Wheels within wheels and systems within systems The assessment process

SUMMARY. To assess the problems and needs of a disturbed child or adolescent, there should be an awareness of many interacting conceptual systems within which the individual exists and develops. This paper highlights the theoretical view that an individual cannot be fully understood within any single theoretical framework or system Using an awareness of the hierarchy of systems., formulations are set out to allow for logical interventions at one or more of these levels; thus reducing the need for professionals to decide on the ‘right’ intervention or treatment for any individual or family     

Social Work and Blood Vengeance: The Bedouin-Arab Case

Correspondence to Alean Al-Krenawi, Department of Social Work, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Summary The practice of blood vengeance, the obligation to kill in retributionfor the death of a member of one's family or tribe, is illegalin most countries of the world; however, many traditional culturesstill demand this form of maintaining honour. This paper outlinesthe cultural and historical contexts of the practice of bloodvengeance among the Bedouin of the Negev of Israel. It considersthe consequences for the targeted family and details the copingstrategies adopted by the family, especially the children, underconditions of extreme social, emotional and economic deprivation.It discusses social work intervention, from initial contactto partial resolution; strategies of cultural sensitivity arealso outlined.     

Attachment and Child Abuse

Summary Defects in the bonds of attachment between parent and childare put forward as a precursor in cases of child abuse and neglect.It is suggested that therapeutic work with such families shouldbe focussed on the re-establishment or strengthening of thesebonds, if they are found to exist. Ways of determining theirexistence and building upon them are discussed. It is suggested that, with the safeguard of a regular and intensivecontact with the family, separation can often be avoided. Thisallows an immediate start on the basic task of strengtheningthe bond, and avoids weakening it still further as a resultof separation. A case example is given.     

MINIMUM WAGES AND TIPPED SERVERS

Tips allow restaurants to pay servers lower wages. As more servers are hired, each serves fewer meals and earns less in tips. As a result, restaurants must pay a higher wage. This gives them monopsony power over wages. Over some range, a higher minimum wage should increase employment. Empirically, we found the full "reverse C" monopsony pattern of employment for restaurants, with employment first going up and then down as the minimum wage is increased.     

Organization Development: a Group Centred Approach to Improving the Effectiveness of After-care Hostels

Summary This paper describes an approach to improving the effectivenessof voluntary hostels in which (a) the target for change is theentire management group of the hostel, (b) the content of therelationship between the management group and the consultantis real work problems and (c) the method of achieving changeactively involves members of the management group in the identificationand diagnosis of problem areas and in the development of strategiesto improve the situation. The aim of this approach is to encouragethe management group to take the initiative and manage ratherthan drift along and react to new circumstances as they arise.     

Social Work and Self-determination

Correspondence to Department of Political Science and Social Policy, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN. Summary Self-determination is a curious concept, related to, but notquite the same as, freedom and autonomy. As an ethical principle,the principle of self-determination bears little relationshipto the way social workers behave. It is used as if clients werebeing allowed a free, independent choice; but clients are subjectto pressure, and the social work relationship is often conceivedwithin a structure of authority. As a guide to practice, theconcept of self-determination ignores the cases where directionis legitimate or desirable. Self-determination can be seen as a professional ideology—aninter-related set of values and ideas. The concept is derivedfrom a number of ideas and values outside social work, but itappears to have little direct relevance to social work in practice.The paper suggests that the concept of freedom may be more usefuland less remote from the realities than ‘self-detemination’is.     

ABORTION AND CRIME: UNWANTED CHILDREN AND OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS

Legalizing abortion can either increase or decrease investments in children's human capital. This article finds that abortion increases the number of out-of-wedlock births. Using data that more directly links the criminal with age when the crime was committed, not age when arrested, and fixing the assumption in previous research that no abortions took place prior to the Roe v. Wade decision in the 45 states affected by that decision, we find consistent significant evidence that legalizing abortions increased murders by over 7%. Linear estimates indicate that legalization increased total annual victimization costs by at least $3.2 billion. ( JEL K42, K14, J24)     

Union Organization in Great Britain

Union membership and density in Britain has experienced substantial decline since 1979. The fall in private sector membership and density has been much greater than in the public sector. The size of the union sector, measured by employer recognition, has shrunk. Membership decline has been accompanied by financial decline. Much of the decline occurred before 1997, under Conservative governments. Since 1997 and the return of a Labour government, the position has in some respects stabilized. Currently, unions have a substantially reduced economic impact, but a continued, if limited, role in workplace communication and grievance handling, often as part of a voice regime including nonunion elements.