Browse

Social work educators have lived through unique experiences and possess knowledge of lifespan development, which may enable them to navigate the vicissitudes of aging and envision a rich life beyond the traditional limits of a career. This book explores what becomes of these professionals after they depart from the academy and what trials, tribulations, and adventures await them. What can today’s social work educators learn from veterans who are either approaching or have transitioned to life after academia? Grounded in 39 in-depth interviews, study participants tell engaging and inspirational stories—stories that will benefit social work educators and academicians from other disciplines who are poised to embrace life beyond the academy and who wish to critically evaluate their life’s work. The term The Next Chapter is introduced as a positive alternative to the traditional moniker “retirement.” Fruits of The Next Chapter include post-academic freedom, new (and renewed) life appreciations, and an opportunity to integrate components of one’s life. This book provides a valuable guide that enables social work educators to determine the optimal time to depart from academia and advance to the next chapter of life.

Multivariate procedures allow social workers and other human services researchers to analyze complex, multidimensional social problems and interventions in ways that minimize oversimplification. This book provides an introduction to four procedures for the analysis of multiple dependent variables: multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), multivariate multiple regression (MMR), and structural equation modeling (SEM). Each procedure is presented in a way that allows readers to compare and contrast them in terms of appropriate research context; required statistical assumptions, including levels of measurement of variables to be modeled; analytical steps; sample size; and strengths and weaknesses. This book facilitates course extensibility in scope and depth by allowing instructors to supplement course content with rigorous statistical procedures. The book provides detailed annotated examples using Stata, SPSS (PASW), SAS, and Amos.

This book focuses on the analysis of data from single case designs. The methods covered in this book range from traditional visual analysis methods to complex ARIMA statistical models. The use of graphical methods is also extensively covered. The book is most appropriate for students in doctoral programs in disciplines such as Social Work and Psychology. It should also be useful for researchers and professionals in the various helping professions that make use of single case design methodology for practice evaluation and research. The methods covered range from the very simple to the very complex.

Technological advancements are poised to completely transform the financial system, making it unrecognizable in just a few short decades. Banks are increasingly using financial technologies, or “fintech,” to deliver products and services and maximize their profits. Technology enthusiasts and some consumer advocates laude fintech for its potential to expand access to banking and finance. If history is any indication, however, fintech stands to reinforce digital forms of redlining and enable banks’ continued racialized exploitation of Black and Brown communities. Banking on a Revolution takes the perspective that the financial system needs a revolution—and not the impending revolution driven by technology. Studying various ways the financial system advantages whites by exploiting and marginalizing Black and Brown communities, Terri Friedline challenges the optimistic belief that fintech can expand access to banking and finance. Friedline applies the lens of financialized racial neoliberal capitalism to demonstrate the financial system’s inherent racism, and explores examples from student loan debt, corporate landlords, community benefits agreements, and banking and payday lending. She makes the case that the financial system needs a people-led revolution that centers the needs, experiences, and perspectives of those it has historically excluded, marginalized, and exploited.

The complexity of social problems necessitates that social work researchers utilize multivariate statistical methods in their investigations. Having a thorough understanding of basic statistics can facilitate this process as multivariate methods have as their foundation many of these basic statistical procedures. In this pocket guide, the authors introduce readers to three of the more frequently used multivariate statistical methods in social work research—multiplelinear regression analysis,analysis of variance and covariance, and path analysis—with an emphasis on the basic statistics as important features of these methods. The primary intention is to help prepare entry level doctoral students and early career social work researchers in the use of multivariate statistical methods by offering a straightforward and easy to understand explanation of these methods and the basic statistics that inform them. The pocket guide begins with a review of basic statistics, hypothesis testing with inferential statistics, and bivariate analytic methods. Subsequent sections describe bivarate and multiple linear regression analyses, one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA), and path analysis. In each chapter, the authors introduce the various basic statistical procedures by providing definitions, formulas, descriptions of the underlying logic and assumptions of each procedure, and examples of how they have been applied in the social work research literature. The authors also explain estimation procedures and how to interpret results. Each chapter provides brief step-by-step instructions for conducting these statistical tests in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and AMOS (SPSS, Inc. 2011), based on data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88). Finally, the book offers a companion website that provides more detailed instructions, as well as data sets and worked examples.

This book explains how organizational culture and climate affect the quality and outcomes of human services and describes the Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC) model of organizational effectiveness that the authors developed for improving social service, behavioral health, health care, and other human service organizations. The authors summarize decades of practice and research experience, including organizational improvement efforts, randomized controlled trials, and nationwide studies with hundreds of human services organizations. The book provides a balance between the use of empirical data and applied examples in explaining how human services can be improved. By combining numerous case examples and experiential knowledge with decades of organizational research, readers learn about empirically proven approaches tested in real organizations that are supported with case examples of organizational change. The book explains that creating the organizational social contexts necessary for providing effective services requires three types of organizational strategies. These strategies include organizational tools for identifying and addressing service barriers, principles for aligning organizational priorities to guide improvement, and the development of shared mental models among organizational members to support the principles and tools.

McRoy, Flanzer and Zlotnik (and contributing author Lewis) in Building Research Culture and Infrastructure Tools for Social Workers provide information for social work schools and departments at various levels of research capacity, to not only examine or re-examine their research climate and culture, but to also assess their readiness to further enhance their research environment. A summary of the historical background of the development of social work research in colleges and universities is provided as well as very specific resources and tips for enhancing involvement of BSW, MSW and PhD social work faculty in research. The authors report on the current climate and status of research infrastructures and enterprise in social work education programs, weaving in information provided by faculty, deans and research administrators, obtained through a questionnaire and interview process. Faculty scenarios illustrating barriers to achieving their research funding goals are addressed along with current examples of specific steps to address these barriers at selected universities. Clear differences between PhD and non-PhD granting institutions in the types of opportunities and strategies for engaging in research, and related issues of financing and administrative support are addressed. Practical tips for grant writing, and seeking federal, state and foundation support make this book not only a guide for building research infrastructure for faculty, deans and university administrators, but it is also a good “ how to” resource for seeking research support itself.

Since 2005, the bullying, school violence, and school safety literatures have expanded dramatically in content, disciplines, and empirical studies. However, with this massive expansion of research, there is also a surprising lack of theoretical and empirical direction to guide efforts on how to advance our basic science and practical applications of this growing scientific area of interest. Parallel to this surge in interest, cultural norms, media coverage, and policies to address school safety and bullying have evolved at a remarkably quick pace over the past 13 years. For example, behaviors and populations that just a decade ago were not included in the school violence, bullying, and school safety discourse are now accepted areas of inquiry. These include, for instance, cyberbullying, sexting, social media shaming, teacher–student and student–teacher bullying, sexual harassment and assault, homicide, and suicide. Populations in schools not previously explored, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students and educators and military- and veteran-connected students, become the foci of new research, policies, and programs. As a result, all US states and most industrialized countries now have a complex quilt of new school safety and bullying legislation and policies. Large-scale research and intervention funding programs are often linked to these policies. This book suggests an empirically driven unifying model that brings together these previously distinct literatures. This book presents an ecological model of school violence, bullying, and safety in evolving contexts that integrates all we have learned in the 13 years, and suggests ways to move forward.

Collaborating with community members adds a critical dimension to social work research, providing practitioners with intimate knowledge of a community's goals and needs while equipping community advocates with vital skills for social change. Sharing the inspiring story of one such partnership, the authors recount their efforts working with an affordable housing coalition in Philadelphia, helping activists research low-income home ownership and repair. Their collaboration helped create the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund, which funnels millions of dollars to people in need. This book describes the origins of their partnership and its growth, including developing tensions and their diffusion in ways that contributed to the research. The authors personalize methods of research and the possibilities for advocacy, ultimately connecting their encounters to more general, critical themes. Building on the field's commitment to social justice, they effectively demonstrate the potential of change research to facilitate widespread, long-term difference and improve community outcomes.

The issue of child sexual exploitation (CSE) is firmly in the public spotlight internationally and in the UK, but just how well is it understood? To date, many CSE-related services have been developed in reaction to high profile cases rather than being designed more strategically. This book breaks new ground by considering how psychosocial, feminist and geo-environmental theories, amongst others, can improve practice understanding and interventions. It makes the case for a more thoughtful approach to CSE prevention and a greater use of different theoretical perspectives in the development and delivery of strategies and interventions. The book is an essential text for students and those planning strategic interventions and practice activities in social, youth and therapeutic work with young people, as it supports understanding of how CSE arises and how to challenge the nature of the abuse.

Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this book demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. The chapters in this book assess the effect of research on the full spectrum of child welfare services. The book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children.

Research in children's mental health lags behind research for adults, in part because it is intrinsically context-bound. Children are embedded in families, in schools, and in communities who have responsibility for their care. Making research findings useful and ensuring that they are applied to improve the lives of children and families require attention to these contexts. This entails a process of collaboration with many partners: teachers, nurses, healthcare providers, church leaders, neighborhood group directors, and other community leaders. The process of collaboration in children's mental health is complicated, but the products that it yields have the potential to benefit both children and families. This volume, with the toolkit and casebook that it contains, distills the process of collaboration into manageable steps, and provides concrete examples of how researchers have addressed specific challenges. The premise of this book is that collaborative research, in contrast to traditional research paradigms, will yield findings that are more ethical, valid, and useful. Highlighting the transformation of science from ivory tower theories to action-oriented practices, this book offers practical advice for researchers and practitioners interested in using data to inform and transform children's mental health. Concrete examples of projects that have involved community leaders and researchers provide an insider's guide to conducting successful collaborations that can yield better results than traditional top-down research paradigms.

Clinical data-mining (CDM) involves the conceptualization, extraction, analysis, and interpretation of available clinical data for practice knowledge-building, clinical decision-making, and practitioner reflection. Depending upon the type of data mined, CDM can be qualitative or quantitative; it is generally retrospective, but may be meaningfully combined with original data collection. Any research method that relies on the contents of case records or information systems data inevitably has limitations, but with proper safeguards these can be minimized. Among CDM's strengths however, are that it is unobtrusive, inexpensive, presents little risk to research subjects, and is ethically compatible with practitioner value commitments. When conducted by practitioners, CDM yields conceptual as well as data-driven insight into their own practice- and program-generated questions. This book covers all the basics of conducting practitioner-initiated CDM studies or CDM doctoral dissertations, drawing extensively on published CDM studies and completed CDM dissertations from multiple social work settings in the United States, Australia, Israel, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. In addition, it describes consulting principles to help with forging collaborative university-agency CDM partnerships.

This book shows combat from a different perspective by a dozen combat social workers. Written by and for social workers and war veterans, the book is filled with lessons learned that can have significant benefits for students of social work, among others. Combat social work is dangerous work for these highly trained officers. Social work in combat, an oxymoron, focuses on helping the service member seeking mental health services specific to being deployed and in danger. All these practitioners’ clients seek to be at their best in support of their unit as military members. To do so, they must overcome extraordinary obstacles associated with battle and living conditions that may challenge their morale and will to fight. These and other challenges of war require wisdom as much as bravery from combat social workers. The book consists of three sections. The chapters in the first and last sections are about the context and irony of combat and social work and the realities and contexts of combat social workers’ training, education, and life. The middle section includes 11 first-person case studies by combat social workers. They discuss, among other things, the extraordinary lessons they have learned from their deployments into war zones and how social work is both the same as and different from social work outside the war zone and from the work of psychiatrists and psychologists. These chapters vary greatly based on the gender, war context, and military branch and unit.

The growth of the criminal justice system poses a number of significant problems that require ongoing research efforts by scholars across multiple disciplines. Despite the impact that the criminal justice system has on client populations served by social workers and related professions, there are few practical sources available to guide research in these settings. Conducting Research in Juvenile and Criminal Justice Settings: Strategies and Issues fills this gap and represents a cutting-edge yet user friendly book that will be of interest not only to researchers but also to graduate students and agency administrators. This book covers major issues in conducting field research with adults and juveniles and using extant and administrative data sources on criminal justice populations. In particular, the chapters explore the many challenges that often arise in criminal justice settings and offer practical strategies to issues such as how to gain and maintain IRB approval, how to manage a project across multiple agencies, courts, and institutions, and how to maintain relationships with key stakeholders. Furthermore, discussion of issues related to planning a research project in adult and juvenile justice settings, including research designs, recruitment, and retention, are delineated. An extensive bibliographic description of data sources, case studies, and research forms and letters is included.

Organized around a translational science framework, the book addresses substance use research about epidemiology, etiology, intervention efficacy and effectiveness, and implementation of evidence-informed interventions. In addition, examples and issues are drawn from social work traditions involving multiple levels of study (organisms to large social systems), integrating biopsychosocial aspects, and adopting a life span perspective. The book examines the implications for research of current “great debates” in the field and presents readers with a variety of specific substance use research resources and tools. This book takes the reader step by step through issues specific to substance use research in study design, participant recruitment and retention, measurement and analysis, and the processes involved in the dissemination, diffusion, and implementation of evidence-informed innovations. A variety of technical resources and measurement tools are provided.

Measures that are reliable, valid, and can be used across diverse populations are vital to social work research, but the development of new measures is an expensive and time-consuming process. An array of existing measures can provide a cost-effective alternative, but in order to take this expedient step with confidence, researchers must ensure that the existing measure is appropriate for the new study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is one of the ways to do so. CFA has four primary functions—psychometric evaluation of measures, construct validation, testing method effects, and testing measurement invariance. This book provides an overview of the method, step-by-step guides to creating a CFA model and assessing its fit, and explanations of the requirements for using CFA, as well the book underscores the issues that are necessary to consider when using multiple groups or equivalent and multilevel models. Real-world examples, screenshots from the Amos software program that can be used to conduct CFA, and reading suggestions for each chapter form part of the book.

This book offers an overview of the variation within content analysis, along with detailed descriptions of three approaches found in the contemporary literature: basic content analysis, interpretive content analysis, and qualitative content analysis. This book provides an inclusive and carefully differentiated examination of contemporary content analysis research purposes and methods. Chapter 1 examines the conceptual base and history of content analysis. The next three chapters examine in depth each approach as a single approach to content analysis, using brief, illustrative exemplar studies. Each of the methodology chapters employs a consistent outline to help readers compare and contrast the three different approaches. Chapter 5 examines rigor in content analysis and highlights steps to ensure the internal coherence of studies. The book concludes with exploration of two full-length studies. Chapter 6 examines the use of content analysis for advocacy and to build public awareness to promote human rights and social justice. Chapter 7 reviews a full-length study of older adults in prison to detail how content analysis is completed and how different approaches may be usefully combined.

Creative Team Work: Developing Rapid, Site-Switching Ethnography is much more than a description of a new way of doing rapid ethnography to capture the rich complexity and contradictions of social relations, although it is certainly that. It is about the imagination, stimulation, and reflection that can come with international, interdisciplinary teams sharing the development, application, analysis, and dissemination of research. Although the book is based on a large, seven-year project studying care homes to search for promising practices and is guided by feminist political economy, the lessons we have learned are relevant for everyone undertaking empirical investigation. All research needs to consider theory, the organization of information, ethics, and dissemination, for example. The specific techniques and approaches we discuss can be applied to a wide range of qualitative methods and are not exclusive to this kind of ethnography. By dissecting our experiences together and uniting chapters through the theme of creative, reflexive team work, the book considers issues and methods of interest to all those struggling through the research process, with or without team support. Although some of our strategies may not work for everyone, and some did not work for us, we have identified areas that need to be addressed in research projects big and small, especially in those interested in putting research to work for change.

This collection draws together experiences and perspectives on user involvement from user activists, academics and practitioners. It includes chapters that focus on autonomous collective action by disabled people, mental health service users and others; action within the health and social care service delivery system to influence services; and user-led and collaborative research designed to promote ways of understanding the world from service users' perspectives. The book includes examples relating to the involvement of young people, young mothers, older people, people living with cancer and woman with alcohol problems, in addition to the experiences of disabled people and mental health service users. Chapters offer conflicting views, for example on the issue of whether the impacts of involvement can and should be ‘measured’. Some chapters offer a historical perspective, arguing for the need to understand both autonomous action and official involvement as interconnected processes of social change. The book highlights both the official acceptance of user involvement as a mainstream activity and the continuing challenges experienced by those seeking not only to have a voice, but also to achieve recognition for their knowledge and understanding. It concludes with a discussion of the continuing need for ‘critical perspectives’, both in the conduct of user involvement and in analyses of it. The book also argues for the necessity of including different perspectives in this process.