The Use of Adoption as an Expedient Foster Care Permanency Plan

The number of children in foster care continues to rise despite an emphasis on permanency planning in the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-272). Adoption, one type of permanency, is identified as the plan for 15% of children in foster care throughout the U.S., according to the American Public Welfare Association. Individual states, however, may differ greatly from the national figure. This study was undertaken to assess state efforts to use adoption as a permanency plan. Surveys of data across years 1988-1993 were sent to 51 state foster care system supervisors (each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia). Twenty-seven surveys were returned, a 53% response rate. Variables analyzed included whether foster care systems were county or state administered, worker caseload size, and the use of focused adoption programs. Survey data was incomplete for the earlier years, but by 1993 surveys indicated varied commitment to the use of adoption as a permanency plan for children in foster care. Among respondents, by 1993 foster children in New Mexico were most likely in 1993 to have adoption as their permanency plan (35%) and those in Missouri were least likely (4% in 1993). However, among foster children with adoption as their plan, those in Vermont were most likely in 1993 to attain a finalized adoption (34%), compared to those in Missouri, who were least likely (4% in 1993)

Embedding information skills training on student learning: making a difference

This article was first published in the Wolverhampton Intellectual Repository and E-Theses (WIRE). There is no printed version.This embedding project builds on one that was delivered in 2001, headed by Oliver Pritchard, Dudley Learning Centre Manager, leading a research team with staff working from different Learning Centres in the University. In the 2001 project, sessions on information skills were run in three differing subject areas for second and third years and their impact on student learning was assessed using questionnaires and focus groups for students and in-depth interviews with academic staff. Findings were encouraging. Skills and experience gained within the sessions were taken on and applied within assignment work to good effect. Within this small study there is evidence of a progression in student awareness, confidence and skills and Information Skills sessions bring a longer-term, practical and tangible element to the learning experience and are a valuable part of helping students to become more effective learners

Taking Informed Action in Challenging Times: Helping Community Foundations during Economic Downturn

Following up on CF Insights' November 2008 report "Making Informed Decisions in Uncertain Times", this report is aimed at helping community foundations take informed action in relation to their operating models and community activities in reaction to the economic slump. The findings are based on quantitative and qualitative research conducted with 95 community foundations during the spring of 2009. The research findings overall underscore that the field has been able to "make lemonade" from the crisis. In light of tepid expectations for assets and gifts for the rest of 2009, community foundations are being creative and thoughtful in how they allocate precious resources andstep up their community leadership.

Self-mutilation : using pain to cope

Self-mutilation is a serious mental and physical health problem that is often under-reported and misdiagnosed. The mutilation is a reaction to negative internal feelings, such as despair, anxiety, anger, or cognitive constriction. The goal of the self-mutilation is relief from emotional pain by using physical pain. The self-mutilator has low self-esteem, bouts of depression, difficulty forming intimate relationships, and usually suffered some type of trauma such as physical or sexual abuse. Pharmacological treatment for the self-mutilator has been experimental but has not been well researched. However, research seemed to indicate that individual and group therapy, specifically cognitive-behavioral therapy, is helpful for the person to learn alternative coping

Images of Women in Abdelhak Serhane\u27s Le Soliel des Obscurs

Current trends in North African francophone literature include a movement towards the exploration of alienation and exile, most often in the form of novels written about Maghrebian immigrants in Europe. Yet this alienation exists within the North African context as well, and it is possible to feel alienated and exiled, as well as marginalized, within one\u27s homeland. This question is explored by Moroccan francophone author Abdelhak Serhane in his novel, Le Soleil des obscurs, which is the focus of this study. The purpose of the research is to examine the four principle female characters in the novel and relate them to the male protagonist. First, an overview of North African francophone literature is presented to provide framework for the novel. Then, a variety of current sociological and anthropological materials are reviewed to synthesize the background for an understanding of the novel\u27s social context. In order to give substance to the themes of alienation and exile, two short stories are briefly examined: Leila Sebbar\u27s Les Carnets de Sherazade, and Andree Chedid\u27s La Soudanaise. The majority of the study focuses on Le Soleil des obscurs. The research is divided into two parts: the female protagonists and the male protagonist. Lalla Ai cha, Lalla Batoul, Aouicha, and Mina are the central female characters. Each is examined at length, and their respective roles and attributes are discussed in terms of Moroccan society and culture. All four women are oppressed to different degrees; Mina and Aouicha remain marginalized from the norm by their actions. Soltane, the male protagonist, gradually reveals alienation and failure when related to the women. Serhane successfully portrays a society in which individuals are marginalized and oppressed by traditional mores and roles. Although pessimistic in subject, the novel itself brings hope, as Serhane unveils the conflict of marginality. He does not suggest any concrete solutions, yet the fact that he explores this conflict yields optimism, and his work can serve to awaken humanity to the problems associated with a society in which many of its rural members are alienated