Operational research in social security

In this paper we describe the work of the Department of Health and Social Security Operational Research (OR) Unit in Social Security. This work started in 1972 and with one break of eighteen months still continues. One of the authors (AFH) led the OR team from the beginning until September 1979 and the other (MJP) was the customer for much of its work. We describe briefly the organisation of social security work, and go on to talk about some of the projects attempted by the OR team. We will not shrink from describing some of the successes but we will concentrate most attention on the things which did not achieve the expected results. Readers will make their own judgements about the extent to which the failures were due to circumstances or to inadequacies of the team, or its leader.     

Family planning: humanism and science

The author used to believe that social workers had built in resistances to suggesting family planning for clients. Today, however, this is not longer so because of the 1967 resolution on the National Association of Social Workers. There is however, serious concern about furnishing contraceptives or family planning information to the unmarried minor. The author contents that physicians and social workers both have to help youth in the confused area of premarital sexual relations. The abortion problem should involve the same professions. The author argues that a) every woman over 40 should have the right to make up her mind about being pregnant and continuing so, and b) every girl of 17 or less should be allowed an abortion if she is pregnant out of wedlock.     

Whole in Body,Mind & Spirit: Wholistic Health and the Limits of Medicine

Abstract

Use of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI), a new instrument for assessing the presence of chemical dependency, was tested on a college population. In tests with 376 subjects, the SASSI showed significant promise in discriminating between nonabusers, moderate abusers, and severe abusers. Further, results of the SASSI obvious attributes scale were correlated in the expected directions with indicators of level of chemical use. The particular need for an alcohol and drug abuse assessment instrument that is relatively impervious to social desirability effects is discussed in light of the history of assessment problems in this area.