Preparation and transition planning for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee young people: A review of evidence in England

Most unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people arrive in the UK in their mid teen years. Preparation and planning for transition to adulthood should therefore be at the forefront of the minds of care-givers and social workers. This paper reviews current research evidence on the response of social work services to this group of young people in England, with a particular focus on what is known about the circumstances in which young people may be best prepared for adult life, how they fare in comparison to other young people in public care, and on the challenges presented for pathway planning that arise at the intersection between social work and the asylum determination process. The evidence for England is situated, wherever possible, against evidence drawn from international literature in this field and the need for a broader research agenda (incorporating more longitudinal work on care and leaving care pathways) is highlighted in order to strengthen the evidence base to support policy and practice in this field.     

Operational Research changes: tales from a parallel universe

Operational research and statistics share many common features. A review of the historical development and of some current dilemmas in operational research is given, in the belief that the narrative will fulfil a wider purpose by causing statisticians to reflect on related aspects of the evolution of their own subject in a rapidly changing environment.     

Externalizing Behavior Among Adopted Boys with Preadoptive Histories of Child Sexual Abuse

This study examined the severity of externalizing symptomology among adopted boys with preadoptive histories of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect/abandonment, or no abuse. The study was based on data collected across a three-year period from parents who adopted children from Florida's child welfare system. The sample consisted of 1,136 adopted boys aged 6 to 18 years. In repeated cross-sectional multivariate analyses, the results revealed that adopted boys with preadoptive child sexual abuse were prone to significantly higher levels and clinically severe externalizing symptomotology as compared to adopted boys without such histories. The findings highlight the need for postadoption services and empirically validated interventions for families adopting boys with preadoptive child sexual abuse.     

‘IF I FEEL LIKE THIS,HOW DOES THE CHILD FEEL?’ CHILD PROTECTION WORKERS,SUPERVISION, MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSES TO PARENTAL VIOLENCE

This study analysed workers’ experiences of supervision following interactions with hostile and intimidating parents. This analysis examined management and organisational responses to worker stress, and assessed the adequacy of support that workers received. An online survey was designed to collect data on workers’ experiences and free text responses were qualitatively analysed for references to the supervision they received in response to working with parents. 590 participants responded to the survey. 402 were qualified social workers, and 423 worked in child protection. Participants had experienced a range of violent behaviour from parents. The overwhelming theme in responses was the lack of support and supervision workers received, often in stressful and frightening circumstances. Approximately one quarter of participants only used organisational procedures, guidelines or protocols on dealing with hostile parents. Workers reported that mismanaged parental hostility affected their practice and the quality of protection that children received. The violence experienced had a significant negative impact on their personal and professional lives. Organisational responses in the form of supervision and education were often inadequate and resulted in children receiving reduced quality of protection. Recommendations for policy and practice change are discussed, with the aim of caring for workers and the children they protect.     

Immigrant Settlement Patterns: The Role of Metropolitan Characteristics*

Immigration continues to change the social, economic, and political landscapes of urban America. Consequently, scholars, as well as the general public, are interested in the internal migration patterns of immigrants. In this research, we identify and explain the characteristics of metropolitan areas that have the strongest effects on the percentage change in the foreign‐born population between 1990 and 2000. Using lagged independent variables and a sample of 150 metropolitan areas, we find that settlement patterns among immigrants are diverging from traditional patterns. That is, those metropolitan areas that had moderately high levels of globalization and lower costs of living as well as lower disadvantage indicators (e.g., percentage poverty) in 1990, had larger increases in percentage foreign‐born between 1990 and 2000 compared to areas with lower levels of globalization and higher costs of living and disadvantage. These trends suggest the increasing importance of second‐tier metropolises such as Atlanta, Phoenix, and Las Vegas in understanding where immigrants settle.     

Computer-aided classification of human chromosomes: a review

Computer-aided imaging systems are now widely used in cytogenetic laboratories to reduce the tedium and labour-intensiveness of traditional methods of chromosome analysis. Automatic chromosome classification is an essential component of such systems, and we review here the statistical techniques that have contributed towards it. Although completely error-free classification has not been, nor is ever likely to be, achieved, error rates have been reduced to levels that are acceptable for many routine purposes. Further reductions are likely to be achieved through advances in basic biology rather than in statistical methodology. Nevertheless, the subject remains of interest to those involved in statistical classification, because of its intrinsic challenges and because of the large body of existing results with which to compare new approaches. Also, the existence of very large databases of correctly-classified chromosomes provides a valuable resource for empirical investigations of the statistical properties of classifiers.     

Wavelets

Wavelets have aroused much interest and offer advantages in signal and image processing. Wavelets and also the wavelet transform are defined here. Their use as a vehicle for multi-resolution image analysis is discussed in the cases of one and two dimensions, and the decomposition-reconstruction algorithm is described. Some simple examples are presented to illustrate the ideas, and several applications are described. Some ideas for further reading are given.     

‘The Family’ In The Undergraduate Social Work Curriculum.**,***

The growing popularity of family therapy raises the question as to whether material on family therapy should be included in basic professional courses, or left as a more specialised area of study at the post-professional level. This paper describes how concepts and techniques of intervention from family therapy have been used in a unit on ‘Social Work with Couples and Families’ in an undergraduate degree course in Social Work.