The purpose of this dissertation is to establish the extent to which women's membership in self-help groups and their involvement in various activities of these groups, with particular reference to Micro Credit programs, impacted their socio-economic empowerment. The objective is to study the socio-economic empowerment impact factors (evidences) in women members of micro-credit self-help groups in rural India upon the self, the family and the community. / Data selected for analyses was based on an operational model of empowerment that encompassed indicators of purported empowerment at the personal, family and community levels. The working hypotheses in quantitative analyses are that there are significant differences in income, savings, assets, expenditure, basic amenities, as well as attitudinal and behavioral changes in the rural women before and after their group membership. / The qualitative interviews helped to assess the life conditions of the women as the process of empowerment before and after their participation in self-help group micro-credit program. The qualitative interviews were to corroborate the veracity of reported progress from the survey to shed some light on the specific factors that contributed to their empowerment in line with their present quality of life at personal, family and community levels. Hence, the impact of the program is measured as the difference in the magnitude of a given parameter between the pre-and post-SHG situations by comparing the life condition of members before joining the self-help group to their condition three years after joining.

Note: / An estimated 48,000 child soldiers were involved in the violent civil war in Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2002. It is suggested that approximately 12,000 were girls. Lacking material possessions and facing other negative structural factors, the majority was in need of some form of assistance post-conflict. Although international aid response was substantial, only 500 girls entered the countrywide Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program. The remainder followed a variety of different courses. Giddens' structuration theory offers a useful theoretical framework to explore the reasons for their absence in the program, as it permits a focus on the role of structure and agencyin understanding behaviour. Social stigmatization and a gender-biased DDR program, within a broader structure of gender inequality, are identified as the principal problems . / On estime que 48,000 enfants soldats ont été impliques dans la violente guerre civile en Sierra Leone entre 1991 et 2002.11 est suggéré que prés de 12,000 d'entre eux étaient des filles. Avec des lacunes importantes au niveau matériel et faisant face a d'autres problèmes d'ordre structurel, la majorité de ces filles ont eu besoin d'une certaine forme d'assistance post-conflit. Bien que l'aide internationale ait été importante, seulement 500 filles ont été inscrites au programme national de Désarmement, démobilisation et réinsertion (DDR). Les autres filles ont suivies différents parcours. La théorie de structuration de Giddens offre un cadre théorique utile pour étudier les raisons de leur absence dans le programme car il permet de focaliser sur le rôle de la structure et de I' agence dans la compréhension du comportement. La stigmatisation sociale et une inégalité de genre au sein du programme de DDR, situe dans une structure plus généralisée d'inégalité de genre, sont identifiées comme étant les problèmes principaux .

Long term care placement consists of determining an individual's need for care and services and of allocating appropriate resources. In Quebec, this laborious process includes a standardized application form. / This study examined the work burden incurred and its cost to the system: Social workers in nine Montreal anglophone hospitals as well as in receiving resources were surveyed; the principal researcher of the 'Classification by types of program in extended care and service facilities' project was interviewed; the committee processing these forms was observed; Canadian hospitals were surveyed for comparison with Quebec. / The findings show that the application form requires unnecessary and repetitive information-gathering which consumes excessive time to complete (5.2 hours) and incites non-adherence to guidelines. The implications for streamlining this form without loss of benefit to the patient and at a considerable saving of social work time are discussed in relation to social work practice and research.

This qualitative research employed the single case study approach to review the process by which service users and the staff of a food bank successfully broke through the bureaucratic resistance and secured new premises from the City of Montreal. This study explores the capacity of weaker parties to achieve their desired goal through strategic intervention on social exchange network despite the pre-existing asymmetric power relations. The conception of goal attainment, power relations and social exchange were discussed in order to develop the research questions. Case materials were collected from multiple sources: documentary research, in-depth interviews, and observation. The findings demonstrate that internal solidarity, potential uses of coalitions and expansion of resource networks are fundamental factors for members of a subordinate group to gain power and to achieve their goals. Implications for community organization practice were drawn from the overview of the empirical findings and theoretical concepts.

Through interviews, observation of refugee hearings, the analysis of negative decisions rendered by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), and the application of communication, and social work theories, as well as discourse analysis, this study explores the effects of intercultural communication on the outcome of the refugee determination hearing. It is argued that a gap exists between the principle of cultural receptiveness at the IRB, and that which occurs in the hearing. This paradox is testimony to the difficulties of applying the international definition of a Convention Refugee to a socially and culturally-constructed refugee determination process. The political, social, and cultural context in which the IRB functions, the Board's institutional culture, which mirrors the social discourse on refugees, and the way individuals ascribe meaning to information in a culturally-defined manner, all have an impact on the outcome of the hearing, and in turn on refugee protection in Canada.

This thesis explores both modernist and poststructuralist theories of the identification process as a vehicle for understanding the makeup of individuals and their relationship with social movements. It is asserted that individuals are made up of multiple lines of identity, such as sexuality and gender, which interact with societal normative discourse. This essay develops the theory of the fractured being to account for these arrangements and asserts that individuals continually rearrange their identity in order to negotiate axiomatic activities. By demonstrating that it is possible to affect change at micro and macro levels, the fractured being retains agonistic power relations. Theories that demonstrate how individuals resist norms on a daily basis are explored through an examination of daily events, popular culture, and a qualitative interview. This thesis concludes that benefits are derived within social movements when members organise around more complex relationships rather than singular issues.

This thesis is an exploratory examination of the role of horticultural therapy with institutionalized older people. Chapter one considers the demographic trends which are taking place in Canada with respect to the aging population. The need for service provision is discussed from a social work perspective. The traditional medical and custodial models of care in institutions are critiqued and the psychosocial model, which incorporates a consideration of 'higher' needs such as quality of life and attainment of meaning, is presented as an alternative. Chapter two provides an introduction to horticulture as therapy and includes a literature review and comprehensive history of this therapeutic modality. The theoretical principles of horticultural therapy are explored, with special emphasis on its application with older people in long-term care. Chapter three presents the methodology for field research which involved phenomenological qualitative interviews with nine older people who were living in institutions. Chapter four introduces the research findings. Analysis of the narratives of these participants found that horticultural therapy offers significant benefits, including increased quality of life. Chapter five concludes with proposals for further research and social work practice implications.

A critical analysis of the power issues for women in Protestant fundamentalism, using a feminist Foucauldian framework and Schoenherr's (1987) model of religious power. Protestant fundamentalism is a patriarchal, hierarchical system which can be oppressive, controlling women and their sexuality through the following strategies: (1) specific God-concepts and religious ideology; (2) tight, rigid group boundaries; (3) rules of the dominant discourse, and (4) technologies of discipline; all of which are also internalized by women, resulting in a highly effective means of control. Implications for social work practice include ethical issues and suggestions for intervention approaches, such as support groups, social networks, crisis counselling, use of the Internet and prevention, as well as possibilities for transforming a client's oppressive religious experience to one that is emancipatory. Suggestions for social work education and research are included.

Increasing rates of infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, overdose deaths, and social concerns around injection drug use have resulted in the need to evaluate new initiatives for harm reduction in Canada. This study examined experts' views on the feasibility of, benefits of, and barriers to the establishment of safer injection rooms in Canada. The qualitative model involved interviews (N = 6) with a range of professionals in the area of addictions. Analysis of the data revealed that there is an urgent need for expanded and improved harm reduction strategies, that safer injection rooms could offer many benefits to Canadians, that several debates exist with regard to the policies and services related to safer injection rooms, and that safer injection rooms, as well as alternative initiatives, must be considered if Canada wishes to promote health among drug users and wider communities. The implications of the findings for social work and further research are discussed. Recommendations include expanded educational initiatives for professionals and the public, intensive research related to the specific Canadian context, and the establishment of a trial protocol.

There is an ongoing argument that the settlement services provided to asylum seekers in Canada are inadequate. However, the contribution of these services in general and that of shelter services has not been researched. This study sought to examine the contribution of emergency and temporary shelter services to the independent living of asylum seekers in Montreal. Using a qualitative approach, data was generated from 10 participants (service providers and former service users) of Montreal shelter. The major contribution of the Montreal shelter services was the development of social networks which former residents used to access employment and housing. Although the services contributed to the independent living of former residents such as accessing permanent housing, employment etc other external factors impeded their successful settlement in Montreal. The most important factor was employment related discrimination in the job market based on language ability, foreign academic qualifications and work experience. / Les services d’intégration inadéquats offerts aux réfugiés demandant le droit d’exil suscitent un perpétuel débat. Toutefois, peu de recherches ont été effectuées sur la contribution de ces services en général et sur les services d’hébergement.Cette étude vise à examiner la façon dont contribuent les services d’urgence et temporaires offerts par les centres d’hébergement à l’autonomie des demandeurs d’asiles à Montréal. Une approche qualitative a été utilisée pour recueillir les données provenant de dix participants qui étaient soit des fournisseurs de services, soit des anciens usagers des maisons d’hébergement de Montréal. La principale contribution des services d’hébergement de Montréal a été le développement du réseau social qui facilite, pour les bénéficiaires des services, l’accès à l’emploi et à l’hébergement. Même si les services ont contribué à l’autonomie d’anciens résidents en les aidant à se trouver un hébergement permanent, un travail, etc., des facteurs externes ont contré la réussite de l’intégration à Montréal. Pendant la recherche d’emploi, le facteur le plus marquant a été la discrimination liée au niveau de langue, à la reconnaissance de la scolarité étrangère et à l’expérience de travail.