Picking up the pieces: local government reorganisation and voluntary sector children's services

Between 1995 and 1998, most of British local government was reorganised, leading to the creation of more, generally smaller, local authorities. Although social services were then the direct responsibility of local government, the potential impact of reorganisation on social work departments and partner organisations was barely considered prior to reorganisation. This article explores the consequences of reorganisation for children's services provided by voluntary sector organisations in Scotland, England and Wales. Drawing on two separate but complementary studies, the paper reviews the impact on funding, boundary problems, changing structures and the fragmentation of local authorities. It concludes that although some advances may be stimulated in the medium term by reorganisation, the overall short‐term impact for projects and their users is likely to have been damaging. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On assessing the presence of evaluation‐time bias in progression‐free survival in randomized trials

Evaluation (or assessment)–time bias can arise in oncology trials that study progression‐free survival (PFS) when randomized groups have different patterns of timing of assessments. Modelling or computer simulation is sometimes used to explore the extent of such bias; valid results require building such simulations under realistic assumptions concerning the timing of assessments. This paper considers a trial that used a logrank test where computer simulations were based on unrealistic assumptions that severely overestimated the extent of potential bias. The paper shows that seemingly small differences in assumptions can lead to dramatic differences in the apparent operating characteristics of logrank tests. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Delivering development? Evidence on self‐help groups as development intermediaries in South Asia and Africa

Donors and governments increasingly seek to deliver development projects through community‐based organizations such as self‐help groups (SHGs), but little is known about the effectiveness of such arrangements. This article briefly summarizes hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of interventions using SHGs and presents the results of an evidence review on the impacts of interventions delivered through SHGs on health, finance, agriculture and empowerment outcomes in South Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa. Though the impacts of SHG‐based interventions are generally positive, the evidence base is limited and does not generally test whether alternative delivery mechanisms might be more effective.     

Autonomy,Fairness and Active Relationships: Children's Experiences of Well‐being in Childcare

Researchers and policy‐makers are increasingly concerned with children's well‐being in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) settings. Recent research identifies the value of using qualitative methods to understand children's experiences of well‐being in ECEC/OSHC, but there remain few such studies. This article presents findings from a child‐centric qualitative study with Australian children of nurses and police, which sought to understand their experiences of well‐being in ECEC/OSHC. Children's experiences of well‐being were shaped by parental relationships, how informed they were about the rationale for their care arrangements and the degree of age‐appropriate autonomy they experienced.     

Patterns of Mental Health Care Utilization Among Sexual Orientation Minority Groups

Prior studies of the utilization of mental health professionals by sexual minority populations have relied on data that are now dated or not nationally representative. These studies have also provided mixed findings regarding gender differences in the utilization of mental health professionals among sexual minority individuals. Using data from the 2013–2015 National Health Interview Surveys, this study investigates (1) how sexual minority individuals compare to heterosexual participants in their utilization of mental health professionals; and (2) gender differences in that utilization. The results indicate sexual minority individuals utilize mental health care professionals at higher rates than heterosexual individuals even after controlling for measures of mental health and other demographic characteristics; this is true for both men and women. However, gender moderates the sexual minority effect on utilization rates. Sexual minority men utilize mental health professionals at a high rate, such that their utilization rates are similar to sexual minority women, contrary to the gender gap seen among heterosexuals.     

The Therapeutic Pyramid: A Common Factors Synthesis of Techniques,Alliance, and Way of Being

Common factors in therapy such as the therapeutic alliance and client motivation have been found to account for more change than therapy models. But common factors have been critiqued as only lists of variables that provide little practical guidance. Some researchers have demonstrated that certain common elements (e.g., the therapeutic alliance) account for more variance than others (e.g., techniques), suggesting that some factors should be emphasized over others. Such findings suggest the need for alternatives to model‐based therapy, with one alternative being meta‐models, or “models of models,” that focus on how therapeutic factors interact with each other to produce change. The purpose of this article is to propose a meta‐model describing the relationship between two specific common factors—the therapeutic alliance and interventions. We also propose a new factor—a therapist's way of being—that we believe is foundational to effective therapy. The model is proposed in pyramid format, with techniques on top, the therapeutic alliance in the middle, and therapist way of being as the foundation. The hierarchical relationships between these three concepts are discussed, along with implications for training, research, and therapy.     

Evaluating the iterative development of VR/AR human factors tools for manual work

This paper outlines the approach taken to iteratively evaluate a set of VR/AR (virtual reality / augmented reality) applications for five different manual-work applications - terrestrial spacecraft assembly, assembly-line design, remote maintenance of trains, maintenance of nuclear reactors, and large-machine assembly process design - and examines the evaluation data for evidence of the effectiveness of the evaluation framework as well as the benefits to the development process of feedback from iterative evaluation. ManuVAR is an EU-funded research project that is working to develop an innovative technology platform and a framework to support high-value, high-knowledge manual work throughout the product lifecycle. The results of this study demonstrate the iterative improvements reached throughout the design cycles, observable through the trending of the quantitative results from three successive trials of the applications and the investigation of the qualitative interview findings. The paper discusses the limitations of evaluation in complex, multi-disciplinary development projects and finds evidence of the effectiveness of the use of the particular set of complementary evaluation methods incorporating a common inquiry structure used for the evaluation - particularly in facilitating triangulation of the data.     

International English and ergonomics: a romance in the making?

This paper argues that it would be useful for ergonomists and experienced English Language Teaching (ELT) professionals to collaborate as this would be of substantial interest to both sets of professionals. The ongoing debate in ELT on International English (IE) might usefully help to guide ergonomists if and when they require to judge that English is used at appropriately high levels in the workplace in non-English speaking countries. It may also help ergonomists who are non-native speakers (NNSs) of English to gain greater access to the top specialist journals and to found new e-journals on Ergonomics in English that deserve international recognition. At the same time ELT specialists would have great interest in advising ergonomists on these matters, in part, as a means of testing current hypotheses on the tendencies for new varieties of English to develop and win acceptance both from native and non-native speakers of English as setting standards of communicative competence in English both for end users of English in their professional lives and for well-structured and clear written academic debate.     

ARE SMALL FIRMS MORE BEAUTIFUL OR IS BIGGER BETTER? A Study of Compensating Differentials and Law Firm Internal Labor Markets

Research on the size–job rewards relationship emphasizes extrinsic rewards that are typically more prevalent in large, complex organizations. We examine whether certain intrinsic rewards are more characteristic of small firms and shift the focus from manufacturing industries to professional service (law) firms. We find that small is not entirely beautiful. Smaller firms offer more autonomy but no more challenging work or better coworker relations, whereas larger firms offer lucrative salaries, enhanced benefits, and greater promotional opportunities. Our results challenge the compensating differential explanation whereby large firms offer superior extrinsic rewards to compensate for a shortfall of instrinsic job rewards.     

Transitions to motherhood: young women’s desire for respectability,responsibility and moral worth

ABSTRACT

In the UK, teenage motherhood is depicted in the media and government policy as highly negative and problematic. Pregnant and mothering young women are constructed as socially excluded members of society who belong to an assumed underclass who lack responsibility and respectability. This article draws on the views and perspectives of pregnant and mothering young women in the east of England to examine how positive and successful subjects are defined and understood. It is illustrated how this group of working-class young women negotiated and resisted their positioning as ‘unfit’ mothers and ‘bad’ citizens. Central to their narratives was a desire to reassert themselves as respectable and responsible individuals through engaging in education and employment in order to achieve financial independence. It is argued that this notion of respectability provides a limited and limiting understanding of inclusion and moral worth for working-class young women.