Discusses a normative strategy toward pricing human services, which will allow providers to develop pricing strategies within the context of organizational missions, goals, and values. Pricing is an effective tool for distributing resources and improving efficiency, and can be used as a tool for encouraging desired patterns of service utilization.…

Focuses on the content of adoption disclosure counseling and the perceptions of adult adoptees and relatives about the helpfulness of counseling. Data were gathered from 225 adult adoptees and 143 biological relatives who participated in mandatory counseling services in Ontario, Canada. The majority of subjects indicated counseling was very…

This paper examines the principles underlying normalization and social role valorization with respect to the values and directions they offer service providers and the social structures they impose on individuals with disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviors. The paper argues that versions of normalization presented by Bengt Nirje and Wolf…

Examined cognitive impairment as predictor of community services used by older adults. For 97 health care clients, effects of 4 predictors differed depending on clients' cognitive impairment: living arrangement, presence of secondary caregivers, client depression, and task burden of primary caregiver. Found no differences in predictors of social…

In Peru, the Social Compensation Fund uses various strategies for fighting rural poverty: linking social investment to other development strategies, considering poverty indicators in determining project priorities, developing a productive infrastructure, and involving local institutions in solutions. (SK)

Needs for help reported by 1,260 homeless men and women in New York (New York) were studied through interviews. Fundamental survival demands were most frequently cited by men and women, with gender differences most apparent in areas in which gender differences have been identified in the general population. (SLD)

Proposed is a system of flexible options for the mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect, to improve compliance with and reduce burdens on the child protective system. Potential benefits and drawbacks of the plan, which would identify and train "registered reporters" and offer the option of explicit deferred investigation, are…

Conducted a retrospective chart review utilizing Norwood's model on the families of the 83 infants whose cord blood was positive for maternal HIV antibodies or who were congenitally infected with HIV. Discusses implications for permanency planning in the context of their impact on the African-American community. (KS)

Details Lawrence Oxley's work as director of the Division of Work among Blacks from 1925 to 1934. Discusses racial attitudes and legal injustices toward Blacks. Oxley addressed social problems of Blacks such as unfair capital punishment, juvenile delinquency, and lack of social services. (KS)

Contends that major struggle remains to reduce military budget and to secure those funds for civilian purposes and that social workers have major stake in the outcome. Analyzes realities of post-cold war era, identifies what has and has not been changed by Operation Desert Storm, and discusses ways social workers can contribute to political…

Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz was completed by 245 respondents (28%) from developmental disabilities (DD), aging, and other social service agencies in Washington. Overall, respondents got 64% correct; DD personnel scored lower than others. Most often missed items related to psychological aspects of aging, demographic trends, and socioeconomic…

Makes recommendations for providing better services to people with developmental disabilities, including clarifying the support that people with developmental disabilities need and providing that support; making a fundamental shift toward community based programs; eliminating rigid and complex rules; creating the future; and making a commitment to…

Describes the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and reviews and assesses research on its impact. Recommends policy reforms and randomized experiments to evaluate the program and any changes made to it. Weaknesses in research to date make the real impacts of WIC unclear. (Contains 79 references.) (SLD)

The Parent and Youth Vanderbilt Functioning Indexes are functioning problem indexes for children and adolescents that require neither clinicians nor trained raters. Their low cost of administration permits adequate sample sizes in outcome evaluations of large numbers of students. The development of these instruments is described. (SLD)

Presents the major components of three models of linked psycho-social care for HIV-positive youths and youths at high risk for HIV infection: YouthCare (Seattle, Washington), TOPS Program (Bridgeport, Connecticut), and Boston HAPPENS. Models were developed to connect hard-to-reach and otherwise marginalized youths to needed services. Offers…