Search results for ‘Subject term:"social policy"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 5 of 5
Variations in structures, processes and outcomes of community mental health teams for older people: a systematic review of the literature
- Authors:
- ABENDSTERN M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 16(7), September 2012, pp.861-873.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Specialist community mental health teams (CMHTs) are central to the provision of comprehensive services for older people with mental ill health. Recent guidance documents suggest a core set of attributes that such teams should encompass. This literature review explored existing evidence regarding the structures and processes of CMHTs for older people and to evaluate evidence linking approaches to effectiveness. Searches were limited to the UK for descriptions of organisation and practice. Forty-five studies met inclusion criteria of which seven provided comparative outcome data. Limited evidence was found regarding the effectiveness of many of the core attributes recommended in policy directives although their presence was reported in much of the literature. The contrast between presentation and evaluation of attributes is stark. Whilst some gaps can be filled from related fields, further research is required to evaluate the impact of team design on service user outcomes in order to inform future guidance.
‘What counts is what works’? New Labour and partnerships in public health
- Authors:
- PERKINS Neil, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Policy and Politics, 38(1), January 2010, pp.101-117.
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
Partnership working has been a central feature of New Labour's approach to the delivery of health and social policy since 1997. A number of partnership-based initiatives have centred on reducing health inequalities and improving health. This article reports on the findings from a systematic review of the impact of partnership working on public health, and considers whether these partnerships have delivered better health outcomes for local or target populations. The types of partnerships identified by the search and reviewed are: Health Action Zones, Health Improvement Programmes, Healthy Living Centres, New Deal for Communities, and the National Healthy School Standard. This review finds that there is little evidence that partnerships have produced better health outcomes for local or target populations or reduced health inequalities, and concludes that the time has come for an assessment of not merely the alleged benefits of partnership working but also their limits.
RCTs for policy interventions?: a review of reviews and meta-regression
- Authors:
- OLIVER Sandy, et al
- Publisher:
- University of London. Institute of Education. Social Science Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 218p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Within the social sciences there is debate about the relative suitability of Randomised Controlled Trials and non-randomised studies (NRSs) for evaluating public policy interventions. This review aimed to determine whether RCTs provide the same effect size and variance as NRSs of similar policy interventions; and whether these findings can be explained by other associated factors. Analyses of methodological studies, empirical reviews, and individual health and social services studies were undertaken to investigate the relationship between randomisation and effect size of policy interventions. Results found that prior methodological reviews and meta-analyses of existing reviews comparing effects from RCTs and nRCTs suggested that effect sizes from RCTs and nRCTs may indeed differ in some circumstances and that these differences may well be associated with factors confounded with design. Re-sampling studies offer no evidence that the absence of randomisation directly influences the effect size of policy interventions in a systematic way. No consistent explanations were found for randomisation being associated with changes in effect sizes of policy interventions in field trials.
Does 'welfare-to-work' work? A systematic review of the effectiveness of the UK's welfare-to-work programmes for people with a disability or chronic illness
- Authors:
- BAMBRA Clare, WHITEHEAD Margaret, HAMILTON Val
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 60(9), May 2005, pp.1905-1918.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Welfare-to-work programmes promoting employment of people with a disability or chronic illness are an expanding aspect of welfare reform in the UK. This paper presents a systematic review of the evidence of the impact of UK policy initiatives on employment outcomes Both quantitative and qualitative studies were identified: 5,399 abstracts were located, from which 16 studies were critically appraised. Overall, each of the five main welfare-to-work strategies operating in the 1990s helped people with disabilities into work, who were previously on benefits. The proportion of participants gaining employment after involvement ranged from 11% to 50%, dependent on characteristics of participants, such as ‘job-readiness’, as well as wider labour market context. As most studies were uncontrolled, it was difficult to determine if the improved employment chances were due to the effectiveness of the welfare-to-work interventions themselves or to external factors. Wider impact, such as uptake of schemes as a proportion of the total target population, was weak. The qualitative components identified barriers and facilitators concerned with effective implementation, to aid design of future initiatives.
The impact of social assistance programs on population health: a systematic review of research in high-income countries
- Authors:
- SHAHIDI Faraz V., et al
- Journal article citation:
- BMC Public Health, 19(2), 2019, Online only
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central Ltd
Background: Socioeconomic disadvantage is a fundamental cause of morbidity and mortality. One of the most important ways that governments buffer the adverse consequences of socioeconomic disadvantage is through the provision of social assistance. This study conducted a systematic review of research examining the health impact of social assistance programs in high-income countries. Methods: Systematic searched of Embase, Medline, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to December 2017 for peer-reviewed studies published in English-language journals. This study identified empirical patterns through a qualitative synthesis of the evidence. This study also evaluated the empirical rigour of the selected literature. Results: Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen descriptive studies rated as weak (n = 7), moderate (n = 4), and strong (n = 2) found that social assistance is associated with adverse health outcomes and that social assistance recipients exhibit worse health outcomes relative to non-recipients. Four experimental and quasi-experimental studies, all rated as strong (n = 4), found that efforts to limit the receipt of social assistance or reduce its generosity (also known as welfare reform) were associated with adverse health trends. Conclusions: Evidence from the existing literature suggests that social assistance programs in high-income countries are failing to maintain the health of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. These findings may in part reflect the influence of residual confounding due to unobserved characteristics that distinguish recipients from non-recipients. They may also indicate that the scope and generosity of existing programs are insufficient to offset the negative health consequences of severe socioeconomic disadvantage. (Edited publisher abstract)