Increasing deinstitutionalization of the mentally disabled has instigated research on neighborhood receptivity to this group. Investigates the contribution of neighborhood types and individual characteristics in predicting responses of residents in a midwestern Canadian city. Supporters of neighborhood community mental health facilities outnumber…

Analyzes demographic and health trends during the Reagan years. Describes the current nature of health care, federal role, effects of the fiscal crisis on health policy, and repercussions of deregulation of the health-care industry. Presents issues that need to be addressed to prevent severe fragmentation of health care. (MW)

Explores options for human service delivery and related organizational change in rural areas. Addresses the unique context and distinctive features of rural service delivery, urban service professionalism and fragmentation, and potential advantages of traditional integrated rural systems. Discusses eight models derived from combinations of three…

A major finding from interviews with 25 New York City (New York) poverty-area urban elementary school principals is that they cannot adequately educate children without services to deal with the emotional distress experienced by many students. Teachers need the help and support of trained professionals. (SLD)

Follow-up of 972 children for 6 months after sexual victimization found that those children most likely to enter therapy were Caucasian, between the ages of 7 and 13, had cases in which the Department of Children's Services of Los Angeles or law enforcement were involved, were placed outside the home, and experienced abuse of greater frequency.…

Potential methods are explored for removing or otherwise controlling random measurement error, assessment artifacts, irrelevant variation in outcome measures, and confounding sources of covariation in a structural equations model. Using examples with measures of quality of life and functioning, the authors consider these methods for field…

Examines the potential of a flexible specialization model to provide effective social services integration in rural areas. Contrasts flexible specialization with craft and Fordist models of production, with implications for service integration. Identifies societal changes supporting the development of flexible specialization in rural areas.…

Discusses areas where federal oversight of state compliance with foster care case-review guidelines needs improvement. Suggests avenues, such as issuing more clear and precise regulation, by which the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could best ensure that children in foster care receive the prompt case review to which they are…

Provides two reviews of "The Child Welfare Challenge," a comprehensive textbook describing the field of child welfare in the United States. Praises the use of theoretical, conceptual, and empirical material which encourages readers to think conceptually and analytically rather than descriptively. Suggests, however, that despite its…

Compared 63 non-foster care adolescents with 42 placed in kinship care and 69 in non-relative foster family care in their readiness for independent living. Found no significant differences in perceptions of independent living skills and preparation for independent living. Foster care adolescents, however, were more likely to worry about their…

Examines the impact of sociodemographic variables on employment retention of 2,078 male and 1,299 female Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Polish, Romanian, Soviet, and other refugees in greater metropolitan Chicago (Illinois). Labor force participation patterns and experiences are influenced differentially by background characteristics and exposure…

Explores whether or not vulnerable African-American elderly have a basic right to protection under the social contract that binds members of society as equal partners in a compact guaranteeing all members basic rights. A social justice perspective places these citizens among those who qualify for public support. (SLD)

Notes that, as Head Start programs nationwide are finding increasing numbers of children displaying stressed behavior in the classroom, it is important to examine programs and to modify expectations and environments to better meet the needs of children. Offers advice on understanding stressed children's needs, classroom strategies for meeting…

This paper discusses how the health care needs of underserved children, particularly urban children, can be met through an ecological model of health care. Ecoprimary care, infant mortality, and the experiences of King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles (California), an example of maximization of resources, are described. (SLD)

Analyzes social theory as an antecedent to social policy, and social policy as an antecedent to social practice. The African-American family provides the basis for this examination. Social policy should be based on empirical observation as well as theory, and it should be population specific. (SLD)