Implementing the Outcomes Star

State and Federal governments are exploring the use and implementation of outcomes measures in the human services sector in Australia, and pilot studies are being conducted at a number of sites using the Outcomes Star, one such system for measuring outcomes.Outcomes Star is both a case-management and an outcomes-measurement tool developed in the UK which acknowledges the significance of personal motivation and agency for a service user in achieving sustainable change in their journey towards independence and choice in critical areas of their lives.Dr Lisa Harris and Dr Sharon Andrews are lecturers in social policy at RMIT University. Lisa worked as a caseworker and in management for many years in the social and community sector before moving into higher education. Sharon has worked in government at both a state and federal level, and also served on the board for a number of community sector organisations. Lisa and Sharon’s joint research interests are exploring community sector driven research, social policy development and implementation, practice innovation, and the implementation and use of outcomes-measurement tools in the human services sector.Lisa and Sharon have been commissioned by the Salvation Army Melbourne Central Division Research and Advocacy portfolio to undertake two action-research projects. The aim of this first project was to provide a robust implementation strategy for the Outcomes StarTM that would be of use to social service networks within the Salvation Army and other community service organisations. The second project will explore, over time, the use of data from the Outcomes StarTM in professional practice, individual and team supervision, program design, organisational accountability and structural advocacy

The differential effect of equal employment policies on sex stereotypes attributed to male and female job applicants

The present study investigated the effect of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policies on attitudes toward women who are hired into organizations that practice such policies. Managers attending continuing education courses served as subjects and evaluated bogus resumes for job applicants for managerial bank positions. The subjects were presented a case study in which two of the job applicants had already been selected for two managerial positions. In addition to rating the managerial characteristics of the selected job applicants, the subjects also rated the person who made the hiring decision;The independent variables manipulated in the study were (1) sex of hired person, (2) type of job (vice-president and assistant vice-president), and (3) type of organizational employment policy. The dependent variables were the managerial characteristics attributed to the hired persons and the person who made the hiring decision;It was predicted that when the female applicant was selected for the superior managerial position in an organization that practices equal employment opportunity, she would be perceived as possessing fewer managerial characteristics than the female applicant hired in the control condition. While the prediction of differential ratings for female applicants was not supported, a manipulation check revealed differential ratings for the item, How much pressure do you think the bank president was under in making the decision? The person making the hiring decision was perceived as being under the most pressure when the organization espoused a strong affirmative action policy. This was true when the male applicant was hired, as well as when the female applicant was hired. Ratings for the person making the hiring decision did not differ by type of employment policy. This finding along with the results of the manipulation check has implications for employees\u27 attitudes toward policy makers compared with attitudes toward policy implementers;It was also predicted that the female applicants in all employment policy conditions would be evaluated less favorably than the male applicants in each corresponding condition. The results of the data analysis revealed no significant differences with a trend toward the female being evaluated more favorably than the male. This finding is explained by evaluation apprehension . The reaction of the subjects to the superior and unusual for a woman qualifications of the female applicant also account for the results of the study;As an exploratory research project, the results provoke suggestions for further research. Therefore, some recommendations for future research on the effect of equal employment opportunity policies on attributions toward women hired into management positions are discussed

Marital Commitment and Religiosity in a Sample of Adults in Utah

This study examined the relationship of three types of martial commitment and religiosity factors in a random sample of I ,316 Utah adults. Participants were surveyed to assess attitudes of marriage, divorce, and marriage education. A lack of commitment was cited by 83% of divorced adults as a major factor for their divorce. The level of commitment to spouse, commitment to marriage, and constraint commitment was determined by extrapolating items from the 2003 Utah Marriage Movement Statewide Baseline Survey. Religiosity included measures of the frequency of church attendance, church affiliation, and religious values. Regression analyses that included socio-demographics showed the strongest and most consistent predictor of commitment to spouse and commitment to marriage was religious values. This study confirms the distinct difference but strong interplay between the three types of marital commitment. There was a negative relationship between both commitment to spouse and commitment to marriage and constraint commitment. Premarital cohabitation was positively related to constraint commitment but negatively related to commitment to spouse and commitment to marriage. Frequency of church attendance, conservative church affiliation (particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints religion), and religious values were all significant factors related statistically to marital commitment. Study findings suggest that educators and marriage therapists engaged in helping couples can productively focus on marital commitment, the influence of religious activity, and belief systems in strengthening marriage relationships

An Examination of Educators\u27 Perceptions of the School\u27s Role in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a prevalent subject of research currently, and many researchers have studied the effectiveness of school programs in battling obesity among students. This case study, utilizing ethnographic tools of observation, interviews, and investigation of artifacts, examines educators\u27 perceptions of the role of the school in the prevention of this epidemic, how perceptions affect practices, and the barriers to prevention efforts. The lens of caring theory, social justice, and critical theory frame the analysis of how educators in a medium-sized elementary school contend with the problem of childhood obesity. Educators in this setting perceived their role in the prevention of childhood obesity as limited and tended to blame parents for the condition of obese students. Because of this perception, attempts at prevention were somewhat sporadic and individualistic in nature. Barriers included a lack of training in critical reflection and the stresses of mandated testing and budget cuts. Teachers and staff members cared for their obese students\u27 well-being, but generally lacked the resources to help them. They were often uncomfortable discussing obesity with parents and tended to avoid the subject, and unfortunately, this conversation needs to occur in order to find help for their obese students

Healing Justice as Intersectional Feminist Praxis: Well-being Practices for Inclusion and Liberation

Since at least the 1830s, Black feminists in the US have spoken of how oppression harms the spirit and have also expressed the need for Black people to respect themselves in the face of anti-Black racism (Guy-Sheftall, 1995). The recognition that oppression negatively impacts well-being continues today. Research in community health and psychology has demonstrated how Black Americans, Native Americans, and Latinx people have been victims of mass incarceration, state-funded and state-sanctioned violence, and systemic discrimination in schools, workplaces, healthcare, and housing. Due to these conditions, racial and ethnic minorities in the US suffer disproportionately from mental and physical illnesses linked with stress, pollution, and trauma. Intersectionality has been recognized as a vital analytical tool in research, helping scholars, managers, educators, healthcare providers, policy-makers, and more understand the complexities of health risks and healthcare responses; of diversity and inclusion in schools, workplaces, and communities; and of inequalities in every area of social science. At the same time, intersectional activists have insisted on a holistic view of social change that forms the basis of what Reverend angel Kyodo williams calls “transcendent movements” (williams & Owens, 2016, p. 201). The work of well-being, on individual and community levels, has been part of resistance against oppression, exploitation, and prejudice which harm the mind, body, and spirit of those on all sides of oppressive power dynamics. As Ruth King (2018) notes, “racism is a heart disease, and it’s curable!” (p. 9). This essay explores past and present intersectional feminist activism that addresses well-being and the tools to achieve well-being as political strategy. It connects contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter, transformative justice, and mutual aid with a history of work by womanists, U.S. third world feminists, intersectional feminists, and LGBTQIA people of color who have recognized that self-care and community-care are political work and that the work of diversity, inclusion, and well-being is one and the same. This knowledge emphasizes the importance of self-care and community-care in politics, public health, education, and other social change work

A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on the draft regulation ‘Advertising and Promotion of Unhealthy Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Children Regulation’ in Fiji

This report details the process and recommendations from a health impact assessment (HIA) on the draft regulation on marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages in Fiji

A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on the draft regulation ‘Advertising and Promotion of Unhealthy Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Children Regulation’ in Fiji

This report details the process and recommendations from a health impact assessment (HIA) on the draft regulation on marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages in Fiji

VCU-UNITE: Identifying Recognition Mechanisms for University-Community Engagement

The aims of the project were to determine what process would be appropriate to recognize significant contributions of university and community partners to joint community engagement projects. Our view was that several different award ceremonies exist in VCU, none of which are well attended and suggesting that this form of recognition may not be a high priority for participants. Thus, we sought to determine the awareness and extent of involvement of VCU faculty, staff and students in community engagement projects, and to find out what format of recognition process would be appealing to both university and community participants. We gathered this information through surveys and focus groups, analyzed the data and determined that university and community partners had differing views on what types of recognition would be desirous. Next, we designed a web portal through which nominations could be made by members of the university and by the community. We propose a streamlined nomination and online review process, leading to a quarterly award consisting of a letter of thanks from the Division of Community Engagement, and a photograph and narrative placed on the VCU website. Recipients of quarterly awards would automatically compete for an annual award, such as P&T credit or additional community leave time (university), or a scholarship, a plaque, or recognition at a VCU event (community)

Understanding how and why quality circles improve standards of practice, enhance professional development and increase psychological well-being of general practitioners: a realist synthesis.

OBJECTIVES To understand how and why participation in quality circles (QCs) improves general practitioners' (GPs) psychological well-being and the quality of their clinical practice. To provide evidence-informed and practical guidance to maintain QCs at local and policy levels. DESIGN A theory-driven mixed method. SETTING Primary healthcare. METHOD We collected data in four stages to develop and refine the programme theory of QCs: (1) coinquiry with Swiss and European expert stakeholders to develop a preliminary programme theory; (2) realist review with systematic searches in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINHAL (1980-2020) to inform the preliminary programme theory; (3) programme refinement through interviews with participants, facilitators, tutors and managers of QCs and (4) consolidation of theory through interviews with QC experts across Europe and examining existing theories. SOURCES OF DATA The coinquiry comprised 4 interviews and 3 focus groups with 50 European experts. From the literature search, we included 108 papers to develop the literature-based programme theory. In stage 3, we used data from 40 participants gathered in 6 interviews and 2 focus groups to refine the programme theory. In stage 4, five interviewees from different healthcare systems consolidated our programme theory. RESULT Requirements for successful QCs are governmental trust in GPs' abilities to deliver quality improvement, training, access to educational material and performance data, protected time and financial resources. Group dynamics strongly influence success; facilitators should ensure participants exchange knowledge and generate new concepts in a safe environment. Peer interaction promotes professional development and psychological well-being. With repetition, participants gain confidence to put their new concepts into practice. CONCLUSION With expert facilitation, clinical review and practice opportunities, QCs can improve the quality of standard practice, enhance professional development and increase psychological well-being in the context of adequate professional and administrative support. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42013004826