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Analysis of the transcript of a social worker's interview with a five-and-a-half-year-old girl allegedly sexually abused by a man focuses on how the interview was conducted and elements that suggest it should not be used as testimony. First, inconsistencies in the transcript that cast doubt on the child's reliability are noted, and the truth of the accusation is called into question. Second, flaws in the manner in which the interview was conducted, which resulted in an inaccurate account of the events of the case, are analyzed. Types of questions asked by the social worker and the presuppositions they entailed are then examined, and instances that do lend support to the child's charge of being sexually abused are discussed. It is concluded that information crucial to making a strong case against the alleged molester was not elicited, because clear answers were not received for several questions. The testimony remained unclear, confused, or conflicting. Reconstruction of the events according to the interview suggests that while something happened to the child, the language of her testimony did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was guilty of molestation. Salient excerpts of the interview transcript are appended. (MSE)

A project was undertaken to identify the training and resources family support workers need to strengthen the programs they provide for young adolescents and their families. Results were designed to help shape the development of training and resource materials for family support workers nationwide. Potential survey respondents were on the Family Resource Coalition mailing list. Responses from 659 program directors or other administrators and staff represented a 10% response rate from the original mailing list. More than half the programs identified themselves as urban, but 32% were rural. Nearly half were locally oriented, and nearly half served multiple communities. The majority of surveyed workers said that they needed to do more to meet the needs of young adolescents and their families, especially in the areas of personal growth counseling, mentoring, and community service opportunities. Responses also indicated that a significant minority of these workers, from 30 to 50%, misunderstand critical aspects of young adolescent development. Nearly all respondents believed that training and resources in various content areas would be useful, and most were willing to attend brief training sessions. The other kind of key assistance, beyond training, that these workers wanted was help networking with others. (Contains 22 tables and 10 references.) (SLD)

This report examines the supply of and demand for health care professionals in the state of Georgia, including information on education, demographics, and workforce changes. Supply data analyzed included licensure and certification records; a survey of Georgia's major health care institutions provided demand data. Additionally, institutions of higher education were contacted for graduate and enrollment data. Data reported include vacancy rates, practitioner-to-population ratios over time, educational productivity, urban and rural comparisons, and projections of future demand and growth. An introductory chapter is followed by a chapter on trends in population and health care resources. The remaining chapters report on the supply of and demand for the following professions: physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, licensed practical nurses, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, respiratory therapists, radiologists, radiation therapists, specialists in diagnostic medical sonography, specialists in nuclear medical technology, medical technologists, health information administrators and technologists, specialists in surgical technology, dietitians, pharmacists, and social workers. A concluding chapter notes growth in training programs and supply of health care workers across all fields. (Contains approximately 75 references.) (DB)

This General Accounting Office study, commissioned by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, reflects concerns about rising caseloads and long-term dependence on welfare programs, such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Attention has been focused the United State's welfare system, particularly on the rising number of teenage mothers. The forces that place a young teen girl at serious risk of long-term welfare receipt begin very early. Recent reports have noted positive association between growing up in an adverse environment, such as an abusive family or an impoverished neighborhood, and future cognitive, behavioral, and physical functioning. However, the current mix of education, health, and social support programs has been unable to mitigate the effects of multiple family problems and deteriorating neighborhoods on the children being raised in these environments, particularly young teen girls. Consulted community service providers found services for at-risk girls aged 10-15 were limited, and services available were often provided after problems reached the crisis stage. To better serve area residents, some neighborhoods are organizing coalitions which, in come cases, have had a positive effect on neighborhood children. New service delivery strategies are discussed. (JBJ)

This journal issue focuses on family service clinical responses to infants and families. In "The Therapeutic Relationship as Human Connectedness," Jeree H. Pawl stresses the importance of caregivers creating in children the sense and experience of human connectedness that arises from the feeling of existing in the mind of someone else--that is, being noticed, spoken to, protected, appreciated. In "'She Does Love Me, Doesn't She?'" Deborah J. Weatherston describes a program in which infant mental health specialists provide in-home services to infants and families that are psychologically and socially at-risk for neglect or abuse. Important support strategies are also identified. In "Using the Principles of Infant-Parent Psychotherapy To Change the Context for Children at Risk," Brenda P. Jones demonstrates that what clinicians do will matter to families at high environmental and individual risk, and that a clinician can deal with psychological issues and adapt traditional methods for families at risk; three primary therapeutic principles are identified. In "A Home-Based, Family Systems Approach to the Treatment of African-American Teenage Parents and Their Families," JoAnn Tatum and others describe a home-based family therapy program for adolescent parents and their extended families. The article suggests cultural issues relating to families and systemic intergenerational family issues relating to teen pregnancy must be discussed in relation to the African-American experience. In "The Interweaving of Neuropsychological Dysfunction and Psychological Conflict," Lois M. Black argues that neuropsychological conditions (brain-based dysfunctions) play a role in children's behavior and development, and that neuropsychological dysfunction and psychological conflict interact. Annotated lists of publications and videotapes included. Some articles contain references. (TM)

In an attempt to improve services to rural populations, distance education has become an increasingly popular form of continued training to adult audiences. The increasing workplace demands on social workers require a feasible solution to providing on-the-job training for those who reside in both urban and rural areas. Social workers need to know more information to keep up with changing policies and provide quality services, while at the same time increased responsibilities make it more difficult to leave the office for training or education. Following a needs assessment, multimediated training for social work professionals was planned. The first of 10 modules was designed, developed, and beta tested prior to field placement, and this paper reports the results of the beta test aimed at checking the perceived quality of the multimedia lesson. The trainees were social workers who lived in rural areas and the developers were a team of people with various professional skills. In general, the subjects responded favorably to the multimedia training. The design adjustments recommended from the beta test can be categorized into three areas: content; instructional design; and technical integrity. (Contains 33 references.) (Author/AEF)

This paper addresses some design considerations for computer-produced visual displays that are intended for either local or remote audiences of social workers. The project, "Building Family Foundations," expects to design and produce 10 different educational modules, including: child development; family issues--separation and attachment; family based treatment strategies; legal issues and court procedures; professional ethics; practice skills I and II; stress management; abuse and neglect; and adolescents. Many considerations must be made in the design process: Who is the audience? How should the modules be used? module product components; features; screen design; movement logical flow; team approach; features; and video master tape format. Information display can be organized into three perspectives within the image, structure, meaning, and impact, and each of those is discussed. The "Building Family Foundations" project incorporates the best features of multimedia instruction, and hopes to enhance learning through good instructional design and appropriate use of visual imagery. (Contains 30 references.) (MAS)

Personal autonomy is a fundamental ideal in American culture. When the autonomy of a person with reduced capacity is restricted or limited by law and a guardian is appointed, the issue becomes critical to our understanding of social justice. Preservation of autonomy remains a core social value even while the legal system moves to erode personal autonomy as a response to diminished legal capacity. This article attempts to make clear the seeming conflict between legal values and social values regarding autonomy. The aim of the article is to provide professional guardians and officers of the court with an understanding of autonomy that allows for reconciliation of these two perspectives. Contains 23 references. (Author)

Social workers write under many and varied pressures. A study examined the writing tasks and challenges facing social workers. An open-ended questionnaire was administered to 16 social workers in the Boston area--half were clinicians, and half were administrators/clinicians. The questionnaire was divided into three sections: a description of writing tasks, a description of writing practices, and a description of the education and/or training that prepared the participants for these writing tasks. Results revealed that social workers view writing as essential to their profession, yet many have difficulty meeting their professional writing demands. One major concern for this sample was balancing three challenges: working with confidential material, producing under tight time constraints, and writing for multiple audiences. Findings suggest that social workers not only desire but would also benefit immensely from ongoing writing instruction geared specifically to their profession. As the profession places increasing importance on effective writing in the future, it is imperative that social workers become strong, competent, and confident writers. To achieve this goal, writing instructors and social workers can join forces in both the academic and professional realms. (Author/NKA)

The Kansas State Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services contracted with the Kansas State University Social Work and Special Education programs to develop a series of training modules for child welfare workers that would emphasize training needs of workers in rural parts of the state. This article describes the needs assessment process, which included workers themselves as a primary source of knowledge about their needs, and addresses the training plan. Subjects were approximately 75 supervisors and 495 social workers in Kansas who met in focus groups to determine training priorities and delivery issues. Data indicated a strong preference for interactive training that stressed variety. The videotape and workbook of the state's basic training format was considered a helpful way to deliver information. High priority needs were identified, and units of study were defined. Project directors chose a multimedia training with videodisc, computer, and paper-based materials. Content area specialists are involved in learning about the media and how to use them effectively. The use of interactive videodisc-based instruction holds promise for delivering effective training. One table summarizes group responses. (Contains 4 references.) (SLD)

In 1989 the Knox County (Tennessee) Schools opened The Center School as an answer to the dropout problem. The Center School was to feature open entry and exit, self-paced work schedules, flexible scheduling, a school-to-work component, on-site counselors and social workers, and individually designed graduation programs through which dropouts aged 17 to 19 could earn a regular high school diploma. In the first 3 years, approximately one-third of the students dropped out, but no appreciable differences could be seen between these students and those who continued when background, credits, success, and skill levels were compared. A 2-item survey was developed to study student perceptions of the school and the values they put on the diploma, as well as future plans and their views of beneficial program components. Ninety-one graduates returned the survey and 52 dropouts responded. Results indicate that both leavers and graduates had pleasant experiences at The Center School. The only difference in perceptions was that graduates, who appeared to hold better jobs, perceived that they had a future with their present employers and could work long-term for them. In general, the factors that caused students to leave were beyond the control of the school. Seven tables present study findings. (Contains 11 references.) (SLD)

This report discusses: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy requiring that foster care training costs be allocated proportionately between the Social Security Act Title IV-E foster care program and other programs; (2) adherence to this cost-sharing policy; and (3) the effect of cost-sharing on states' training programs. It was found that two of five states reviewed, New York and Illinois, do not allocate foster care training costs between the IV-E program and other programs, but charge all training costs to the IV-E program. California, Arizona, and Washington, in accordance with federal policy, charge only a portion of costs to the program. Four appendixes provide information about changes in funding for Section 426 child welfare training grants and about Children's Bureau staffing and qualifications, comments from the Department of HHS, and a list of major contributors to the report. (MDM)

The objective of this program, which was created in response to the emergency situation in New York City's Community School District 3, was to train all guidance counselors, social workers, and nurses in the district to develop the skills to deliver substance abuse prevention counseling and support services. Program sponsored training was to be evaluated through administering pretests and postests to participants. In addition, observations of counseling methods and prevention services were to be conducted to assess the ability of staff to translate program training into job appropriate skills. A total of 14 staff development activities were held for guidance counselors, social workers, and nurses in which 196 staff members participated. The content of staff development activities met program objectives. They included information on substance abuse and related social, health, and developmental issues, strategies for providing emotional support and building self-esteem. Much of the material was age-specific, and culturally sensitive. Feedback about the workshops was furnished through evaluation forms. In general, workshop activities were highly rated. The appendix consists of five tables showing program outcomes and participant responses to workshops. (BF)

This reprint from the "Occupational Outlook Handbook" describes employment opportunities in the areas of education, social services, and clergy. Specific occupations addressed are adult education teachers, archivists and curators, college and university faculty, counselors, education administrators, human services workers, kindergarten and elementary school teachers, librarians, library technicians, Protestant ministers, rabbis, recreation workers, Roman Catholic priests, secondary school teachers, social workers, and teacher aides. For each occupation, the employment information provided includes: the nature of the work; working conditions; employment (numbers employed in field, types of placement, etc.); training, other qualifications, and advancement; job outlook; earnings; related occupations; and sources of additional information. (JDD)

Effective provision of services to disabled rural children and their families requires collaborative effort between special educators and social workers. However, such a collaborative effort is impeded by social workers' lack of knowledge about special education laws and services and about disabled children and their families. A major technological advancement in inservice training of social workers is interactive videodisc-based instruction. The pace of the individualized training is controlled by the student's demonstrated understanding of the material. This technology has the capability of allowing students to simulate the skills learned by interacting with the video image. Branching allows remediation of incorrect responses and provides for choices of relevant information, topics, and examples. Comprehensive tests assess overall understanding and skill level and students are reinstructed in those areas in which their understanding or application is low. Video-based instruction combines two inexpensive, off-the-shelf technologies: the desktop microcomputer and the videodisc player. Interactive videodisc-based instruction is being used in a curriculum development project being developed jointly by the Social Work Program and the Department of Special Education at Kansas State University. The curriculum will provide inservice training for rural social workers that covers child development, special education laws, assessment, and family and community factors. (LP)

The primary goal of the Schools Partnership Project (SPP) was to investigate whether the emotional and academic well-being of children could be improved by providing mental health consultation services to public school personnel. Licensed clinical social workers were placed at school sites to work collegially with teachers and administrators to identify the problems of stressed children and their families, to improve school personnel's ability to deal with problems, and to learn how to make effective referrals and interventions. Two licensed social workers provided mental health consultation 1 day a week for 2 years and 3 months each at 6 diverse San Francisco (California) public elementary schools. Evaluation through a quasiexperimental design demonstrated a positive impact of the mental health consultation for teachers and students. Many users of consultation services reported an increased sense of responsibility for children's learning, with increased internal locus of control, and many teachers reported increased knowledge and professional capability. Results indicate that children's self-expectations and academic achievement are related to teacher use of consultation, and that the SPP is a promising approach to improving achievement and student self-expectation. One table illustrates teacher demographics. Contains 74 references. (SLD)

The literature on stereotyping from a social-cognitive perspective has important implications for the mental health treatment of minority-group members since it suggests that the unavoidable cognitive process of categorization is implicated in intergroup biases and discriminatory behaviors. This study tested for ethnic bias against Hispanic females among licensed mental health professionals. It examined how ingroup-outgroup status of the practitioner affected this bias. A 2 (ethnicity of client) x 2 (ethnicity of subject) x 2 (gender of subject) design was used. Dade County, Florida licensed psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and clinical social workers were recruited to serve as subjects (N=99). An ethnic bias against the Hispanic client (limited to non-Hispanic therapists) was found in the prognosis rating. No ethnic bias was found in the ratings of the appropriateness of gender-stereotyped goals, although significant effects were found for sex of subject and ethnicity of subject. Overall, no systematic bias was found against the Hispanic client. The bias was limited to non-Hispanics but they made up 83% of the professionals. Future studies on ethnic bias should examine how culture is related to symptomatology and therapy issues. (Author/ABL)

In 1989, Boysville of Michigan received funding to design and implement a family reunification program that could be disseminated statewide and nationally for replication. The site for the pilot project was Detroit (Michigan) and surrounding communities, an economically depressed, urban area. The Homebuilders Model, which emphasizes children's rights to their family, child safety, families' ability to change, family strengths, and flexible, time-limited services, was utilized. Families with children just coming into the foster care system were the target population. The Boysville Program provided 3 to 5 weeks of intensive services (5-20 hours per week) before children returned home and 5 weeks of intensive services after they returned home. Homebuilders' interventions consisted of cognitive and behavioral approaches, both hard and soft services, and behaviorally specific goals. The caseload size was two families for each caseworker. The caseworkers found that the problems confronting troubled families were more extreme versions of similar problems confronting any family and that parents were highly motivated to get their children back. During the project, 50 families were referred to the program; 40 (80%) completed the program; and 32 were reunited with their children. Problems encountered included difficulties in convincing social service workers and juvenile court judges about the mission and goals of family reunification. Progress in accomplishing each of the project's goals is assessed. (AC)