Interviewing strategies with sexually abusive youth

Adolescents who have sexually abused may pose a serious problem for both the community and the treatment provider concerning the management of risk and the application of effective intervention strategies. Fundamental to providing good clinical treatment is an assessment that results in an individualized treatment plan specifically tailored to the young person's needs. An integral but often overlooked part of this involves interviewing clients in a way that elicits accurate information and facilitates the development of a therapeutic relationship upon which effective therapy can be undertaken. This article will describe interviewing strategies and highlight the importance of the client-therapist relationship in providing effective therapeutic interventions.     

On the Margins: disabled people's experience of employment in Donegal, West Ireland

Traditionally, studies of disabled people's access to the labour market have been largely restricted to labour market 'censuses', often conducted by government agencies, and econometric studies. This paper explores disabled people's access to and experiences of employment in Donegal, West Ireland, using a qualitative approach. Twelve disabled people and four non-disabled helpers, divided into two focus groups, were interviewed using an in-depth, informal conversational strategy. A number of different, salient issues were identified in regards to training, and gaining and maintaining employment, ranging from ignorance and discrimination, to poor access (both workplace and transport), to legislation. Respondents identified a number or potential solutions which mainly focused around disability awareness, removing barriers to gaining employment and the implementation of stronger legislation. In the final section, the issues and solutions raised by disabled people are compared to those identified by non-disabled people, collected in a parallel study.     

Organizations in Public Management: Guest Editors' Introduction

This brief introduction sets the scene for the symposium. It identifies three factors which prompted its preparation, and then outlines the six contributions to it.     

Male street prostitution in Dublin: a psychological analysis

This study assessed the mental health characteristics of 12 male street prostitutes (MSPs) in Dublin, with particular regard to issues of homelessness, substance abuse, depression, suicidal ideation, and self-esteem. Participants completed five psychometric tests, which indicated that all of the participants had above average levels of depression and suicidal ideation and low levels of self-esteem. This study found that candidates likely to become MSPs are young males with a combination of factors, including a background of childhood sexual or physical abuse, leaving school early, running away from home, and a dependence on heroin.     

The Transferability of Welfare Models: A Comparison of the Scandinavian and State Socialist Models in Relation to Finland and Estonia

In this paper, two examples of the close relationship between a national social welfare system, and explicit transnational influences are discussed. Both the state socialist and Scandinavian models have a recognized structure independent of the particular countries in which they have been implemented, although they are both associated with a home base, Russia and Sweden respectively. Our examples, Estonia and Finland, faced both common and specific national problems following 1991, which led to rapid change in each country's economic situation and pressure on their respective welfare systems. There were elements of continuity and discontinuity with the main tenets of their respective welfare models, and both structural factors and cultural diffusion will be explored to understand the origin of these changes. The paper could be seen as a case study of welfare changes in the "borderlands" where "old empires meet". The countries were chosen because they are peripheral to what were rival spheres of influence and because they see themselves as having much in common. We also expect changes to occur more rapidly in peripheral areas.     

Screening for recommended antenatal risk factors: How long does it take?

Background

Detection and management of antenatal risk factors is critical for quality care.

The education of children in care and children in need: Who falls behind and when?

We seek to explain the development of the educational gap between children in “out‐of‐home care” (CLA), children deemed in social need (CIN), and other pupils. A cohort of 642,805 pupils aged 16 in 2013 was used to chart the educational progress of the full cohort, the CLA (n = 6,236), the CIN in 2012 or 2013 but not CLA (n = 20,384), and a sample individually matched with the CLA (n = 11,084). At age 7, attainment of the CLA and CIN was approximately 1 standard deviation lower than the cohort average and predicted attainment at 16. At this point, the persistent “CIN” (those with earlier and persistent needs) had the lowest attainment relative to others, and this declined further during secondary school. Those entering care before or during primary school had very low attainment at age 7, but their relative attainment did not decline. Attainment of CLA and CIN at age 16 likely reflects early environment, special educational needs, and poor relationships with secondary school. Policy, research, and intervention should focus on CIN as well as CLA, do so before entry to care, and take account of the onset of, and probable reasons for, educational difficulties.     

Is There a Woodwork Effect? Addressing a 200-Year Debate on the Impacts of Expanding Community-Based Services

In U.S. social welfare history, many have suggested that if benefits were too attractive, consumers would come out of the woodwork to take advantage of the opportunity. Clinical trials have provided evidence of the woodwork effect’s existence, suggesting caution when expanding home- and community-based services (HCBS). However, it is unclear whether these studies are best suited to assess whether a system-level effect occurs. Using state and federal data tracking Ohio’s long-term services and support (LTSS) system from 1995 to 2015, this paper examines changes in the utilization rates and expenditures of Medicaid LTSS to explore whether a woodwork effect occurred as Ohio moved to improve its LTSS system balance (80% Nursing Home [NH], 20% HCBS) to (49% Nursing Home [NH], 51% HCBS). After accounting for population growth of individuals older than 60 and those with two or more impairments in activities of daily living, there was no change in utilization rates of older people with severe disability (1995: 491 per 1000 population, 2015: 495 per 1000 population) or overall LTSS expenditures (1997: $2.7 million [in 2013 dollars], 2013: $2.9 million). Our results suggest that states can make significant strides in HCBS expansion without increasing the overall long-term services utilization rate.