Social Support Interventions in Migrant Populations

The phenomenon of immigration has led to an important increasein the number of social programmes and services for migrantpopulations in many European countries. However, some investigationshave shown that the use of formal resources is extremely lowin these groups. In contrast to the limited utilization of programmesand services, research in the field of social psychology hasrevealed that the primary source of help and support for immigrantsis their own informal social network. After analysing the characteristics,advantages and limitations of formal and informal support systems,this paper presents a typology of social support interventionswith migrant populations that integrates both types of support.Four levels are differentiated: dyadic interventions, socialnetwork interventions, mutual aid groups and community interventions.The development of programmes to strengthen the informal supportsystem is emphasized as an alternative to integrating formaland informal resources in social work practice with migrantpopulations.     

Democratic demand for a social Europe? Preferences of the European citizenry

Within the literature on European integration there is a widespread assumption that Europe is in need of intensified and more effective supranational social policy cooperation. However, on the political level it is doubtful whether such measures are welcomed by the national electorates. This article addresses this issue empirically by asking whether there is public demand for promoting greater European welfare policy cooperation and what are the determinants of such a demand. The data source used is the Eurobarometer survey 2000. A number of hypotheses dealing with socio-structural differences, the effects of welfare regime types, the subjective evaluation of the integration process and the role of identity will be scrutinised. Overall, the results indicate that at the attitudinal 'grass root' level there is no unequivocal support for a European welfare responsibility and that some fundamental cleavages are present. It is the regional and cultural aspects, especially, which turn out to be having an effect and to be influencing future political conflicts. A common European welfare arrangement, therefore, cannot be regarded as a solution to the problems the European Union is facing; rather it will raise new and severe problems of finding social and political support.     

An exploratory study of family‐centred help‐giving practices in early intervention: families of young children with autism spectrum disorder

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate the early intervention (EI) experiences of mothers who have a young child at risk for autism spectrum disorder. Data were collected through observations, interviews and document analyses. Results of the study suggest (i) interpersonal skills of practitioners and provisions for family choice and collaboration lead to positive experiences for mothers; (ii) asset‐based attitudes lead to family progress and competence; (iii) effective partnerships are developed through supportive provider communication techniques; and (iv) satisfaction with EI services results from practitioner responsiveness to help families access resources and facilitate child development.     

Differences and similarities in monetary benefits for informal care in old and new EU member states

This article presents an overview of the monetary benefits available in the context of long‐term care provided by family or other informal carers in 11 old and 10 new EU member states. All but one country in our sample offer at least some monetary benefits that can be used to help finance informal care. Old EU member states tend to direct benefits to individuals in need of care, whereas new EU member states place more emphasis on benefits for carers. Among new EU member states, monetary benefits are less often means‐tested and tend to be lower compared with benefits in old EU member states. Because social policies in many countries increasingly rely on monetary benefits rather than on benefits in kind and because the share of informal care in the overall provision of elderly care will scarcely decline, monetary benefit incentives for labour market participation need to be carefully monitored.     

Absent Role of the State: Analysis of Social Support to Older People with Disabilities in Rural China

China is experiencing rapid population ageing and already has 44 million older people with disabilities aged over 59 years. Yet social support of these older people with disabilities is undeveloped and not well researched. This article contributes by using a disability rights framework (right to life and protection, economic security and social support) to analyze local cases in rural China. It finds that, although the family is still the main provider of economic and care support to rural older people with disabilities, the absence of a state role in welfare provision has negative impacts on the well‐being of older and younger generations in rural families.     

Department of Health Research Overviews – Past, Present and Future: An evaluation of the dissemination of the Blue Book, Child Protection: Messages from Research

Since 1985 the Department of Health has been providing child care research overviews as a means of bringing together the findings of its funded research programmes. With each successive publication a pattern of design and dissemination has emerged. This is illustrated by Child Protection: Messages from Research ( Department of Health 1995 ), an overview of 20 studies of child protection. It included an introductory essay, summaries of each project and a set of 'True for Us' exercises. Publication was followed by national seminars and widespread distribution of free copies. Given the substantial investment, it seems timely to assess the impact of the dissemination process in terms of reaching and affecting practice. The survey sought to assess awareness, use and opinions of the report from social services, education and health professionals. It consisted of questionnaires administered by post and telephone calls to a representative sample of 600 professionals working in child protection, 292 of whom replied. The results demonstrate that the book is very well known among most professionals working in child welfare, particularly in social services, and is perceived to have affected the practice of over half of the respondents. The study supports the structure adopted for the report but suggests further benefits in employing a variety of dissemination strategies for different professional groups. Finally, the paper discusses the relationship between overviews and evidence-based services.     

基于结构方程模型的城市流动人口心理健康影响因素分析

利用清华大学"中国城镇化与劳动移民研究成人问卷"的数据信息进行结构方程模型建构,以此研究个体因素和社会因素如何具体影响流动人口心理健康。研究结果显示:女性流动人口心理健康状况相对于男性要差;教育因素对女性流动人口心理健康的影响更为明显,教育水平越高的流动人口心理状态表现更积极;经济因素对流动人口心理健康影响不显著;流动人口的社会交往程度越高,城市居民对流动人口的社会排斥程度越低,他们的心理健康状况就越好。因此,在关注流动人口时不能只关注经济因素,城市应创造一个更友善的社会环境来接纳流动人口,并提供更多的社会交往空间,使其在城市更健康快乐的生活。     

男性犯罪青少年人际信任与社会支持、应对方式的关系研究

通过对山东省少年管教所189名男性犯罪青少年人际信任的特点以及与其社会支持、应对方式的关系进行研究发现:(1)男性犯罪青少年人际信任水平比同龄男性中学生低,且差异显著;(2)其社会支持与人际信任水平呈正相关;(3)积极应对方式与人际信任水平呈正相关,消极应对方式与人际信任水平呈负相关;(4)人际信任、社会支持和应对方式之间存在复杂的因果关系;(5)各种客观变量对人际信任的影响甚微.     

项目驱动型企业的组织管理环境构建研究

针对当前国内企业项目化转型过程中组织适应性的不足,从组织系统的战略、结构和控制流程体系3个关键要素比较项目驱动型企业与作业驱动型企业的组织管理环境差异;同时,在对项目驱动型企业复杂系统特性研究的基础上,提出企业项目化发展的组织管理环境构建原则,提出建立开放动态化战略体系、能动的组织结构与分权体系、职能任务相融合的计划控制体系以及二维分离的绩效管理体系的方法,以期对作业驱动型企业在项目化转型中组织管理环境各要素的调整与重构提供借鉴。     

政府投资项目代建人选择评价模型研究

基于对国内试点地区政府部门与代建单位的调研,提出由代建人实力与业绩、代建项目组织管理水平、代建管理大纲、代建管理目标及保证措施、代建管理费用5个一级指标、13个二级指标构成的代建人选择评价指标体系,采用Likert 5点法对指标进行综合评分。在此基础上,运用模糊熵的方法,以条件熵度量各项评价指标的相对重要性,采用双基点法确定出代建人的优劣顺序,避免了依赖主观判断进行评分的弊端,提高了政府在代建人选择过程中的客观性和准确性。最后,通过项目实例验证了该模型的有效性。