就业工作基础上,就如何更好地做好独立学院大学生就业指导工作提出了一些创新性的方法。     

Independent Advocacy for Children and Young People: Developing an Outcomes Framework

This article draws on a study of the outcomes and impact of independent advocacy for children and young people to explore how the value of advocacy is understood by them and by professionals, and what differences advocacy can make to the lives of children and young people. Findings indicate that outcomes of advocacy can be significant and wide‐ranging, including both direct effects on the child or young person and wider impact on services. This has implications for how to capture and report the outcomes of advocacy, for which this article offers a new conceptual framework.     

‘Children in Need’: Using Geographical Information Systems to Inform Strategic Planning for Social Service Provision

SUMMARY: Recent legislation, requires local authorities to provide services such as day care for children in need. New computer techniques for geo-spatial analysis—Geographical Information Systems—ore now muck used by local authorities in planning environmental and engineering services. This article explores the extent to which these techniques can be applied to social data and, in particular, whether they are useful for strategic planning of day care and other social service provision.     

A Multi-Outcome Evaluation of an Independent Living Program

This study evaluated an Independent Living (IL) program targeting foster youths in Florida. The IL group composed of 49 young adults, and the comparison group of 18 young adults was utilized. Data were collected via a mailed survey and case record reviews. Results suggest that IL program participation is associated with better educational, employment, income, housing, early parenting-prevention, transportation, anger control, criminal-prevention, and self-evaluation outcomes. However, IL participation is not associated with better social support, perceived parenting competence, substance abuse-prevention, sexual risk-prevention outcomes, increased knowledge in money management skills, job seeking and job maintenance skills, interpersonal skills, or lower depression. Implications are discussed for program design and future research. Savas Georgiades is an Assistant Professor at the St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA.