The role of social networks in the care of young children

SUMMARY. From birth, children develop, play and work within extensive social networks; yet little systematic research has been carried out to examine these relationships. This article summarises findings about the network relationships of young children from a study undertaken to explore the diverse ways in which their parents made childcare and babysitting arrangements. The different experiences of the children were found to be closely linked to parental beliefs and values, as well as the nature of the local neighbourhoods and network patterns. They were also associated with varied evolutionary sequences in the social relationships of both adults and children     

The relationship between loneliness and social interaction in women prisoners

The increase in women prisoners is a societal issue and affects not only the woman, but also her family of origin and her children. This study did not support the hypothesis that more frequent visits from friends or family decrease loneliness, but it did support the hypothesis that the presence or absence of friends and the number of friends within the facility make a significant difference in the loneliness experienced by women prisoners. It is within the scope of nursing practice to lessen the burden of loneliness and to improve the physical and emotional health of the person by addressing the issue of loneliness.     

Commitment to mothering and preference for employment: The voices of women on public assistance with young children

This study uses qualitative data to examine how welfare-dependent women with young children feel about the employment mandate in the 1996 welfare reform legislation, Personal Work Responsibility Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PWRORA). The voices of poor women have been overlooked in the policy debate about welfare reform, as well as in the social science literature. The data were drawn from individual and group interviews done with 14 women on public assistance during the initial phase of their participation in a voluntary welfare-to-work program. The women in this sample report that they have strong positive feelings about working outside of the home, as well as strong reservations. The paper presents new data on low-income women's role preference and perceived conflict regarding employment when their children are young. All the women in the sample had children under 2 years of age. The data demonstrate that there are aspects of role preference and conflict with employment that are unique to women on public assistance, as well as aspects that are universal across income groups.     

Mitigating the ill effects of maternal incarceration on women in prison and their children

Maternal incarceration has deleterious effects on children, families, and society, but child welfare professionals historically have paid limited attention to maternal incarceration. Two recent changes have required the reevaluation of that stance: the dramatic increase in the number of women in prison, and the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. This article discusses the reality of maternal incarceration, analyzes one prison's attempt to provide programs to support inmate mothers and their children, and makes policy and program recommendations.     

Associations between acoustic features of maternal speech and infants’ emotion regulation following a social stressor

Caregiver voices may provide cues to mobilize or calm infants. This study examined whether maternal prosody predicted changes in infants’ biobehavioral state after the still face, a stressor in which the mother withdraws and reinstates social engagement. Ninety-four dyads participated in the study (infant age 4–8 months). Infants’ heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (measuring cardiac vagal tone) were derived from an electrocardiogram (ECG). Infants’ behavioral distress was measured by negative vocalizations, facial expressions, and gaze aversion. Mothers’ vocalizations were measured via a composite of spectral analysis and spectro-temporal modulation using a two-dimensional fast Fourier transformation of the audio spectrogram. High values on the maternal prosody composite were associated with decreases in infants’ heart rate (β = ?.26, 95% CI: [?0.46, ?0.05]) and behavioral distress (β = ?.23, 95% CI: [?0.42, ?0.03]), and increases in cardiac vagal tone in infants whose vagal tone was low during the stressor (1 SD below mean β = .39, 95% CI: [0.06, 0.73]). High infant heart rate predicted increases in the maternal prosody composite (β = .18, 95% CI: [0.03, 0.33]). These results suggest specific vocal acoustic features of speech that are relevant for regulating infants’ biobehavioral state and demonstrate mother–infant bi-directional dynamics.     

The association between social support networks and maternal employment: a comparison of western German,eastern German,and migrant mothers of preschool-aged children

A lack of adequate childcare can delay mothers’ return to the labor market after childbirth. This paper examines whether social support with childcare by kin and friends facilitates maternal employment in the first 72 months after childbirth. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) 1993–2009, a comparison of natives (n?=?1409) and migrants (n?=?411) in corporative-conservative western Germany with mothers in former socialist eastern Germany (n?=?528) shows that kinship support is positively associated with maternal employment when public childcare is limited. Western German and migrant mothers return to work sooner if they are surrounded by kin. But kin do not provide support for maternal employment in eastern Germany, where public childcare is more easily accessible and continuous female employment is a prevalent social norm. Friendship networks, by contrast, are most valuable for maternal employment if they complement public childcare.     

A rights-based conceptual framework for the social inclusion of children and young persons with an intellectual disability

There is a basic principle that all children and young persons with intellectual disabilities should be able to enjoy citizenship on an equal basis with others. This includes enjoying personal dignity and exercising choice, control and freedom in social, community and cultural life, in keeping with their individual lifestyle preferences and aspirations. There is a need for a stronger human rights narrative to achieve this. This article identifies a conceptual framework for a rights-based approach to the integration of children and young persons with disabilities. Seven components of such a framework are identified: citizenship and social inclusion; recognition; agency; voice; capabilities; equality; and self-realisation. This framework was developed as part of an Irish case study involving consultation with young persons with intellectual disabilities, their parents or guardians and professional staff delivering support services. The rights of children/young persons with intellectual disabilities are essentially those of children generally. While this principle may be obvious in many respects, its implementation presents significant challenges. The need for a transformative narrative and its components are outlined.     

A review of the risks associated with children and young people’s social media use and the implications for social work practice

Abstract

This paper explores what the research says about the risks to children and young people of using social media. Taking a systematic approach this literature search identified 16 peer reviewed articles, written in English since January 2010. Four areas of risk were identified: cyberbullying and online abuse, exposure to negative forms of user-generated content, the converging of offline and online networks, and developing interpretations of privacy. The research also highlighted how the extent of the risk depends upon the developmental stage and social circumstances. This review provides several implications for social work practice. Social workers must develop their understanding of different social media platforms in order to identify risks and maximise opportunities. Assessment approaches must be tailored to ensure social media use and its effect on those of different ages and backgrounds is considered. Finally they need to consider their role in educating about the risks of social media use.     

Determinants of attitudes held by Irish catholic and protestant women towards gender roles,maternal employment and social perceptions of women in Irish society

This paper is drawn from my doctoral thesis, which analyses similarities and differences in the social and religious attitudes of modern Catholic and Protestant (Church of Ireland) women in the Republic of Ireland.

My work is new in that it studies the attitudes of a female sample that is stratified according to religious tradition (Catholic/Protestant). The sample is also stratified by age (21–46/47–70 years) and location (rural/urban). Irish sociological and feminist scholarship has produced diverse work concerning many facets of Irish women's lives, but little research has specifically focused on the attitudes of Irish Protestant and Catholic women as distinct groups.

Qualitative and quantitative questionnaires were used to study the social and religious attitudes of respondents living in 12 counties throughout the Republic of Ireland. Twelve distinct attitudinal factors emerged from factor analysis. Themes contained in these factors included: 1. ?Perception's of social attitudes to women in Irish society

2. ?Attitudes to Article 41.2.1/2 of the 1937 Constitution1 41.2.1 “In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.” View all notes 41.2.2 “The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.” View all notes

3. ?Attitudes to maternal employment

4. ?Perception of the role of the Catholic/Protestant churches in women's lives

5. ?Religiosity

6. ?Attitudes to majority Catholic/minority Protestant status

7. ?Attitudes toward women clergy

8. ?Attitudes to moral issues (divorce and abortion)

9. ?Attitudes to Church influence in moral issues

The emergence of these factors are a significant contribution to sociological and feminist research because they have not previously been specifically researched from the perspective of Catholic and Protestant women.

The effects of religion, age and location on the 12 factors were then examined by means of analysis of variance, which identified those variables having significant main effects and interaction effects on respondent attitudes. Results emerging from percentage distributions and analysis of variance are presented for respondent attitudes to gender roles, maternal employment and perceptions of social attitudes towards women in Irish society.     

The role of communities in safeguarding children and young people

Historically, children's safeguarding policy and practice in the UK have focused on individual and family‐level explanations of abuse and neglect, with relatively little attention given to children's overall well‐being or the role played by neighbourhood conditions in shaping it. As a result, community‐oriented practice, designed to improve the neighbourhood conditions in which many of the families who come to the attention of child welfare agencies live, has largely remained on the margins of mainstream provision for safeguarding children and young people. However, more recent policy developments, including Every Child Matters and the Children's Plan, do highlight the influence of children's wider circumstances on their well‐being, providing the foundations for more holistic approaches to service provision. Nevertheless, it is argued that these policy developments are unlikely to be successful unless they are accompanied by fundamental changes within the culture of many agencies and professions. Using a combination of ecological theory and practice examples, some of the main strands of the changes required (developing a culture of listening to children and adults; recognising and supporting the safeguarding activities of local people; and promoting partnership approaches to extending local provision) are critically examined. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An exploration of social & emotional factors impacting well-being in women who have sex with women (WSW)

Abstract

“Women who have sex with women” or WSW have unique perspectives within the LBGTQ spectrum. The purpose of this study included documenting perceptions, feelings, and experiences among WSW. Thirty-seven women participated in six focus groups, ages ranged from 20–64 years. Responses were transcribed and thematically coded. Four themes emerged as influencing factors: shame and fear, community, gender roles, and normalcy. Each major theme produced minor themes providing a context within major themes. Results offer valuable insights that can assist community members, health professionals, and scientists to better appraise the disparities and stigma impacting social and emotional well-being among WSW.     

Conceptualising social capital in relation to the well-being of children and young people: a critical review

This exploratory article forms the background for an empirical study for the Health Education Authority on children, young people, health, well-being and social capital. In terms of morbidity, children tend not to exhibit clear health problems, but obviously engage in activities that have important implications for their health and well-being (West & Sweeting, 1996), and these activities may be influenced by, as well as impact upon, children's social capital. Social capital is an elusive concept and has been defined in various ways, and refers to sociability, social networks and social support, trust, reciprocity, and community and civic engagement. The paper contrasts three interpretations of the concept, by Coleman (1988, 1990), Putnam (1993, 1995) and Bourdieu (1986). It concludes that the concept is currently poorly specified as it relates to children, and that the use of the term is inherently problematic, and needs to be carefully critiqued and empirically grounded before it can usefully be applied in social policy formulations. One possible way forward might be to conceptualise social capital not so much as a measurable ‘thing’, rather as a set of processes and practices that are integral to the acquisition of other forms of ‘capital’ such as human capital and cultural capital (ie qualifications, skills, group memberships, etc).     

An investigation of the link between gambling motives and social context of gambling in young adults

The current study examined the relationship between gambling motives and gambling in various social contexts using both retrospective and real-time assessment of gambling social context. Ninety-five young adults (79 males, 16 females; aged 19–24 years) who reported gambling at least 4 times in the past month participated. Scores on the Gambling Motives Questionnaire (GMQ; Stewart & Zack, 2008) were used as a measure of gambling motives (Enhancement, Social, Coping). Data on the social context of gambling (alone, with family, with friends, with strangers) were derived retrospectively from the Gambling Timeline Follow-Back (G-TLFB; Weinstock, Whelan, & Meyers, 2004) as well as in real time using experience sampling (ES) methods (Conner Christensen, Feldman Barrett, Bliss-Moreau, Lebo, & Kaschub, 2003). For both the G-TLFB and ES data, we conducted a series of multivariate regression analyses with the block of gambling motives predicting gambling behaviour in each social context. Across the two assessment methods, coping gambling motives positively predicted gambling alone, whereas social gambling motives negatively predicted gambling alone and positively predicted gambling with friends. These findings suggest that individuals who gamble for particular motives are more likely to do so in specific social contexts.     

Involving communities in the evaluation of programmes with ‘at risk’ children and young people

This article explores the relationships between evaluators and those who take part in community‐based programmes. It draws specifically on experience gained from the continuing evaluation of the Communities that Care (CTC) programme in Britain. Different community perspectives towards evaluation are discussed, highlighting the challenges these create for evaluators. In the final sections examples are used to identify different strategies used on the CTC evaluation, showing how ‘trust’, ‘boundary setting’, ‘independence’ and ‘identification of benefits’ are central to including community participants in evaluation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The social mobility of women and men in the Ontario legal profession

Cette étude de la classe graduée des écoles de Droit en Ontario en 1974 examine la structure de la profession d'avocat. Les facteurs d'origine (e.g., variables démographiques, situation familiale, écoles) sont examinés pour révéler leur influence sur les carrières (e.g., revenu, spécialité, secteur d'emploi). Les voies divergentes sont évidentes pour les femmes et quelques minorités. L'entrée dans les firmes de l'élite (selon la définition de Clement) est attentivement scrutée.
This study of the 1974 graduating class of Ontario law schools examines the mobility structure of the Ontario legal profession. A series of background characteristics (e.g., demographic variables, parental occupation, schooling) are examined to determine their influence upon career outcomes (e.g., income, area of specialization, employment sector). Divergent routes are evident for women and some minorities. Placement into elite law firms (as defined by Clement) is carefully scrutinized.     

The electronic eye: emerging surveillant practices in social work with children and families

Given the rise of a ‘surveillance society’ or ‘surveillance state’, this article examines the evolution of new surveillant practices which are targeted at children in general, but also particular groups of children who are frequently seen as ‘troublesome’, even threats to the social order. In England for example, there has been an emerging preoccupation with ‘identifying’, ‘profiling’, and ‘tracking’ the potentially criminal young. Furthermore, other major changes are likely to be introduced in the area of child welfare and child protection. Important here is the New Labour administration’s plan to introduce ‘information hubs’ which will electronically log details on children and families. It is argued that social work and the social professions, throughout Europe, need to critically analyse developments such as this and have their responses informed by international discourses founded on civil and human rights.     

Access and accommodation in the Canadian welfare state: the political significance of contacts between state, labor and business leaders

J'examine dans les pages qui suivent la question de l'existence de contacts entre diverses élites, et l'importance politique de telles relations en termes de leur association avec l'appui ou l'opposition que ces élites apportent à certaines politiques sociales. J'utilise les données d'un sondage mené en 1977 auprès de 600 leaders canadiens, au sein du gouvernement et des secteurs syndical et des affaires. Les contacts personnels entre élites - et en particuliers ceux impliquant des employés de l'Etat - sont envisagés comme un terrain où se déploient des conflits politiques, où les élites de plusieurs secteurs (affaires, syndicats …) tentent de promouvoir leurs intérêts, l'une face à l'autre et auprès des politiques de l'Etat. A ce titre, les données ne confirment pas l'existence d'une élite monolithique au Canada. Elles suggèrent par ailleurs que, plus que les dirigeants syndicaux, les gens d'affaires importants ont accès à l'Etat et aux autres élites sectorielles. Mais il est plus important de noter que les contacts qu'entretient l'Etat avec les gens d'affaires sont plus importants politiquement que ceux qu'il maintient avec les dirigeants syndicaux. En effet: d'une part, les contacts Etat-gens d'affaires prédisent les positions des employés de l'Etat face aux politiques sociales; d'autre part, les contacts Etats-dirigeants syndicaux ne produisent pas et ne sont produits par un appui pour les positions syndicates dans les hautes spheres de l'Etat canadien.