Academic Mentoring of Social Work Faculty: A Group Experience With a Feminist Influence

Using theory and principles of group process, and influenced by feminist theory of co-mentoring, a group of social work educators met monthly in a telephone mediated support group. The purpose of the group was to offer support to faculty involved in the tenure process in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. This paper offers an analysis of this experience. Suggestions for improved mentoring of social work faculty will be explored and areas for further research will be identified

A qualitative study of primary care clinicians' views of treating childhood obesity

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity is rising and the UK Government have stated a commitment to addressing obesity in general. One method has been to include indicators relating to obesity within the GP pay-for-performance Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) contract. This study aimed to explore general practitioners' and practice nurses' views in relation to their role in treating childhood obesity. Methods: We interviewed eighteen practitioners (twelve GPs and six nurses) who worked in general practices contracting with Rotherham Primary Care Trust. Interviews were face to face and semi structured. The transcribed data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: GPs and practice nurses felt that their role was to raise the issue of a child's weight, but that ultimately obesity was a social and family problem. Time constraint, lack of training and lack of resources were identified as important barriers to addressing childhood obesity. There was concern that the clinician-patient relationship could be adversely affected by discussing what was often seen as a sensitive topic. GPs and practice nurses felt ill-equipped to tackle childhood obesity given the lack of evidence for effective interventions, and were sceptical that providing diet and exercise advice would have any impact upon a child's weight. Conclusion: GPs and practice nurses felt that their role in obesity management was centred upon raising the issue of a child's weight, and providing basic diet and exercise advice. Clinicians may find it difficult to make a significant impact on childhood obesity while the evidence base for effective management remains poor. Until the lack of effective interventions is addressed, implementing additional targets (for example through the QOF) may not be effective

Surviving rural poverty in the midst of welfare reform: Case studies in Vermont

On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed legislation ending guaranteed cash payments under the welfare program Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFCD), changing over sixty years of social welfare policy and leading to new policies and programs for families in financial need. Unfortunately, most of these changes have assumed an urban-based understanding of poverty. Additionally, the majority of current research related to welfare reform activities also has as its focus urban poverty. While a few studies have reported on the impacts of welfare reform in nonmetropolitan areas, they are quantitative in nature; adding little to our understanding of the daily lives of rural families living in the midst of welfare reform. This qualitative research study describes the lived experiences of forty Vermont families who were receiving Aid to Needy Families with Children, Vermont\u27s version of AFDC, at the onset of the investigation. During the data collection period, September 1994–November 2000, all families were experiencing various impacts of welfare reform. Focus of this investigation was on the day-to-day lives of the research participants with particular attention given to poverty survival strategies used by the families. Detailed case studies of the eight primary families in the study are provided, offering the reader insight into their daily lives. Information from these primary families along with data obtained from the other thirty-two households are analyzed and reported. Three primary issues related to poverty in rural Vermont emerged from that analysis: (1) Geographic and climate related isolation exacerbate the poverty experience. (2) Rural areas have inadequate formal services for families experiencing poverty. (3) People with low incomes living in rural areas lack social capital. This study found that welfare reform activities, formulated on urban-based assumptions about poverty, exacerbate the difficulties families in rural Vermont face when trying to move from welfare to work. The author concludes that welfare reform efforts need to be tailored to the uniqueness of rural life if they are to be successful at helping families become self-sufficient

Surviving rural poverty in the midst of welfare reform: Case studies in Vermont

On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed legislation ending guaranteed cash payments under the welfare program Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFCD), changing over sixty years of social welfare policy and leading to new policies and programs for families in financial need. Unfortunately, most of these changes have assumed an urban-based understanding of poverty. Additionally, the majority of current research related to welfare reform activities also has as its focus urban poverty. While a few studies have reported on the impacts of welfare reform in nonmetropolitan areas, they are quantitative in nature; adding little to our understanding of the daily lives of rural families living in the midst of welfare reform. This qualitative research study describes the lived experiences of forty Vermont families who were receiving Aid to Needy Families with Children, Vermont\u27s version of AFDC, at the onset of the investigation. During the data collection period, September 1994–November 2000, all families were experiencing various impacts of welfare reform. Focus of this investigation was on the day-to-day lives of the research participants with particular attention given to poverty survival strategies used by the families. Detailed case studies of the eight primary families in the study are provided, offering the reader insight into their daily lives. Information from these primary families along with data obtained from the other thirty-two households are analyzed and reported. Three primary issues related to poverty in rural Vermont emerged from that analysis: (1) Geographic and climate related isolation exacerbate the poverty experience. (2) Rural areas have inadequate formal services for families experiencing poverty. (3) People with low incomes living in rural areas lack social capital. This study found that welfare reform activities, formulated on urban-based assumptions about poverty, exacerbate the difficulties families in rural Vermont face when trying to move from welfare to work. The author concludes that welfare reform efforts need to be tailored to the uniqueness of rural life if they are to be successful at helping families become self-sufficient

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Challenges for a Bancassurance Company

This contribution originates from the ideas and discussions during the third edition of the Montepaschi Vita Forum on “The Paradigms of Value. Towards a Good Governance in Financial and Insurance Services: the challenge of ethics, transparency and trust”, which took place in Rome, 15 October 2004 and was organized by the MPS insurance pole in partnership with The Geneva Association and Ania. The Forum series are prompted by the awareness of the critical role and nature of the “paradigms of value” topic in the present competitive context of financial services. Value-creation mechanisms are key elements of financial and insurance services, both in the interests of shareholders and, in broader terms, of all stakeholders. The theme of the third Montepaschi Vita Forum was encouraged by the current uncertainty of the financial scenario, in which the rule-based system and the reliability and accountability of several interlocutors is being questioned. The basic assumption is that good corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are gradually advancing from a “philanthropic” variant of corporate capitalism to strategic approaches for regaining the trust of clients and society in general. Their role as risk (and also social) managers means that insurers have to work out different models and mechanisms for good corporate governance and CSR in view of a new state of play among the various stakeholders involved. The narrow borderline between legally binding requirements and self-regulatory initiatives has to be borne in mind when addressing topics such as good governance and CSR. A cultural change is involved, transforming a “regulatory compliance” approach into a “regulatory plus” approach. This article focuses on the challenges that MPV, as an insurance company belonging to a banking group with a well-defined CSR strategy, faces in identifying and implementing coherent CSR initiatives and measures. The Geneva Papers (2005) 30, 485–497. doi:10.1057/palgrave.gpp.2510040