A Case Study of Veteran Identity as a Female

The terms veteran, or soldier, typically evoke a male image, creating barriers to female veteran identity and recognition. Using a case study methodology, one female veteran’s perspective was explored using qualitative interviews and supporting documents. Findings show that the female veteran had the same training and deployment experiences as her male counterparts, and therefore, demonstrates her full status as a veteran. Also noted are the ways in which her female identity as a veteran was expressed and experienced by others. This case study involves perspectives related to female veteran identity across three generation and suggests changes related to females in combat roles and societal progress in terms of supporting women in the military. Implications for social workers include learning more about the military culture, asking about veteran status, and providing social work courses with a military emphasis

A comparative Analysis of Anglo-Dutch approaches to “cyber policing”: checks and balances fit for purpose?

This article examines two contrasting approaches to the governance of police investigations for ensuring that cybercrime-policing is lawful and ethical. The Netherlands has a national police force working under the direction of an equally centralised prosecution service according to specific laws on the use of special powers of surveillance, with evidence tested judicially when added incrementally to the case file. Theoretically, the process of adapting to the novel features of cybercrime policing should be much easier than within the much more fragmented policing structure in England and Wales, where unreliable evidence is challengeable only at the trial stage and the laws governing police action are equally fragmented. The Dutch police, however, have not found it easy to adapt concepts of covert policing developed in the 1990’s to their on-line investigative activities, despite the existence of comparatively detailed guidance and case law for undercover policing in the ‘real’ world. In the UK, the police seem unsure which requirements and concepts actually apply to their different on-line-investigations. More generally, it is concluded that legal comparisons of the kind undertaken in this article can identify general bottlenecks and barriers to adapting to the cyber environment, but such analysis cannot identify best practices that are readily transferable from one country to another. Legal transplants are a potentially hazardous undertaking because any practices and policies that work successfully will do so because they are necessarily compliant with the underlying systemic legal-cultural factors that make each legal system unique. Indeed, we make no attempt to identify best practices, other than to remark that the centralised nature of Dutch policing seems to afford some advantage, although, for historical and legal-cultural reasons, centralisation is unlikely to be an option for the UK police forces

Exploring the Potential of Aging Network Services to Improve Depression Care

Depression is a prevalent, debilitating yet treatable psychiatric disorder affecting older adults. Older adults underutilize specialty mental health care, persistently receive poor quality care in primary care settings, and have high rates of non-adherence to pharmacotherapy. Aging network services, such as adult day services, homecare services, senior centers, and supportive housing may be able to improve the quality of depression care. However, it is unknown how current models of empirically supported depression care are used within or could be adopted by aging network services. Thus, this study described the organizational factors, staff factors, and current agency practices regarding depression among aging network services to examine their potential to adopt new depression practices. Using mixed methods, data were gathered on the organizational culture, climate, and structure, current depression practices, and staff attitudes through interviews with program managers: n =20) and surveys with staff: n = 142) for 17 agencies. The judgment sample consisted of agencies that have ongoing contact with community-based older adults and was stratified by agency type: i.e., adult day services, homecare services, senior centers, supportive housing). Multilevel modeling and constant comparative analysis was completed. Although agencies did significantly vary according to agency type by organizational context: i.e., funding; the proficiency, rigidity, and resistance of organizational culture; and the engagement, functionality, and stress of organizational climate), these factors were not related to empirically supported depression practices or staff attitudes about depression care. Most barriers to implementing new depression practices were universal. These findings applied to organizational factors: i.e., lack of resources, limited funding) and staff factors: i.e., limited knowledge and interest, concern for client acceptance of depression care). As facilitators, agencies frequently offered psychoeducation, collaborated with health providers, and provided holistic services to promote socialization, independence and health. The distinctions between agency types involved their current depression practices: i.e., supportive housing staff rarely screened for depression due to privacy mandates for housing facilities, competition among homecare agencies prompted delivery of in-home psychotherapy and case management). Findings inform multilevel implementation strategies for translating research into acceptable and sustainable practices for aging network services, and they highlight the broader needs for increased funding, training, and awareness to improve the quality of depression care across agencies