Predictors of social service contact among teenagers in England

Very few UK studies make use of longitudinal general population data to explore social service contact for children and young people. Those that do only look at specific interventions such as care placements. This paper seeks to address this gap by asking to what extent do structural, neighbourhood, familial and individual characteristics predict social service contact. We provide an empirical answer by analysing the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England, which includes data on social service contact in connection with young people's behaviour. Our findings indicate that social class, gender, ethnicity, stepfamily status and special education needs are all significant predictors of social service contact. Difficult parent–child relationships, frequent arguments and parents' lack of engagement with school meetings also matter, as does young people's own risk-taking behaviour. We conclude with a discussion of the limitation of the data for social work research and the implications of the findings

Refugees and integration in the UK: the role of gender

The population of refugees in the UK is growing, yet our understanding of the process of integration is limited. Jenny Phillimore and Sin Yi Cheung break new ground and explain how gender impacts on the process. They offer unique insights drawing on areas including language proficiency, health, employment, and housing, and outline key recommendations that the government must consider in order to enable those individuals to thrive

Gender and refugee integration: a quantitative analysis of integration and social policy outcomes

The population of refugees in the UK is expanding and will expand further given the UK Government’s response to the European refugee crisis. This paper breaks new ground by undertaking a gender analysis of integration outcomes across a range of areas, namely social networks, language proficiency, health, education, employment and housing, that are highly relevant for social policy. Using the UK’s only longitudinal survey on refugees, we conduct secondary data analysis to examine the factors associated with integration outcomes. We find significant gender differences in language, self-reported health, ability to budget for household expenses and access to formal social networks and quality housing, with women generally faring worse than men and some inequalities enduring or intensifying over time. We call for the recording of refugee outcomes in institutional monitoring data to enable inequalities to be identified and addressed. The findings also enable the identification of social policy areas in which a gender sensitive approach might be necessary

Fractures in the education-economy relationship:The end of the skill bias technological change research programme?

This paper undertakes a critical theoretical and empirical analysis of the traditional approach to analysing the education–economy relationship: skill bias technological change theory. It argues that while leading skill bias theorists have sought to address some of the anomalies that the theory confronts, there remain key data patterns that the theory cannot address. We suggest an alternative account that takes a broader political economy perspective

Voluntary action for asylum seeker and refugee integration

This chapter focusses on the role of a self-organised civil society project known as the Welcome Project, based in the superdiverse neighbourhood of Handsworth/Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, in supporting social integration. We begin by describing the characteristics of Handsworth/Handsworth Wood before setting out the reasons why the project was established and the needs it was intended to address. We then outline the services offered by the project before exploring the ways in which their work supports social integration locally. We end the chapter by reflecting on the reasons for the project’s success and the key dimensions of their approach that could be adopted elsewhere

Exposure assessment of oxytetracycline via Finnish food

Tässä diplomityössä suoritetaan elintarvikkeen kemialliseen turvallisuuteen liittyvää riskinarviointia, jossa arvioidaan oksitetrasykliinin (OTC) teoreettista maksimisaantia naudasta ja siasta peräisin olevista elintarvikkeista. Oksitetrasykliinin edullisen hinnan ja helpon saatavuuden takia sitä saatetaan käyttää tuotantoeläinten bakteeri-infektioiden hoidossa. Tetrasykliinien laajakirjoisuuden vuoksi bakteereille kehittyy helposti resistenssi niitä vastaan. Kirjallisuusosiossa käydään läpi perustietoja tetrasykliineistä, kuten niiden kemiallista rakennetta ja toimintaperiaatetta. Lisäksi tarkastellaan lyhyesti mikrobilääkkeen antotapojen vaikutusta tehokkuuteen sekä tuotantoeläimen kudosten OTC-pitoisuuden mallintamista. Mahdolliset OTC-jäämät liittyvät elintarviketurvallisuuteen, koska ne voivat aiheuttaa kuluttajille terveysvaaran. Nämä jäämät voivat kulkeutua suoraan kuluttajiin elintarvikkeiden välityksellä ja toisaalta, ne voivat myös aiheuttaa epäsuoran uhan mahdollistamalla resistenttien bakteerikantojen kehittymisen. Altistusta OTC-jäämiin voidaan vähentää elintarvikkeiden lämpökäsittelyillä, kuten kypsentämisellä ja pastöroinnilla. Kokeellisessa osiossa estimoidaan farmakokineettisin mallein OTC-pitoisuutta elävän tuotantoeläimen lihassa ja maksassa. Tuloksista päätellen jäämäpitoisuudet naudan- ja sianlihassa sekä naudanmaksassa ovat mitättömän pieniä lääkityksen varoajan päätyttyä, joten kuluttajille ei pitäisi kohdistua terveysvaaraa kyseisistä elintarvikkeista. Lisäksi OTC-altistusta arvioitiin teoreettisella maksimipäiväsaannilla, jota verrattiin hyväksyttävään päiväsaantiin (30 μg/kgbw). Teoreettisen maksimipäiväsaannin arvioiden perusteella raakamaitovälitteinen jäämäaltistus on suurinta tutkittujen elintarvikkeiden joukossa. Tämän selittää raakamaidon suuri kulutus ja se, ettei raakamaitoa lämpökäsitellä. Naudanlihan, -maksan ja maidon sekä sianlihasta valmistettujen makkaroiden ja kinkun välityksellä tapahtuva OTC-altistus oli suhteellisesti suurinta 1–2-vuotiailla. Suhteellisesti suurin sianlihavälitteinen altistuminen kohdistui puolestaan 3–6-vuotiaisiin. Lihatuotteiden välityksellä tapahtuva altistus arvioitiin kuitenkin mitättömän pieneksi.In this master’s thesis risk assessment of chemical food safety is conducted. To be precise, theoretical maximum daily intake of oxytetracycline (OTC) via products from cattle and swine is assessed. Because of its low price and good availability, OTC may be utilised to treat bacterial infections in food producing animals. Unfortunately, due to the broad spectrum function of tetracyclines, it triggers resistance development in bacteria. In the literature part, basic information of tetracyclines, such as their chemical structure and functionality, is presented. Additionally, the effect of the route of OTC administration on the efficiency and mathematical modelling of OTC concentrations in the animal are briefly reviewed. Possible residues of OTC concern food safety because they may have adverse health effects on consumers both directly via residues in food and indirectly via resistance development in bacteria. Fortunately, OTC exposure can be reduced by heat treatments. In the research part of the thesis, OTC concentrations in the muscles and liver of food producing animals are estimated with pharmacokinetic models. Judging from the results, OTC concentrations in bovine meat and liver and pork are negligible after withdrawal period. Hence, these food products are unlikely to cause adverse health effect on consumers. Theoretical maximum daily intakes of OTC is also assessed and they are compared with the acceptable daily intake value, 30 μg/kgbw. Based on the theoretical maximum daily intakes, among all the food products observed the highest exposure occurs via raw milk. This is due to the high consumption and the lack of heat treatment. The exposure to OTC via milk, bovine meat and liver, and pork sausages and ham is relatively highest among toddlers (1–2 year old). As for the relatively highest exposure via pork, it occurs among small children (3–6 year old). In spite of that, the exposure to OTC via meat products was assessed to be negligible

坂口安吾隨筆對香港九十後身份認同的意義

日本作家坂口安吾在太平洋戰爭期間及之後的混亂期，寫下不少向社會提出「墮落」倡議的隨筆作品，涉及身份認同的篇幅不少，在當時的日本社會中佔有獨特的席位。筆者認為，香港九十後面對身份認同困境，閱讀坂口安吾隨筆實有一定的意義。 本文首先解釋香港的身份認同問題，繼而指出香港九十後一代在香港身份認同歷程中的獨特地位。在論述坂口安吾隨筆和身份認同的關係之後，以坂口安吾在太平洋戰爭期間及之後發表的隨筆作品為主，例如〈墮落論〉、〈天皇小論〉及〈日本文化之我見〉等，分析坂口安吾為日本社會書寫的身份認同倡議，例如反思天皇制、放棄傳統等等，並根據香港九十後一代面對的身份認同問題，例如「中華民族」身份對香港人的影響，找出坂口安吾隨筆在身份認同上對香港九十後的意義，最後進一步說明文學與社會的關係