‘How come I don’t get asked no questions?’ Researching ‘hard to reach’ children and teenagers

This article discusses two related areas of research practice with children and young people that have received less attention in the literature than they might. The first is working with children and teenagers for whom the traditional, discursive nature of interview‐based research is less accessible. The second is the disinclination of researchers to report on difficulties in the research process. As researchers, we scanned the literature for assistance for some of the problems we encountered, with little reward. In describing everyday problems (and some of our – still developing – solutions) we hope to encourage more dialogue on the uncomfortable realities of the research process, and how we might improve research practice, making it a more fruitful exercise for researchers, and a more enjoyable one for children and teenagers.     

Framing political public relations: Measuring success of political communication strategies in Germany

The main goal of political public relations is the use of media outlets to communicate specific political interpretations of issues in the hope of garnering public support for political policies. This study elaborates on the question how successful political PR is at bringing its specific perspectives into the media. It uses the ‘framing’ concept to analyse the meanings and contexts of media coverage and political PR during the national debate on immigration in Germany between May 2000 and March 2002. The results show a high level of correlation between the preferred thematic and position frames of the political players and those in the press coverage. Yet, the media examined clearly did not have a passive relationship to PR. The findings indicate that journalists tend to use their power to alter PR messages when the communications from political players do not have a distinct focus and/or when the PR focuses were not among the (mainstream) aspects dominating the general political debate.     

Overlooking the most vulnerable: the child welfare research agenda 2005–2010

Literature highlighting both the archaeology (chronology) of child welfare developments or genealogy (insight into the discourses shaping such developments) is rare. Even less available are investigations into the research agenda regarding child welfare. This paper attempts to provide a snapshot of the priorities for child welfare researchers as represented in the international literature from 2005 to 2010 and the discourses inherent within these. The qualitative study suggests that issues regarding the identification and responses to child abuse dominate, these concerns being framed individualistically and tending to ignore sociopolitical realities. Such a construction of the research agenda potentially marginalizes systemic factors and limits the relevance of the research agenda in contexts where poverty, community violence (including war) and migration (forced and voluntary) are in the foreground. The lived realities facing the majority of the world's children are thus overlooked. The research agenda must be expanded to address the context of the most vulnerable children and to promote child welfare alternatives that speak to their experiences.     

PATHOLOGIST AS GATEKEEPER: DISCRETIONARY DECISION-MAKING IN CASES OF SUDDEN INFANT DEATH

In many cases of unexpected infant death the cause of death cannot be ascertained. It has become convention to call such cases ‘SIDS’ (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). A simulation study of pathologists' decision-making found that there were significant differences in the procedure adopted and the diagnosis of cause of death in such cases. It was found that their decision-making was influenced by factors such as experience, training and most importantly, pathologists' own perception of their professional role. In an emotive area such as infant death the application of the SIDS label is frequently part of the social process of defining disease.     

Road signs in ethical quicksand

This commentary highlights some of the major moral and ethical dilemmas illustrated by authors in this special issue. From an ethical viewpoint, the complexity of evaluation activities is likened to “quicksand” terrain in which directional or warning signs should be erected to aid personal choices when such issues are encountered. However, even previous training and personal introspection are inadequate to completely avoid, circumvent, or handle a specific situation because of its complexity and the competing values inherent in ethical choices.     

Treating Suicidality in African American Adolescents with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Methods for preventing adolescent suicide are surveyed, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is explored as a method for serving suicidal African American adolescents. Strengths, limitations, and compatibility of CBT with social work values are examined. Although CBT shows much promise in helping suicidal African American adolescents, research on the efficacy and effectiveness of CBT with this population is lacking. Suicide risk and protective factors and social inequities are evaluated as they relate to African American adolescents generally. In addition to relieving suicidal symptoms, CBT potentially could facilitate social liberation for this population.     

Successful,sustainable? Facilitating the growth of family group conferencing in Canada

ABSTRACT

Family-centered approaches offer significant promise regarding the enhancement of child and family safety. Child protection workers find value in working alongside families, whereas families appreciate having a voice in decision-making processes. The introduction of Family Group Conferencing (FGC) in New Zealand in 1989 prompted the exploration of family partnership options internationally. This study, focusing on Ontario, Canada, examines the expansion of FGC from a local pilot in 1998 to a current province-wide initiative. The internal and external factors that have promoted and inhibited change were investigated. Interviews and a focus group were used to elicit the perspectives of Alternative Dispute managers and key informants. Participants concluded that the FGC program has been successful as a result of multilevel and multipronged change efforts. However, the long-term viability remains in question, primarily because of unstable funding and uneven buy-in, on provincial levels and within child welfare agencies. To ensure sustainability current strengths should be built upon, employing the same intentional, strategic planning that characterized the introduction of FGC into the province. The Ontario experience provides pointers for interested parties wishing to embed FGC and other family-centered approaches in daily child welfare practice.     

Readability and content of elder abuse instruments

Since elder abuse was first acknowledged as a health care and social problem, incidence and prevalence of mistreatment has been assessed sparingly in the United States and other countries around the world. Standardized instruments for determining the prevalence of elder abuse have not been developed and other instruments measuring a person's function and spousal violence have been adapted for the measurement of elder abuse prevalence. The purposes of this paper are to (1) ascertain the reading grade level of the most frequently used elder abuse prevalence instrument's text and (2) determine the content validity of the instruments with respect to the types of elder abuse included in them. A review of the instruments used to measure elder abuse prevalence was completed and a questionnaire was developed to measure the reading grade level and type of elder abuse content in four instruments. The Fry Readability, Flesch Reading Ease, and McLaughlin Grading formulas were used to determine reading grade level. A questionnaire regarding content validity was sent to 69 faculty and staff in one university department and a 59% return was achieved. The Conflict Tactics Scale and the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse-Screening Test had the lowest mean score at the 6th grade reading level. Results of content analysis for types of elder abuse demonstrated none of the instruments are comprehensive. Instruments to measure the prevalence are needed which balance readability and content validity.