An Examination of the Indian Child Welfare Act Section of State Title IV-B Child and Family Services Plans

The current study examined a nationwide sample of the ICWA section within state Title IV-B Child and Family Services Plans. Content analysis was performed to examine whether states were meeting ICWA mandates and federal requirements and interviews with regional/central Administration for Children and Families administrators and state officials were conducted. Major findings included ACF program instructions lacked detail and clarity as to what should be included, a majority of states reported consulting with tribes in the CFSP development, and over half of all state CFSPs did not reference any of the three specific measures outlined in ACF guidelines. Implications of findings are discussed and recommendations are offered to develop measurable outcomes to evaluate ICWA compliance and improve the federal monitoring processes.     

Top Management Team Heterogeneity,Strategic Change and Operational Performance*

This study examines the role of top management team (TMT) heterogeneity in facilitating strategic change. Based on the upper echelons literature, we argue that heterogeneous management teams are better able to handle the simultaneous and conflicting demands of refocusing the organization strategically and keeping up operational performance. We expect this to be true only for teams that are heterogeneous with respect to factors directly related to job requirements, however. Data were collected from 92 full TMTs of hospitals in Spain that were confronted with institutional pressures that challenged their current strategies. In support of our hypotheses, the results show job‐related TMT heterogeneity moderates the relation between strategic change and operational performance. No moderating effect is found for non‐job‐related TMT heterogeneity.     

Wenn der Körper nicht mehr mitspielt: Gesundheit und Krankheit aus der Perspektive der soziologischen Inklusionsforschung

This paper asks for the relations between inclusion and exclusion, health and disease. Conceptions of inclusion and exclusion pool aspects of sociological research concerning societal coherence, integration and precarious living conditions. Public Health research has pointed out that exactly these aspects have a strong influence on the personal state of health. The relation between inclusion and health is mutual, but is assessed differently according to theoretical perspectives: In differentiation theories health is an important pre-condition for inclusion, which is described as personal involvement in the communication of the societal subsystems. In social inequality research the personal health situation is affected by inclusion, which is described as contribution and participation.     

Youth Who Victimise Their Parents

This is the second of two articles on the victimisation of parents by their children. The first article discussed the phenomenon itself, and then focused on interventions directed to the parents of victimising children. This article focuses more on working with young people who are exhibiting this form of behaviour. Some issues discussed are: viewing them as victims or victimisers; instrumental or expressive violence; causes of this behaviour; temperament; labels; attitudes engaging violent and defiant kids; challenging unacceptable behaviours; attitudes and exposure to DV; responsibility vs. entitlement; solution‐focused questions.     

Using tribal/State Title IV-E agreements to help American Indian tribes access foster care and adoption funding

Funding under Title IV-E has historically not been available to American Indian communities, therefore, tribes have had to develop agreements with states to access these funds for child care services. This study analyzes Title IV-E intergovernmental provisions to help tribes and states strengthen Title IV-E agreements. A nationwide content analysis of existing Title IV-E documents, phone interviews, and focus groups revealed that Title IV-E tribal/state agreements vary widely, with most tribes not receiving full access to state services. These agreements focus on foster care maintenance payments and services. This article includes recommendations to help facilitate tribal access to Title IV-E funding for foster care and adoption services.     

HOW AMERICANS UNDERSTAND RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES: A Test of Parallel Items from a National Survey

How can we better conceptualize attitudes about difference in an increasingly diverse, multicultural United States? This article uses data from a recent, nationally representative telephone survey with oversamples of African Americans and Hispanics to analyze attitudes about two prominent sources of distinction in the United States. Race and religion were selected because they tend to be understood in very different ways—race as a social problem, religion as an individual choice and collective good. To assess the utility of these contrasting emphases built into common survey measures, we constructed a battery of questions that included parallel items for both. Our findings indicate that, with some notable exceptions, Americans' attitudes tend to be more similar than different, such that respondents see comparable (rather than contrasting) positive and negative aspects of race and religion in the United States. Based upon these results, we argue for a more multifaceted approach to the conceptualization, measurement, and analysis of race and religion, with implications for how we generally approach difference, diversity, and multiculturalism.     

Child Protection in Voluntary Sports Clubs in Germany — Factors Fostering Engagement in the Prevention of Sexual Violence

Based on the theoretical framework of organisational capacity and using data from an online survey of 8571 sports clubs in Germany, this study investigates clubs’ engagement towards child protection and the prevention of sexual violence. Only half of the clubs indicate that the prevention of sexual violence is a relevant topic for them, and on average, the clubs have implemented between two and three prevention measures. Pertaining to organisational capacity, human resource capacity (e.g. share of volunteers, share of women on the board) and structural capacity (e.g. club culture) exhibit significant effects on clubs’ activation towards child protection.