Foster Carer Strain and its Impact on Parenting and Placement Outcomes for Adolescents

Drawing on recently completed research funded by the Departmentof Health, this article examines the extent of strain on thefoster carers of adolescents, its influence on parenting practicesand the overall impact on placement outcomes. The research find­ingsshow that foster-carers’ parenting capacity was markedlyreduced in a number of specific areas when they had experienceda high number of stressful life events in the six months priorto the young person’s arrival or were under considerablestrain during the placement. Conduct problems, hyperactivityand violent behaviour by the young people increased carer strain,as did contact difficulties with the children’s families.Problems in contacting social workers were linked to elevatedstrain, whilst strain was lessened when carers received helpfrom friends or from local professionals. Signifi­cantlyhigher disruption rates were experienced by strained carersand these placements were also less beneficial to the youngpeople.     

谈教育职业的专业化与专家型教师

教育职业的专业化,成为当今世界教育发展的大趋势,中国的教育也不能例外。教育质量要进一步提高,创新教学要开展,都呼唤大批专家型教师的涌现。要成为专家型教师,教师个体必须自觉强化专业角色,提高自我诊断能力,健全专业情意。     

Movers and Stayers in Care Management in Adult Services

Professional biographies of care managers in the mid-ninetiesand, seven years on, their profiles and career choice are thefocus of this article. The work draws on two linked studiesbased on adult services in two social services departments.The profile of those who stayed in post and those who movedon raises issues for the social work profession, for managersand for policy makers. Those who stayed constitute an experiencedworkforce of middle-aged, predominantly female practitionerswith mixed views about the changing nature of the work. Thosewho moved include a group of females who became managers bydefault. The work raises issues concerning work pressures, genderprofiles within an ageing workforce, and succession planning.The findings link to more extensive workforce studies and contributetowards debates concerning the occupational identity and thefuture of qualified practitioners within a human services landscapewhich is constantly being reshaped within a culture of new managerialism.     

对《印度之行》中回声的多角度探寻

本文以后殖民主义理论作为支撑,从不同的角度解读了《印度之行》中的回声之谜。由于山洞和回声的含义都过于含蓄,且福斯特竭力运用似乎真实的自然现象去容纳过多的含义,因此山洞和回声不仅使英国游览者而且也使读者感到混乱和神秘。本文旨在从多角度解读回声,以进一步启发读者思考。     

Does accreditation really matter in public relations practice? How age and experience compare to accreditation

Many scholars and practitioners have suggested accreditation as one way to enhance the professionalism of public relations practice. But, others have questioned whether accreditation really makes a difference and whether experience is a sufficient substitute for accreditation. This study found that, although accredited practitioners were significantly older and had significantly more years of experience compared to their non-accredited counterparts, differences between the groups with respect to seven work categories and five professional competencies remained even when age and years of experience were controlled. The affected work categories were account/client management, strategic planning, public relations program planning, project management, stakeholder relations, issues management, and crisis management. The affected professional competencies were the four-step strategic planning process; ethics and legal issues; communication theory; business literacy; and advanced communication skills. In short, this study refutes the argument that age and professional experience are sufficient substitutes for accreditation in public relations. In fact, they are not.     

现代职业女性心理健康与休闲调适

由于社会竞争日趋激烈,现代职业女性群体心理负荷颇重,心理健康问题较多,严重程度远远超过普通人群的平均水平。本文通过对现代职业女性压力表现的分析,提出通过休闲活动来缓解职业女性压力的调适策略。使职业女性在参与休闲活动过程中获得愉悦、关怀及支持感,从而有效地帮助职业女性减轻压力,提升生活质量与心理健康。     

Teaching research in practice courses

Students of social work and related professions are often resistant to study research. Efforts to resolve this problem have focused on making research courses more experiential and developing a 'user friendly' curricula. This article presents an experimental strategy used in one American school of social work to teach research-related content within the context of a practice course. Students' and teachers' evaluations indicate that this may be useful to enable students to acquire tools with which to use and conduct research.     

Gender,Migration and Place of Qualification of Doctors in the UK: Perceptions of Inequality,Morale and Career Aspiration

This article draws on a large British Medical Association (BMA) survey which allows the comparison of doctors who qualified in the UK with International Medical Graduates (IMG) who qualified overseas. It does this with respect to inequality, morale and career aspiration. The paper argues that the human-capital protection of qualifications, profession and status is not sufficient to equal the experiences of migrant doctors with those of doctors who qualified in the UK. Moreover, the article provides a gendered analysis which demonstrates clear differences between women and men and shows that place of qualification intensifies the gendered experience of a medical career. Drawing on intersectional insights shows that women IMGs are the most disadvantaged despite the apparent protection of high human capital.     

The challenge of post qualifying child care award teaching: reflexivity and the role of books and biscuits

Based on an ethnographic study, this paper seeks to examine some of the challenges presented by the delivery of the post‐qualifying child care award in one particular geographical area. This exploration will be placed within the context of the dynamics of ‘reflexivity’ and the different types of knowledge that are required for practice, and will draw on both attachment theory and an understanding of unconscious processes in organisations. Aspects of the teaching experience will be described together with an analysis of some of the dynamics that were generated. Barriers to the absorption of material will be considered and evidence will be presented of the institutionalised attack on thinking, reflection and systematic analysis that has taken place in child care social work over the last decade. It will be argued that unless organisational defences against knowledge and understanding are addressed and thinking space made for candidates to engage in such training, its aims will be sabotaged and child social workers will continue to feel undervalued and ill equipped to deal with the increasing complexity of their work.