Citizens Advice Bureaux and Employment Disputes Interim Report

This report details interim findings from the project Citizens Advice Bureaux and Employment Disputes. It comes at a time when drastic changes are occurring to employment conditions, rights and regulation in the UK, yet at the same time funding for employment related advice is being reduced. These processes are taking place under the broader political and policy ‘austerity’ programme of the Coalition Government and are fundamentally impacting upon people’s ‘access to justice’. The project is funded by the European Research Council and is part of a broader programme of study into third sector advice agencies and public conceptualisations of legal issues.The aim of the project is to examine how CAB clients pursue their employment disputes following their first interaction with the CAB and explores barriers to justice. Three specific questions are addressed: how the relationship between the CAB and their client shapes the approach to the employment disputes; how the different levels of support that are offered by CABx affect how clients identify, assert and defend their rights; and how advice work carried out across CABx enable the organisation and individual bureaux to campaign for social policy change in the field of workers’ rights

Citizens Advice Bureaux Clients and Advisers' Perceptions of Acas

The Advice, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) provides free and impartial information and advice to employers and workers on all aspects of workplace relations and employment law. It also provides an individual conciliation service aimed at helping both parties to an employment dispute reach a mutually acceptable solution without having to seek recourse to an Employment Tribunal. This report describes how individuals with workplace disputes who seek advice from Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx) and the CAB advisers from whom they seek advice experience their interactions with Acas across a range of different services. The data presented was drawn from six research sites: three CABx in Scotland and three in England. Study participants comprise 134 workers, of whom 67 reported some interaction with Acas, as well as at least one adviser from each CAB bureau

Enforcement of Employment Tribunal Awards

This report examines the experiences of Employment Tribunal (ET) claimants after an ET award was made in their favour. A workers’ success in the ET is by no means the end of the story when it comes to achieving justice for a wrongdoing against them in the workplace. Enforcing an award made by an ET can itself be highly problematic . 1 The data presented in this report were collected as part of a European Research Council funded project entitled Citizens Advice Bureaux and Employment Disputes . 2 The overall aim of this project was to understand workers’ experiences as they attempted to resolve problems faced at work, including identifying potential barriers to justice. Our particular focus was on workers who could not easily afford the services of a solicitor. As such, participants were recruited through Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx) who are a key provider of employment advice to this group. We tracked the experiences of workers as they sought to resolve their workplace disputes – from their initial advice sessions with CABx to the closure ( or in some cases abandonment ) of the problem. The vast majority of our participants who pursued their claims in the ET did so prior to the introduction of fees on 29 July 2013. The report focuses on the paths taken and overall outcomes for participants who were successful with their claim in the ET. It begins by providing a brief overview of the system for enforcing ET awards. The key findings from our participant group are then presented in three sections : firstly, a summary of the outcomes of our participants; secondly, experiences of those who took formal action to enforce their ET awards; and, thirdly, experiences of those who did not take formal action to enforce their ET awards. Finally, detailed vignettes elaborating on and contextualising these findings in relation to specific individuals are presented

Employment Tribunal Fees : Effect on clients of Citizens Advice Bureaux

This report considers the effect the introduction of Employment Tribunal (ET) fees has had on workers who seek advice from Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx) for their employment problems. The data presented are a subsample of 14 workers about whom information was collected as part of a European Research Council funded project entitled Citizens Advice Bureaux and Employment Disputes . The overall aim of this project was to understand workers’ experiences as they attempted to resolve problems faced at work, including identifyi ng barriers to justice

Exploring Factors Associated with Nonchange in Condom Use Behavior following Participation in an STI/HIV Prevention Intervention for African-American Adolescent Females

To enhance future STI/HIV prevention efforts, this study examined factors associated with adolescents' failure to improve their condom use behaviors after participating in an STI/HIV prevention intervention. African-American adolescent females (N = 205; M age = 17.9) in an STI/HIV prevention intervention trial completed ACASI interviews and provided self-collected vaginal swabs to assess two prevalent STIs at baseline and 6 months after intervention. Analyses compared those who increased condom use after intervention (change group) to those whose condom use did not increase (nonchange group). 43.4% did not increase their condom use after the intervention and were more likely to have an STI at followup (χ2 = 4.64, P = .03). In a multivariate logistic regression model, the nonchange group was more likely to have (a) higher sensation seeking (AOR = .91, P = .023), (b) a boyfriend (AOR = .32, P = .046), and/or (c) a physical abuse history (AOR = .56, P = .057). There were also differences in the extent to which psychosocial mediators changed between the two groups. Findings highlight the need to tailor STI/HIV interventions to adolescents with a greater degree of sensation seeking and address key relationship characteristics and trauma histories to bolster intervention efficacy

Engaging homeless service providers in educational efforts during a tuberculosis outbreak in Atlanta

Background: During an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in the homeless population of metropolitan Atlanta, education of homeless service providers (HSPs) about the implementation of local infection control measures was imperative to limiting the spread of TB and to preventing future outbreaks. Methods: By use of educational sessions and teaching posters, two interventions were designed to focus educational efforts from November 2014 to August 2015: 1) a spatially-targeted approach that identified HSPs within an area of Fulton County, GA (which includes downtown Atlanta) with high TB case density (cases per square mile) from 2009 – 2014, and 2) an organizational meeting approach that included scheduled meetings of professionals who had regular contact with homeless individuals at risk of TB infection. Results: Of the 18 HSPs targeted in the identified high-TB density area, 9 engaged in educational activities, and 9 were closed at time of contact or unreachable by email or phone. Through organizational meetings, 36 additional facilities were reached. Conclusions: The HSPs with successful contact were amenable to educational efforts, and a combination of spatially targeted and organizational meeting approaches with teaching aids was feasible in developing sustainable TB educational programs in the homeless communit

Rape Victimization and High Risk Sexual Behaviors: Longitudinal Study of African-American Adolescent Females

Objectives: African-American women are affected by disproportionately high rates of violence and sexually transmitted infections (STI)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It is imperative to address the intersection of these two urgent public health issues, particularly as these affect African-American adolescent girls. This study assessed the prevalence of rape victimization (RV) among a sample of African-American adolescent females and examined the extent to which participants with a history of RV engage in STI/HIV associated risk behaviors over a 12-month time period.Methods: Three hundred sixty-seven African-American adolescent females ages 15-21, seeking sexual health services at three local teenager-oriented community health agencies in an urban area of the Southeastern United States, participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete an audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI) at baseline, six- and 12-month follow-up. We assessed sociodemographics, history of RV and sexual practices. At baseline, participants indicating they had experienced forced sex were classified as having a history of RV.Results: Twenty-five percent of participants reported a history of RV at baseline. At six- and 12-months, victims of RV had significantly lower proportions of condom-protected sex (p=.008), higher frequency of sex while intoxicated (p=.005), more inconsistent condom use (p=.008), less condom use at last sex (p=.017), and more sex partners (p=.0001) than non-RV victims. Over the 12-month follow-up period, of those who did not report RV at baseline, 9.5% reported that they too had experienced RV at some point during the 12-month time frame.Conclusion: African-American adolescent females who experience RV are engaging in more risky sexual behaviors over time than non-RV girls, thereby placing themselves at higher risk for contracting STIs. In light of the results from this unique longitudinal study, we discuss considerations for policies and guidelines targeting healthcare, law enforcement and educational and community settings. The complexities of RV screening in healthcare settings are examined as is the need for tighter collaboration between healthcare providers and law enforcement. Finally, we consider the role of prevention and intervention programs in increasing awareness about RV as well as serving as an additional safe environment for screening and referral. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(3):333-342.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND HOSPITALIZATION COSTS OF CASES OF ASSAULT WITH WEAPONS AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN CAMPO GRANDE, MS, BRAZIL

Objetivo: Este estudo transversal analisou as características epidemiológicas de adolescentes internados por ferimentos por armas de fogo e armas brancas em três serviços de emergência de Campo Grande, MS, e estimou os gastos hospitalares dessas internações. Métodos: Os dados, de 78 adolescentes (71 masculinos e 7 femininas) de 10 a 19 anos, foram coletados de prontuários abrangendo o período de um ano. Dados sobre custos provieram dos espelhos de autorizações de internação hospitalar. Resultados: Dos pacientes masculinos, 46 (58,9%) foram vítimas de armas de fogo e 25 (32,1%) de armas brancas; nas pacientes, esses números foram 1 (14,3%) e 6 (85,7%), respectivamente. O tempo médio de internação foi de 6,8 dias, com custo médio de R$ 935,00.Conclusão: Constatou-se que em adolescentes as lesões causadas por ambos os tipos de arma são frequentes e têm alto custo econômico e social para as vítimas, suas famílias e a sociedade

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND HOSPITALIZATION COSTS OF CASES OF ASSAULT WITH WEAPONS AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN CAMPO GRANDE, MS, BRAZIL

Objetivo: Este estudo transversal analisou as características epidemiológicas de adolescentes internados por ferimentos por armas de fogo e armas brancas em três serviços de emergência de Campo Grande, MS, e estimou os gastos hospitalares dessas internações. Métodos: Os dados, de 78 adolescentes (71 masculinos e 7 femininas) de 10 a 19 anos, foram coletados de prontuários abrangendo o período de um ano. Dados sobre custos provieram dos espelhos de autorizações de internação hospitalar. Resultados: Dos pacientes masculinos, 46 (58,9%) foram vítimas de armas de fogo e 25 (32,1%) de armas brancas; nas pacientes, esses números foram 1 (14,3%) e 6 (85,7%), respectivamente. O tempo médio de internação foi de 6,8 dias, com custo médio de R$ 935,00.Conclusão: Constatou-se que em adolescentes as lesões causadas por ambos os tipos de arma são frequentes e têm alto custo econômico e social para as vítimas, suas famílias e a sociedade