Although many in the social work profession have written about empowerment, few have offered a description of the empowerment process from the perspective of clients and workers in high-risk communities. This qualitative study presents a model of empowerment practice from the perspective of frontline workers, the challenges they faced, and the…

The past 10 years have been a period of enormous growth in efforts around father involvement, with local government systems attempting to meet the needs of the diverse father population. The Bay Area Fathering Indicators Data System (BAYFIDS) Project is designed to track and analyze the operation and impact of fathering programs and describe the…

While an increased awareness of the dehumanizing and organizationally self-defeating qualities of residential institutions has fostered a movement toward community-based care, little research has been done to measure the "institutionality" of the alternate settings. As a part of a larger study aimed at describing alternative settings for…

A study was conducted to produce a graphic representation of (1) the factors that motivate single parents and homemakers in New Jersey toward upward mobility and higher paying jobs and (2) the barriers that these individuals face. Data were collected from 26 sites through 3 mail surveys--demographic data collection form which yielded 101…

Directors of 39 projects funded by the federal Consumers' Education Program were interviewed about their attitudes toward federally mandated evaluation. The projects were varied, and included activities such as consumer workshops; development of curriculum, materials or policy; inservice training; consumer advocacy/counseling; and television…

A study was conducted to identify the factors that lead single parents and homemakers to choose nontraditional job training and the barriers they encounter in this effort. Data were collected from 14 sites in New Jersey through a mailed survey of 73 single parent/homemaker program clients and 10 program directors. The survey found that the…

In the past decade, the nature of fathers' involvement with their children and families has become an important topic, with government agencies and nonprofit groups developing programs to help men manage the challenges of fatherhood. This report presents the first set of findings from the Bay Area Fathering Indicators Data System (BAyFIDS)…

This report details the outcomes of a study conducted in response to concerns about the impact of workforce development and welfare reform upon persons with disabilities being served by community rehabilitation programs. Twenty-three focus groups involving over 200 individuals were held in 13 different cities across eight states. Participants came…