Parental problems, case plan requirements, and service targeting in child welfare reunification

Only about half of parents attempting to reunify with their children in foster care succeed in their efforts. Parents are ordered by the court to use treatment services in order to resolve their problems. These treatment services thus play a critical role in reunification, and in fact the use of services appropriately matched to parents\u27 problems has been found to be associated with a greater likelihood of reunification. However, there is little in the literature regarding the specific requirements of reunification case plans, and whether they are accurately targeted at reunifying parents\u27 problems. This mostly descriptive study uses case file data to examine the relationship between parental problems and case plan requirements for a sample of parents reunifying with their children in one large urban California county. Findings show that most reunifying parents had multiple problems, and were required to attend approximately 8 service events per week. There was a positive correlation between the total number of concerns (treatment problems and life challenges) and required weekly service events. While 85% of parents were ordered treatment services for all their identified problems, over 30% were ordered services targeting problems they were not known to have. Overall, 58% of parents were ordered both all appropriate and only appropriate services. Implications for policy and practice are discussed, including the need for models of service delivery that limit the burden of accessing multiple service locations for reunifying parents

Risk and safety assessment in child welfare: Instrument comparisons

The assessment of risk is a critical part of child welfare agency practice. This review of the research literature on different instruments for assessing risk and safety in child welfare focuses on instrument reliability, validity, outcomes, and use with children and families of color. The findings suggest that the current actuarial instruments have stronger predictive validity than consensus-based instruments. This review was limited by the variability in definitions and measures across studies, the relatively small number of studies examining risk assessment instruments, and the lack of studies on case decision points other than the initial investigation

Understanding and addressing racial/ethnic disproportionality

Racial/ethnic disproportionality in the child welfare system is a complicated social problem that is receiving increasing amounts of attention from researchers and practitioners. This review of the literature examines disproportionality in the front-end of the child welfare system and interventions that may address it. While none of the interventions had evidence suggesting that they reduced disproportionality in child welfare front-end processes, some of the interventions may improve child welfare case processes related to disproportionality and outcomes for families of color

Reasonable efforts? Implementation of the reunification exception provisions of ASFA

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 includes provisions to deny reunification services under specified conditions and gives states latitude to develop any number of additional “aggravated circumstances” in which parents need not be offered services. California legislators have developed a relatively large number of conditions enabling agencies to bypass reunification services. Based upon a case record review involving 1,055 parents, this study attempts to identify the proportion of parents eligible for a reunification bypass, the proportion recommended to the courts, and the proportion of parents who were denied reunification services, and examines the characteristics of parents associated with reunification bypass recommendations. Based upon focus groups and interviews with child welfare and judicial personnel in six counties, the study also examines the implementation of reunification bypass provisions. Implications for public policy and practice are provided

O caso da Unidade de Segurança e Honras de Estado

A presente investigação relaciona-se com a área da Gestão pela Qualidade Total, focando-se especificamente na Satisfação do Cliente. Assim, este trabalho subordina-se ao tema “Fatores Críticos de Sucesso das Escolas de Equitação da Guarda Nacional Republicana: O Caso da Unidade de Segurança e Honras de Estado” e tem como objetivo estudar, avaliar e dar a conhecer os serviços prestados pelas referidas escolas, assim como os seus fatores mais determinantes. As escolas de equitação da Guarda Nacional Republicana, apesar de existirem há cerca de seis décadas, nunca foram alvo de investigação científica, realçando-se a presente investigação pela sua inovação. Para esta investigação utilizou-se o método hipotético-dedutivo, bem como o método inquisitivo. Tiveram-se em consideração as três fases do modelo de investigação que embora diferentes complementam-se: exploratória, analítica e conclusiva. No decorrer das fases elencadas recorreu-se a análise documental, observação direta, sete entrevistas e setenta e nove inquéritos por questionário para a obtenção e análise de dados. Após a investigação realizada, pese embora tenha sido referido que a área que necessita de uma maior renovação seja a do material, provou-se que as escolas de equitação da Guarda Nacional Republicana integram fatores de sucesso como, a relação qualidade/preço e a competência dos seus formadores que continuam a garantir a satisfação dos utilizadores. Salienta-se ainda, o grande número de alunos em ambos os polos, bem como a enorme lista de espera, apesar de a divulgação ser apenas feita através do “passa a palavra”. Finalmente, comprovou-se que as escolas de equitação da Guarda Nacional Republicana continuam a ser um fator de sucesso, devido à sua proximidade com o cidadão e fazendo com que este veja na Guarda uma força Humana, Próxima e de Confiança.The present investigation is related to the area of Total Quality Management, focusing specifically on Customer Satisfaction. So, this work is subordinated to the theme "Critical Success Factors of the Riding Schools of the Guarda Nacional Republicana: The Case of the Unidade de Segurança e Honras de Estado" and intents to study, evaluate and make known the services provided by the abovementioned schools, as well as their most determining factors. The riding schools of the Guarda Nacional Republicana, despite they exist for about six decades, they have never been subject of scientific investigation, the present research is highlighted by its innovation. For this investigation, the used method was the hypothetical-deductive, as well as the inquisitive method. The three phases of the research model were considered, although different, but complementary: exploratory, analytical and conclusive. Throughout the phases listed, we used documentary analysis, direct observation, seven interviews and seventy-nine questionnaire surveys to obtain and analyze the data. After the investigation was carried out, although mentioned that the material was worn, it was proved that the riding schools of the Guarda Nacional Republicana integrate factors of success such as the quality/price ratio and the competence of its trainers who continues to ensure user satisfaction. There is also a large number of students at both poles, as well as a huge waiting list, in spite of divulgation is only made through the word. Finally, it has been proved that the riding schools of the Guarda Nacional Republicana continue to be a success factor because of its proximity to the citizen, making them feel that the Guarda is a Human, Next, and Trustworthy force

Liquid rocket combustion chamber acoustic characterization

Over the last 40 years, many solid and liquid rocket motors have experienced combustion instabilities. Among other causes, there is the interaction of acoustic modes with the combustion and/or fluid dynamic processes inside the combustion chamber. Studies have been showing that, even if less than 1% of the available energy is diverted to an acoustic mode, combustion instability can be generated. On one hand, this instability can lead to ballistic pressure changes, couple with other propulsion systems such as guidance or thrust vector control, and in the worst case, cause motor structural failure. In this case, measures, applying acoustic techniques, must be taken to correct/minimize these influences on the combustion. The combustion chamber acoustic behavior in operating conditions can be estimated by considering its behavior in room conditions. In this way, acoustic tests can be easily performed, thus identifying the cavity modes. This paper describes the procedures to characterize the acoustic behavior in the inner cavity of four different configurations of a combustion chamber. Simple analytical models are used to calculate the acoustic resonance frequencies and these results are compared with acoustic natural frequencies measured at room conditions. Some comments about the measurement procedures are done, as well as the next steps for the continuity of this research. The analytical and experimental procedures results showed good agreement. However, limitations on high frequency band as well as in the identification of specific kinds of modes indicate that numerical methods able to model the real cavity geometry and an acoustic experimental modal analysis may be necessary for a more complete analysis. Future works shall also consider the presence of passive acoustic devices such as baffles and resonators capable of introducing damping and avoiding or limiting acoustic instabilities

Accomplice, patron, go-between? A role to play with poor migrant Qur’anic students in northern Nigeria

What does it mean to conduct ethnographic research in a context where inequalities are pervasive? Drawing on experiences conducting research with poor migrant Qur’anic students (almajirai) in Kano, northern Nigeria, this article explores the challenges of establishing productive and ethical research relationships with informants whose social and socioeconomic status is significantly lower than that of the researcher. The article argues that large socioeconomic and educational inequalities demand a rethinking of the subject positions available to researchers in such contexts. In the article, I consider in turn my roles as an ‘accomplice’ of exclusionary elite behaviour, as a ‘patron’ for my informants, and as a ‘go-between’ facilitating access for them to otherwise inaccessible ‘social microworlds’

Parental cultural models and resources for understanding mathematical achievement in culturally diverse school settings

This paper proposes that the theoretical concept of cultural models can offer useful insights into parental involvement in their child’s mathematical achievement and the resources they use to go about gaining information in culturally diverse learning settings. This examination takes place within a cultural-developmental framework and draws on the notion of cultural models to explicate parental understandings of their child’s mathematics achievement and what resources are used to make sense of this. Three parental resources are scrutinized: (a) the teacher, (b) examination test results, and (c) constructions of child development. The interviews with 22 parents revealed some ambiguity around the interpretation of these resources by the parent, which was often the result of incongruent cultural models held between the home and the school. The resources mentioned are often perceived as being unambiguous but show themselves instead to be highly interpretive because of the diversity of cultural models in existence in culturally diverse settings. Parents who are in minority or marginalized positions tend to have difficulties in interpreting cultural models held by school, thereby disempowering them to be parentally involved in the way the school would like

Unifying research on colour and emotion: Time for a cross-cultural survey on emotion associations to colour terms

Popular opinions link colours and emotions. Yet, affective connotations to colours are heterogeneous (e.g. red represents anger and love) partly because they relate to different contexts. Despite insufficient evidence, colours are used in applied settings (health, marketing, etc.) for their supposed effects on cognitive and affective functioning. Summarizing the literature, we invite for systematic research to investigate when and how colours link with affective phenomena. We need to i) distinguish between situations in which colours are physically shown or linguistically treated, ii) specify types of affective processes (e.g. emotion, mood, preference), and iii) investigate cross-cultural differences. Having these needs in mind, we initiated an international online survey on semantic colour-emotion associations. We outline theoretical considerations and present the survey’s design