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Examined the results of a year of collaboration and interactions between preservice teachers and social work interns in joint seminars and field-based activities within urban elementary schools. The two groups solved problems and challenges unique to urban schools in formal and informal collaborations. Results found that overall, students considered the collaboration a positive experience that provided a larger support system for addressing their needs. (SM)

Explores the unique values and characteristics of rural communities and farm families, particularly individual, family, and community factors that may protect children from potentially negative developmental effects of chronic stress or adversity. Considers community strengths in supporting children's healthy development. Identifies implications for child welfare practice in rural communities, especially the importance of assessment skills, competence in several practice areas, and respect for the special strengths of rural areas. (KB)

A nation-wide survey of adoption agencies examined policies, practices, and attitudes regarding lesbian/gay prospective adoptive parents. Attitudes and practices were found to vary as a function of agency religious affiliation. Many adoption professionals were willing to work with lesbian/gay prospective parents, and nearly 38 percent of respondents indicated that their agency had made at least one adoption placement with a lesbian or gay adult in the past 2 years. (KB)

An education and screening program is described that teaches pregnant women about child abuse and domestic violence in an attempt to break the family cycle of abuse. Using a family centered approach, the Child Protection Center Program offers a model for social workers and medical providers to address the needs of abused children and battered parents. (JDM)

This paper outlines and reflects on current procedures in Israel for requesting a late termination of pregnancy (LTP) and the subsequent decision-making processes, using data collected in 1995-97 from 183 women. Discusses the responsibility of the health system and social workers to address the need for enhanced support for women requesting LTPs. (JDM)

Discusses a study that, through a questionnaire mailed to social workers, documents the prevalence of client violence among social workers from a broad range of settings. Examines respondents' reasons for reporting or not reporting client violence to management. The majority of respondents had experienced some form of violence from clients. (BF)

Examined the nature and scope of victimization as experienced by individuals with mental illness; and what demographic and clinical characteristics played in influencing the risk among this group. Results indicate social workers should assess for experiences of victimization and better understand the effect of such experiences on individual's symptoms and functioning. (BF)

Presents results of an exploratory study of social workers' views on physician-assisted suicide (PAS), situations in which PAS would be favored, and whether there is a difference in education or training on mental health issues, ethics, or suicide between social workers who favor PAS and those who oppose PAS. (BF)

Many social workers who understand practice theory and intervention techniques feel less competent when ending their work with clients, especially in the case of clients with schizophrenia. This article emphasizes the importance of closure with this client population and provides guidelines for incorporating constructive ending processes into the helping relationship. (BF)

Despite the holistic approach inherent in the hospice philosophy, social work may be viewed as ancillary to medicine. Social work, in turn, may lack sensitivity about other professions' expertise and values and therefore be unprepared to collaborate across cultural boundaries between professions. This article outlines the barriers and proposes solutions to address them. (BF)

Interviews with 80 social workers, lawyers, adult educators, and nurses who had participated in continuing education suggested that professionals made meaning as they moved between continuing education and professional practice. Each profession framed meaning making through understanding of the nature of its professional work. (Contains 42 references.) (Author/SK)

A study explored the relationship between linguistic/cultural differences and individual achieving styles among 900 clinical social workers, including Asian Americans, Latinos, American Indians, African Americans, Jewish Americans, and Whites. Findings are related to a model of cultural competency in which cross-cultural counselor-client differences influence the relationship, clinical decisions, and outcomes. (Contains 99 references.) (TD)

Reports findings of research into the conduct of in-depth assessments of families by social workers in child protection cases in Britain. Concludes that children are only partially represented in the assessments and that much of what is learned about them is mediated by adult perspectives and actions. (Author)

Uses data from the 1994 AIDS Knowledge and Attitudes Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to illustrate that biased point estimates, inappropriate standard errors, and misleading tests of significance can result from using traditional software packages, such as SPSS or SAS, for complex survey analysis. (BF)

A survey of 72 schools for the deaf examined social workers' personal characteristics, work experiences, and job responsibilities. In comparison with other school social workers, social workers in schools for the deaf tend to handle more health and financial concerns of students and their families. Approximately a quarter of the social workers were deaf or hard of hearing themselves. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Investigated fathers' involvement in planning permanent kinship foster care for their children, examining frequency of contact between fathers and caseworkers, content of these contacts, and fathers' participation in permanency planning. Found that most fathers had no contact with caseworkers and had never participated in planning. Paternal involvement varied by family composition. (JPB)

Discusses the importance of situational factors in training program development, particularly in programs intended for professionals in the fields of mental health and social welfare. Proposes a methodological manner for selecting situations relevant to future tasks that revolve around the role the professional is expected to fulfill. (Author/LRW)

Discusses cases of problematic, unethical international adoptions that came to the attention of the International Social Service in 1999. Considers cases of unqualified social workers hired to perform home evaluations and the resulting policy changes and implementation of global standards in intercountry adoptions. (JPB)

A study of 32 nurses participating in interprofessional studies with social workers, midwives, and community workers revealed the complexity of the experience and the need for skilled facilitation. Collaborative learning required understanding of the knowledge bases, aspirations, and values of other professions. (SK)

Asked bachelor's and master's of social work students to evaluate at two points in their practicum the supervision provided by field instructors. Early in the practicum, students found helpful those supervisory activities that introduced them to the agency and clarified performance expectations. At the end, students preferred activities that helped them be self-critical and link classroom and field learning. (EV)

Surveyed social workers about their political activity. Found they are more active than the general public. Respondents engaged in a range of activities from voting to campaigning, but the most active were engaged in professional associations and were more likely to feel capable of affecting policy. This finding could provide social work educators a way to encourage political participation. (EV)

This article describes the programs for medical diagnosis of child abuse and neglect in three states and efforts to establish state-wide programs in two states. Findings indicate state funding was vital for initiation of programs, alliances with other groups were successfully used to garner support, and professional training was crucial. (Contains references.) (CR)

Discusses fieldwork's contribution to the preparation of social work practitioners in contemporary health care settings. Presents two programs that may serve as alternative models of fieldwork in such settings. Discusses their impact, including a summary of evaluations. Contends that a fieldwork structure using rotations may increase its value for students both academically and in the employment process. (EV)

A transient lifestyle, combined with emotional and behavior problems, often precipitates foster children's poor academic performance. Cooperation with child welfare workers is essential, as shown by the success rate of California's Foster Youth Services, Seattle's private social-service agency Treehouse, and New York City's Safe and Smart program. (MLH)

A secondary analysis of data from a California-wide sample of 162 American Indian, entering MSW students indicated that American Indian students demonstrated a noticeably stronger adherence toward social work's traditional mission of helping poor and disadvantaged populations when compared to all MSW students. Implications for practice with American Indian populations are discussed. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/TD)

Education level, computer ownership, and technology and information access determine one's status in the new information economy. Interventions such as community computer networks, telecommuting centers, grassroots electronic commerce, and volunteer technology corps can help Latinos and other marginalized groups overcome continued disadvantage. Social work curricula should teach students to advocate for information technology for their clients. (Contains 56 references.) (TD)

A study examined barriers to employment faced by 4,014 welfare recipients in Merced County, California. Ethnic groups differed in the importance of various barriers to workforce entry: educational attainment; family composition; and lack of work experience, vocational training, English language fluency, a vehicle, or driver's license. Asians, largely Laotian and Hmong refugees, faced the most barriers. Implications for service delivery and intervention are discussed. (Contains 32 references.) (TD)

Examines the historical and larger context of data mining and describes data mining processes, techniques, and tools. Illustrates these using a child welfare dataset concerning the employee turnover that is mined, using logistic regression and a Bayesian neural network. Discusses the data mining process, the resulting models, their predictive capability, their advantages and disadvantages, and implications for decision support. (JPB)

Details process of determining a child welfare agency's actual dollar costs directly attributed to protective services staff turnover, using the agency's human resources database and interviews with administrative personnel. Provides formulas and process for calculating specific cost elements due to employee separation, replacement, and training. Considers the value of this type of data to inform agency human resource strategies. (JPB)

Describes a child welfare program that used outcome information to support a learning organization to achieve better outcomes for children and their families. Considers factors that facilitate the use of outcome data and which should be included in an outcome orientation to management practice. (JPB)

Interviews with Native American mental health and social workers discuss how Native mental health problems are related to historical trauma and chronically inadequate mental health services. Elements of culturally relevant mental health services include locally delivered workshops, kinship foster care, tribal elders, spirituality, and Native care providers. Advice is given to Native Americans considering careers in social work. (TD)

A study involving 101 parents of children with disabilities, 199 educators, and 125 investigators found respondents had a cursory awareness of how to respond to the maltreatment of children with disabilities and were receptive to becoming more effective partners by attending training to bridge the knowledge gaps they possess. (Contains references.) (CR)