Connection/Disconnection: Theory and Practice in Organization Control

This paper suggests that the literature on organization control could benefit from more attention to 'disconnections', particularly those that take the form of extrusions and effacements from organization processes. Pointing out that current organization researchers depend almost exclusively on 'connections' for their theorizing on control, the paper illustrates the importance of disconnections in the form of gaps, breaks and absences in three field studies. The argument of the paper is that control is an effect that is enacted in practice by a distribution of connections alongside disconnections.     

Researching Vulnerable Groups: Ethical Issues and the Effective Conduct of Research in Local Authorities

The Data Protection Act 1998 and Research Governance Frameworkfor Health and Social Care (Department of Health, 2003a) havebrought consideration of ethical issues in the conduct of researchinto sharper focus. This paper, based primarily on the authors’experiences of conducting research on children in need and outcomesfor vulnerable children, examines the impact these changes havehad on the research process. The difficulties experienced byresearchers in gaining access to research participants in orderto develop evidence-based policy and practice are explored.Finally, the paper outlines some practical steps that can betaken to facilitate the effective conduct of research.     

Using Personal Quality Assessment for Selection of Social Work Students

Abstract

The social work profession has long struggled to find fair and effective ways of selecting students into their education programs. A psychometric test battery, gathered together under the title “Personal Qualities Assessment” (PQA) has been developed at the University of Newcastle to identify a range of qualities in aspiring health professionals. Two of its components were used to determine whether there was a relationship between scores obtained by social work students in these tests and scores achieved in an empathic listening and critical review hurdle assessment prior to the first field placement. The results showed that social work students who were moderately empathic, not narcissistic, and moderately libertarian in their moral orientation performed better on the assessment than students who were less empathic, more narcissistic, or extreme in their moral orientation. These results suggest that measurement of these qualities could be useful in selecting the most suitable individuals for social work programs.     

Does a Baby Help Young Women Transition Out of Homelessness? Motivation,Coping, and Parenting

Homeless young women experience high levels of stress, challenges to mental health, substance use and abuse, and a lack of housing or of secure housing. This article explores one of the findings from a longitudinal qualitative study designed to follow homeless young women for a 2-year period as they make efforts to transition out of homelessness. Our objective was to determine the assets used by these young women as they survived on the street and to transition out of homelessness. The authors found that one of the primary reasons discussed for leaving homelessness was becoming pregnant and having a baby. However, most of the mothers reported increasing levels of stress as the baby became a toddler. They described themselves as using “soft drugs” as a mode of coping with this stress.     

Is ‘Candidacy’ a Useful Concept for Understanding Journeys through Public Services? A Critical Interpretive Literature Synthesis

Across the public sector there is concern that service uptake is inequitably distributed by socio‐economic circumstances and that public provision exacerbates the existence of inequalities either because services are not allocated by need or because of differential patterns of uptake between the most and least affluent groups. A concept that offers potential to understand access and utilization is ‘candidacy’ which has been used to explain access to, and utilization of, healthcare. The concept suggests that an individual's identification of his or her ‘candidacy’ for health services is structurally, culturally, organizationally and professionally constructed, and helps to explain why those in deprived circumstances make less use of services than the more affluent. In this article we assess the fit of candidacy to other public services using a Critical Interpretive Synthesis of three case studies literatures relating to: domestic abuse, higher education and environmental services. We find high levels of congruence between ‘candidacy’ and the sampled literatures on access/utilization of services. We find, however, that the concept needs to be refined. In particular, we distinguish between micro, meso and macro factors that play into the identification, sustaining and resolution of candidacy, and demonstrate the plural nature of candidacies. We argue that this refined model of candidacy should be tested empirically beyond and within health. More specifically, in the current economic context, we suggest that it becomes imperative to better understand how access to public services is influenced by multiple factors including changing discourses of deservedness and fairness, and by stringent reductions in the public purse.     

Ambiguities and contradictions in the provision of sheltered housing for older people

This paper examines the current model of sheltered housing and explores a central contradiction in that model: namely that if only those people who most need and appreciate the unique features of sheltered housing were allocated places in schemes, the existing model ultimately could not provide sufficient support. This central contradiction leads to a fundamental lack of clarity in the role of sheltered housing. This is reflected in the ambiguities apparent in allocation practices, where judgements are typically made not only in relation to the tenants' needs and demands but also in relation to the impact on schemes. Evidence is presented from a recent study of sheltered and amenity housing in Scotland, which exposes these issues and suggestions are made as to how the traditional model of sheltered housing can be made more flexible and more suited to those who need and value it most.     

Implementing Local Safeguarding Children Boards: managing complexity and ambiguity

Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) were established under the Children Act 2004 and have responsibility for coordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of the work of partner bodies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Drawing on data from a Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health‐funded evaluation, the paper examines the development of LSCBs and the challenges and issues that have been encountered by Boards in implementing new arrangements. In doing so, the paper contributes to current debates about some of the limitations of New Labour's safeguarding reforms as a vehicle for improving outcomes for children and families.