Post qualifying specialist awards: approaches to enabling work-based learning in social work

All post-qualifying social work specialist awards are required to include ‘enabling the learning of others’, so that specialist social workers can provide basic support to learners in the workplace (GSCC 2006). This paper reports on a new programme unit we have designed at Bournemouth University. Our overall approach encompasses the necessary competences, but also provides for a more holistic and flexible outcome – capability. We follow the ideas of authors such as Lester (1995), Fook et al. (2000), and Barnett & Coate (2005) who show that professional development is more concerned with approaches and processes rather than fixed knowledge and outcomes. They place importance on practitioners developing the ability to identify and interpret the multifaceted nature of situations whilst considering a range of alternative options, in order to deal with the complexity and uncertainty of practice. The type of practice learning required to develop such skills, abilities and attributes is also necessarily rich in complexity. As Cheetham and Chivers (2001) point out there is no single theory of learning in the workplace and there is danger in placing too much reliance on a single approach. In accordance with the ideas above we advocate a mindset of continuing learning through critically reflective practice and collaboration with others. The presentation will discuss our learning materials and pedagogy, which aim to not only encourage and develop active, experiential, and critically reflective learning but also allow for the constructive and creative methods for the enabling of such learning. In this way we believe social workers may be educated to fully develop the professional capability or dynamic competence (Doel et al. 2002) that will enable themselves and others to function effectively in the complex world of practice. The specially written book for this unit will be distributed free to participants at the workshop

Examination of Methylation Sites for Forensic Age Determination from Semen

Methylation Sensitive High-Resolution Melt (MS-HRM) is based on quantitating the melt curve from an experimental sample against a standard of known methylation levels. Whereas most applications of age prediction using methylation markers are based upon pyrosequencing or SNaPshot technologies, these analysis methods are both cost and instrumentation prohibitive. This study sought to use to the varied methylation status of the ELOVL2 and FHL2 alleles, both having known correlation with age (Hamano et. al.), in a labor and time efficient manner to develop an age prediction model. A non-linear regression and standard curve was compiled from the methylation status in a sample (n=7) of extracted semen samples and compared to chronological age. The methylation status of ELVOL2 and FHL2 from each sample was obtained, with the conclusion that no correlation in methylation percentage and biological age existed for this sample of individuals aged 20-33. The principal objective of this study, to expand the application of MS-HRM age prediction from blood to other body fluids, will need further testing using larger sample sizes and broader age ranges prior to application in forensic casework.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1281/thumbnail.jp

Building Community Assets: Growing Lower-Income Credit Union Membership through Community and Credit Union Partnerships

This report details the partnership process and lessons learned from a two-year technical assistance program designed to help community organizations partner with mainstream credit unions with the goal of enrolling new lower-income members or expanding an existing partnership. The case studies describing these partnerships identify four strategic areas through which partnerships can be strengthened and the common barriers to developing a successful partnership can be overcome

The 2010 Nuclear Security Summit: A Status Update

Highlights progress made in improving nuclear material security since the April 2010 summit, including in implementation of national commitments to secure or end production of highly enriched uranium and plutonium and to convert or shut down reactors

The African fashion movement and Afrofuturism in celebrating identity

Publisher PD

Estimates from a Consumer Demand System: Implications for the Incidence of Environmental Taxes

Most studies suggest that environmental taxes are regressive, and thus are unattractive policy options. We consider the distributional effects of a gasoline tax increase using three welfare measures and under three scenarios for gas tax revenue use. To incorporate behavioral responses we use Consumer Expenditure Survey data to estimate a consumer demand system that includes gasoline, other goods, and leisure. We find that the gas tax is regressive, but that returning the revenue through a lump-sum transfer more than offsets this, yielding a net increase in progressivity. We also find that ignoring behavioral changes in distributional calculations overstates both the overall burden of the tax and its regressivity.