Involving children in conciliation

SUMMARY. The question of involving children themselves in conciliation, when their parents are being divorced., has been considered and debated over the ten years since conciliation services began in this country as described in two articles in the last issue of Children & Society. This article describes how children are involved in one service — the Lothian Family Conciliation Service. The author followed up a sample of children who had been involved in conciliation., to ask their views on the service. While the findings point to positive outcomes for many of the children., some safeguards and conditions are needed to improve the service when conciliators see children as well as their parents     

Reviewing changes to the Child Disability Allowance: Giving parents a voice

Abstract

The Diabetes Clinic at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children has been concerned at the impact of changes made in 1998 to eligibility for the Child Disability Allowance on families caring for a child with diabetes. A survey of those families was conducted to obtain their views on the changes. Results showed the number of families receiving Child Disability Allowance since the changes has significantly declined. Parents indicated the allowance should be automatic for children with insulin dependent diabetes as the disability is chronic, incurable, requires extra care and attention, and is a financial and emotional burden for families. Many felt the application process was unjust, incomplete and inadequate. The results formed part of a submission to the Department of Family and Community Services evaluation, giving parents a voice in this process. This project illustrates the capacity of social workers to attempt to impact on social policy within the context of their clinical practice.     

Giving the community a voice: Lessons learned from a comprehensive survey in an urban neighborhood

Weinland Park, an urban neighborhood adjacent to The Ohio State University, has been targeted for revitalization following several decades of disinvestment. The goal of these efforts is to develop holistic solutions that break the cycle of poverty. Such an undertaking requires collecting baseline data to understand community needs, inform programming, and guide revitalization efforts. This paper describes the development and implementation of the Weinland Park Evaluation Project (WPEP) – a collaborative and comprehensive neighborhood survey and needs assessment. Using the RE-AIM framework as a conceptual model, the paper describes how the WPEP was designed to meet short-, medium-, and long-term community needs. In addition, it offers lessons learned as a guide for researchers designing neighborhood surveys and conducting community assessments. An Appendix A includes indicators measured via the survey tool.     

Giving voice: A personal essay on the shape of sociolinguistics

From the vantage point of 21 years editing the Journal of Sociolinguistics, I survey and assess the shape of our field. I identify six strands or trends that I see in play over that time: language and society, social theorization, the centralization of style, diversification, new orthodoxies and a sense of history. I advocate in particular for a sociolinguistics of voice, especially so the voices that are unheard or muffled in society may be given an audience. In closing I pay tribute to the exceptional colleagues with whom I have worked on the Journal over these years.     

A voice of alarm: a historian's view of the family

Most studies of the family follow a Eurocentric and an ahistorical perspective that ignores the origins of family structure and assumes it is natural for fathers to protect and mothers to nurture. Such concepts make heterosexuality and the birth of children with the same biological parents compulsory for families. In fact, however, the concept of family has not only evolved, it has not always existed. The process that established the patriarchal family stretched from 3100 to 600 B.C. in Mesopotamian society. Patriarchy was encoded in Mesopotamian and in later Hebrew society and replaced a universal system of family organization in which mothers cared for children under the leadership of women. In this prepatriarchal era, motherhood was the only recognized bond of relationship, and kinship was based on matriarchal lines. The very idea of fatherhood was alien because only women had the divine power to give life. Creators, thus, were perceived as female, and women were the cultivators of crops and owners of the land. As the relationship between men and reproduction became clear, patriarchy developed. The patriarchal family has been resilient and flexible and has accepted polygamy, monogamy, and a sexual double standard that disadvantaged women and gave men absolute control over them. Such control moved from private to public life and still underlies class and race dominance and the sexual regulation of women through ideas of "morality." Women complied in order to survive. The Western notion of the nuclear family with employed fathers and housewife mothers has been central to many policies and programs, and the implication of mothering continues to be of nurturing, whereas that of fathering is begetting. Today most families are held together by women on their own because women do most of the domestic work even if they generate income. Women and children also constitute a majority of the world's poor. In order to understand the factors that created this situation, we must analyze misogyny and patriarchy. In practical terms, any development project that involves women and men should include a child care center where women and men take turns caring for their young. This would allow the concept of family to acquire a collective connotation.     

The role of the father in the family: Toward a gender-neutral family policy

A review of the literature suggests that: (a) Women are not the exclusive potential contributors to quality child care; (b) men can provide care equally well; (c) a growing number of men want to increase their involvement in child care. A number of obstacles impede, however, increased paternal involvement in child care; these include the existing societal value system, the present structure of the labor market, and the nature of many existing social services. Therefore, various aspects of social and family policy are examined and a variety of options are proposed.     

Consumer activism in the Czech Republic: the role of exit and voice in a changing economy

The question “Are consumers actively pursuing their market responsibilities in transforming economies?” is at the center of this article. It reports on a study of Czech consumers using Hirschman's “exit/voice” theory. The research focuses on what actions consumers, who had never experienced the freedom to express complaints, would take when confronted with market disappointments and failures. Analysis of a randomized cross section of consumers indicates that they acknowledge their responsibility to the market by going beyond the choice stage of consumption and actively giving voice to their concerns to retailers and manufacturers. This evidence represents the first milestone describing consumer voice behavior in a transforming economy.     

Competence and African American children in informal kinship care: The role of family

African American children are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to live in kinship care, yet there is little empirical knowledge available to help understand the attributes of these families that contribute to children's development of competence. This study analyzed existing longitudinal data to explore the family-level factors that promote these children's competence. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that average quality of the biological mother's relationship with child, the quality of the biological father's relationship with child, and kinship care family functioning predicts children's average competence. Additionally, changes in family resources and family functioning over time are related to corresponding changes in children's competence levels. Results from this study highlight that African American informal kinship care families possess the strengths and resources that contribute to children's competence.     

Restarting a family: having children in second marriage

The impact of divorce and remarriage on fertility is examined. The author reviews the literature and questions the approach used in most studies, which focus on the fertility experience of remarried women. He argues instead that the remarried couple should be the focus of inquiry. Original data from interviews with 25 remarried couples in Aberdeen, Scotland, are used to illustrate childbearing patterns in second marriages.     

The role of the family therapist in supportive services to families with handicapped children

The family therapist can play a critical role in assisting families of handicapped children develop positive functioning patterns. In this paper the author identifies a number of typical interactional difficulties found in these families together with the unique challenges they place before the family therapist and strategies that she has found to be effective in working with them on their relationship problems.     

The healing magic of myth: Allegorical tales and the treatment of children of divorce

Children of divorce experience a sense of loss of the intact family which had stabilized their lives. Painful thoughts and feelings may result in defensive resistance of treatment techniques which deal too directly with their situation. This paper explores the use of allegorical tales in the treatment of children of divorced parents. It contrasts the use of such tales with traditional bibliotherapy and with Gardner's (1971) Mutual Story Telling, suggesting that myth and metaphor provide a road around resistance by presenting a cognitive bridge between themes common in the stories and the life experiences of the child of divorce.     

Assessment in a specialist referred family centre: outcomes for children

Relatively little is known about the outcomes of assessment as an information gathering mechanism as well as a therapeutic encounter in which service users explore and share their problems. Assessment in child welfare is now a highly topical issue given the new assessment framework recently introduced to England and which is currently a matter of consultation in Wales. In contributing to a long running debate over ‘what works’ in child protection assessment and intervention, a United Kingdom national voluntary child care agency commissioned the authors to undertake a three year outcomes study of a child and family assessment service provided by their specialist referred family centre in South Wales. The paper sets out selected findings that reveal an assessment regimen which encouraged partnership, enjoyed a comparatively high level of engagement particularly from male parents/carers, and was perceived by adult users as positive. It promoted clear decision making about the placement of children. Also, children involved in these assessments appeared to be exposed to low risk of re‐abuse compared to other relevant studies. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Selecting a family therapy model: the role of personality attributes in eclectic practice*

The expanding knowledge and skill bases within the interdisciplinary family therapy profession pose a significant challenge for evolving practitioners, at whatever stage along the professional development process they find themselves. This challenge raises a basic question regarding whether there are any constraining forces to the level of eclecticism in practice towards which one can aspire. This paper empirically explores the role played by the personality attributes of the family therapist in facilitating and/or inhibiting one's adherence to a variety of approaches to family practice.     

Giving at Work: Exploring Connections Between Workplace Giving Campaigns and Patterns of Household Charitable Giving in the USA

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This research addresses an area of philanthropic study that is becoming an increasingly important revenue source for the...     

Foster family acceptance: Understanding the role of foster family acceptance in the lives of LGBTQ youth

LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system have historically received very little attention. The limited research available suggests that they encounter a number of disparities and double standards when compared to straight youth. The current study examines the role that foster family acceptance plays in the lives of LGBTQ youth as they navigate the child welfare system. The experiences of LGBTQ foster care alumni who had accepting foster family experiences are compared to those who had rejecting experiences. Findings suggest that foster family acceptance plays a pivotal role in creating an affirming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ youth. Similarly, findings provide further evidence for the need to educate, train, and recruit affirming and accepting foster families.