Hospital Health Provider Experiences of Identifying and Treating Trafficked Persons

ABSTRACT

Over the past 20 years, human trafficking (“trafficking”) has generated much public attention throughout the world. The problem has received growing media coverage and increased anti-trafficking activism. Additionally countries have created new policies, laws, and enforcement mechanisms to tackle the problem. This micro level study examined the lived experiences of 22 health and allied health workers situated within St Vincent’s Health Australia’s Melbourne facility, and reports on their identification, assessment, treatment, and outreach to trafficked persons. The results indicated that trafficked persons were predominantly invisible within the health setting. When practitioners did suspect trafficking, they considered themselves as lacking the professional skills and knowledge, or the clear organisational policy or procedures to confidently identify and manage the complex health needs of the suspected trafficked persons. The findings contribute to St Vincent’s Health Australia’s goal of formulating contextually appropriate policy and practices that will assist in the identification of and response to the health needs of trafficked persons.

IMPLICATIONS

• The health needs of trafficked persons are multiple and interrelated and require health care providers and systems to be skilled in the identification, intervention, and treatment of trafficked persons.

• Education and training of health professionals is the cornerstone of the identification, intervention, and treatment of trafficked persons.

• Social workers’ specific focus on person-in-environment may be an important contribution to the identification and treatment of trafficked persons.

     

Networking: aufstiegsf?rderliche Strategien für Frauen in Führungspositionen

The establishment of networks, selective networking and mentoring are fundamental elements for a future career in management. Women in executive positions are disadvantaged due to their minority position concerning their access to networks and their ability to build a mentoring relationship. In the following article examines, from the micro-political point of view, how this disadvantage reflects in organizations at the action level (like networking strategies or exclusion tactics) and which opportunities and barriers for women in leading positions might be derived from the findings. Firstly, the concept of micro-politics will be introduced then networking and coalitions building as career promoting strategies will be discussed. Based on qualitative expert interviews conducted with women and men in executive positions, the strategies of networking and mentoring as well as the opportunities of women to win access to men-dominated networks will be presented. The article will conclude with implications derived from the study results.     

Effects of non-normality and mild heteroscedasticity on estimators in regression

Several estimators are examined for the simple linear regression model under a controlled, experimental situation with multiple observations at each design point. The model is examined under normal and non-normal error distributions and mild heterogeneity of variances across the chosen design points. We consider the ordinary, generalized, and estimated generalized least squares estimators and several examples of M estimators. The asymptotic properties of the M estimator using the Huber ψ are presented under these conditions for the multiple regression model. A simulation study is also presented which indicates that the M estimator possesses strong robustness properties under the presence of both non-normality and mild heteroscedasticity o£ errors. Finally, the M estimates are compared to the least squares estimates in two examples.     

Structural Equation Modeling: An Innovation for Doctoral Social Work Curricula

Abstract

This article offers guidelines for learning and teaching structural equation modeling (SEM). The essential ingredients of an introductory course are presented on the basis of the authors' experience teaching SEM over the past two years. Also discussed are successful and unsuccessful methods of instruction, a practical way to organize the course, and a means to integrate this material into doctoral social work curricula. Teaching SEM can be a practical and worthwhile way to ensure that the profession will have well-trained researchers.     

Press and TV as Opinion Resources in Presidential Campaigns

A comparison of campaign news in two successive presidentialelections reveals major deficiencies in information supply.Newspaper audiences, even more than television viewers, receiveconfusing, heavily negative information which makes candidateappraisal difficult. Incumbency of one candidate does not leadto substantially greater emphasis on public policy issues andprofessional qualifications. A pattern of heavy stress on personalcharacteristics and daily campaign events prevails in all sources.Data come from content analysis of nearly 10,000 campaign storiesfrom network television news and 20 U.S. daily newspapers.