A Program Evaluation of Los Angeles ACORN's Welfare Case Advocacy

SUMMARY

Bureaucratic confusion and client dissatisfaction since the 1996 changes in welfare policy opened opportunities for third party advocacy on behalf of welfare clients. This paper evaluates Los Angeles ACORN's case advocacy program for welfare clients. Outcomes analyzed include client satisfaction with ACORN's advocacy and effects of the program on welfare clients who later became ACORN members. Ninety-one percent of clients surveyed (N = 99) stated they were satisfied with the resolution of their welfare case complaint. Eighty-eight percent of respondents stated ACORN did a better job resolving their problem compared to the welfare department. Unique aspects of the program include peer advocacy and opportunities for welfare recipients to join ACORN and work on welfare policy changes among other issues.     

A four factor model predicting likelihood of foster carer retention

This study used a self‐report method to test a conceptual model for predicting the likelihood of retention of foster carers for children requiring out‐of‐home care. It was hypothesized that satisfaction levels of foster carers would be determined by locus of control and social support, and that the decision to stay or leave fostering within the next 18 months would be influenced by foster carer satisfaction, and commitment to a child/ren in care. Participants were 185 Queensland foster carers. Results supported the proposed model. Logistic regression analysis revealed that an increase in either satisfaction or commitment would result in foster carers being more likely to decide to stay in fostering. Multiple regression analysis found that both locus of control and social support made a significant contribution to the prediction of carer satisfaction. The findings were further supported by qualitative data. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Sources of occupational stress: An examination of British prison officers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify the major sources of occupational stress experienced by British prison officers and to examine their effects on overall job stress and job satisfaction. Eighty-one officers from HM Prison, Maidstone, took part in a questionnaire study, and three main findings emerged. First, lack of stiff and resources were ranked as the most likely sources of stress, and areas of the prison where confrontations with inmates were most likely to occur were ranked as the most stressful locations. Second, officers who reported the highest levels of job stress overall had the lowest job satisfaction and the greatest wish for more emphasis on control and security of inmates. Third, when the sources of stress were factor-analysed and used to predict overall job stress and job satisfaction, using multiple regression, the sìngle most important predictor of job stress was found to be the factor labelled 'confrontations with inmates' and, for dissatisfaction with the job, it was 'poor morale and resentments'. The paper discusses the theoretical implications of the findings.     

中国C2C交易市场电子服务质量对顾客忠诚的影响——以顾客满意和顾客价值为中介变量

通过构建整合性的理论研究模型，揭示了C2C交易市场电子服务质量、顾客满意、顾客价值以及顾客忠诚之间相互作用的机理。并对中国具有C2C网上购物经验的用户进行问卷调查，建立结构方程模型，采用验证性因子分析法实证检验研究假设。研究结果发现：（1）C2C网站的电子服务质量对顾客满意和顾客价值产生显著的正向影响；（2）C2C卖家的电子服务质量对顾客满意产生显著的正向影响，对顾客价值的影响不显著；（3）顾客满意和顾客价值都对顾客忠诚产生显著的正向影响；（4）确认了顾客满意和顾客价值在C2C交易市场电子服务质量和顾客忠诚之间的中介效应。根据研究结论对C2C交易网站和网上卖家提高电子服务质量和顾客忠诚提出一些富有决策指导意义的对策和建议。     

The Medical Center's Impact in the Network to Sustain the Aged in the Community

A process is described to show how a Social Work Department of a Medical Center ascertained the need to offer a continuum of comprehensive services to a high risk elderly population. This includes aiding and participating with the board and administration of the Medical Center to develop a varied network of services programs. A community based program model is used to show the utilization of individual and group modalities in working with this age population. Clinical material is incorporated to emphasize that aging clients are accessible for psychosocial interventions and can utilize their ego strengths through group living and group counseling. Experiences will highlight that behavioral changes can be brought about through a reintegration of social, emotional, and environmental forces.     

公共事业管理专业学生学习满意度:现状、影响因素及提升对策——以南京市部分高校为例

对南京七所高校公共事业管理专业学生学习满意度现状的调查与统计分析结果显示,专业课程设置满意度与教师授课满意度尚可,但专业满意度、实践性环节课程以及学校专业建设投入满意度等却普遍偏低。而专业定位尚欠清晰、课程设置不够科学与合理、底子薄弱、师资弱化以及投入不足等则是其主要影响因素。因此,准确定位专业、构建科学与合理的专业课程体系、加大专业投入、强化师资队伍建设、培养学生专业兴趣与提升学生学习能力等,无疑成为公共事业管理专业学生学习满意度提升的有效方法。     

Association of Personal Distress With Burnout,Compassion Fatigue,and Compassion Satisfaction Among Clinical Social Workers

ABSTRACT

Studies of empathy and empathy-related responding show that while some people respond to observing the suffering of another with a prosocial concern and urge to help the suffering person, others have an aversive, avoidant response that is primarily self-focused and aimed toward relieving their own distress rather than helping the other person. This self-focused response, labeled personal distress, is associated with various social and psychological problems. This article discusses the concept of personal distress and describes a study of licensed clinical social workers (n = 171) that examines the relationship of personal distress and three other aspects of the empathy construct with compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Results of ordinary least squares multiple regression analyses indicate that the model of empathy components and control variables explain 20% to 23% of the variance in the dependent variables. Personal distress is the only component of the empathy construct with significant associations with the dependent variables. Higher personal distress is associated with higher compassion fatigue and burnout and lower compassion satisfaction among clinical social workers. Implications for future research and for social work education are discussed.     

The Digital Practitioner:

No abstract available for this article.     

Parenting a child with Autism Spectrum disorder: parental work context

This research contributes to the literature on work-related factors for parents raising a child with a disability. Specifically, we used questionnaire methodology to compare two parent families raising a child with Autism Spectrum (AS) with similar families raising ‘typical’ children. Our findings suggested that parents raising a child with AS self-report higher parenting stress and more mental health symptomatology, as well as lower overall job satisfaction, less satisfaction with supervisors and less workplace contentment. In addition, our findings suggested that parents raising a child with a disability self-report similarly to parents raising ‘typical’ children with respect to work interest, commitment and quality, as well as time missed. In conclusion, our results appear to suggested that despite increased parental stress related to parenting a child with AS, with respect to several work-related factors, there are more similarities than differences among these parenting groups.