The EC Water Framework Directive and its implications for the Environment Agency

The bulk of the European Community's water policy legislation was developed between the mid 1970s and the early 1990s. These directives addressed specific substances, sources, uses or processes but caused problems with differing methods definitions and aims. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to resolve the piecemeal approach. The Environemnt Agency (EA) welcomes and supported the overall objective of establishing a coherent legislative framework. The EA has been discussing the implications of the WFD with European partners and has developed a timetable for the implementation and a special team will commission necessary research

The Griffins to James Meredith (Undated)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1755/thumbnail.jp

Biographical sketch

From My Missionary Friends by Z.E. Griffins

Alien Registration- Griffins, Francis L. (Westbrook, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/20065/thumbnail.jp

Screening for Developmental Delay in Georgia’s Family Shelters: Formative Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Initiative

Background: Children in families experiencing homelessness are at elevated risk for cognitive, motor, speech, and other developmental delays. Given the prevalence of family homelessness in Georgia and across the U.S., investigating the feasibility of implementing developmental screeners while families are in shelters is warranted. Methods: Three pilot shelters were selected for the development and implementation of Quality Improvement (QI) Teams, who used Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycles to make progress towards universally screening children for delay. We employed a formative evaluation to (1) characterize screening rates and shifts in shelter as a result of QI initiatives, and (2) identify barriers and facilitators to implementing QI interventions in family shelters. Results: Screening rates in all three shelters increased over the study period between 13-50%. Primary implementation facilitators included team members with experience in QI principles; having a medical provider on the team; possessing an “improvement culture;” and having diverse perspectives represented. Primary barriers included a lack of time or commitment in QI team leaders; medical providers with limited time in shelter; lack of training on how to represent and discuss QI data; and restrictive organizational policies. Conclusions: Family shelters demonstrate promise for implementing developmental screeners for at-risk children. Although challenges have been identified, facilitating factors are prevalent and underscore the importance of QI team preparation, composition, and cohesion. The relative availability, low-cost, and potential for impact of developmental screeners offer credence to their uptake and implementation within shelter clinical contexts

Improving screening for problem behaviors among homeless children in Georgia

Among other challenges, homeless children often struggle with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems that impair functioning and well-being (Bassuk, et al., 1997). Given the instability of service continuity often present in the lives of homeless families and their children, it is strikingly common for child mental and behavioral disorders to be caught at a later developmental stage among this group compared to both housed and other low-income peers (Grant, et al., 2007). Emergency shelters represent an untapped setting in which to deploy universal, evidence-based screeners for problem behaviors among this population. We implemented universal screening interventions across three shelters serving families in Georgia using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, a common tool in quality improvement practice. We present our process evaluation of the program to-date, using a multi-method qualitative approach involving structured participant observation, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews to identify barriers and facilitators to universal screening implementation at each stage of the PDSA cycle. We conducted cross-case analysis (Khan & VanWynsberghe, 2008) in partnership with shelter staff and residents to elicit themes with dependability and credibility. Common barriers included lack of staff awareness of empirically-supported screening instruments, mixed support from shelter leadership, and leakage across the care continuum once children are referred outside of the shelter system (particularly in rural areas). Key facilitators included on-site mental health providers, the presence of child care provider trainings on common signs for behavior problems, and partnerships with academic institutions. These findings point to practical actions that can be undertaken to implement viable screening programs for vulnerable children, and is particularly salient given that many characteristics common to homelessness are also associated with child psychopathology (Bitsko, et al., 2016). We contextualize this study in relation to evidence on implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in low-resource settings (e.g., Atkins, et al., 2003)

Youth, diversity & the Creative Industries

The screen industries (comprising television, film, VFX, animation and games) are a national and international success story for the UK but the workforce fails to reflect the rich diversity of the UK population with “the working class, women and people of marginalised genders, people of colour, those with disabilities and those with caring responsibilities” struggling to access and progress in the screen industries2. Two thirds of employers from the sector report that a lack of applications from under-represented groups as a key barrier to improving diversity in their workforce but numerous studies have indicated the prevalence of inequality and discrimination in the industry This research, deliberately focused on underrepresented demographics, that is, those from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower socio-economic groups who are a lower percentage of the workforce than the general population. The study has interviewed 108 young people in tertiary education (aged 16-18) living in South and West Yorkshire

The gender-based violence and recovery centre at Coast Provincial General Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya: An integrated care model for survivors of sexual violence

Sexual violence (SV) is highly prevalent and a major public health problem globally. In Kenya, an estimated 32% of females and 18% of males were reported to have experienced SV before the age of 18 years. This paper presents a data set collected between 2007 and 2018 and describes the gender-based violence and recovery centre (GBVRC) model under which survivors of SV were cared for at a 24-hour public hospital in Mombasa, Kenya—including its development, implementation, achievements, and challenges. The GBVRC model is a partnership that provides (in addition to emergency healthcare) mental health support, paralegal services, and integrated cooperation with police, judiciary, local leaders, and the wider community. The Mombasa GBVRC has provided post-SV care to 6,575 people reporting SV, of whom 88% were female and over 50% were younger than 16 years. Over 90% of the perpetrators were family, neighbours, community members, or in some other way known to the survivors. The low rate (19%) of attendance by survivors for the second counselling visit suggests a more robust strategy is needed for follow-up—for example, by referring people back to smaller, closer health facilities. A second limitation was a lack of trained staff, although this is an expected issue in sub-Saharan Africa. There was also a low rate of legal resolution to the cases. This may be due to the need for education about the standard of evidence required by courts. The experiences of successful and sustainable implementation of the GBVRC model should strengthen arguments for service delivery for people experiencing SV in this and similar settings

Using social practice theory in measuring perceived stigma among female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya

Background Perceived stigma is a complex societal phenomenon that is harboured especially by female sex workers because of the interplay of a myriad of factors. As such, a precise measure of the contribution of different social practices and characteristics is necessary for both understanding and intervening in matters related to perceived stigma. We developed a Perceived Stigma Index that measures the factors that greatly contribute to the stigma among sex workers in Kenya, and thereby inform a framework for future interventions. Methods Social Practice Theory was adopted in the development of the Perceived Stigma Index in which three social domains were extracted from data collected in the WHISPER or SHOUT study conducted among female sex workers (FSW), aged 16–35 years in Mombasa, Kenya. The three domains included: Social demographics, Relationship Control and Sexual and Gender-based Violence, and Society awareness of sexual and reproductive history. The factor assessment entailed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and the internal consistency of the index was measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results We developed a perceived stigma index to measure perceived stigma among 882 FSWs with a median age of 26 years. A Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85–0.88) was obtained as a measure of the internal consistency of our index using the Social Practice Theory. In regression analysis, we identified three major factors that contribute to the perceived stigma and consists of : (i) income and family support (β = 1.69; 95% CI); (ii) society’s awareness of the sex workers’ sexual and reproductive history (β = 3.54; 95% CI); and (iii) different forms of relationship control e.g. physical abuse (β = 1.48; 95%CI that propagate the perceived stigma among the FSWs. Conclusion Social practice theory has solid properties that support and capture the multi-dimensional nature of perceived stigma. The findings support the fact that social practices contribute or provoke this fear of being discriminated against. Thus, in offering interventions to curb perceived stigma, focus should fall on the education of the society on the importance of acceptance and integration of the FSWs as part of the society and the eradication of sexual and gender based violence meted out on them

Increased condom use among key populations using oral PrEP in Kenya: results from large scale programmatic surveillance

Background: Female sex workers (FSW) and men having sex with men (MSM) in Kenya have high rates of HIV infection. Following a 2015 WHO recommendation, Kenya initiated national scale-up of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for all persons at high-risk. Concerns have been raised about PrEP users’ potential changes in sexual behaviors such adopting condomless sex and multiple partners as a result of perceived reduction in HIV risk, a phenomenon known as risk compensation. Increased condomless sex may lead to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections and has been described in research contexts but not in the programmatic setting. This study looks at changes in condom use among FSW and MSM on PrEP through a national a scale-up program. Methods: Routine program data collected between February 2017 and December 2019 were used to assess changes in condom use during the frst three months of PrEP in 80 health facilities supported by a scale-up project, Jilinde. The primary outcome was self-reported condom use. Analyses were conducted separately for FSW and for MSM. Log-Binomial Regression with Generalized Estimating Equations was used to compare the incidence proportion (“risk”) of consistent condom use at the month 1, and month 3 visits relative to the initiation visit. Results: At initiation, 69% of FSW and 65% of MSM reported consistent condom use. At month 3, this rose to 87% for FSW and 91% for MSM. MSM were 24% more likely to report consistent condom use at month 1 (Relative Risk [RR], 1.24, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.18–1.30) and 40% more likely at month 3 (RR, 1.40, 95% CI, 1.33–1.47) compared to at initiation. FSW were 15% more likely to report consistent condom use at the month one visit (RR, 1.15, 95% CI, 1.13–1.17) and 27% more likely to report condom use on the month 3 visit (RR 1.27, 95% CI, 1.24–1.29). Conclusion: Condom use increased substantially among both FSW and MSM. This may be because oral PrEP was provided as part of a combination prevention strategy that included counseling and condoms but could also be due to the low retention rates among those who initiated