Young Male Street Workers: Life Histories and Current Experiences

The current study aims to reveal the experiences of young malestreet prostitutes in Israel, providing a stage for the voiceof this marginal group to be heard, as we believe youth workersneed to know more about these young people’s lives beforewe can offer meaningful responses. The study was guided by twomain questions: (1) What accounts do young men who work as prostitutesprovide for their involvement in the sex industry? and (2) Whatare their experiences as young males engaged in prostitution?Using the life story interview and thematic analysis, four mainthemes were revealed: (a) a life-long path to prostitution;(b) entering prostitution; (c) interpersonal encounters whileengaging in prostitution; and (d) the consequences of workingin prostitution. The results highlight the lack of meaningfulinterpersonal relationships in the lives of these young men.Practical recommendations are made to better inform youth workersassisting this high-risk population.     

Evidence-based Medicine and Child Mental Health Services

There is increased focus on using research evidence to guide clinical practice in the provision of child mental health services, to allocate resources and to make policy decisions. Emphasis has been placed on randomised controlled trials, which are clearly vital. However, given the complexity of children's lives and the multiple systems relevant to their care, it is important to consider alternative research designs and to think creatively about outcomes. In the context of difficulties with random allocation a number of quasi-experimental designs are described that may more closely reflect actual clinical work. In the context of ecological theory, the importance of taking a systems level approach to evaluation is highlighted, with examples from the US. Finally, the ways in which qualitative outcomes measures can be used to sensitively describe the effects of treatment are outlined, and their potential for giving voice to children and families as consumers of mental health services. These suggestions aim to lessen the tension between the requirements of the scientific investigations of treatment effectiveness and the realities of clinicians' daily experiences.     

Book Review: Invisible Lives: The Erasure of Transsexual and Transgendered People. By Viviane K. Namaste. Chicago,IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000. Postcolonial and Queer Theories: Intersections and Essays. By John C. Hawley (Ed.) Westport,CT: Greenwood Press, 2001

Qualitative Sociology -     

Privatisation and economism: an investigation amongst 'producers' in two privatised public utilities in Britain

Both academic and political debate about the effects of privatisation upon employees in privatised companies has taken place in something of an empirical vacuum. In particular, there is a lack of systematic enquiries into the major privatised utilities. Despite the lack of evidence, a number of claims have been advanced, both about the impact of privatisation upon the political attitudes of employees, and about its effects on working conditions, worker motivation and behaviour. This paper presents the results of a survey of 442 employees in two privatised public utilities. It is divided into two parts, looking first at the more general social and political attitudes of these employees, then presenting their views on the impact of privatisation on the company they work for, and on their working lives. The findings reported here lend little support either to new right claims about privatisation's transformative powers or to the view that ‘for most people … privatisation will make very little difference at all’ (Saunders and Harris, 1990).     

Family Law and Family Systems: Multidisciplinary Training for Professionals

The Family Court in New Zealand has become the crucible for the mixing of legal and mental health professionals. Low key workshops convened by family therapists for multidisciplinary groups have made successful use of family therapy models and expertise to provide a base for the conciliation and mediation alternative to the adversary system so common in law and in earlier family litigation. Enhanced cross-disciplinary understanding and morale appear to have accompanied the more formal learnings in family therapy, and the programme as detailed is included as one possible structure on which such experiences might be offered by other therapists in other places.