The President\u27s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR): A Social Work Ethical Analysis and Recommendations

The President\u27s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the most recent international social program instituted by the U.S. Government to combat HIV/AIDS. Since its inception in 2003, this foreign policy initiative has dedicated $63 billion for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in foreign countries. Despite PEPFAR\u27s many accomplishments, it continues to promote controversial prevention strategies. This paper analyzes these prevention strategies, utilizing social work values as described in the NASW Code of Ethics. Policy, practice, and research implications are discussed

Social Justice in the Social Work Classroom: Applying a Professional Value to Social Work Education

Social justice is a primary value of social work and therefore has a place in discussions of social work education pedagogy. This is especially true for conversations pertaining to students who are underprepared, due to educational inequalities, for successful completion of writing assignments at the undergraduate level. If underprepared students are treated as equals to prepared students, then the social inequalities that contributed to or caused a student to be underprepared are perpetuated rather than challenged. The authors explore responses to underprepared students that are consistent with social work\u27s professional value of social justice

The importance of expanding home visitation services to include strengthening family relationships for the benefit of children

Although home visiting programs effectively address risks of maltreatment related to the mother and infant through providing services such as medical care, education/vocational support, and training on positive infant parenting practices, little programmatic attention has been paid to couple relationships, father involvement, and parenting interactions in the context of new parenthood. These relationships within the family system, if not nurtured, can heighten the risks for maltreatment. Therefore, the research on the impact of these relationships for children's wellbeing are reviewed, examples of evidence-based programs to strengthen these relationships are provided, and changes to existing home visiting policies and programs to include strengthening family relationships for the benefit of children are recommended.Home visitation services Economically disadvantaged families Evidence-based practices (EBP) Relationship strengthening programs

Training the child welfare workforce in healthy couple relationships: An examination of attitudes and outcomes

The purpose of the current research is to address a gap in the literature related to attitudes and other training outcomes through an evaluation of a healthy marriage/couple relationship training for public child welfare workers. Given the sensitivity of this topic and numerous barriers to trainee acceptance of the material, this training provided a particularly fertile context for these research questions. This research utilized a quasi-experimental design with pre-, multiple post-training measures for the experimental (training) group and control (no training) group. Data were collected using reliable and valid standardized scales on training satisfaction, knowledge gain, transfer of new skills, and attitude change, as well as potential individual and organizational mediators of these outcomes. Results indicated that experimental group participants reported higher levels of knowledge than controls and knowledge gain in certain areas. Knowledge gain was related to training satisfaction. Experimental group participants also reported higher levels of training transfer and an increase in positive attitudes toward the importance of couple issues for child welfare, with these attitudes significantly predicting transfer of skills. Implications for general child welfare training and the integration of couple issues into child welfare practice are discussed.Training evaluation Child welfare Healthy marriage initiative Attitudes Training transfer