EUROPEAN MIGRATION NETWORK. THE ORGANISATION OF ASYLUM AND MIGRATION POLICIES 2012: IRELAND

This study is an updated version of the 2009 EMN study The Organisation of Migration and Asylum Policies in Ireland. It is intended to be a useful updated reference document, providing a ‘map’ of immigration and asylum-related policy in Ireland in 2012. The focus is on non-EU immigration. Irish immigration policy is unusual within Europe in that it is strongly influenced by the Common Travel Area we share with the UK. In addition, Ireland and the UK may opt out of EU measures relating to immigration and asylum. As a result Irish immigration and asylum policy differs significantly to that of other EU Member States. Immigration in Ireland is a relatively new trend, and this is reflected in the still disparate nature of our immigration policy. This report describes how immigration and asylum policies are currently organised in Ireland as well as indicating where changes may soon be made

Annual Monitoring Report on Integration 2011

This is the second in a series of Annual Integration Monitors which seek to measure migrant integration in four life domains – employment, education, social inclusion and active citizenship. The core indicators closely follow those proposed in the Zaragoza Declaration. The aim is to have indicators that are comparable across EU Member States, based on existing data and focused on outcomes. The indicators are derived from the latest available large-scale survey data in Ireland that allow us to compare outcomes for Irish and migrant populations in each domain. This report also contains a special theme: immigrant children in Irish schools, which is based on original analysis of data from the Growing Up in Ireland study

Understanding and promoting student mental health in Scottish higher education - a mapping exercise

There has been an increase in the incidence of mental health difficulties among HE students over the past decade. Official statistics show that the proportion of undergraduates declaring a mental health difficulty on entry to HE rose from 5 in every 10,000 in 1994-5 to 30 in every 10,000 in 2004-5. Incidence of severe psychological problems has increased, and student mental health is generally worse than that of the general population (for agematched populations). Anxiety and depression are the most commonly noted difficulties. The research review identified a relationship between mental health and the following factors: finances, accommodation, academic issues, university systems and social factors. Academic issues, and specifically coursework, emerged as particularly related to stress levels and mental health issues

Evaluation of Mediation in the Court of Protection

This report provides an independent evaluation of a practitioner-led Court of Protection (‘CoP’) mediation scheme (the ‘Scheme’), which commenced on 1 October 2019 by a Working Group of practitioners on Mediation in the CoP (the ‘Working Group’), with the knowledge and support of the senior judiciary of the CoP, albeit the Scheme is not court-authorised. The Scheme came to an end on 2 July 2021 and this report outlines the key findings of the evaluation of the Scheme. The Working Group are experts in mental capacity law and the CoP, which is the court that deals with disputes under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (‘MCA’). Many Working Group members also have experience of or an interest in mediation. The Scheme covers post-issue cases in the CoP

This is how it Feels: Activating Lived Experience in the Penal Voluntary Sector

Increasing calls for 'nothing about us without us' envision marginalised people as valuable and necessary contributors to policies and practices affecting them. In this paper, we examine what this type of inclusion feels like for criminalised people who share their lived experiences in penal voluntary sector organisations. Focus groups conducted in England and Scotland illustrated how this work was experienced as both safe, inclusionary and rewarding and exclusionary, shame-provoking and precarious. We highlight how these tensions of 'user involvement' impact criminalised individuals and compound wider inequalities within this sector. The individual, emotional and structural implications of activating lived experience therefore require careful consideration. We consider how the penal voluntary sector might more meaningfully and supportively engage criminalised individuals in service design and delivery. These considerations are significant for broader criminal justice and social service provision seeking to meaningfully involve those with lived experience

Mobilizing Metaphors in Criminological Analysis: A Case Study of Emotions in the Penal Voluntary Sector

Metaphors pervade media and political constructions of crime and justice, provoking responses and shaping actions. Scholarship in adjacent disciplines illustrates that emotion-metaphors offer unique insight into emotional and interpretive processes, valuably illuminating sense-making, problem solving, and action. Yet, metaphors are rarely analyzed within criminology, leaving an important opportunity for theorizing emotions and their implications largely unrealized. We explore the analytical and theoretical potential of emotion-metaphors for criminology, using empirical research conducted in the penal voluntary sectors of England and Scotland. Drawing on focus groups with volunteers and paid staff, we analyse the metaphors that non-profit practitioners mobilized to convey how their work felt: (i) absurd and unstable, (ii) vulnerable and constrained, (iii) devalued and discarded, and (iv) risky and all-consuming

Informing patients with acute stroke about their risk of dementia:A survey of UK healthcare professionals

OBJECTIVES: Cognitive problems following stroke are of key concern to stroke survivors. Discussing risk of dementia at the time of stroke could have implications for follow-up care. However, informing someone who has just had a stroke about risk of dementia could cause distress. This survey explored healthcare professionals’ views on discussing risk of post-stroke dementia at the time of stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This online survey was aimed at all UK healthcare professionals who care for patients with stroke. The survey was distributed via the mailing lists of seven professional stroke-related organisations and Twitter. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise findings. RESULTS: Sixty healthcare professionals completed the survey. Healthcare professionals were aware of the main risk factors associated with post-stroke dementia (e.g. previous stroke, age). Most respondents (N=34/60, 57%) thought that patients with acute stroke would benefit from knowing if they are at high risk of dementia, and 75% (N=45/60) agreed that carers would benefit. Despite this, the majority of healthcare professionals (N=47/53, 89%) who cared for patients with acute stroke in the past year said they rarely/never discussed dementia with their patients. Most respondents (N=46/60, 77%) thought risk of dementia should be discussed 1-6 months post-stroke. CONCLUSION: Although healthcare professionals felt it would be helpful to discuss risk of post-stroke dementia, in practice, most said that they rarely or never discussed this with their patients. Stroke survivors could benefit from a healthcare system that offers appropriate follow-up care and support to patients at high risk of dementia

Who is classified as untestable on brief cognitive screens in an acute stroke setting?

Full completion of cognitive screening tests can be problematic in the context of a stroke. Our aim was to examine the completion of various brief cognitive screens and explore reasons for untestability. Data were collected from consecutive stroke admissions (May 2016–August 2018). The cognitive assessment was attempted during the first week of admission. Patients were classified as partially untestable (≥1 test item was incomplete) and fully untestable (where assessment was not attempted, and/or no questions answered). We assessed univariate and multivariate associations of test completion with: age (years), sex, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)), stroke classification, pre-morbid disability (modified Rankin Scale (mRS)), previous stroke and previous dementia diagnosis. Of 703 patients admitted (mean age: 69.4), 119 (17%) were classified as fully untestable and 58 (8%) were partially untestable. The 4A-test had 100% completion and the clock-draw task had the lowest completion (533/703, 76%). Independent associations with fully untestable status had a higher NIHSS score (odds ratio (OR): 1.18, 95% CI: 1.11–1.26), higher pre-morbid mRS (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.02–1.60) and pre-stroke dementia (OR: 3.35, 95% CI: 1.53–7.32). Overall, a quarter of patients were classified as untestable on the cognitive assessment, with test incompletion related to stroke and non-stroke factors. Clinicians and researchers would benefit from guidance on how to make the best use of incomplete test data

The Differences in Men and Women Senior Law Enforcement Leadership Style as it Relates to Subordinate Employee Job Satisfaction

Undergraduate Theoretica

Cardiovascular risk factors indirectly affect acute post-stroke cognition through stroke severity and prior cognitive impairment: A moderated mediation analysis

Abstract: Background: Cognitive impairment is an important consequence of stroke and transient ischaemic attack, but its determinants are not fully understood. Simple univariable or multivariable models have not shown clinical utility for predicting cognitive impairment. Cardiovascular risk factors may influence cognition through multiple, direct, and indirect pathways, including effects on prior cognition and stroke severity. Understanding these complex relationships may help clinical teams plan intervention and follow-up strategies. Methods: We analysed clinical and demographic data from consecutive patients admitted to an acute stroke ward. Cognitive assessment comprised Abbreviated Mental Test and mini-Montreal Cognitive Assessment. We constructed bias-corrected confidence intervals to test indirect effects of cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, vascular disease, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, previous stroke) on cognitive function, mediated through stroke severity and history of dementia, and we assessed moderation effects due to comorbidity. Results: From 594 eligible patients, we included 587 in the final analysis (age range 26–100; 45% female). Our model explained R2 = 62.10% of variance in cognitive test scores. We found evidence for an indirect effect of previous stroke that was associated with increased risk of prevalent dementia and in turn predicted poorer cognitive score (estimate = − 0.39; 95% bias-corrected CI, − 0.75 to − 0.13; p = 0.02). Atrial fibrillation was associated with greater stroke severity and in turn with a poorer cognitive score (estimate = − 0.27; 95% bias-corrected CI, − 0.49 to − 0.05; p = 0.02). Conversely, previous TIA predicted decreased stroke severity and, through that, lesser cognitive impairment (estimate = 0.38; 95% bias-corrected CI, 0.08 to 0.75; p = 0.02). Through an association with reduced stroke severity, vascular disease was associated with lesser cognitive impairment, conditional on presence of hypertension and absence of diabetes mellitus (estimate = 0.36; 95% bias-corrected CI, 0.03 to 0.68; p = 0.02), although the modelled interaction effects did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: We have shown that relationships between cardiovascular risk factors and cognition are complex and simple multivariable models may be overly reductionist. Including direct and indirect effects of risk factors, we constructed a model that explained a substantial proportion of variation in cognitive test scores. Models that include multiple paths of influence and interactions could be used to create dementia prognostic tools for use in other healthcare settings