Examined how much elderly persons involved in STAES (System to Assure Elderly Services) program in St. Louis, Missouri, use available social services. Found that program participants used services in greater numbers than literature review would suggest. In-home services such as homemaker services and visiting nurses' services were used by elderly…

Reviews family preservation services, which attempt to remove risk of harm to child rather than removing child from unsafe family environment. Notes that Homebuilders is oldest such program, then describes one family served by Families First, replica of Homebuilders model in Detroit, Michigan. Lists key characteristics of family preservation…

Investigated efficiency of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Calculated efficiency based on resources available and service units produced. Results demonstrated extent of inefficiency in agencies and how efficiency of individual AAAs can be improved relative to peer agencies. Analysis of organizational type, size, and rural-urban differences…

Describes and analyzes trends in service delivery by community-based organizations to children affected by domestic violence. Concludes that substantial segments of the population are not reached, and that most organizations do not have a sufficient range of services to meet children's needs. Outlines challenges faced by current intervention…

The recent deaths of more than 13,000 French elderly in the European heat wave of 2003 revealed cracks in the social foundation of urban communities, here and abroad. The breakdown occurred in community services, neighborhood networks, and governmental agencies that were responsible for warning of impending dangers to at-risk elderly. This paper…

Despite a dark history marked by the eugenics movement, increasing numbers of people with disabilities are choosing to become parents. Recent research reveals that more than 4 million parents--6 percent of American mothers and fathers--are disabled. This number will unquestionably increase as more people with disabilities exercise a broader range…

The current study replicates work of Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands. It describes dropout prevention programs in nine Mid-Atlantic Region (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) school districts serving communities with populations of 24,742-107,250 (as of July 2008). All nine…

Relative to other fields, social work has been slow to adopt geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool for research and practice. This paper argues that GIS can benefit social work by: (1) continuing and strengthening the social survey tradition; (2) providing a framework for understanding human behavior; (3) identifying community needs and…

Previous research indicates that runaway and homeless youth often achieve positive outcomes after shelter stays however few studies have examined how these outcomes are achieved. This study employs qualitative methods to explicate this phenomenon. Twenty-five providers and 21 youth from four shelters participated in this study. Youth were…

Despite the General Medical Council emphasising the value of service users to medical students' education, there is scant literature about service user involvement in medical education. Although some research has outlined the effectiveness of service users as teachers, none has explored social issues surrounding how medical students learn "with"…

Until recently, homelessness in rural areas has received little recognition because of overwhelming assumptions about the urban-centeredness of homeless people and their needs. This paper seeks to build on recent research that has begun to uncover some of the problems and characteristics of rural homelessness, by suggesting two significant…

Objectives: At 6 sites serving 21 communities, Alaska implemented Healthy Families Alaska, a home visitation program using paraprofessionals designed to decrease child abuse and neglect. The primary study objective was to compare changes over time in Child Protective Services outcomes by Healthy Families Alaska enrollment status. Methods:…

This study at Grove City College, a private, Christian liberal arts college in Western Pennsylvania, assessed the effectiveness of the college's mission of service and engagement with others in society. An on-line survey with forced option and open-ended questions was used to collect data from Grove City College graduates between the classes of…

The role and future directions of the educational psychology services are being re-examined and there is a drive to build a more integrated system of services for children and young people that incorporates education, health and social care. This qualitative study examines teacher's perspectives on their professional involvement with educational…

Objective: The current study compared a sample of female perpetrators reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) to a sample of women from the criminal justice system. Instead of examining a clinical or criminal justice sample in isolation, this comparison allows a more accurate description of female sexual offending. Methods: Cases were drawn…