Irrespective of the setting within which he works, the social worker is likely to encounter children who are not making progress in school because of difficulties with reading. Such children tend to become "problem children," and to find their way into Child Guidance Clinics and Juvenile Courts. Retardation in reading makes school work progressively more difficult for the child, since, as he advances in grades, his success in all subjects tends to depend more on reading ability. As he experiences failure in his school work, he is apt to lose interest in it and eventually leave school before he has reached a level of attainment consistent with his actual native capacities.

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disease which requires active participation by the patient in order for treatment to be effective. Because of the responsibility which must be placed upon the diabetic and the nature of the symptoms of the disease as well as its complications, it is reasonable to expect that such an illness would create special problems for those who have it. The provision of adequate instruction to permit diabetics to carry out the treatment prescribed is a prime requisite. Some degree of intelligence is necessary to absorb the instruction given.

Volunteers are an integral part of the community organizing movement. This thesis explores the issue of popular involvement in community organizations by examining the reasons why people get involved and what barriers limited participation in the Social Justice Committee of Montreal (SJC). This thesis is based on an exploratory case study. The data is mainly derived from one-on-one interviews with SJC volunteers. The main finding is that factors such as being invited to join by a friend and participating in popular education presentations had a positive impact on volunteer involvement. The thesis argues that community organizers can build trust amongst volunteers by offering them space for dialogue and personal initiatives within the organization. Implications for social work practice, policy and education are also offered. / Les bénévoles font partie intégrante des organismes communautaires. Ce mémoire s'intéresse au phénomène de l'implication bénévole au sein de ces organismes en s'attardant particulièrement aux raisons ayant emmené différentes personnes à s'impliquer auprès du Comité pour la justice sociale (CJS) de Montréal ainsi qu'aux obstacles ayant pu limiter leur implication. Une étude de cas exploratoire a été menée en analysant le contenu d'entrevues réalisées avec des bénévoles du CJS. Les résultats de cette étude ont démontré que des facteurs tels le fait d'être invité par un ami à faire part de l'organisme et la participation à des ateliers d'éducation populaire ont eu un impact positif sur l'implication de ces personnes. Ce mémoire souligne donc l'importance de créer des liens de confiance entre les bénévoles même en leur offrant un espace de discussion et en les invitant à prendre des initiatives au sein de l'organisme. De plus, ces résultats ouvrent la voie à un débat sur les pratiques de service social en général ainsi que sur les implications politiques et éducationnelles de l'engagement communautaire.

This study examined the effect of interdisciplinary discharge planning rounds on timing of social work intervention, length of stay (LOS), and readmission for patients aged 65 and over. Data sources were the medical charts of 449 patients discharged during two corresponding 28 day periods (one before end one after the implementation of rounds) supplemented by Discharge Planning Committee minutes (DPCM) and interviews with four key informants. No significant differences in the timing of social work intervention, LOS, or readmissions were found between the two samples. Qualitative research revealed that essential components were either missing (physician participation), or not uniformly included (family participation) in rounds, and that staff felt that rounds improved communication among the disciplines and contributed to improved efficiency in planning hospital and posthospital services. These findings highlight the need to further study all aspects of the complex discharge planning process to identify factors that would reduce LOS and readmissions.

This study examined job satisfaction among social workers in a correctional environment. A model was derived that defines job satisfaction as an attitude based on environmental and personal factors. The purpose of this research project was to examine what factors based on the model, lead to job satisfaction within the Ministry of Public Safety and Security using the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1997). Questionnaires and surveys were sent to all social work and psychology staff employed in a correctional institution across Ontario. Results support the model that both environmental and personal factors influence the perception and assessment of job satisfaction. Overall the majority of social workers working within the Ministry reported being satisfied (M = 115.0, SD = 27.3); however, psychology staff reported greater job satisfaction (M = 137.9, SD = 21.3). For social workers, supervision, co-workers and the work itself were the factors that related to job satisfaction. Working conditions, communication, contingent rewards and opportunities for promotions were related to dissatisfaction. The proposed model offers suggestions to human service organizations that wish to improve recruiting and retention of social workers.

Children who experience trauma due to exposure to domestic violence are at risk of both physical and emotional harm and may exhibit symptoms of trauma that impact their functioning. This raises questions regarding the number of children who do exhibit symptoms and whether child protection workers document these symptoms during the post-investigative stage of service delivery. The present study examines the documentation of child symptoms in a review of 70 files in which children were receiving ongoing child welfare services due to exposure to domestic violence. The results of the file review indicate that children who have been exposed to domestic violence continue to exhibit symptoms during the post-investigative stage. However, there were very few cases in which the child protection worker attributed these symptoms to the trauma the child experienced. Practice implications, including the need for increased training for both trauma and assessment, are discussed. / L'exposition des enfants à la violence conjugale constitue une forme de mauvais traitement psychologique, dont certaines manifestations sont reconnues dans les typologies de la maltraitance physique et émotionnel. De plus, ces mêmes enfants évoluent dans un climat violent qui leur occasionne des symptômes reliés au trauma ayant un impact sur leur fonctionnement. Nous nous sommes intéressés à savoir si l'intervenant qui mène une évaluation en protection de la jeunesse tient compte de ces symptômes à la conclusion de son enquête et fait le lien au trauma. Cette recherche dépouille au-delà de 70 dossiers d'enfants exposés à la violence conjugale et passe en revue la documentation des intervenants cherchant spécifiquement la notation des symptômes et le trauma. La recherche conclut en soulignant d'abord que le trauma persiste chez les enfants suivant une exposition à la violence conjugale et qu'il s'avère souvent difficile pour l'intervenant de reconnaître le lien entre les symptômes manifestés et le trauma. Des pistes d'intervention, incluant la nécessité d'une formation plus approfondie au niveau de l'impact du trauma et de l'évaluation sont également discutées.

Social scientists have been interested in studying families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) for decades. Theoretically, parenting occurs in a family context. Yet, little is known about this relationship from an empirical standpoint among parents of children with NDD. This project draws on studies selected from the larger Parenting Matters! systematic literature review on parenting children with NDD using a protocol with specified inclusion and exclusion criteria to explore what is currently known about the relationship between family environment and parenting of children with NDD. A secondary objective was to review articles that met inclusion/exclusion criteria for additional correlates of parenting. A database of 514 studies was searched for articles that contained a parenting and family measure. Using a family and parenting typology, each article was coded for different aspects of the design, method and findings. These were analyzed and synthesized to generate a representation of current knowledge. Forty-eight studies were selected from the larger collection of studies in the systematic review. Twenty-one studies examined family environment variables in direct relation to different aspects of parenting. A significant proportion of the measures used in the studies were over 20 years old. Additional correlates of parenting included the severity of the child's diagnosis or impairment, child externalizing behaviors, parental depression and availability of informal supports. The importance of the family environment in relation to parenting was established, however, it was not possible to draw conclusions around strength or effect size of the relationship of these concepts. A meta-analysis is recommended to further explore this research question. / Ce projet vise à souligner de quelles façons les aspects de l'environnement familial influencent les pratiques parentales des parents d'enfants atteints de troubles neuro-développementales (TND). En se référant à des études sélectionnées à l'intérieur d'une recensement de la littérature systématique effectuée pour le projet "Parenting Matters !" et en utilisant un protocole de recherche ayant des critères d'inclusion et d'exclusion précises, ce projet vise à souligner les aspects les plus importants à considérer dans cette relation de variables. Un recensement de la littérature systématique a été réalisé sur la relation entre l'environnement familial et les pratiques parentales d'enfants atteints de TDN. Les articles d'études sélectionnés pour cette analyse devaient répondre aux critères suivants : (i) le type et le but de l'étude, (ii) l'échantillonnage de l'étude, (iii) les variables et les instruments utilisés, (iv) les conclusions significatives sur le rapport entre l'environnement familial et les pratiques éducatives des parents et (v) les autres variables significatives et importantes liées à la question. Les résultats significatifs de chaque étude ont étés synthétisés en utilisant un système de codification conceptuel développé pour le projet "Parenting Matters!" Quarante-huit (48) études ont été choisies parmi une plus grande collection d'études. Il a été possible de synthétiser les conclusions des études en utilisant le système de codification conceptuel. Vingt-et-un études portaient sur l'évaluation des variables de l'environnement familial en relation directe avec les variables des pratiques parentale. Une proportion significative des instruments utilisés dans les études avait plus de 20 ans. L'importance du fonctionnement de l'environnement familial et les pratiques éducatives des parents est établie dans la littérature. Malgré qu'il ait été possible de regrouper les études selon les conceptualisations de l'environnement familial et des pratiques éducatives des parents, il n'a pas été possible de tirer des conclusions précises par rapport à la question de recherche. Une méta-analyse est recommandée pour explorer davantage cette question de recherche.

Community-based programmes are a popular approach to providing care and support to AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) as they are able to operate on a large scale and are informed by locally-appropriate responses. Using strength based and anti-oppressive theories of social work practice, this study aims to review community-based programmes for OVC in sub-Saharan Africa and explore the experiences of the targeted children and the communities in which they reside. A systematic review of literature was completed to ascertain 39 evaluations representing 29 different externally funded community-based programmes. The findings and analysis consider the strengths and limitations of local approaches, participation of local community members and the relationship between the North and South in regards to collaborative partnerships through the concepts of capacity building, ownership and power. Implications for policy, practice and theory, as well as limitations and opportunities for future research, are outlined. / Les programmes communautaires sont une approche populaire pour fournir des soins et du soutien aux orphelins du SIDA et aux orphelins et enfants vulnérables (OEV) car ils sont en mesure de fournir un service à grande échelle et ils sont informés par des réponses appropriées au niveau local En utilisant les capacités et les théories anti-oppressives de la pratique du travail social, cette étude vise à explorer la question, "Quel est l'effet des programmes communautaires pour les orphelins du SIDA et des OEV en Afrique sub-saharienne sur les enfants ciblés et les communautés dans lesquelles ils résident?" Une revue systématique de la littérature a été effectuée pour déterminer 39 évaluations représentant 29 différents programmes communautaires avec les financés par l'extérieur. Les résultats et l'analyse considèrent les points forts et les limites des approches locales, la participation des membres de la communauté locale et les relations entre le Nord et le Sud en ce qui concerne les partenariats de collaboration à travers les concepts de formation des capacités, la propriété et le pouvoir. Implications pour la politique, pratique et théorie, ainsi que les limites et les possibilités pour de futures recherches, sont présentées.

This study explored whether the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) scores of children in the care of Family and Children's Services of Renfrew County might predict foster placement outcomes. A file review was completed for 268 children, all of whom had at least one set of CAFAS scores completed, to obtain data regarding the number and types of placements they experienced. Placement categories were ranked -- in order from best alternate care option to least-desired -- by 11 agency employees. These rankings were used to calculate total weighted placements for each child as a measure of the child's foster placement experience. In regression analyses, including age, gender, and reasons for placement, CAFAS scores were found to be the most significant predictor of the number and nature of placements experienced by a child. This relationship suggests that there might be value in using CAFAS as a placement matching tool in a child welfare setting.

Social Work professionals are recognizing the problematic trend among young offenders who have a history of being cruel to animals. / A sample of 118 files from a youth serving agency were examined to determine the potential relationships between demographics and background variables, selected items from the Child Behavior checklist (Achenbach, 1991), types of crimes and styles of aggression and animal cruelty. Reported styles of aggression consisted of proactive aggression (violent youth who planned their offences) and reactive aggression (youth who commit less serious crimes and would overreact to problems). / In a stepwise regression analysis of a theoretical model, two significant predictors of cruelty toward animals were found: (1) the youths' history of proactive aggression and (2) youths' exposure to physical abuse, this latter both directly, and also as a significant predictor of proactive aggression. / Further education and training for children, caregivers and professionals is needed to increase awareness of the link between animal cruelty and human violence.