92,096 research outputs found

    “You don’t see them on the streets of your town”: challenges and strategies for serving unstably housed veterans in rural areas

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    Research on policy and programmatic responses to homelessness has focused largely on urban areas, with comparatively little attention paid to the rural context. We conducted qualitative interviews with a nationwide sample of rural-serving agencies receiving grants through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families program to better understand the housing needs, available services, needed resources, and challenges in serving homeless and unstably housed veterans in rural areas. Respondents discussed key challenges—identifying unstably housed veterans, providing services within the rural resource context, and leveraging effective collaboration—and strategies to address these challenges. Unmet needs identified included emergency and subsidized long-term housing options, transportation resources, flexible financial resources, and additional funding to support the intensive work required in rural areas. Our findings identify promising programmatic innovations and highlight the need for policy remedies that are responsive to the unique challenges of addressing homelessness and housing instability in rural areas.Accepted manuscrip

    MANAGEMENT BY SELF- PUNISHMENT AND OUR NATIONAL PROGRESS

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    Improving Social Work in Brazil

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    As part of efforts to improve social work provision, INGO EveryChild commissioned Dr Andrew Bilson, Professor of Social Work at the University of Central Lancashire, UK, to complete a literature review on the role of social workers in responding to children without parental care.The literature review, published in January 2012, explores the differing approaches and functions of social work around the world, and identifies gaps and challenges in current provision. It argues that, in order to better support social services, it is first important to determine which approach should be taken in a given setting. It also argues that governments and social work service providers must carefully consider the priority functions that social workers should fulfil in order to be most effective, and the kinds of training and support that these professionals need.Following on from this literature review, Family for Every Child, together with Dr Andrew Bilson, has been working to develop a tool which aims to:build on strengths in the social work systemidentify feasible improvementsdevelop a vision for high-quality social workbuild a movement towards implementation.The tool uses an Appreciative Inquiry (AI), action-based research approach which aims to identify and build on strengths in existing social work systems. The tool is designed for use by NGOs, UN agencies or governments in order to strengthen social services provision at national or sub-national levels.Brazilian member of Family for Every Child, Terra dos homens-ABTH,is the first to test the tool, with the support of Dr Andrew Bilson. The tool was used in Brazil from March to May 2012.This report provides an overview of the main results of the investigation. It outlines the context of children without parental care, alternative care and social work in Brazil found in a literature review, desk-based research, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. We hope the findings enable a consideration of how to improve social work, and are used both to improve local practices and to promote wider changes in social work policies

    School leadership : concepts and evidence

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    Engaging Local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Response to HIV/AIDS.

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    During the past few years, a number of key donor programs have scaled up their global response to the crisis of HIV and AIDS. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the World Bank’s Multi-country HIV/AIDS Program (MAP), and other bilateral donors and charitable foundations have raised significant resources to fight HIV/AIDS. Spending on HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries increased from 1billionin2000to1 billion in 2000 to 6.1 billion in 2004. By 2007, global resources for HIV/AIDS are expected to expand to $10 billion. Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), and community-based organizations (CBOs) have been at the center of the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In many countries, they have been responsible for the majority of the resources reaching individuals and have played a leading role in developing and implementing sustainable strategies to mitigate and prevent HIV/AIDS. One of PEPFAR’s strategic principles is to encourage and strengthen faithbased and community-based non-governmental organizations. The identification of sustainable and efficient local NGOs and the capacity building of these partners is the cornerstone on which the effective engagement of local NGOs is built. The goal of this paper is to begin a discussion among donors, international and local NGOs, and multilateral and U.S. government representatives on how to effectively engage indigenous partners and transfer much-needed resources

    Building Open Educational Resources from the Ground Up: South Africa's Free High School Science Texts

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    This paper presents a case study of the development of the South African project Free High School Science Texts (FHSST), an initiative to develop a free high school science text for all teachers and learners in South Africa. The goals of the case study were two-fold: to examine and analyze the practices associated with the successes and challenges encountered by FHSST; and to encourage a participatory, analytical process that will assist other open education projects in thinking about and sharing their practices, processes, and strategies. Beyond its implications for South African education, the FHSST project can serve as a model for peer production of open content, offering insights into planning and decision making around 1) recruiting volunteers; 2) sustaining their participation; 3) using technology to create effective workflow; 4) conducting hackathons; and 5) facilitating teacher trials. Findings from this study offers insights into overall approaches and goals that may prove instrumental across open education projects, serving as a reference for development of assessment tools and resources that may assist open education projects in tracking, sharing, and advancing their learnings and success

    Scoping study of the feasibility of developing a software tool to assist designers of pedestrian crossing places

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    This report is the outcome of a scoping study of how guidance can be provided for practising highway engineers in designing informal pedestrian crossing facilities. The main component of this report is an analysis by an IT consultant of a range of mechanisms for delivery of this. The study was informed by the opinions of a group of practitioners who have a direct interest in the provision of pedestrian facilities. These results are placed in context and their consequences are explored in the first part of the report

    Sustainable Homeownership: Market and Policy Implications for Communities

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    The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), in partnership with NeighborWorks America, conducted a series of focus groups to gather information from Latino-serving institutions nationwide about best practices to prevent Latino foreclosure. The principal objective of this project was to identify the causes of foreclosure among Latinos and to present potential proactive solutions to the problem. Special emphasis was placed on identifying specific lending products and underwriting guidelines that best meet the needs of Latino borrowers.Focus group participants consistently expressed the need for flexible loan underwriting and products to meet the unique needs of the Latino community, such as nonstandard means for determining income, alternative credit use, down-payment assistance and verified cash income.The tightening of credit in response to increased foreclosures threatens the availability of loan products that are particularly useful to Latino borrowers.The abuse of flexible products, not the products themselves, was cited by participants as the cause of problems. Abusive practices mentioned included overstating income to qualify for a home rather than verifying undocumented earned income or placing borrowers in products whose future payments they cannot afford.Among other circumstances, the unique needs of Latino borrowers are caused by cultural factors. Latino communities depend on social networks and referrals to gain information and often identify real estate agents as their first point of contact and trusted advisor for all matters relating to homeownership. The reliance in Latino communities on informal networks makes them more vulnerable to unethical and predatory behavior, and oftentimes means that the client does not get adequate or appropriate assistance. Trained housing counseling professionals can objectively meet the needs of the Latino borrower.To ensure that the needs of Latino clients are met and the integrity of the homebuying industry is upheld, collaborative solutions to foreclosure must be sought. Partnership among housing counseling agencies and real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders is essential to support sustainable homeownership in Latino communities.Recommendations:- Lenders should be encouraged to continue the use of flexible underwriting methods coupled with homeownership education provided by a trained professional.- Leaders in the Latino housing community should facilitate communication between real estate professionals and housing counseling organizations to discuss how counseling can help homebuyers obtain and maintain homeownership.- The development of a system that allows professionals and consumers to anonymously report unethical acts is necessary to protect consumers
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