The paper contrasts the traditional model of referral for rehabilitation services for blind and visually impaired persons in Israel with a new model--the rehabilitation information station, which links administrative, social, medical, and functional rehabilitation and results in faster receipt of services and increased ophthalmologists' awareness…

The system of services to blind persons in two republics (Russia and Byelorussia) of the Soviet Union is described as a system in which employment and rehabilitation services revolve around factory operations and consumer-driven umbrella organizations. Also discussed are political changes occurring in Eastern Bloc countries and possible impact on…

The increasing demand for social work clinicians in the Department of Veterans Affairs to be accountable for outcomes of client intervention is seen as a threat to the social work profession's leadership role. One program is examined to highlight system obstacles and administrative approaches that can reduce barriers between the academic and…

The 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act catapulted a "backwater" state to leadership prominence in structural reform. Grounded on school-readiness and community-involvement precepts, KERA links schools and social service agencies and provides family resource/youth services centers to coordinate social service delivery for preschool…

Reviews the literature that identifies substance abuse as a primary contributing factor to child abuse and neglect. Describes a three-year research demonstration project currently in its second year that is designed to identify substance-abusing families; stabilize families' current situation; and improve the likelihood of families' long-term…

To create and maintain a high-quality home visiting program, administrators need to consider a range of issues including the skills and qualities of home visitors; the preservice and inservice training needs of home visitors; the supervision and support that home visitors need; and the implications of stressful working conditions for home…

Home visiting programs must be sensitive and responsive to the cultural ecology of their participants. Staff of home visiting programs need to assess the cultural context of the program, establish a dialog with the client population regarding program goals, attend to the culture of the program staff, and consider alternative program formulas. (MDM)

Mary Joe Bane, assistant secretary for child and families, Department of Health and Human Services, discusses her goals for Head Start; how Head Start will be affected by collaboration efforts between child care and pre-K programs, health care reform, and the National and Community Service Trust Act; and major changes in store for Head Start…

Analyzed data from Longitudinal Survey of Aging, showing that childless elderly were more likely to say that they lacked informal instrumental support at times of illness than were elderly parents. Childless, however, were no more likely to use social services than were elderly parents. Findings suggest ways to improve childless elderly's social…

Explores the role of schools in providing pregnant and parenting adolescents with an array of support services that can mitigate some of the consequences of too early childbearing. Key research findings in the field of service delivery to pregnant and parenting adolescents are summarized to provide a knowledge base on which to build. (SLD)

Uses activist ethnographic field work to explore institutional language skills used by inner-city residents as they negotiated social services institutions. Shows residents' critical awareness and political acumen as they complied with and resisted the structuring ideology of institutional agents. Raises questions about the methods of key critical…

Explores the consequences of local government reorganization for children's services provided by voluntary sector organizations in Scotland, England, and Wales. Reviews the impact on funding, boundary problems, changing structures, and the fragmentation of local authorities. Concludes that short-term impact is damaging for projects and their…

Discusses data collected from 1,963 female prostitutes in New York City concerning demographics, family and living arrangements, sex and drug practices, HIV status and risk reduction practices, and health history. (JPS)

Described use of human services reported by 245 injection drug users and 125 crack cocaine smokers living in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio. Findings suggest that drug users are active consumers of human services; nearly 90% reported involvement. Found no gross patterns of discrimination. (JBJ)

Describes the efforts of a broad-based, nonprofit community development organization to engage local youth as resources in revitalizing a mill town's main street. Model and approaches to strengths-based practice with youth are discussed. The roles of local schools as well as education and social services professionals are explored. (Author/MKA)