New Zealand Working For Families programme: Literature review of evaluation evidence

In 2005, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) commissioned research to review international evaluation methodology and literature to help in the preparation of evaluation of the Working for Families (WFF) policy, introduced in 2004 to assist working low- and middle-income families in New Zealand. The results of the study are in two parts: Working for Families: Methodological considerations in evaluating the programme and Working for Families: Literature review of evaluation evidence. This first part, the literature review, reviews international literature, comparing the economic impact of WFF with those of welfare reforms elsewhere. It introduces the central issues within the New Zealand and WFF context using a combination of cross-national comparisons and an intensive country or programme literature review. This provides a good balance between depth and coverage and enables a consistent method of review. Research findings are aimed at government social researchers and will enable evaluation to be carried out on WFF based on a sound understanding of current international evidence and benchmarking.

The Therapeutic Relationship and Alliance-Building Behaviors: Treatment Implications for Childhood Social Phobia

The importance of alliance in therapy has been well documented. This study explored specific therapist behaviors and their relationship to child perceived alliance and outcome in a randomized controlled trial of a cognitive-behavioral treatment for youth anxiety disorders. Participants included 42 youth (male = 24; female = 18; Caucasian = 37; African American = 4; Hispanic = 1) between the ages of 7 and 13 years who met criteria for a principal anxiety diagnosis. The study examined the sample as a whole, as well as focused specifically on youth diagnosed with social phobia. Videos of the first session of treatment were coded for the presence of 11 therapist behaviors (seven positive and four negative) using the Therapist Alliance Building Behaviors Scale (TABBS). The results indicated that negative-valance therapist behaviors predicted perceived alliance in children who had a principal anxiety diagnosis other than social phobia. Findings suggest that avoiding negative behaviors may have more of an effect on alliance than engaging in positive behaviors with some populations. Future research should continue to identify therapist behaviors that might contribute to or rupture a working alliance in the youth population

Chinese Cultural Factors Impacting the Educational Schooling of Children with Autism in China

In China, an insufficiency of schooling opportunities exists among Chinese children with autism. Schooling can be perceived as a viable treatment option that uses communication techniques. The current study sought to provide culturally informed recommendations for enhancing the schooling opportunities of children with autism in China. Qualitative analysis of seven interviews discussing Chinese cultural factors which impact the schooling opportunities of children with autism resulted in the generation of six themes: 1) a lack of individual attention in general education schools, 2) a deficiency in special education schools, 3) an insufficiency of specialized teacher training, 4) a loss of mianzi which affects school enrollment decisions and stigmatization, 5) a lack of autism awareness, and 6) parental commitment and grandparental commitment. The findings suggest that Chinese cultural factors may influence the schooling opportunities of children with autism in China

THE ENDLESS DETERRITORIALIZATION. IMAGINING CONTEMPORARY PORTUGAL THROUGH THE CHRONICLES BY KALAF EPALANGA

Nós últimos anos, Kalaf Epalanga, melhor conhecido como um dos membros da banda de música eletrônica Buraka Som Sistema, tem sido publicando várias crónicas pelo Público, um jornal que tem investido massivamente neste tipologia de textos. O caso de Kalaf Epalanga, volta a mostrar a hibridez da “crónica”, estimulando uma conexão entre o jornalismo e a literatura. Sus contribuições desafiam o tema da identidade debatido e analisado nas últimas décadas, denunciando o racismo Português e questionando o multiculturalismo Português.In the last years, Kalaf Epalanga, best known as one of the member of the electronic band Buraka Som Sistema, have published several chronicles for the Público, a newspaper which strongly invested in this kind of texts. Furthermore, the case of Kalaf Epalanga re-affirms the hybridity of the chronicle, stimulating a connection between journalism literature. His contributes challenges the theme of identity as it have been discussed and analysed in the last decades, as he denounces Portuguese racism and question Portuguese multiculturalism. &nbsp

The effects of submarine groundwater discharge on tropical reef benthic community composition, structure, and primary productivity

Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2018

New Zealand Working For Families programme: Methodological considerations for evaluating MSD programmes

The methodological review is the second part of the evaluation research commissioned by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in 2005 to help in the preparation of the evaluation of the Working for Families (WFF) programme. This review enumerates the key evaluation questions identified by MSD as central to their policy concerns and considers how the features of WFF could affect evaluation. It details the methodological and data requirements that must be addressed in order to meet the four key evaluation objectives, namely: (1) tracking and evaluating the implementation and delivery of WFF (2) identifying changes in entitlement take-up and reasons for it (3) establishing the impact of WFF on employment-related outcomes (4) assessing WFF’s effect on net income and quality of life more generally. The methodological review complements the literature review by reviewing evaluations from around the world that are pertinent to WFF. An overview of evaluation methods is provided, concentrating on particular issues that arise within the WFF context. Section 2 focuses on implementation and delivery. Section 3 covers the issues related to take-up and entitlement and their evaluation. Section 4 discusses the evaluation methodologies that can be used in evaluating programmes such as WFF and introduces the data requirements they entail. Making work pay is the focus of section 5. Finally, section 6 examines hardship and poverty, living standards and wellbeing.