Organizational Factors Contributing to Worker Frustration: The Precursor to Burnout

This study examined the organizationalf actors that contribute to workers\u27 frustration with their work situation. The sample included 141 service professionals who attended workshops on burnout in 2001. The purpose of the workshops was to increase awareness regarding the organizational factors that could contribute to burnout. Findings indicate that factors most directly affecting clients were predictive of frustration, rather than factors that may indirectly support service quality or factors impacting workers\u27 professional autonomy. A sense of powerlessness and isolation was also predictive of frustration, suggesting that participants viewed workplace problems as a private rather than an organizational concern. To address workplace concerns, workers can empower themselves for social action by engaging in a dialogue to examine the relationship between work and individual well-being

A Comparison of Protective Service Workers\u27 Perceptions of Ritual and Sexual Abuse in Children: An Exploratory Study

This article compares protective service workers\u27 perceptions of sexual abuse to their percepons of ritual abuse. Perceptual elements examined include the type of problem the abuse is for victims, difficulties encountered when investigating an allegation, treatment and assessment resources available in their communities, and a comparison of their definitions of sexual and ritual abuse. The professional community has not reached a consensus on the ritual abuse controversy. Perceptions found in the literature range from the presentation of ritual abuse as a serious social problem that is distinctly different from sexual abuse to a consideration of the ritual abuse phenomenon as multidimensional sexual abuse. The study seeks to contribute to the process of consensus building by giving voice to the perceptions of social workers in the public child welfare setting. Implications for the investigation of sexual and ritual abuse allegations for social work and the larger practice community are discussed

Does family-centered out-of-home care work? Comparison of a family-centered approach and traditional care.

This research assessed the effectiveness of a family-centered approach to out-of home core in reunifying children with their families by comparing differential exit rates of children whose families received family-centered services with children whose families received routine child welfare services. The sample included 472 children who were in foster care from 1994 to 1996 in Missouri. Survival analysis was used to calculate the probability that a child would he reunified with his or her family at a particular time and to compare the differential exit rates for the children who experienced subsequent placement during the study period. The authors used Cox regression analysis to compare the likelihood of reunification between the two groups. Findings indicate that during the latter part of the study, family-centered out-of-home care counties reunified children at a faster rate than comparison counties

The Role of Nurse Practitioners in Meeting the Need for Child and Adolescent Services: a Statewide Survey

The high prevalence of child and adolescent mental health disorders coupled with shortages in ageappropriate mental health services pose a significant problem likely to be exacerbated over time. A survey was designed to identify the current status of and need for child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) and mental health services, as well as strategies and recommendations to address identified needs in the state of New York. Key informants from each county and New York City were surveyed by telephone (N = 58). Most respondents identified a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatry services and reported that when CAPs are unavailable, nurse practitioners (NPs) are currently among the top four professional groups who prescribe and/or monitor psychotropic medication. Almost half of the respondents (48%) identified employing NPs with advanced certification in child and adolescent psychiatry as a promising strategy to improve access to care. Addressing the shortage of CAPs can provide an opportunity for the nursing profession to advance its role in the provision of mental health services to youth

The Role of Nurse Practitioners in Meeting the Need for Child and Adolescent Services: a Statewide Survey

The high prevalence of child and adolescent mental health disorders coupled with shortages in ageappropriate mental health services pose a significant problem likely to be exacerbated over time. A survey was designed to identify the current status of and need for child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) and mental health services, as well as strategies and recommendations to address identified needs in the state of New York. Key informants from each county and New York City were surveyed by telephone (N = 58). Most respondents identified a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatry services and reported that when CAPs are unavailable, nurse practitioners (NPs) are currently among the top four professional groups who prescribe and/or monitor psychotropic medication. Almost half of the respondents (48%) identified employing NPs with advanced certification in child and adolescent psychiatry as a promising strategy to improve access to care. Addressing the shortage of CAPs can provide an opportunity for the nursing profession to advance its role in the provision of mental health services to youth

A Comparison of Protective Service Workers\u27 Perceptions of Ritual and Sexual Abuse in Children: An Exploratory Study

This article compares protective service workers\u27 perceptions of sexual abuse to their percepons of ritual abuse. Perceptual elements examined include the type of problem the abuse is for victims, difficulties encountered when investigating an allegation, treatment and assessment resources available in their communities, and a comparison of their definitions of sexual and ritual abuse. The professional community has not reached a consensus on the ritual abuse controversy. Perceptions found in the literature range from the presentation of ritual abuse as a serious social problem that is distinctly different from sexual abuse to a consideration of the ritual abuse phenomenon as multidimensional sexual abuse. The study seeks to contribute to the process of consensus building by giving voice to the perceptions of social workers in the public child welfare setting. Implications for the investigation of sexual and ritual abuse allegations for social work and the larger practice community are discussed

Does family-centered out-of-home care work? Comparison of a family-centered approach and traditional care.

This research assessed the effectiveness of a family-centered approach to out-of home core in reunifying children with their families by comparing differential exit rates of children whose families received family-centered services with children whose families received routine child welfare services. The sample included 472 children who were in foster care from 1994 to 1996 in Missouri. Survival analysis was used to calculate the probability that a child would he reunified with his or her family at a particular time and to compare the differential exit rates for the children who experienced subsequent placement during the study period. The authors used Cox regression analysis to compare the likelihood of reunification between the two groups. Findings indicate that during the latter part of the study, family-centered out-of-home care counties reunified children at a faster rate than comparison counties

The Impact of Emotional and Material Social Support on Women\u27s Drug Treatment Completion

This study assessed how women\u27s perceptions of emotional and material social support affect their completion of residential drug treatment. Although previous research has examined how social support affects recovery, few studies, if any, have examined both the types and the sources of social support. The study hypothesized that women\u27s perceptions of the emotional and material social support they receive from family, friends, partners, drug treatment, child welfare, and welfare agencies will affect treatment completion. The sample consisted of 117 women who were enrolled in a women\u27s residential treatment program. Data were collected in semistructured initial and follow-up interviews using a life history calendar; the Scale of Perceived Social Support, which was adapted for this study; and women\u27s treatment records. The results support the hypothesis. Social support can have both positive and negative effects on treatment completion, depending on the type and source of support provided

The Impact of Foster Care and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on Women\u27s Drug Treatment Outcomes

This study assesses the impact of having a child in foster care and receiving cash benefits through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on women\u27s completion of a residential drug treatment program. The study\u27s hypothesis was that drug treatment completion rates for women who had children in foster care and/or who were receiving TANF would differ from women who did not receive these services. The sample included 117 women age 19 to 54, in a Midwestern state. Findings suggest that women with a child or children in foster care were less likely to complete treatment. Women receiving cash benefits were also somewhat less likely to complete treatment than women not receiving these services. Women with children in foster care had similar levels of psychological, employment, and drug and alcohol concerns as other women, as measured by the Addiction Severity Index. Future research should focus on identifying strategies that enhance retention rates of these vulnerable women. Implications for improving treatment retention are discussed in light of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

The Impact of Foster Care and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on Women\u27s Drug Treatment Outcomes

This study assesses the impact of having a child in foster care and receiving cash benefits through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on women\u27s completion of a residential drug treatment program. The study\u27s hypothesis was that drug treatment completion rates for women who had children in foster care and/or who were receiving TANF would differ from women who did not receive these services. The sample included 117 women age 19 to 54, in a Midwestern state. Findings suggest that women with a child or children in foster care were less likely to complete treatment. Women receiving cash benefits were also somewhat less likely to complete treatment than women not receiving these services. Women with children in foster care had similar levels of psychological, employment, and drug and alcohol concerns as other women, as measured by the Addiction Severity Index. Future research should focus on identifying strategies that enhance retention rates of these vulnerable women. Implications for improving treatment retention are discussed in light of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996