Few autistic adults perceive that health and social care professionals have good understanding of autism. The countywide Autism Champion Network evaluated here, is an equal partnership of both staff across sectors (Autism Champions) and individuals with lived experience. Autism Champions take knowledge gained back to their teams to support…

As the country continues to reckon with the historical and present-day realities of systemic oppression, particularly as it impacts Black individuals and communities, it is critical that human service organizations advance beyond statements condemning forms of anti-Black racism. Institutional efforts to address anti-Black racism must embody…

Research indicates that food insecurity among college students has been on a steady incline. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified economic vulnerabilities, which has led to increased food insecurity among college students due to the closure of campus resources and high unemployment rates in jobs that college students typically hold. Universities…

In 2019, Native youth had the highest rate of teen pregnancy of all racial/ethnic groups. "Respecting the Circle of Life" (RCL) is one of the first evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs for Native teens and there is interest in replicating the program across tribal communities. To inform replication, it is important to…

This experiment used a pyramidal training model to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training (BST), delivered in a 1-time group-training format, on the extent to which 25 human service staff implemented BST when training others how to implement behavioral procedures. Results indicated that (a) the training workshop increased BST integrity…

The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) has an extensive history of use that often relies on inductions of reliability from precedent literature. We completed a systematic review of the literature and extracted sample-specific reliability estimates for ProQOL subscale scores. Random effects meta-analytic modeling was implemented to…

Emerging research suggests autistic people are disproportionately represented in homeless populations. Less is known about how autistic people experience homelessness and what prevents them from exiting homelessness. This article presents findings from a narrative enquiry investigating the link between autism and homelessness. Ten autistic adults…

This paper describes a field experiment with a self-leadership training aimed at helping human service professionals to improve their detached concern and proactivity. Whereas detached concern refers to a state in which human service professionals blend compassion with emotional distance in their interaction with clients, proactivity refers to…

We designed and distributed a survey that assessed safety concerns experienced by direct service providers (DSPs) (N = 59) of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in community-based group homes at a single human services organization. Results indicated relatively few safety concerns among the respondents from a list of 25…

The use of simulation has become a staple in social work education in North America. Concerns have been raised, however, that this pedagogy, rooted in positivist views of professional competence, might be built on educators' monolithic and stereotypical understanding of minoritized clients. In this article, I take on a position that simulation…

Although decades of behavior-analytic studies have focused on decreasing the aggressive behavior of clients, relatively little research has been conducted on preventing injuries for the staff members who implement treatment plans. In this study, three direct-care staff members working with clients presenting with aggressive behavior were taught…

In 2019, the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity (the Institute) launched a training program to prepare people with lived experience in the criminal legal system for employment and promotions in human services. The Institute believes that workforce and leadership development for people with lived experience in New York City's…

Background: Interactions with professional caregivers affect the quality of support and life of people with intellectual disabilities and contribute to the occurrence of challenging behaviour. The present literature review provides an overview of factors facilitating or hindering meaningful staff-client interactions in people with borderline to…

The empirical management literature has found that the education of both managers and the workforce more generally appears to be an important driver of better management practices. This article sets out how such relationships might be conceptualised, and suggests that in a complementarities framework, modern management practices can be thought of…

The effectiveness of a pre-graduation animal assisted therapy internship site was investigated through an ethnographic, phenomenological methodology with mixed-methods components. A total of 12 participants who fit into either the category of supervisor, intern, or administrator involved in the animal assisted therapy practice, were interviewed. A…