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The phenomenon of child sexual abuse images online (CSAIO) presents new and daunting challenges for social workers who work in the field of child sexual abuse (CSA), particularly in relation to assessment and treatment approaches. This paper reports on a grounded theory study that examined the views of CSA practitioners about online abuse images. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with fourteen social work practitioners and other helping professionals in child protection and CSA treatment services from Ontario, Canada, to explore their perspectives about effective assessment and treatment for the children in the online images. All participants felt inadequately prepared in terms of their training and experience to effectively respond to these children, particularly regarding the perceived permanence of the abuse images distributed online and their global accessibility. Implications for social work training and practice are provided and the paper concludes with a call for the recognition of CSAIO as a new area in social work practice requiring additional research and specialised training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Raising Sexually Healthy Children (RSHC) program is a peer-to-peer leadership training program for immigrant parents in Toronto, Canada. It was established in 1998 with the goal of promoting family sex education and parent–child communication. This evaluative study examined the developmental processes and outcomes of the RSHC program to identify the strengths, challenges and insights that can be used to improve the program. It employed a multi-case study approach to compare the RSHC programs delivered in the Chinese, Portuguese and Tamil communities. Data collection methods included focus groups, individual interviews and document analysis. The cross-case analysis identified both common and unique capacity building processes and outcomes in the three communities. In this paper, we report factors that have enhanced and hindered sustainable capacity building at the individual, group/organizational and community levels, and the strategies used by these communities to address challenges common to immigrant families. We will discuss the ecological and synergetic, but time-consuming processes of capacity building, which contributed to the sustainability of RSHC as an empowering health promotion program for immigrant communities. We conclude the paper by noting the implications of using a capacity building approach to promote family health in ethno-racial-linguistic minority communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a recovery approach is relevant to older adults, a significant gap exists in social work literature regarding mental health recovery among ethnic/racial minority older adults. This paper explores the meaning of 'recovery' and the applicability of the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), a recovery-based programme, to Japanese-Canadian older adults through qualitative data collected as part of an evaluation of two WRAP workshop series in a metropolitan city in Canada, 2010-12. All eight workshop participants (two male and six female, all Japanese speakers, aged sixty-four to eighty-nine years) took part in the study. A strength-based critical social work approach, which incorporates the understanding of resilience and hope and the intersectionality of oppression, was used to facilitate the programme. Qualitative data analysis identified key themes of the participants' workshop experiences, including reaffirming self-worth, being positive (hope), being self-reflective and mindful, supporting each other and advocating for themselves. The participants experienced positive changes in line with Jacobson and Greenley's (2001) internal and external conditions for recovery; in particular, it found an unexpected long-term outcome: the formation of a peer support group by participants. Social work practice in recovery is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores overt and covert actions taken by social workers against perceived moral injustices in their work organisations. Covert and overt actions are defined and examples of these actions from a research study of social work ethics are presented. The paper argues that both covert and overt actions ought to be considered heroic in light of what appears to be timidity on the part of many social workers to act against perceived moral injustice in their workplaces. The concepts of multiple institutional logics and embedded agency are used as a means of moderating and contextualising the concerns social workers might have about acting in either covert or overt ways to address moral injustices, and to examine the potential pitfalls and merits of each type of action. The article concludes by encouraging social workers to consider more systematically avenues for overt actions to address perceived moral injustice, as basic social work values of client care can be paradoxically found even in the logics of dominantly neo-liberal organisations. If overt action is not possible or may have the potential of causing more harm to the client, covert actions can be morally justified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on ways in which social workers use power in their relationships with grandparents who are caring for grandchildren involved with child welfare agencies. Also examined are the ways in which grandparents perceive this use of power. Qualitative data were gathered from forty-three social workers and thirty-two grandparents in kinship care settings. Findings showed that social workers' expression of power falls into three main categories. Workers 'dispense resources', which include the provision of material support and services, the use of clinical skills and their influence over the middle generation. Workers can be 'directive', which involves their controlling interaction and defining the meanings of help. They also 'manage negotiations', which can occur in both an open and an implicit manner. Findings showed that workers' use of power can be beneficial to grandparents. A central issue for grandparents is whether there is reciprocity in their relationships with workers. Our conclusion is that being less directive and engaging in negotiations will result in collaborative relationships in which the needs of grandparents, as well as the agency, are more likely to be met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing qualitative study of social service managers in southern Ontario explores the challenges of critical management in restructured social programmes. Recruited because of their extensive practice backgrounds and commitments to progressive public services, study participants illuminate the tensions in their contradictory positioning: at odds with managerialist practices they are charged to implement, while also in positions of some influence and resistant potential. Their resistance consists of an inter-play of oppositional behaviour and, the focus of this paper, complex identity work. In order to advance or shelter their critical aspirations, participating managers engage strategically in multiple performances of self—performances acutely attuned to the demands for flexibility and individualistic accomplishment that dominate the neo-liberal work order and contemporary management discourses. Participants are intensely aware of the dangers of losing themselves and their oppositional capacity amid these multiple and conflicting performances. They gauge the risks with vigilant self-examination. Analysis of their isolated struggles with divided identities sheds light on the challenges of resisting the de-politicisation of practice at senior levels inside the dispersed state, and contributes to unfolding debates about the practices and ambiguities of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A growing proportion of immigrants enter Canada on temporary resident permits to study or work, or they enter as asylum seekers—all with limited rights or access to permanent residence. As a result, transnational family separation is a growing phenomenon among immigrants who are unable to migrate as a family or who face barriers to family reunification. Using a systems-centered intersectional lens, the authors examine pathways to transnational family separation among immigrant women who arrived in Canada with precarious immigration status. Analysis draws from qualitative interviews with 35 immigrant women living in different regions of Ontario, Canada. Through examining intersecting social systems and processes, the authors analyze how transnational family separation is constituted through embedded gendered, racial, and class processes in Canada's immigration system and labor market, which normalize family separation as a common experience for racialized immigrants in Canada. Given the harms associated with prolonged family separation, the authors urge the social work profession to advocate for immigration policies that prioritize family reunification and uphold the rights of migrants to maintain family unity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing the evidence base for health promotion can be challenging because interventions often have to target competing determinants of health, including social, structural, environmental and political determinants; all of which are difficult to measure and thus evaluate. Drawing on a case study of food insecurity, which refers to inadequate access to food due to financial constraints, we illustrate the challenges faced by community-based organizations in collecting data to form an evidence base for the development and evaluation of collective programmes aimed at addressing food insecurity. Interviews were conducted with members of a multi-stakeholder coalition (n  = 22 interviewees; n  = 10 organizations) who collectively work to address food insecurity in their community through a range of community-based programmes and services. Member organizations also provided a list of measures currently used to inform programme and service development and evaluation. Data were collected in a city in Southern Ontario, Canada between May and September 2015. Participants identified four barriers to collecting data: Organizational needs and philosophies; concerns surrounding clientele wellbeing and dignity; issues of feasibility; and restrictive requirements imposed by funding bodies. Participants also discussed their previous successes in collecting meaningful data for identifying impact. Our results point to the challenge of generating data suitable for developing and evaluating programmes aimed at broader determinants of health, while maintaining the primary goal of meeting clients' needs. Documenting change at intermediate- and macro-levels would provide evidence for the collective effectiveness of current programmes and services offered. However, appropriate resources need to be invested to allow for scientific evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary health care systems are increasingly integrating interprofessional team-based approaches to care delivery. As members of these interprofessional primary health care teams, it is important for social workers to explore our experiences of integration into these newly emerging teams to help strengthen patient care. Despite the expansion of social work within primary health care settings, few studies have examined the integration of social work's role into this expanding area of the health care system. A survey was conducted with Canadian social work practitioners who were employed within Family Health Teams (FHTs), an interprofessional model of primary health care in Ontario emerging from a period of health care reform. One hundred and twenty-eight (N = 128) respondents completed the online survey. Key barriers to social work integration in FHTs included difficulties associated with a medical model environment, confusion about social work role, and organizational barriers. Facilitators for integration of social work in FHTs included adequate education and competencies, collaborative engagement, and organizational structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Eating alone is a known risk factor for nutritional vulnerability in later life. Widowhood often entails loss of commensality (shared meals). This article explores this experience among older widowed women in relation to food behavior. Method: Qualitative methods based on constructivist grounded theory were used. Interviews were conducted with 15 women living alone in the community, aged 71 to 86 years, and widowed 6 months to 15 years. Results: Widowhood meant having significantly fewer opportunities for commensality. Participants attributed changes to their food behaviors to the loss of commensality, including food choice, fewer regular meals, and reduced work of meal preparation. These changes were attributed to the experienced difference between shared meals and meals eaten alone, no longer having the commitment of commensality, and having less interest in meal preparation in the absence of obligation or reward of commensality. Discussion: Eating alone symbolized loss and was less enjoyable, yet the pleasure experienced with food was intact. Focusing on the pleasure of eating may help support women when they lose regular commensality late in life. Free from the commitment of commensality, some shifted away from regular meals and simplified their meal preparation strategies. This has implications for clinical and research endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses qualitative methodology to explore the research question: 'What role can animal-assisted interventions play in anti-oppressive social work practice?' A review of relevant literature has shown that, while animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have been demonstrated over time to have many benefits for service users, these types of interventions remain neglected by social work scholarship, and the relationship between AAI and anti-oppressive practice(AOP) has yet to be explored through research. This study supports findings that AAI practitioners have found their approaches to be congruent with an AOP approach to social work practice. Data which support this finding are presented and three themes are considered: theoretical congruencies, barriers and benefits, and novelty. Following this study, it is recommended that AOP practitioners consider using AAI in their practice, and it is suggested that social service organisations need to consider relationships between humans and other animals in developing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interprofessional collaboration is increasingly being seen as an important factor in the work of social workers. A focus group was conducted with Canadian social work educators, practitioners, and students to identify barriers and facilitators to collaboration from the perspective of social work. Participants identified six themes that can act as barriers and facilitators to collaboration: culture, self-identity, role clarification, decision making, communication, and power dynamics. These findings carry important implications for interprofessional collaboration with social workers in health practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss are now commonly identified early through newborn hearing screening initiatives. There remains considerable uncertainty about how to support parents and about which services to provide for children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss. The goal of this study was to learn about parents' experiences and understand, from their perspectives, the impact of hearing loss in the mild range on the child's functioning. Parents of 20 children in Ontario, Canada, participated in the study. The median age of identification of hearing loss was 4.6 months (interquartile range: 3.6,10.8). Parents appreciated learning early about hearing loss, but their experiences with the early process were mixed. Parents felt that professionals minimized the importance of milder hearing loss. There was substantial uncertainty about the need for hearing aids and the findings suggest that parents need specific guidance. Parents expressed concerns about the potential impact of hearing loss on their child's development, particularly at later ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a history of conceptual contributions to reducing health inequalities by addressing the social determinants of health (SDH), Canadian governmental authorities have struggled to put these concepts into action. Ontario's-- Canada's most populous province--public health scene shows a similar pattern. In statements and reports, governmental ministries, professional associations and local public health units (PHUs) recognize the importance of these issues, yet there has been varying implementation of these concepts into public health activity. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the key features responsible for differences in SDH-related activities among local PHUs. We interviewed Medical Officers of Health (MOH) and key staff members from nine local PHUs in Ontario varying in SDH activity as to their understandings of the SDH, public health's role in addressing the SDH, and their units' SDH-related activities. We also reviewed their unit's documents and their organizational structures in relation to acting on the SDH. Three clusters of PHUs are identified based on their SDH-related activities: service-delivery-oriented; intersectoral and community-based; and public policy/public education-focused. The two key factors that differentiate PHUs are specific ideological commitments held by MOHs and staff and the organizational structures established to carry out SDH-related activities. The ideological commitments and the organizational structures of the most active PHUs showed congruence with frameworks adopted by national jurisdictions known for addressing health inequalities. These include a structural analysis of the SDH and a centralized organizational structure that coordinates SDH-related activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, mental health care systems have identified recovery as the underlying philosophy for practice and policy in mental health care, although establishing a specific definition of recovery is still work in progress. This mixed-methods study explored the meaning and scope of recovery from the perspective of people diagnosed with mental illnesses. Sixty-five individuals self-identifying as diagnosed with schizophrenia completed measures of recovery, symptom level, insight into illness, hopelessness and internalised stigma. In addition, twenty people participated in a semi-structured interview focused on how diagnosis affected their personal and social experiences. Regression analyses based on the quantitative data and thematic analysis of the qualitative data indicated stigma is a major barrier to recovery. However, recovery can be promoted by integrated biomedical, psychological, social and political processes. Qualitative findings suggested that an important component of recovery is feeling empowered and entitled to full participation in social environments. This study suggests that recovery-oriented social work interventions should be directed at promoting social citizenship for people diagnosed with mental illness, combating stigma, and creating the psychological and social environments for finding meaning and hope after receiving a diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 virtual reality (VR) video games are promising rehabilitation options because they involve motivating, full-body movement practice. However, these games were designed for recreational use, which creates challenges for clinical implementation. Busy clinicians require decision-making support to inform game selection and implementation that address individual therapeutic goals. This article describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a knowledge translation (KT) resource to support clinical decision making about selection and use of Kinect games in physical therapy. The knowledge-to-action framework guided the development of the Kinecting With Clinicians (KWiC) resource. Five physical therapists with VR and video game expertise analyzed the Kinect Adventure games. A consensus-building method was used to arrive at categories to organize clinically relevant attributes guiding game selection and game play. The process and results of an exploratory usability evaluation of the KWiC resource by clinicians through interviews and focus groups at 4 clinical sites is described. Subsequent steps in the evaluation and KT process are proposed, including making the KWiC resource Web-based and evaluating the utility of the online resource in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study about hiring and training staff from the local geographic and cultural community was conducted with aboriginal family services agencies within a large Canadian inner city. Forty-four participants provided ninety-three unique responses to the question: what are the benefits of working in your community? Participants grouped their responses and groupings were analysed using a concept mapping procedure. Results showed benefits in nine areas, including: having a sense of belonging, helping each other out, having the trust of their neighbours, knowing local realities, being part of established networks, building from within the community, shared values and similar experiences, as well as contributing to supportive organisations in the area. These results were compared and contrasted with the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research investigating the practices of and barriers to provision of post-placement adoption support is sparse and has primarily focused on the perspectives of adoptive parents. This pilot study aims to contribute to this limited literature by investigating current practices and barriers from the perspective of adoption professionals. Eighteen adoption workers from two public adoption agencies in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, participated in two focus groups to discuss the post-placement supports they provide and/or utilise, as well as any barriers faced during support provision. Data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Workers identified several key challenges to providing post-placement support, including barriers both internal (systemic) and external to the adoption system. The results suggest that further research in this area is warranted, ultimately to assist in the development of strategies to overcome barriers faced by adoption workers as they attempt to provide post-placement support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Data from two surveys on surveys in Waterloo, Ontario were used to assess attitudes toward the survey. Questions in the two surveys inquired into motives for refusing/consenting to interviews; attitudes toward past experience with surveys; likes/dislikes of form of contact, question format, and topic; perception of social pressure to respond to surveys; views on the social legitimacy of polling and on legislative controls for surveying. The surveys also collected response histories. Analysis of the attitudes began with a factor analysis of 12 items, which identified four factors descending from the general to the particular. It was found that attitudes are related to exposure to surveying, i.e., the more times a person reports requests for survey cooperation, the more unfavorable is his or her attitude toward the method. On the whole, however, the author finds that the evidence presented belies pessimistic views about surveys on surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]