Comparative analysis of state policy-making in child welfare: Explaining policy choices

Kingdon’s three streams of agenda-setting identified in Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies, as well as Schneider and Ingram’s social construction framework, set out in the American Political Science Review, are used to compare four US states’ policy responses following fatalities of children in care. Results suggest that tension between the social construction of children as vulnerable dependents and their troubled families as deviants affects policymakers’ responses and may interfere with systemic policy learning within and across jurisdictions

Compassionate response: Intersection of religious faith and public policy

Much of social work practice is rooted in compassion. Addressing compassion as a virtue, this article examines the possibilities for compassion to be more explicitly and purposefully built into actions at community and policy levels. We discuss the definition of compassion, examine the religious roots of compassion, describe some ways in which religion and policy intersect, and provide contemporary examples of compassion at the interface of religion and policy. In the discussion, we conclude with further thoughts about how compassion might be elevated in our collective societal actions and address the role of social work in these efforts

Intersection of race and religion for youth in foster care: examining policy and practice

Religion and race are primary forces affecting both individuals' identities and social relations. Consequently, their impacts on child welfare systems, and the clients of the system, are important to understand. In addition to protections against discrimination on the basis of religion and race, positive affirmations and connection to relevant communities are also needed to achieve client well-being. This analysis examines both historical and contemporary approaches to addressing religion and race in child welfare policy and practice, with a particular focus on adolescent youth. Our primary focus is on Blacks and Christians because these groups have received predominant attention in the literature. We argue that because racial/ethnic and religious identity development are critical to adolescent well-being, race and religion must receive explicit and consistent attention in child welfare practice. Moreover, the importance of religion has often been overlooked, particularly in its intersection with race. Quality practice needs more explicit attention to religion, but this also raises cautions in the current political environment.Accepted manuscrip

Enriching Life with Books

PDF pages: 4

Youth councils in municipal government: Examination of activities, impact and barriers

This study reports on youth councils in 24 municipalities in one major metropolitan area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one key adult stakeholder in each municipality in order to understand the scope, structure, functioning, activities, and impact of youth councils. These data were supplemented with review of documents and websites that described the councils. Findings indicated that youth councils were engaged in a wide-range of activities suggesting the model is fluid to meet the needs of both the youth and the community. Specific impacts were identified by participants some of which were directly related to the delivery of activities and others which influenced policy change. Among the barriers identified was the continuing need to identify a broader range of youth to participate in these initiatives. Despite a societal need for greater youth civic engagement and the generally positive attitude toward this idea, youth councils remain limited in practice and the research base is under-developed. Our study contributes to advancing both practice and research

Fabritio Caroso’s Balletti: “The dancer’s own language?”

In the 16th Century, ladies and gentlemen of noble birth were taught from an early age the art of dancing, necessary to survive in the hierarchical world of the court. A Neo-Platonic perspective on dancing was at the core of Renaissance thinking (Humanism) and persisted throughout the 17th Century. In dance circles the principles of harmony and order in the cosmos, harking back to the classical world of Plato and Quintilian, were already well established in Italy by the end of the 15th Century. The balli were structures consisting of many different rhythmic sections throughout which a playful narrative of love, courtship and drama unfolded. By the second half of the 16th Century, two notable dancing masters, Fabritio Caroso and Cesare Negri, were beginning to record their teaching and advice in manuals, which serve as the first known comprehensive and detailed treatises on court dance. By the late 16th Century, the balletto still involved the theatricality of narrative and contrasting or varying emotions. It was still a performance or game for the spectators as well as for the dancers themselves, despite being performed in a social context. In this article, we take a closer look at two balli presented by Caroso: Ardente Sole and Laura Soave, showing that their structure was inspired by rhetorical principles. In the 16th Century, ladies and gentlemen of noble birth were taught from an early age the art of dancing, necessary to survive in the hierarchical world of the court. A Neo-Platonic perspective on dancing was at the core of Renaissance thinking (Humanism) and persisted throughout the 17th Century. In dance circles the principles of harmony and order in the cosmos, harking back to the classical world of Plato and Quintilian, were already well established in Italy by the end of the 15th Century. The balli were structures consisting of many different rhythmic sections throughout which a playful narrative of love, courtship and drama unfolded. By the second half of the 16th Century, two notable dancing masters, Fabritio Caroso and Cesare Negri, were beginning to record their teaching and advice in manuals, which serve as the first known comprehensive and detailed treatises on court dance. By the late 16th Century, the balletto still involved the theatricality of narrative and contrasting or varying emotions. It was still a performance or game for the spectators as well as for the dancers themselves, despite being performed in a social context. In this article, we take a closer look at two balli presented by Caroso: Ardente Sole and Laura Soave, showing that their structure was inspired by rhetorical principles.

Tipping the balance in autoimmune disease

A report on the FASEB Summer Research Conference on Autoimmunity, Saxtons River, USA, 14-29 July 2007