Search results for ‘Subject term:"social policy"’ Sort:
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Decentring social policy? Devolution and the discipline of social policy: a commentary
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Charlotte, MOONEY Gerry
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Policy, 37(3), July 2008, pp.489-507.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Place of publication:
- Cambridge
Constitutional change offers the opportunity for a major departure in the nature and direction of policy, practices and governance in social policy. This article explores some of the impacts devolution has for the discipline of social policy, suggesting that devolution matters for social policy as a field of research and study and for the analysis and understanding of developments in UK social policy. It argues that devolution has a number of implications in terms of comparative and transnational social policy, new sites of analysis, the language of social policy, the production of knowledge and the development of new policy communities within the UK. It also signals new perspectives based on evolving welfare subjectivities and around questions of territorial justice. Drawing on discussions about the nature of social policy in the 1970s in particular, suggestions are made as to how new and emerging perspectives within and across the nations of the UK serve to "decentre" the social policy tradition. In essence, this article seeks to open up a debate for "theorising" the discipline of social policy through a focus on devolution.
Building the capacity of first year social work students: experiences from a South African tertiary education institution
- Authors:
- DROWER Sandra J., KLEIJN Amelia A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 28(3/4), 2008, pp.355-380.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The authors describe a three part Building Capacity Program developed for social work students in a tertiary education institution in South Africa. The programme, managed by a post graduate student of the institution, was non-credit bearing, voluntary and cost free to students. The main aim was to build the capacity of social work students considered to be at risk of not completing their studies. Its content and structure are outlined and its contribution toward educational redress at tertiary level is explored. The author also discusses the socio political context of the country and the interplay between education and social welfare in meeting the national development goals.
Teaching critical social policy in Canada: some personal reflections
- Authors:
- TANG Kwong-leung, PETERS Heather
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 28(3/4), 2008, pp.408-423.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The article discusses the problems in teaching social policy courses, a required component of all accredited degree and master’s social work programmes in Canada. Students often view the course as non essential for social work practice. There are several reasons for students not taking interest in the courses, including their abstract nature, fear of an unknown subject and a general lack of awareness of the importance of policy analysis. The article goes on to describe some key teaching strategies and assessment methods, highlighting constraints, successes and failures encountered.
Introducing social policy
- Authors:
- ALCOCK Cliff, DALY Guy, GRIGGS Edwin
- Publisher:
- Longman
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 558p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Harlow
- Edition:
- 2nd ed.
The completely revised second edition of this textbook provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the development, theoretical foundations and areas of contemporary concern in social policy and welfare. The book takes a stepped approach, introducing and contextualising basic ideas before moving on to more complex topics. It is divided into four parts. First the authors provide an historical overview of the development of the welfare state in Britain during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Next contemporary aspects of the provision of welfare are discussed. This is followed by some theoretical background to the understanding of social policy and welfare provision: philosophically, ideologically and methodologically. The book ends with an overview and examination of the key areas of social policy and welfare services. This textbook is aimed at undergraduates of social policy; both those on dedicated programmes and those on related courses where social policy is an important component, such as criminology, social work and nursing. It will also be of interest to those studying at A level.
Harold Lasswell's 'problem orientation' for the policy sciences
- Author:
- TURNBULL Nick
- Journal article citation:
- Critical Policy Analysis, 2(1), 2008, pp.72-91.
- Publisher:
- Institute of Local Government Studies
- Place of publication:
- Birmingham
Harold Lasswell's 'problem orientation' is the keystone in his concept of the 'policy sciences'. The author explains and critiques Lasswell's problem orientation in a new way, in terms of his scientific conception of problem and solution.
Families in Britain: an evidence paper
- Authors:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Cabinet Office, GREAT BRITAIN. Department for Children, Schools and Families
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Cabinet Office
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 110p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The family dominates public and policy debate and there is much discussion about the state of family in Britain. This paper assembles the key trends and sets out a framework to think about the family. The paper aims to provide a framework to take stock of family life in Britain and map recent trends and changes as well as explore future pressures on families. It also aims to understand what lies behind headline trends and to understand the implications of these. This paper and the family policy principles it sets out will hopefully stimulate further discussion which will continue to inform the Government's work and underpin the ambition for a truly family-friendly Britain.
Homelessness, social work, social policy and the print media in Australian cities
- Author:
- ZUFFEREY Carole
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work and Society: International Online Journal, 6(2), 2008, Online only
- Publisher:
- University of Bielefeld
Homelessness is a significant social problem worldwide. This paper describes an Australian study that examined print media representations of homelessness and social work, social policy and social work responses to homelessness in three Australian cities. The research included a content analysis of seven Australian newspapers and semi-structured interviews with 39 social workers employed in the field of homelessness in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The detailed results of these studies have been published separately elsewhere. This paper reports on how discourses in the print media, social policy and social work practice co-exist in constructing homelessness as a particular social problem, influencing social work responses to homelessness. The research found that individualism is central to many dominant discourses evident in the print media, social policy and social work practice, and that social work is practiced within unequal power relations embedded in organisational contexts.
Social capital and self-rated health: results from the US 2006 social capital survey of one community
- Authors:
- SCHULTZ Jennifer, O'BRIEN Maureen, TADESSE Bedassa
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 67(4), August 2008, pp.606-617.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Using data from the 2006 Social Capital Community Survey in Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, USA, associations between individual social capital measures (attitudes on trust, formal group involvement, informal socializing, organized group interaction, social support and volunteer activity) and self-rated health after controlling for individual and economic characteristics were investigated. In particular, issues of social capital as an endogenous determinant of self-reported health using instrumental variables probit estimation are discussed. After accounting for the endogeneity of these various measures of individual social capital, it was found that individual social capital is a significant predictor of self-rated health.
Stillbirth: a sociopolitical issue
- Authors:
- CACCIATORE Joanne, BUSHFIELD Suzanne
- Journal article citation:
- Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 23(4), November 2008, pp.378-387.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Stillbirth occurs in approximately 1 out of 110 births in the United States, yet little is understood about this experience. Because stillbirths are unpredictable and thus unpreventable, given the current state of science, researchers have called for more uniform definitions, a stricter postmortem protocol, standardized data collection, and increased funding to aid in prevention. The macrosystem for stillbirths includes epidemiology and public health systems that gather statistics on the incidence of stillbirth and its known causes and state record keeping related to both birth and death. Legitimation for women who have experienced stillbirth, through legislative and terminological changes, education, and research, is overdue, despite fears that related policy will trump reproductive rights. This article explores recent policy changes promoted by grassroots organizations relating to how stillbirths are recorded.
Modernising the welfare state: the Blair legacy
- Editors:
- POWELL Martin, (ed.)
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 290p.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
Tony Blair was the longest serving Labour Prime Minister in British history. This book, the third in a trilogy of books on New Labour edited by Martin Powell, analyses the legacy of his government for social policy, focusing on the extent to which it has changed the UK welfare state. Drawing on both conceptual and empirical evidence, the book offers forward-looking speculation on emerging and future welfare issues. The book's high-profile contributors examine the content and extent of change. They explore which of the elements of modernisation matter for their area. Which sectors saw the greatest degree of change? Do terms such as 'modern welfare state' or 'social investment state' have any resonance? They also examine change over time with reference to the terms of the government. Was reform a fairly continuous event, or was it concentrated in certain periods? Finally, the contributors give an assessment of likely policy direction under a future Labour or Conservative government. Previous books in the trilogy are "New Labour, new welfare state?" (1999) and "Evaluating New Labour's welfare reforms" (2002). The works should be read by academics, undergraduates and post-graduates on courses in social policy, public policy and political science.