Recognizing the ‘big things’ and the ‘little things’ in child protection cases

In this article, we explore how ‘family’ is conceptualized and negotiated in a Mexican and a Chilean child protection institution. We draw on empirical material from two qualitative studies, employing a multi‐method approach. By using a theoretical framework from family sociology, we explore how ‘family’ is done and displayed by families of children in residential care despite socio‐economic, structural and institutional constraints. These displays consist mainly of ‘little things’ of a mundane character, such as homemade food, sweets, gifts, clothing and family photos, and more intangible displays as family narratives, affection and parental responsibility. The empirical material reveals how professionals commonly disregard these displays in favour of ‘big things’ such as housing, employment, nuclear family structure, therapy and parental school attendance. The professionals' recommendations and decisions in child custody cases can be interpreted as recognitions or rejections of family displays, as the acceptable limits of unconventionality are legally, socially and culturally drawn.     

住宅节能的经济性评价方法研究

从研究节能住宅综合经济效益的角度出发,阐述了对住宅节能进行经济性评价时需要考虑到的问题及目前较为可行的经济性评价方法。认为在住宅节能投资的初期适用差额净现值法和增额投资回收期法进行评价,经过初期的论证,待节能投资决策进入实质性阶段时适用性价比法和模糊综合评价法进行评价。     

Legislated residential treatment of emotionally disturbed chronic runaways—a contentious approach

Those children involved with the Department of Community Services in New South Wales have a history of childhood abuse, neglect, domestic violence and seriously dysfunctional family dynamics. This has resulted in the children developing inappropriate strategies to cope with their adverse environment by physically acting out, in such ways as destroying properties, stealing, lying, fire-setting and chronic running away, and/or internalizing conflicts by self-mutilating behaviours. The critical ages are the pre-puberty and adolescent children, who engage in a pattern of running away and are at high risk of further exploitation by others. In New South Wales, the Children (Care & Protection) Act 1987 is the primary legislation which sets out the role of the state in the care and protection of children and young persons. However, this Act makes no provision for the physical containment of severely emotionally disturbed children to enable their access to the services they need. This paper attempts to identify the special needs of these children, who do not fit any diagnostic category, and proposes legislative changes to physically contain them in a therapeutic residential centre in order for them to access special protection and care services which would create the opportunity for long-lasting positive life experiences. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

农村人口城市化制度支持系统建构论略

目前我国正经历着由计划经济体制向市场经济体制、由传统农业社会向现代城市化社会两大历史性转变。农村人口城市化作为城市化的核心内容 ,其推进速度和效果取决于与之相关的制度支持系统的建构。社会主义市场经济体制的建立 ,已经为加速农村人口城市化进程提供了宏观层面上的制度支持。微观层面上的产业政策、户籍、就业、社会保障等制度支持系统的建构 ,尚需进一步完善和创新     

天然气需求价格弹性研究综述

天然气需求价格弹性对天然气需求的估计及价格的确定有着重要的影响作用。对天然气需求价格弹性估计模型进行总结, 给出短期弹性和长期弹性的估计过程;并分别对天然气工业用户和居民用户需求价格弹性的国内外研究进行了详细的综述, 认为:(1)一般而言, 天然气自价格弹性为负值, 且工业用户的自价格弹性大于居民用户的自价格弹性。(2)对于各类用户, 天然气长期价格弹性的绝对值都大于短期价格弹性的绝对值。(3)替代能源与天然气的交叉价格弹性为正值, 但是都较小。     

Islam in urban spaces: The residential incorporation and choices of Muslims in Lisbon

This paper examines processes of residential settlement and incorporation of Lisbon's Muslims arriving first in the post-colonial period and later as international labour migrants. Issues related with Islam in the city are under-researched and seen as unproblematic in Portugal due to lower levels of segregation and the contemporary narrative of Portuguese tolerance. Based on an analysis of the spatiality of Islam in the metropolitan area and the individual accounts of 102 Muslims, this paper explores processes of incorporation, residential choice and belonging. The fragmented mosaic of Muslim settlement in local communities shows the role that religion can play alongside culture in creating spaces of belonging producing multiple experiences of the city. In three different localities—the inner city, an inner suburb and on the urban margin—I investigate the ways in which the cumulative action and agency of Muslim migrants over time transform local spaces and emerging structures for consecutive migrants. This paper argues that urban diversity and temporality provide a lens through which to reconceptualise the traditional choice and constraint debate to better understand the complexity of minority residential patterns and their outcomes.     

The contribution of mentoring to the life skills of youth leaving care in Israel

The goal of this study was to examine the contribution of natural mentoring to the improvement of life skills among youth in care in core areas of education, employment, and avoidance of risk behaviours while controlling for personal characteristics and placement history. The sample includes 174 adolescents in residential care in Israel. Results showed that mentoring duration and mentoring functions including mentor as “role model,” “parental figure,” and “independence promoter” significantly contributed to the prediction of the three life skills above and beyond control variables. This study highlights both the array of meaningful roles mentors play in youth's development of life skills and identifies important practice implications regarding the mechanism by which mentoring relationships contribute to the resilience of adolescents.     

Needs assessment of youths in residential child care in Portugal / Evaluación de necesidades de jóvenes en acogimiento residencial en Portugal / Evaluación de necesidades de jóvenes en acogimiento residencial en Portugal

Residential child care in Portugal is the most common protection measure in cases of family separation, since family foster care is still very rare. However, little is known about the needs of these children and young people. The purpose of this study is to describe the profile of adolescents close to legal adulthood who are in residential care, comparing it with a Spanish sample. The sample is composed of 345 young people aged 16 to 17 on whom information has been collected regarding their history of protection, family background, schooling, mental health and offending behaviour. A Spanish sample was selected as a comparison group (N = 384). The results reveal the complexity and special seriousness of the profile of young people in residential care in Portugal compared to a Spanish sample, highlighting a high presence of mental health problems and especially suicidal behaviours. Given these results, efforts should be focused on developing specialized residential care programmes adapted to the specific needs of these young people.     

The Role of the Environment in Sedentary Behavior in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

To compare amounts of sedentary behavior and physical activity in adults residing in planned group residential settings to those residing in private homes, this study recruited 31 older adults who resided in planned group residential settings (n = 13) and in private homes (n = 18). Daily activities were measured using the SenseWear Armband for 7 days. Estimates of the duration of daily activities performed across sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous intensities were captured. It was found that participants in planned group residential settings were older (age 85.9 ± 3.5 vs. 78.3 ± 7.2; p = 0.001) and spent more time in sedentary behaviors (12.7 ± 1.5 vs. 11.3 ± 1.6; p = 0.02) than participants in private homes. The difference was attenuated slightly after controlling for age and wear time (adjusted difference 1.2 ± 0.6 hours, p = 0.06). Thus, adults residing in planned group residential settings, which provide supportive services, were more sedentary than adults residing in private homes. The environment in which older adults live may contribute to sedentary behavior.