Challenges of social workers' involvement in the recovery of the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake in China

This article explores the challenges of social workers' involvement in recovery work of the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake (12 May 2008). Six social workers working in three social work stations in Sichuan, China, were asked to report the challenges they faced in working with disaster survivors. Findings reveal that the social workers faced many challenges. These include lack of government support, low professional status of social work, rapid changes in the social environment in disaster‐affected areas, lack of supervision, lack of cooperation and coordination among social service agencies, and lack of experience and knowledge in working with disaster survivors. The practical, educational and policy implications of the findings are addressed.     

自然灾害与政治信任：基于汶川大地震的自然实验设计

在当代中国,自然灾害如何在短期内影响公众的政治信任,其作用机制如何？本文使用在汶川大地震发生前后收集的调查数据,试图通过自然实验设计来回答上述问题。本研究发现：在时间维度上,外生的自然灾害会在短时间内提升公众的政治信任;在结构上,地震对公众政治信任的边际增长效应呈现差序性特征,即对区县政府政治信任的正向作用最强,而对中央政府政治信任的强化作用最弱。在此过程中,国家主导的媒体宣传起到了关键的中介作用,即公众接收官方媒体信息的频率越高,其政治信任在短时间内提升的幅度越大。研究表明,灾后短期内的政府动员与鼓舞性的媒体议程设置是提升公众政治信任的重要影响因素,但从长远来看,切实加强政府的长效治理能力建设始终是巩固政治合法性的关键。     

中国农民的环境公正意识与行动取向——以小溪村为例

不同民族和文化对环境公正及运动的地方化理解,有别于西方主流含义,构成全球环境公正和环境治理的前提。本文以一个中国基层农村社区的居民反对当地钨矿开采而进行的上访为例,试图揭示在独特的产权结构下中国农民的环境公正意识及行动取向。在这一个案中,少数钨矿老板一方面通过垄断并无偿使用公共资源获得暴利,另一方面却将严重的生态问题以环境零成本的方式转嫁给当地。这种“私人赢利,集体买单”的现象,是村民感到环境不公的根源。与西方社会尤其是美国公众在“环境公正”问题上强调“公平分配”环境利益与环境危害立法的政治参与诉求不同,当前中国农民在环境公正问题上的关注,主要集中在政府与企业在无偿获得公共利益的同时是否承担相应的集体或社会责任方面。     

大地震与社会福利政策建议

日本东北关东地区3.11大地震导致的灾难救援问题引发了日本学者对社会福利的关注。文章在考察大地震后灾区受灾者的心情、想法的基础上,从中国中央政府的应对措施、对口支援、临时住房、援助的差距、政府工作与志愿行动等方面梳理了中国四川地震救援的经验,指出日本社会结构正面临着三种危机的考验。第一,超老龄社会与少子化、人口减少社会的人口构造危机;第二,通货紧缩、经济萧条、日元升值、股票下跌等经济危机;第三,大地震、海啸、核电站事故带来的环境能量危机。日本可以参考和借鉴中国的经验开展大地震后的恢复、重建工作。受灾者的生活重建是重建的首要任务。在中央政府、地方自治体常设危机管理组织;明确灾害应对的程序;制定社会政策的基本目标;强化受灾者援助的政策手段;完善医疗、福利、护理服务;发展区域产业和开创就业;提供住房保障;着手能够对抗灾害的坚固的地域社会与街区建设。     

从外生性嵌入到内生性根植：社会工作本土化发展路径探索——以湖南社工介入四川理县灾后重建为例

5·12汶川大地震发生后,许多外生性社会工作组织与社会工作者出于职业使命与伦理良知,奔赴灾区参与抗震救灾及灾后恢复重建,在四川灾区集体亮相,显示了社会工作专业在灾后恢复重建所发挥的重要作用。在政府主导的灾后重建社会工作发展模式下,社会工作本土化的关键在于从内部挖潜。湘川情社会工作服务队通过嵌入四川理县灾后重建,在向内生性发展取得了显著的成效,探索了一条从外生性嵌入到内生性根植的社会工作本土化发展道路,为当前汶川地震后社会工作的进一步推广提供了可借鉴的路径选择。     

The disaster relief and social work after the Wenchuan earthquake in Mainland China

ABSTRACT

This paper mainly focuses on the development of disaster social work in Mainland China and the intervention of social work in disaster relief. Before the Wenchuan earthquake and in the initial stage of post-earthquake, disaster social work was mainly based on individual psychotherapy; from the earthquake to the year of 2012 in which post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction was completed, the disaster relief began to emphasise community building and integration, while the basic framework for disaster social work was also established. Social workers begin to explore the new mode of developmental and localised disaster social work. By combining with the practical experiences from disaster social work, this paper tries to highlight the dilemmas confronting disaster relief in Mainland China and put forward some corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, which could improve the future disaster relief system in Mainland China.     

灾后儿童心理重建路径探析——基于“人在情境中”的视角分析

地震属于重大灾难事件的一种，由于其突发性、不可预测性和巨大的破坏性，易使得心智发展水平尚不完善的儿童产生一系列生理、心理和行为上的不良反应，甚至引发较为严重的心理病症。本文通过对国内目前灾后儿童心理重建的31篇文献综述，结合笔者在汶川地震灾区服务的亲身经验，以社会工作“人在情境中”（Person-in-envimnment）为理论视角，尝试构建灾后儿童心理重建的本土性分析框架和实务方向。     

Enthusiasm crushed by apathy: the survival condition of the NGOs under a social management system in Mainland China

The Chinese government is currently endeavouring to establish a new social management system, with the participation of the government and different parties in society, among whom NGO participation in social management is considered the essential approach for social management system innovation. The post-disaster relief and reconstruction of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 left an indelible mark in the developmental history of Chinese NGOs, and provides an opportunity for us to examine the survival condition of NGOs. For this paper, we use a qualitative research method to trace the four-year relief and reconstruction process of a severely afflicted township in Sichuan Province during the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, and examine the work of NGOs at different stages of the post-disaster operation, the role that NGOs played during the relief and reconstruction process, and the survival conditions of NGOs in China's contemporary social management pattern. By analysing the obstacles that NGOs have encountered in the participation of social management, this paper offers suggestions for the innovation of the social management system.     

Towards Understanding Variations in Social Care for Older People in England

Indicators of the public provision of old age social care are routinely recorded in England and have been used for diverse purposes including performance monitoring. Despite long‐term policy guidance promoting more homogeneous service provision, large variations can still be observed between local authorities (the providers of state‐funded social care). Our aim is to better understand such variations in a small selection of key aggregate indicators. Drawing on multiple data sources and pursuing a two‐step strategy, we first assess the explanatory power of a set of structural predictors and then add to the models a set of specific care management ‘process’ predictors. We find that structural factors beyond the control of local authorities explain a considerable share of the observable variation. The additional explanatory power of care management characteristics is small in comparison. Therefore, our findings suggest that caution must be taken when aggregate indicators of service provision are used for performance monitoring purposes, as a degree of autonomy over outcomes may be implied which in light of the empirical evidence is unrealistic. Past attempts to influence the aggregate pattern of service provision – apparently seeking greater ‘territorial justice’– are likely to have had adverse implications for service users and the uniformity of service delivery across England. Questions are raised about the adequate role of central government in a policy environment characterized by longstanding local government responsibility.     

Engaging Indigenous Communities: Towards a Policy Framework for Indigenous Community Justice Programmes

Community engagement has come to the fore as a policy and programme approach that seeks to connect citizens both with each other and with government in order to deliver improved social and economic opportunities and outcomes. This model has become a key aspect of the intervention approach within Indigenous communities and is seen to have particular application in addressing community justice issues. This article examines a suite of community justice initiatives being used in Indigenous communities in Australia with a view to ascertaining how the principles of community engagement are operationalized. The article draws on this information and argues that community engagement is only one aspect of a number of community‐oriented justice initiatives currently being applied. These initiatives range from concepts of community as a location, community as an interest group, and the leveraging of community capital so as to tap into and build better and stronger relationships. In so doing, the latter attempts to increase the social infrastructure, resources and capacity of communities. However, despite government attention in this area, there is a lack of a policy and programmatic framework to guide a coherent and apposite approach to issues of community in specific policy settings. The article contributes to the development of a framework that begins the process of differentiating and assessing justice administration interventions.     

“不完全合作”：NGO联合行动策略——以“5·12”汶川地震NGO联合救灾为例

中国NGO的发展策略越来越引起广泛关注,本文以“5·12”汶川地震NGO联合救灾行动为例,着重探讨当前中国NGO联合行动的“不完全合作”问题。本文认为,不完全合作是NGO在面对内外部制度约束和组织限制条件下的主动策略性行动选择,具体策略机制表现为联合行动目标的自我约束、有限的组织参与和弹性的组织形式等三方面。NGO不完全合作策略的产生是由外部政治机会空间有限、组织关系网络的非正式性,以及组织合作意愿不完全等组织内外部因素的共同形塑而成。本文还指出,在当前整体限制性的制度环境下,正是这种不完全合作策略使得NGO联合救灾在面对各种挑战的情况下成为可能,但也因为合作的不完全性,使得联合行动难以持续。NGO进一步的持续合作还需要新的组织模式。     

Unemployment,Social Policy and Public Opinion

This paper examines causes of unemployment in Australia as perceived by leaders in government, business and trade unions, and by the workforce. A distinction is drawn between structural explanations which emphasise economic conditions and job shortages, and individualistic explanations which ‘blame the victim’. The results show that government and union leaders give most weight to structural explanations, while business leaders and workforce groups place relatively greater weight on individualistic interpretations. This suggests that attempts to improve policy responses to unemployment may benefit not just by appealing to those who actually make policy decisions, but by attempting to improve the general climate of opinion about unemployment.     

Situational Crime Prevention and its Discontents: Rational Choice Theory versus the 'Culture of Now'

The rational choice theory of crime and its cognate field of study, situational crime prevention, have exerted a considerable influence in criminal justice policy and criminology. This article argues that, while undeniably useful as a means of reducing property or acquisitive crime, rational choice‐inspired situational crime prevention initiatives are limited when it comes to offering protection against a growing number of so‐called ‘expressive crimes’. Developing this critique, the article will criticize the sociologically hollow narrative associated with rational choice theories of crime by drawing on recent research in social theory and consumer studies. It argues that the growing tendency among many young individuals to engage in certain forms of criminal decision‐making ‘strategies’ may simply be the by‐product of a series of subjectivities and emotions that reflect the material values and cultural logic associated with late modern consumerism.     

灾后重建中的资源再分配与健康不平等:基于三期汶川地震重建调查

基于2008年至2011年间三期汶川灾区调查数据，本文假定应急救灾、恢复重建和重建结束三个阶段政府的再分配能力存在差异，进而分析这一时段不同职业和教育群体之间的健康差异变化情况。研究发现，首先，在自评健康上，2011年呈现显著的教育梯度，而2008和2009年则无显著的教育差异。其次，在心理健康上，2011年存在显著的教育梯度，2009年存在较弱的教育梯度，2008年未呈现系统性教育梯度。第三，在自评和心理健康上各年份均未呈现系统性的职业阶层梯度。第四，稳健性比较分析表明灾区健康差异模式存在独特性。本文认为，在应急救灾阶段政府再分配能力骤增，提升了弱势阶层的医疗资源可及性，进而降低了阶层健康不平等。但该模式不具有可持续性，一旦重建结束、外部资源减少，不平等会回到常态社会水平。     

灾害危机管理中的社会工作研究——以中国自然灾害危机管理为例

灾害是人类社会发展面临的最大威胁。自然灾害是灾害中最常见并且对人类生存和发展造成极大破坏的灾害形式,中国四川汶川恃大地震的发生反映了灾害危机管理的重要性。作为自然灾害频发的发展中国家,加强灾害危机管理应当成为政府工作的重要任务。灾害社会工作以其专业特质,有助于提高综合减灾能力和风险管理水平,能够在预防灾害、处置危机与灾后重建中发挥积极作用,成为在灾害危机管理中的重要角色。文章立足灾害危机管理预防——救援——重建的工作机制,结合社会工作介入四川地震灾后重建的经验,探析灾害社会工作的研究视阈以及介入灾害危机管理的作用、基本路径和方法,赋予灾害社会工作以学科意义,努力推进灾害社会工作研究,提高灾害危机管理的质量。     

应对地震灾害的社会工作的方法与开发——借鉴阪神淡路大地震、中越大地震、东日本大地震的经验教训

日本3.11大地震后,各种专业组织、社会福利组织致力于灾后重建的社会工作,有力佐证了日本护理保险制度中的护理管理在震灾救援中的巨大威力。针对震灾的社会工作,需要注重以个人援助为主的护理管理,与以地域社会为主的网络相结合。在灾害社会工作的发展方向上,需要社会工作把医疗和团队结合起来,通过加深相互之间的配合,建立在灾害医疗援助小组(DMAT)或日本医师会灾害医疗团队(JMAT)进行治疗后开展生活援助的机制。在社会工作中导入与灾害医疗援助小组同样的体系,平时就要培养好应对震灾的社会工作者。注重培养社会工作者应用现存的社会资源的能力,以及动员、调动灾区以外地区的社会资源的能力。重建受灾者的社区,非常有必要保持并进一步强化以往的居民间的关系。需要建立区域综合援助中心,配有保健师、社会福利士(社会工作者)、主任护理经理。以区域综合援助中心为主来开展灾区和灾区以外地区的社会工作者互相合作的"区域综合照顾"。在生活圈里重建各种组织机构的网络,社会工作者在各自的生活圈内,以地区的需求为基础,制定解决这些需求的计划,动员灾区居民参加,力求实现正式和非正式组织、机构的组织化,并在各种组织、机构的合作下进行实施推广,为社区复苏提供援助,促进地域社会中的各种组织的网络建设,从而形成地区的组织化。     

社会正义与政府责任

在现实生活中,人们总要求政府承担起社会正义的责任,但却不知道怎样才是对政府责任的证成;而在现实的政治生活中,批评政府作为不当或不作为的事情并不少见。本文在论述政府对社会正义责任的证成的基础上,提出了社会正义的维度,以及社会正义实现的决策方法。尤其给出了社会公正度的函数和数学模型,这一量化标准,对于推动社会公正的决策提供了可行的途径,有助于社会公平正义的实现。     

Parenting Stress and Perceived Family Functioning of Chinese Parents in Hong Kong: Implications for Social Work Practice

This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1002) conducted in November 2008, which aimed to identify parenting stress and perceived family functioning of Chinese parents in Hong Kong; to explore the effects of the parents’ socio‐demographic characteristics (gender, family income, education and family structure) on the aforementioned stress and functioning variables; and to examine the interrelationship among these characteristics and the two variables in question. Results showed that the reported parenting stress was at average level, while the perceived family functioning was slightly below average. The results also indicated that the parenting stress of mothers, single parents, the low‐income and the less‐educated was higher than that of fathers, parents of nuclear and extended families, the high‐income and the better‐educated. Socio‐demographic characteristics except the parent’s gender had similar effects on perceived family functioning. Higher parenting stress was associated with lower family functioning, and explained a larger variance in the perceived family functioning than the socio‐demographic characteristics taken alone. The results of the study have provided empirical support regarding the interrelationships among the vulnerable groups in society, parenting stress and perceived family functioning. Implications of the study for social work practice are discussed.     

Criminal defendants’ family and the death penalty in China - a case analysis

ABSTRACT

The restorative justice movement has increased the rights of consciousness for crime victims and their families globally. Though the practice of family group conferences in Australia and New Zealand and the court-ordered mediation programmes in China have increasingly involved defendants and their families, their roles in the criminal justice system have not been the main focus of academic inquiries. Citing a high-profile capital case in China, the Nian Bin case, this study examines the defendant family’s strategies in seeking legal redress, managing physical, emotional and financial tolls as well as coping with the victim families, throughout their eight-year pursuit of Nian’s exoneration. Given Confucian teachings on the importance of family to the individual and the society at large, this study provides a microscopic view into various precipitating factors for a capital defendant’s family activism. It also draws broader implications for China’s criminal justice reforms and the restorative justice movement.     

Putting the parity into service‐user participation: An integrated model of social justice

Models of service‐user participation have derived from citizenship or consumerist agendas, neither of which has achieved the structural reforms important for the most marginalised social work clients. This article proposes Fraser's model of ‘parity of participation’ as an appropriately multifaceted frame for capturing the social justice aspirations of service‐user participation. A qualitative case study compared the experiences and expectations of people who had used Australian mental health services with a sample who had used Australian homelessness services to examine their expectations of participation at individual and representative levels. The findings reinforce concerns from Fraser's research about the tendency for identity‐based consumerist notions of participation to reify group identity. This leads to tokenistic service‐user involvement strategies that have little impact on participation at a structural level. Fraser's parity of participation is shown to have untested potential to reshape service‐user participation to meet the social justice aspirations of social work clients. Key Practitioner Message: ● Innovative, service‐user driven strategies for collaboration will be those which challenge existing power structures; ● Service users want their contributions to decision making to generate identifiable change in the system of social services; ● The success of service‐user participation strategies might be the extent to which political, economic and cultural opportunities are enhanced.