On elephants, giraffes, and social development

Social development rests on varied assumptions, including thegreater effectiveness and efficiency of local over central management,legally endorsed resource control, and the popular ability totake responsibility for the environment. The article outlinesthe experience of community-based natural resource managementin Botswana in validating these and other assumptions, and concludesthat in some instances, particularly in small rural communities,grassroots development that follows them may not yield the expectedoutcomes.     

Facilitating interviews with children who may have been sexually abused

The introduction of the Memorandum of Good Practice on interviewing children who have been sexually abused has had an important unifying effect on professional practice. However, because of the traumatic nature of sexual abuse there will be a group of children about whom there are high levels of suspicion and where arrangements need to be made for their future care, protection and treatment. These include children who have learning disabilities or communication problems, have psychiatric disorders associated with abuse, or where there have been considerable delays since allegations were first made. Such children require a second-stage facilitative assessment interview. These include different forms of questioning, and the use of a wide range of prompting materials including art work, free and structured play context and the use of anatomically correct dolls. These approaches are reviewed and illustrated through case studies.     

CLINICAL PROCESS RECORDING IN FOCAL FAMILY THERAPY*

A method for systematically recording the process of family therapy (the Focal Therapy Record Sheet) is described, based on the focal approach developed in earlier papers by the authors. It demands a conceptual distinction between assessment of families and treatment techniques and embodies continuous evaluation of family improvement according to specific criteria. A detailed case illustration showing the Sheets completed for each of 14 sessions after two diagnostic interviews is provided, together with an anecdotal-style account. The value of the instrument for teaching purposes, in routine clinical work and for research is discussed.     

When assumptions on fieldwork education fail to hold: The experience of Botswana

In most parts of the world, social work fieldwork education takes for granted that the different stakeholders in the fieldwork learning process - students, academic staff, and field instructors - are dedicated to their task and can carry it through, yet this assumption does not always hold. This article examines one such situation, in Botswana, and several measures that have been introduced to tackle it.     

Explaining Satisfaction with Volunteering in Emergencies: Comparison Between Organized and Spontaneous Volunteers in Operation Protective Edge

The study aimed to identify factors that explain general satisfaction with volunteering among volunteers in Operation Protective Edge, in Israel, through a comparison between organized volunteers affiliated with volunteer organizations and spontaneous volunteers who arrived at the scene independently. Based on the social exchange theory as the theoretical framework, the contribution of several variables to explaining general satisfaction with volunteering was examined: satisfaction with the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of volunteering, personal sacrifice in volunteering, and motives for volunteering (social solidarity, personal empowerment, and escape from reality). The findings revealed that among organized volunteers, satisfaction with the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of volunteering mediated between motives for volunteering and general satisfaction with volunteering. Among spontaneous volunteers, the motives of social solidarity and personal empowerment as well as satisfaction with intrinsic and extrinsic rewards were the main variables that explained general satisfaction with volunteering. In contradistinction, the main variables that explained general satisfaction with volunteering among organized volunteers were the motive of personal empowerment and satisfaction with the extrinsic rewards of volunteering.     

新中国对以色列的人文外交

新中国与以色列的人文往来大体经历了三个历史阶段。其中,官方的高层互访与民间的友好往来为新中国对以色列的人文外交提供了丰富资源和有力保障;教育交流、友好城市、农业合作、科技合作等多领域往来深化了中以关系、促进了中犹文明对话、形成了"官民并举"的人文外交模式,并取得了可喜的成就。在新的挑战面前,如何进一步推进中国对以人文外交,则成为当务之急。     

Constructing a Focal Formulation and Hypothesis in Family Therapy

This paper is an account of the use of a focal formulation as part of a method of brief focal family therapy. The history of the focal approach is outlined and the concept of focal hypothesis examined. The theoretical basis of the approach is discussed by considering the way meaning in a family is expressed. Two forms of meaning are described: surface action, which is the current content of interaction, and depth structure, which is its context and is based in subjective history. A case example is provided to illustrate the application of the concepts, therapeutic implications, and the basis of outcome evaluation.