Elective single mothers and their children: The missing fathers

Elective single mothers are adult, unmarried women who intentionally become mothers. This study utilized longitudinal data about 17 Caucasian, elective single mothers and their children to identify fathers' roles in these families, and to understand children's views of their fathers. These single mothers and their children resided for the first six years of the children's lives in father-absent households. By age six, most of the children had ghost fathers, whom they had never met or knew little about. The data suggest that the father often becomes a family secret, and that children may blame themselves for their fathers' absence.     

Traumas precipitating female delinquency: Implications for assessment,practice and policy

This article examines female delinquency as a symptom of the primary traumas of physical and sexual abuse and secondary traumas, when the environment responds with blame or disbelief. While social workers are increasingly aware that such a relationship often exists, we have yet to operationalize the relevant implications for assessment, practice, and policy in the juvenile justice system. It will be sugested that delinquency may be an act of disclosure and thus effective intervention entails alleviating primary and secondary trauma at the individual-community interface.     

Language delays among foster children: implications for policy and practice

This article highlights the centrality of language in early childhood development and the potential for language delays to negatively affect long-term outcomes in educational and social domains. Given the high rate of language delays in the foster care population, an emphasis should be placed on assessing language skills among children ages 6 and younger entering foster care. The authors describe several existing approaches to assessing language skills and discuss obstacles to the widespread implementation of systematic evaluation among foster children. Finally, the authors discuss the need for research and programming to establish evidence-based practices that encourage the remediation of language delays in this highly vulnerable population.     

How parents decide to participate and save in their children's asset-building accounts: Implications for practice, policy, and theory

Asset-based social welfare programs focus on helping low to moderate income citizens accumulate wealth in the form of home ownership, savings, small businesses, and higher education. Individual development accounts, savings accounts in which account holders' deposits are matched, are a vehicle often used in these programs. In a national demonstration of children's savings accounts (individual development accounts for children) parents participated in focus groups to discuss how they decided to enroll in this asset-building program, how they decided to open accounts for their children, and how they saved in these accounts. Findings from this study have implications for assetbuilding policy and practice, and institutional theories of saving.     

澳大利亚失业青年治理对我国的镜鉴

经济新常态是未来一个时期我国经济发展的重要特征,在新常态的不同阶段,经济增长速度、发展方式、结构调整以及发展动力等都与前一阶段有所不同,这些变化必然对就业带来影响,从而将就业管理服务工作、职业培训置于不间断的挑战之下。澳大利亚政府基于对失业青年激励引导理念,提出主流青年公共就业服务和青年失业治理的四大最新举措。对比不同国情,化解青年失业难题需要培养提升青年职业技能、缔造与产业结构相适应的就业结构、构建公共部门促进青年就业的多重保障、充分激发和调动青年内在就业动力、为有志青年提供更好的创业服务。     

The ritual abuse of children: Implications for clinical practice and research

The development of a 14‐year‐old female from defending herself from sexual crimes to committing such a crime is presented in case‐report form. Her individual history, family dynamics, and transgenerational patterns are explored. A review of the current literature is utilized to understand why some abused persons become abusers.     

Household technology: Implications for research and policy

If we are to have a fuller understanding of the social and economic context of the family, it is necessary to explore its technological environment. However, few scholars have examined the relationship between household technology and the functioning of the family. This article looks at which academic disciplines address household technology, what have been their findings, and why there is generally a paucity of research in this area. This article concludes with a discussion of the need for more research in household technology and the implications that this research may have for other family inquiry and for policy formation.Cathleen Zick, University of Utah, Richard Widdows, Purdue University, and Joan Ash, Central Washington University, provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.His research interests include household technology, consumer policy, and consumer protection.     

Regular and irregular earnings of unwed fathers: Implications for child support practices

This paper estimates the regular and irregular earnings of unmarried fathers, using data from the first seven cities of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study. The results indicate that these fathers earn about $17,000 on average, a figure comparable to previous estimates of the earnings of nonresident and/or unmarried fathers. The paper also explores the relative importance of these fathers' irregular economic activity. The findings indicate that almost three in ten fathers participate in the irregular sectors, and that most of these fathers combine irregular with regular sector work. Also, among fathers reporting informal activity, irregular earnings serve to increase total earnings by 20 percent. However, among all unmarried fathers, irregular earnings increase total earnings by only 6 percent.     

Private child and family serving agencies: Implications of national survey results for policy and managerial practice

The national studies represented in this symposium provide the field with greater understanding of the nature of the private sector's role in child welfare and the complex interrelationships among organizational characteristics, inter-organizational dynamics, and external influences. Research findings from symposium papers are examined through the lens of a private agency manager and implications are derived for managerial practice and policy practice both within the private agency and in relation to public/private child welfare partnerships. Key managerial competencies that may be required to move agencies and the sector towards enhanced organizational performance and child welfare outcomes are discussed.     

Material hardship in families with children with health conditions: Implications for practice

Cross-sectional data from the third wave of a ten-year data collection initiative were used to assess the odds of experiencing four material hardships between families who have a child member with a limiting health condition, and families with children who do not have a child member with a limiting health condition. The odds of experiencing material hardship in families with more than one child with a limiting health condition were also assessed. In the multivariable models, having a child in the household with a limiting health condition increases the odds the household will be unable to pay bills, and have their phone service disconnected. Also, having more than one child in a household with a limiting health condition increases the odds of being unable to pay bills, having a phone disconnected, and receiving food stamps. Interventions to assist these vulnerable families are presented.     

Perceptual difference of child neglect among Korean parents and children: Implications for child welfare policy

This study examined the perceptual differences in child neglect among Korean parents and children. The data were collected from a convenient sampling of 321 Korean parents and 294 children using the case statements developed by Giovannoni and Becerra (1979). The statements consisted of examples of child neglect in the following seven domains: (1) emotional neglect; (2) lack of supervision; (3) medical neglect; (4) educational neglect; (5) neglect of personal hygiene; (6) nutritional neglect; and, (7) drug/alcohol use. Findings showed that both Korean parents and children consider child neglect moderately serious while Korean children consider child neglect situations significantly more serious. Korean parents perceive emotional neglect as the most serious child neglect domain whereas Korean children perceive drug/alcohol use as the most serious domain of child neglect. Gender variation among Korean children indicates that girls are more likely to perceive the emotional neglect and lack of supervision domains more seriously than boys. The implications of the study offer valuable insights into policy development and program planning efforts in reducing the child neglect among Korean parents and children. Additionally, the findings of the study will likely contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the area of child neglect among Korean children and parents.     

Kinship care for children in the UK: messages from research,lessons for policy and practice1

This article presents a comprehensive overview of kinship care, or as it is also known, family and friends care, paying particular attention to the UK child welfare, legal, policy/practice contexts. The aim of the article is to raise awareness, and provide information, about a hitherto largely invisible, yet expanding placement option being widely used in child welfare systems in the UK, in Europe and elsewhere. The article places kinship care within a UK and European child welfare legal context, including the European Convention on Human Rights 1998 [Articles 8 and 14] and European kinship care developments are also highlighted. It contains the main findings of a kinship care research study conducted by the author, based on interviews with children and young people living with kinship carers, as well as with the kinship carers. Following an examination of theoretical and policy issues, the article examines ways forward for developing and supporting kinship care. In the final section, and based on the research findings and literature review, a new paradigm for child welfare is introduced. It is argued that this new paradigm is necessary in order for kinship care practice and policy to develop within a supported and sustainable family support framework.     

Residential substance abuse treatment for pregnant and postpartum women and their children: treatment and policy implications

In FY 1993 and FY 1995, the federal government awarded 27 five-year grants that supported 35 residential treatment projects for substance-abusing pregnant and postpartum women and their children. These projects provided comprehensive culturally and gender-specific treatment. Preliminary aggregated data collected in a national cross-site evaluation of 24 of these projects are encouraging with respect to infant mortality and morbidity, treatment retention and completion rates, and behavioral changes in the participating mothers at six months postdischarge. Local evaluations reflect other benefits of treatment. Cost data are expected to demonstrate the efficiencies and benefits of these projects compared to no treatment.     

German fathers and their preferences for shorter working hours for family reasons

This study is among the first to analyze fathers’ preference for shorter working hours specifying that the preference is related to the wish to spend more time with the family. Assuming that preferences are context-dependent, this article explores the relevance of the family and workplace context for preference formation. We develop need-based and capability-based arguments to contrast the job demands–resources approach and the capabilities approach in work–family research. Using a sample of 632 fathers from the German LEEP-B3 data with a representative linked employer–employee design for large work organizations we conclude that fathers’ preferences for shorter working hours are indeed context-dependent and that there is more evidence for need-based arguments than opportunity based arguments. Our results indicate that fathers with young children and fathers with high work demands are more likely to desire shorter working hours, whereas a reduction in working hours appears to be unnecessary for fathers who can satisfactorily reconcile work and family life through support from their supervisors. In contrast to capability-based arguments the perception of a highly demanding work culture was not found to decrease but increase the likelihood to desire to work shorter hours.     

Genetic counseling: Implications for social work practice

Considerable advances have been made in recent years in medical genetics. These advances have led to a better understanding of the inheritance of disease. Social workers involved in schools, child welfare, medical, and other institutional settings often work with clients who have genetically inherited disorders. Consequently, there is a growing need for social workers to increase their knowledge of genetics and genetic counseling. In this article, the authors discuss the emerging field of genetic counseling and its implications for social work practice.     

Developing evidenced-based policy and practice in social interventions with children and families

This review article focuses on a series of reports commissioned by Barnardo's, the largest children's charity in the UK.¹ The series examines ‘what works?’ in different forms of social intervention with children and families. The publication of these reports is very timely. There is growing interest, indeed a demand, from many quarters for a strengthening of the evidence base that informs social policy. This, in turn, has opened a debate among researchers and users of research about what constitutes evidence. What sort of information enables us to make claims that a particular initiative works? This series considers the question of appropriate research methodologies and in so doing raises many further questions, which are the theme of this review.     

The hearing impaired psychotherapist: Implications for process and practice

This paper will address the problems faced by the hearing impaired psychotherapist with a particular emphasis on the alliance in psychotherapy. The author will address the unique problems facing the hearing impaired therapist in clinical practice as well as the strategies which can be utilized to manage the treatment process.