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.     

Implementation of a Data Communication System for the Adriatic-Ionian Sea Area

This paper presents the state of the art for communication of data and information between the various participants in the port community, as well as between the port administrations themselves. It also presents an innovative application of a port community communication platform in the Adriatic-Ionian corridor. The system is accessible by both electronic data interchange and Internet and has been applied on a pilot status in the ports of the Adriatic, Ionian, and part of Northern Aegean Sea areas. This has been initially developed as part of a number of EU-cofunded projects within the INTERREG/CADSES programme of DG REGIO (projects TRANSLOGNET, GILDA, GILDA-NET). The system has been designed to improve primarily the efficiency and safety of intermodal transport and to contribute to the better integration of the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean Seas into the European transport networks.     

A Qualitative Study of Communication among Child Advocacy Multidisciplinary Team Members Using a Web-Based Case Tracking System

A qualitative study was conducted to gain information about communication among child advocacy multidisciplinary team (MDT) members when using a Web-based case tracking system. Analysis of the focus groups revealed a number of strengths and barriers. Users positively appraised aptness of the system for expediting communication and saving time. Lack of training and duplication of effort with other systems were recognized as impediments. In addition to the typical reactions to such systems, other factors, such as motivation and subjectivity, are discussed which may affect the success of such systems.     

Perceptions and Use of a Web-Based Referral System in Child Welfare: Differences by Caseworker Tenure

In the child welfare system, technology may help caseworkers make service referrals efficiently. However, acceptance and use of new technology does not occur equally for all caseworkers. Influenced by the Technology Acceptance Model, we investigate differences in perceived ease of use and usefulness of a web-based referral system by caseworker tenure, and how these perceptions relate to use of the system. Results from 31 interviews with newer and more tenured caseworkers suggest important similarities and differences in how these groups perceive the technology, and suggest that differences in perception are related to differences in actual use.     

The Psychology of Working in Practice: A Theory of Change for a New Era

This article advances the psychology of working theory by developing a parallel change‐based paradigm to guide interventions at the level of individuals (i.e., the psychology of working counseling) and systems (i.e., the psychology of working systemic intervention). The change paradigm presented in this article includes (a) a needs assessment encompassing survival, social connection/contribution, and self‐determination and (b) input on the mobilization of agentic action that includes critical reflection and action, proactive engagement, social support, and community engagement. The needs assessment and agentic action aspects of this approach can be used to foster change in individual counseling, advocacy, and systemic intervention. Case examples reflecting a systemic intervention and an individual counseling vignette are presented along with implications for research, such as explorations of the impact of these change models on client outcomes and systemic change efforts.     

Assessing the Effect of an Electronic Decision Support System on Children's Mental Health Service Outcomes

This study examined the effect of clinician adoption on an agency built Electronic Discussion Support System on the reduction of youth risk factors. This exploratory study is the first of its kind to assess an agency-built Electronic Decision Support Systems (EDSS) within a children's mental health program to see how it is utilized in a treatment as usual climate. The results showed a significant difference between the reduction-in-risk rating for two of the domains of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale (Parental Capability and Environment). Yet findings showed that only a few staff utilized the EDSS regularly. Based on the findings, it appears there was a break down in the implementation process. Although the agency had the best of intentions by building the Dashboard, without proper emphasis on implementation their goal was never fully actualized.     

It Attacked My Change: An Exploratory Study with Young Adults on the Impact of Divorce and Their Adjustment Processes During Adolescence

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 2 female students, 21 and 24 years old. The participants experienced parental divorce during early adolescence (12 years old). This research examined the participants’ own views on the impact of parental divorce and their adjustment processes. The majority of participants’ narratives indicated that they had experienced negative effects of parental divorce. Results suggested that their adjustment was a long process in which mothers, peers, and psychologists had an important role in their coping process. Divorce and associated events were found to have a direct impact on participants’ development of identity, emotions, intimate relationships, father–child relationships, and views about forming their own families. The results were discussed in relation to the previous literature. Additionally, areas for psychotherapeutic emphasis are presented.     

Fifty Years of the Southern Sociological Society: Change and Continuity in a Professional Society. Methodological Perspectives on Studying the History of the Southern Sociological Society

This paper revisits research procedures used to collect and analyze data for Fifty Years of the Southern Sociological Society: Change and Continuity in a Professional Society (1988) to comment on methodological issues. The fifty years of change were conceptualized as having shifted the Southern Sociological Society from a disciplinary to a professional mode of organization. The shift occurred both from evolutionary processes and from deliberate revolutionary actions of officials and members. Data for the study came mainly from the Society’s Archives. It included personal accounts by presidents, secretary-treasurers’ and committee reports, annual programs and newsletters. Evolutionary processes of adapting the association to the growth of membership, to differentiation of fields of sociological study, along with the rationalization and formalization of the Society’s governance and operation, were extracted mainly from annual programs, the most continuous and objective body of archival information. Revolutionary changes, including adaptation to societal challenges including racial segregation, from the Society’s founding onward were inferred from personal accounts, committee reports, and newsletters, and were confirmed from interviews with long-standing members.