Health care has been an ongoing issue of public concern for decades, well before President Obama took office. Passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, in March 2010 and upheld by a Supreme Court in June 2012. With Republicans now in control of both the House and Senate as well as the presidency, the ACA in its current…

Drawing upon my critical appropriation of Alasdair MacIntyre's account of the rationality of traditions, I undertake to explain and demonstrate how the competing conceptual frameworks of distinct traditions of educational inquiry and practice can be assessed through dialectical argument. To illustrate the "method" of dialectic, I argue that the…

Contends that what has eluded many social service professionals is the reality that multicultural diversity in principle and practice is effective tool for enhancing client-counselor relationships and client outcomes. Describes how counselors and agencies can enhance their multicultural diversity skills and create milieu where people of diverse…

Notes that service utilization is result of complex and dynamic interaction between social services consumers and providers. Sees effective strategies for change in service utilization based on understanding of characteristics of consumers and their environment. Contends that social work administrators can change utilization by manipulating…

Presents, in light-hearted way, a few rules of evaluation practice wisdom that, if followed, would result in more rigorous and useful evaluations of human services programs. Although none of the ideas is totally original, it is suggested that as a group they provide handy checklist for practitioners who are developing or assessing evaluation…

Describes the concepts and histories of ombudsmen and of case management. Discusses the advocacy role in social work which includes the dimensions of role specificity, client orientation, problem-solving mode, and resources and constraints. Concludes ombudsmen and case managers augment the advocacy function in the human service system. (ABL)

The concept of ideology is discussed. An evaluation design that is based on values and ideologies is advocated so that it can be applied to services in different categories and still produce valid comparisons. (Author/AL)

Addresses role of case management in care of chronically mentally ill persons. Notes that case management can be effective if designed so that services match client needs and service costs are measured accurately. Contends that profit-maximizing nature of U.S. health care system makes some form of capitation likely in design of case management…

Discussion of the relevance of Michel Foucault's ideas in the provision of services to people with mental retardation focuses on the postmodernist thinker's own life including his preoccupation with "limit experiences," transgression against all societal norms, suicide, and death from AIDS. It suggests that the application of discourse…

Presents an interview with the President of the Council for Standards in Human Service Education. Discusses DiGiovanni's participation in the development of the human service field on a national level, and involvement with the standardization of human service competencies as well as the credentialing of human service professionals. (Author/GCP)

Discusses interviews with David Maloney, Franklin Rother, and Lynn McKinney concerning the status of human services as an established profession. Summarizes that human services has come a long way in establishing itself as a unique and worthwhile career and that the job market for human service workers well trained and skilled in direct service…

This article examines trends in both computer technology and human services that are encouraging the increasing convergence of these two fields. It discusses more advanced uses of computers in mental health centers and public assistance agencies, and presents implications for human service professionals and for education. (Author)

This editorial seeks to frame issues and provoke thinking and discussion about the importance of human services educators publishing their work. Proposes that multiple forms of scholarship offer hope, inspiration, and guidance as human service educators strive to meet the challenges of scholarship in human service education. (Contains 16…

Examines pattern of changes in human service occupations, particularly those in which women predominate. Contends occupational trends of middle- and upper-class women may have far-reaching consequences for organized social service professions. Concludes that giving up the idea that women have primary responsibility for care and nurturance in…

Reviews paralysis of U.S. social policy. Notes that, although federal government has implemented new social programs, programs either are provided on condition of willingness to work or are modest in scope. Linking paralysis with literature on government ineffectuality, traces origins of ineffectuality of political/economic policies of past 20…