Boarding schools are the common 'out-of-home' placements for adolescents, due to various historical, religiously orthodox, and traditional reasons and due to dysfunction within families. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between a free versus an enforced decision to enroll in a boarding school in terms of personal…

This paper explores the findings of a pilot project that investigated the impact of the International Professional Experience (IPE) programme within a Faculty of Education at a research intensive Australian University in developing the capacity of preservice teachers (PSTs) to work and teach amidst culturally diverse environments. The pilot was a…

Although research studies are important for social work students, the students rarely like research classes or see their value. At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one group of BSW students was encouraged to carry out the required research in their field work setting, the Hadassah University Medical Center. Students used data mining, that is,…

The current study aims at exploring the common means that may improve organizational effectiveness by focusing on two main facets of organizational qualities: teacher commitment and job satisfaction. Data were collected from 841 randomly sampled teachers employed in 118 elementary schools in Israel. A quantitative questionnaire, which included…

Ambiguity over the concepts of "parental capability" and "the child's best interests" in the Israeli adoption law, and a lack of sufficient professional knowledge can lead to bias in the professional decision-making process regarding child adoption. This study investigates the idea that judges do not use only legal…

This study, with 61 Israeli parents of children with developmental disabilities, found that parental inclination to apply for out-of-home placement was a function of stress levels, sense of coherence, and social support received from formal and informal resources. (Author/DB)

Analysis of placement recommendations made by 98 Israeli professionals to parents of newborns with Down's syndrome found that recommendations were influenced by parental variables such as education, occupational status, religiosity, attitude toward the pregnancy, age, and living location; child's birth order; professional category (nurse,…

This brief paper reviews six studies which examined out-of-home placement by Israeli parents of children with severe developmental disabilities. Implications for policy and practice are drawn, including the need for respite-care services, extended hours in schools, recreation programs, support services for parents, and training programs for…

This study of 86 Israeli parents of adolescents with severe intellectual disability found that parents applying for out-of-home placement tended to have external locus of control, less social support, and high levels of stress, compared to nonapplying parents. Applying parents also tended to be older and less educated and were more often single.…

Sixteen Israeli parents of young adults with mild/moderate mental retardation were offered a transitional training program which involved parent group sessions on future planning and, for the young adults, 16 overnights in a respite care program. Children enhanced their independent living skills; parents stress levels increased; and parents…

This study examined out-of-home applications of 88 Israeli parents who had children with severe mental retardation. Five predictors had significant correlations with parental application: high parental stress, less social support, favorable attitudes toward normalization, low family environment score, and the child being of adolescent age.…