Disciplining Disability under Danish Active Labour Market Policy

This article explores how caseworkers are re‐constructing disability in the Danish welfare system and disciplining themselves and clients according to the active labour policy paradigm. Combining Foucault's ideas about discipline with Maynard‐Moody and Musheno's method of interpreting street‐level bureaucrats' stories ( Foucault 1977 ; Maynard‐Moody and Musheno 2003 ), we analyze caseworkers' stories about their clients, fellow caseworkers and themselves to understand how they practice the ideology behind active labour policy. Our analysis uses Møller's (2009 ) interviews with 24 Danish caseworkers who administer social welfare and sick leave benefits based on disability as the primary eligibility criterion. We selected stories told by caseworkers that exemplify archetypes of good and bad citizens, good and bad clients, and good and bad caseworkers. Through interpretative analysis, we elucidate how caseworkers make sense of active labour policy and internalize the pressures of managerial reforms to discipline both citizens and each other.     

Social support available for substance‐dependent mothers from families with parental substance abuse

Substance‐dependent mothers, who have grown up with parental substance abuse, struggle during and after treatment to abstain from substances while trying to process traumatic experiences and integrate their family into society. The aim of this study was to explore the social support available for these mothers to help them stay abstinent and create safe family environments for themselves and their children. Using purposeful sampling, we approached nine mothers admitted for 1 year to a family ward at a substance abuse clinic and their significant others. Through in‐depth, qualitative interviews, first with the mothers, later with their significant others, we investigated characteristics of the available social support. The findings indicated that the significant others had limited resources and were themselves exposed to adverse and cumulative psychosocial and socioeconomic risk factors. Their relationships with the mothers were, nevertheless, close, consistent and reliable. Supporting the existing social network should be an integrated part of the work of family welfare services aiming to help substance‐dependent mothers from families with parental substance abuse to rehabilitate and to integrate successfully into local communities.     

The place of social work in sustainable development: Towards ecosocial practice

Peeters J. The place of social work in sustainable development: Towards ecosocial practice Ecological questions are seldom seen to concern the social dimension and, accordingly, to be of direct concern to mainstream social work practice. However, the current ‘social‐ecological crisis’ demands a major social transition to a sustainable society that touches all dimensions of our lives. So, social work cannot escape this process. This article argues that social work can engage in this transition starting from its social mission and tradition, provided it includes the ecological environment as an important element of practice and develops an ecosocial practice centred on empowerment, social capital formation and resilience building as both a contribution to and part of a process of social‐political change.     

Exit from and re‐entry into social assistance benefit in Belgium among people with migration background and the native‐born

Whereas several studies have examined the timing of exit from social assistance, little is known about the exit destinations after social assistance and whether these entail different risks of re‐entry into social assistance. Using administrative data, we studied 13,552 people with various migration backgrounds who entered social assistance in Belgium in 2004 or 2005. We tracked their social assistance spell(s) and the income source(s) after exit on a quarterly basis over 4 years, using random‐effects hazard models. We found that one‐third of the beneficiaries exited from first‐spells to work, whereas 14% left to active labour market programmes (ALMPs) and 16% to social insurance benefits. About a third re‐entered social assistance, in particular after short work exits. Participation in ALMPs and social insurance benefit receipt was less common among beneficiaries with migration background compared with native‐born and these exits led less frequently to re‐entry than did exits to paid employment.     

An introduction to research on the social impact of the therapeutic community for addiction

An introduction to the issue of research on the social impact of the Therapeutic Community for Addiction (TC) is presented. The TC is argued to originate in 1957 in the California utopian community of Synanon, although earlier antecedents are recognised. The direct scientific influence on the development of Synanon is documented and traced to the discipline of sociology and the social research tradition. The breaking with the authoritarian style of Synanon is seen as a key process in the evolution of the TC. Social innovations created by the TC movement include interracial and interethnic living groups as well as the instilling of democracy in the relations of caring in the state institutions and the civil society. The issues of after-care and the re-entry phase of the TC client to society are seen as the point where the social impact of the TC can begin to be traced. The integration of the TC into larger treatment systems is discussed, both in its positive and negative consequences to the social movement. Historical research needs to be extended beyond familiar sources into the 'grey literature' of TCs and their umbrella organisations. Also, the need to go beyond research that provides an understanding of the past history of the TC is acknowledged. A call for present-oriented sociological research on the impact of the TC on the social networks of clients in re-entry and on socially excluded segments of society that would revitalise the movement is concluded.     

社会工作在构建和谐社会进程中的功能与效益

当前,构建社会主义和谐社会是我国社会发展的一个长远目标。社会工作是作为一种有效解决个人与社会问题的微观服务手段而出现,必然对和谐社会构建有着重大意义。本文试图以一种微观的视角,从功能与效益两个方面来探讨社会工作对构建和谐社会的现实意义。     

What's in a Frame? How Professionals Assess Clients in Dutch Work Reintegration Practice

With the increased attention on labour market participation, the field of work reintegration support has grown dramatically. In order to improve professionals' performance, standards and performance measures are introduced in this field. We question whether this will improve the quality of their work. Closer scrutiny needs to be paid to the inherently normative and structuring role of professional judging. We applied the concept of ‘frames of reference’ to the process of professional judgement in work reintegration. This concept helped us to understand how a work reintegration professional structures a client's story through implicit rules that escape formalization and control mechanisms. On the basis of 24 in‐depth interviews with diverse work reintegration professionals in the Netherlands, we distinguish five of these frames: a procedural, a work‐focused, a caring, a learning and a facilitating frame of reference. Furthermore, we show that professionals differ widely in the images they have of clients, leading to a large variety in judgement of, and interaction with, clients. Though differences between professionals are inherent to a complex and dynamic field as work reintegration, the current variety in professional‐client contact in work reintegration seems to depend too much on arbitrary professional preferences. Therefore, reflection on these differences, both among professionals and by policymakers, is needed in order to improve the professional practice of work reintegration service.     

“I wish someone would explain why I am in care”: The impact of children and young people's lack of understanding of why they are in out‐of‐home care on their well‐being and felt security

Having a good understanding of one's origins and history is known to be significant in identity development. Drawing on a large‐scale online survey of looked after children's subjective well‐being, this paper demonstrates that a significant number of children and young people (age 4–18 years) did not fully understand the reasons for their entry to care. The paper explores the effect of this lack of knowledge on children's well‐being and on their feelings of being settled in their current placement. The study reiterates the need for professionals to be honest and open with children in out‐of‐home care and the need to specifically address, perhaps repeatedly, why a child is not living with their birth family.     

Practices of activation in frontline interactions: Coercion,persuasion, and the role of trust in activation policies in Germany

Following Michael Lipsky's well‐known argument that policy is made in the daily encounters between street‐level bureaucracy and citizens, a growing body of research emphasizes that actors and organizations delivering social and labor‐market policy play a crucial role in welfare‐state politics. Using qualitative data collected at three local employment agencies in Germany, this article explores worker‐client relations as a crucial mechanism through which activation policies are translated into practice. The analysis investigates how caseworkers define their role and their relationships with clients. The findings show that it is essential for caseworkers to achieve client compliance. In such a context, building relationships of trust is a strategic instrument in overcoming possible barriers to co‐operation in the caseworker‐client interaction. Caseworkers develop strategies to create the impression of trustworthiness and to motivate both unemployed clients and employers to become trust‐givers in the caseworker‐client relation. While research has often stressed the dichotomy between disciplining and enabling elements of activation policies, our explorative study shows that persuasion and trust‐building are a further important dimension of the frontline delivery of activation policies. These strategies reflect the importance of emotional aspects of frontline work.     

以时间为基础的国民幸福核算的实证分析——以北京市为例

本文借鉴普林斯顿大学艾伦·克鲁格教授、丹尼尔·卡尼曼教授以及他们的研究团队提出的最新理论成果:国民时间核算(NTA)方法,以北京市居民为调查研究对象,采用日期重构法(DRM)设计了电话调查问卷,并以此调查结果为数据依托,对衡量幸福感的U指数进行了测算与因素分析,依据分析结果提出了提高北京市民幸福水平的建议。     

Primary Health Care Workers' Views about Social Work

Summary SUMMARY A comparison of the views about social work held by 188 primaryhealth care workers—118 GPs, 31 health visitors and 39district nurses—working in the same teams is presentedhere.^* The study focussed particularly on their perceptionsof social workers, their role and performance. The data indicatea general acceptance of the social work role, but a lack ofknowledge of or extensive criticism about, social work performance.Significant differences of view emerged about social work training,role and clients, indicating occupation is a significant factorin perceptions held. In particular, the client group predominantlydealt with appears to have had an impact on perceptions. However,views about social work performance did not differ greatly,suggesting the influence of occupation on perceptions shouldnot be overstated.     

Using Theory to Understand Public Support for Collective Actions that Impact the Environment: Alleviating Water Supply Problems in a Nonarid Biome*

Objectives. There is increasing public debate over how to meet future water supply needs in historically water‐abundant areas such as the American southeast. Citizens, policymakers, and others are struggling to find ways to meet these needs and to design political strategies for implementing them. This article examines water supply problems facing many communities in the southeast and how social theory can be used to better understand public support for collective actions designed to alleviate them. It presents a framework synthesizing recent work of Dunlap and Jones on the conceptual foundations of environmental concern research with Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action in order to understand public support for building a dam to meet local water supply needs. Methods. The linkages postulated by the model were empirically tested using mail‐survey data obtained from a random sample of 433 adult residents of Cumberland County, Tennessee. Results. Results demonstrate that public support for building the dam is weak. Conclusion. Knowledge of public beliefs, norms, and attitudes about its construction and potential impact, however, can provide policymakers, natural resource professionals, and local stakeholder groups with a solid understanding of why residents support, oppose, or are unsure about building a dam to alleviate water supply problems in this county.     

Inhospitable workplaces? International students and paid work in food services

Most international students in Australia take up paid work during their studies, generally as part‐time employees in low‐wage, low‐skill labour markets. Though little is known about the detail of their work experiences, scattered reports suggest that wages and working conditions are often poor and pose significant issues of social justice. This article examines the characteristics of jobs held by one group of international students, drawing on in‐depth qualitative interviews that form part of a case study of Melbourne's café, restaurant and takeaway food services sector. The evidence indicates that precariousness in employment is widespread in this sector and that it centres on underpayment and non‐payment of wages, in breach of labour regulation. The article suggests that such illegal employer practices are facilitated by use of undeclared casual work. Underpayments are most severe in what are typically regarded as ethnic cafes and restaurants, which concentrate on employment of international students, but they are also widespread in mainstream cafes and restaurants, where international students share precarious work conditions with other workers. The findings underline the case for more concerted research and new policy initiatives.     

Social psychology and neoliberalism: A critical commentary on McDonald,Gough, Wearing,and Deville (2017)

McDonald, Gough, Wearing, and Deville (2017) call for the discipline of social psychology to investigate issues of neoliberalism, consumption and self‐identity more seriously. We make two contributions in relation to their analysis. First, we highlight some current issues associated with neoliberalism as a concept that leave us in doubt regarding the analytical usefulness of the term. Due to its imprecision and over‐extension, predominant association with the left who use it pejoratively, and altered economic circumstances, we are increasingly skeptical of neoliberalism's analytical validity to social psychology. Second, we also stress the importance of interdisciplinarity, but suggest that empirical insights from mainstream social psychology have much to offer social scientists concerned with how current economic developments impact upon self‐identity and social behaviour. We conclude by pointing out that a greater openness to heterodoxy within and between critical and mainstream strands and the wider social sciences are required if social psychologists are going to make more persuasive impacts to the study and resistance of market logic.     

Bridge Builders: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of Former Refugees Working as Caseworkers in the United States

ABSTRACT.

Individuals who come to the United States as refugees and work as resettlement caseworkers offer peer support, modeling, and assistance with integration to newly arriving refugees, despite often having limited training or experience in social service provision. A phenomenological approach was utilized to gain understanding about the experiences of refugee caseworkers. Nine caseworkers who came to the United States as refugees completed in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify primary themes, including: a) the caseworker's bridge-building role with clients; b) their role in building bridges with others in the community, including the resettlement agency; and c) the caseworkers’ experience as bridge builders, including motivations, perspectives toward their role, and needed supports. Refugee service providers face unique challenges in negotiating boundaries with clients and meeting the expectations of their ethnolinguistic community members. Their strengths in understanding household experiences and in building agency and community understanding highlight their ability to contribute to positive resettlement outcomes. The findings from this study have implications for agencies serving refugees and for other social services that utilize peer-support strategies, particularly in regards to staff training and support. Findings highlight the need for research examining effective resettlement strategies and the perspectives of refugees toward resettlement approaches.     

Group Work with the Bedouin Population of the Negev

The Bedouin living in the Negev desert, in the south of Israel, are undergoing a rapid and dramatic process of sedenterization. In 1986 a group of social work students surveyed the needs of one of the tribes who were transferred from pastoralism to a new urban settlement when a military airport was built on their old settlement area following the Camp David Peace Treaty. The survey showed a variety of urgent needs, particularly among adolescents about to finish their high school studies. We report here on group interventions with these young men and women, led by Bedouin students, aimed at helping them reach decisions about their future. The groups used the opportunity to discuss and share with others their feelings about marriage, career choice and planning their future, though there were clear differences between the dynamics and the content of the male and female groups. We discuss the reasons for these differences, as well as the extent to which the groups were thus able to fulfill the safety valve role of traditional social networks which, because of the turmoil created by the physical and social changes undergone by the community, were unable to fulfill their, roles as in the past. We argue that the group formed a stable social resource in a confused environment, characterized by tension between the individual and the society, and an important point of contact on the boundary between the Bedouin and the surrounding society.     

‘Fighting a war alone’: reintegration of ex-offenders from ethnic minority groups

Reintegration into society is crucial for the rehabilitation of ex-offenders. However, in Hong Kong, ex-offenders from ethnic minority groups often face specific difficulties in reintegrating into society when they have completed their sentence and have been released from prisons and correctional institutions. Due to language barriers and cultural differences, as well as a sense of inferiority originating from their convictions, many ethnic minority ex-offenders are likely to experience difficulty in accessing support networks that can help in their rehabilitation, and to re-establish and sustain an identity as a law-abiding citizen, and face more barriers to reintegration than their Chinese counterparts. These barriers are further compounded by problems reintegrating into their own ethnic communities. Many ethnic minority ex-offenders have experienced isolation, stigmatization and discrimination following rejection from their own communities. This, in turn, further complicates their reintegration and can contribute to recidivism and an increase in the crime rate over time.

This paper seeks to analyse the reintegration of ethnic minority ex-offenders into their own ethnic communities using the story of a single ethnic minority ex-prisoner to learn about the lived experience of being jailed and stigmatized. This was carried out to understand the difficulties encountered during reintegration into society, and to look at ways to remove any ‘labels’ bestowed upon ex-offenders following imprisonment.

Finally, the main outcomes of this study are to identify facilitative factors for ethnic minority ex-offenders to aid their re-establishment and reintegration into society and consider possible implications for rehabilitative programmes for ethnic minority ex-offenders and crime prevention programmes for the community.     

Psychological distress among women who were sexually abused as children

One of the aims of the study was to investigate how participants in self‐help groups (SHG) for women (n = 87) who had been sexually abused in childhood rated their mental health and to what extent they were at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A further aim was to investigate the relationship between the ratings of mental health, occurrence of PTSD, women's interpersonal relationships, reasons for participating in an SHG and characteristics of the childhood sexual abuse (CSA). The participants completed questionnaires regarding their personal relationships, reasons for joining a group, abuse characteristics, mental health (Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised) and PTSD (Impact of Event Scale‐Revised). The women showed poor mental health, and more than half of them were at risk of developing PTSD. Lack of social support and feelings of shame correlated with poor mental health, whereas guilt did not. Relationships with female friends had a positive association. Further research is needed to determine whether participating in an SHG could provide adequate social support and reduce feelings of shame, thereby contributing to the healing process in the aftermath of CSA. Key Practitioner Message: ? Child abuse is a significant component of the global burden of disease; ? Both social workers and public health care providers meet sexually abused girls and it is important that they have knowledge about the subject; ? An important clinical implication for adequate treatment would be to assess and recognise childhood sexual abuse and to link diagnosis to trauma.     

The Medical Center's Impact in the Network to Sustain the Aged in the Community

A process is described to show how a Social Work Department of a Medical Center ascertained the need to offer a continuum of comprehensive services to a high risk elderly population. This includes aiding and participating with the board and administration of the Medical Center to develop a varied network of services programs. A community based program model is used to show the utilization of individual and group modalities in working with this age population. Clinical material is incorporated to emphasize that aging clients are accessible for psychosocial interventions and can utilize their ego strengths through group living and group counseling. Experiences will highlight that behavioral changes can be brought about through a reintegration of social, emotional, and environmental forces.