This review was undertaken to present the 1962 Amendments to the Social Security Act of the Federal Government of the United States of America; what they are; the rationale behind them; and, what they are expected to accomplish. Attention was given to the administrative problems involved in putting such an ambitious service program into effect, including those of the individual caseworkers. The impact of the program on the problem of dependency was reviewed in terms of 8$ cases, closed after the inception of the program. Answers to 2 questions were sought: 1. Did concentration on services, particularly those prescribed by the Federal Government result in termination of assistance? 2. Were the caseworkers able to make valid judgements concerning severity of problems and potential for avoiding dependency in classifying their cases? It was concluded that the majority of the case terminations were fortuitous and likely to have occurred with or without services, though service was a factor in a minor percent of the cases. Caseworker judgements, however, were found to be reasonably reliable. Some other general conclusions were also drawn concerning directions for focus of casework service and additional research. Experiences in other areas were reviewed and found not to be too different from those in Whatcom County. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Recent research in social work and the social sciences has emphasized the importance of environmental influences upon social problems, particularly those social problems that welfare programmes are designed to combat. Consequently, social welfare organizations have taken a renewed interest in activities which promote interaction and involvement of the community when providing direct services. In this study, these activities have been collectively referred to as community work. This study examined the community work done by the Department of Social Welfare of the Province, of British Columbia to determine the extent and nature of the community work activities undertaken and the variables associated with participation in community work. Using a conceptual base derived from the literature, five principal research questions were clarified and delineated: 1) What community work activities were underway? 2) How much time was involved? 3) Which staff members (social workers or supervisors) carried major responsibilities in these activities? 4) What variables influenced participation in these activities? 5) What training was relevant for participation in these activities? The research design adopted was the "descriptive study." The principal research questions were utilized in designing a mail questionnaire. This was pre-tested and then sent to all the supervisors and a stratified sample of social workers in the District Offices of the Department. Computer tabulation of the data provided frequency tables for an extensive series of cross tabulations. Rigorous tests for validity, reliability, association, and statistical significance of the data were applied. Also included in this study were brief reviews of the history and literature of community work. The major findings of the study were as follows: 1) With minor limitations, the research design was effective for the purpose of the study. 2) Virtually every staff member participated in some community work activity with considerable variations amongst the different types of activity. 3) Supervisors spent more time on a broader range of community work activities than social workers and each participated in distinctly different activities. 4) Several variables were associated with participation in community work, particularly the length of time the staff members were in the District Office and the size of the supervisors' caseloads. 5) Staff members' perceptions of the adequacy of their training varied considerably depending upon the activity examined. The study fulfilled its dual purpose of providing a detailed description of the community work done by the District Office Staff and of delineating some of the variables that were associated with participation in community work. These findings should provide considerable clarification of the operational and administrative considerations relevant to the expansion of community work. Questions were raised about what constitutes suitable training for participation in certain types of community work activity. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Issues about quality are paramount in the NHS. Part of this, is the Government's declaration of partnership at all levels with user involvement at its centre. Clinical Governance has been introduced as the mechanism to deliver quality, by encouraging professional accountability through one strategic direction. However some argue that this emphasis on clinical quality has been at the expense of users. In a management context, Garvin (1988) developed a model that consists of four views of quality. A strength of Garvin's model is that the user view is equally as important as other views. The first part of the study (M-Phil stage 1996-1999) aimed to investigate the context of the user view of quality by studying the user elements within each of Garvin's views. A taxonomy was developed using Garvin's four views of quality in order to classify the many different quality approaches and techniques in the literature. By classifying the literature in this manner, individual frameworks of quality were devised that could be used to assess approaches and techniques in any new quality models. In addition the taxonomy represented a new way of reviewing literature in this area. This coincided with the introduction of Clinical Governance within the National Health Service in 1997. The frameworks were used to assess to what extent this new development represented the four views of quality. The conclusion from this exploration was that the user view of quality remained under-represented despite the introduction of Clinical Governance. The empirical stage (PhD stage 1999-2003) aimed to investigate whether user involvement is under-represented in PCGs in the North West region of England. The major finding is that the level of user involvement is dynamic. Board members are willing to involve users in discussions and evaluation stages to a large extent compared to lower levels of involvement during priority setting and strategy formulation (key decision-making stages). The results therefore indicate that PCG Board members' interpretation of user involvement is markedly different to that of the Government. This research has contributed to the operational i sation of user involvement by providina: * The first investigation of the degree of development of user involvement agendas within the embryonic PCGs in the North West region of England; * An exploration of the extent that user involvement agendas coincide with other PCG agendas, particularly Clinical Governance; * An exploration of the views about user involvement of different professional groups represented on the PCG Boards. * The development of policy recommendations.

The purpose of this study was to obtain information regarding how people are affected by a diagnosis of genital warts/HPV. The psychosocial affects studied included emotional health, social and sexual relationships, feeling's about one's sexuality, safer sex practices and sexual behavior. 147 students (96 females and 51 males) completed the Symptom Check List 90-R (SCL-90-R) and a sexual history and demographic questionnaire. Participants were divided into three groups: students diagnosed with genital warts/HPV (HPV group), students diagnosed with a curable STD (curable group), and students with no diagnosed STD (No STD group). Thirteen students who were diagnosed with genital warts/HPV agreed to be interviewed, and each expressed recurring concerns about fear of transmission, rejection, frustration with the medical establishment and telling future partners. The qualitative findings from this study found that subjects who were older (more than 20-years-old), had more than 2 to 4 sexual partners in their lifetimes, had their first sexual intercourse at an early age (13 to 15-years-old) and only practiced safer sex "sometimes" were more likely to have been diagnosed with either genital warts/HPV or a curable STD than the No STD group. Subjects with genital warts/HPV were more likely to change their sexual behavior after a diagnosis by practicing safer sex "consistently". Some subjects reported that they had stopped being sexually active as a result of their diagnosis with genital warts/HPV. Analysis of variance was used to compare the sample means of the SCL-90-R sub-scales for the three sample groups. The most significant findings were demonstrated when subjects were evaluated by gender. The sub-scales of the curable and genital warts/HPV groups for women were both elevated. This may indicate that "curability" is not a factor affecting the psychological symptomatology of these groups. Based on these findings, the diagnosis of genital warts/HPV and a curable STD requires certain psychological assistance and patient education. People at high risk (those with multiple partners, early age at first intercourse, a history of STDs and alcohol abuse) need to be informed about genital warts/HPV, its prevalence, its virulent nature, and its medical complications. The psychosocial impact of any STD, curable or incurable, is of great importance in treating the person "systemically" to fully address all aspects of the disease.

In this qualitative research study, I examined the experiences of single parent females who enrolled or withdrew from a flagship university since the implementation of Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The research questions the study was designed to explore were: Are there differences in the students' experiences based on prior academic success and ages of children? What is the experience of current and former TANF recipients at a flagship northeastern university who have attempted to persist in college? What kind of psychological and sociological factors do students make use of to persist in college? Grounded theory was utilized to explore how women balanced the demands of parenting, school and the economic constraints they encountered while enrolled in school. The students were found to use multiple strategies to ensure that they met the requirement of the two-year time limit for TANF while attempting to complete school. This study also indicated that Tinto's theory of persistence could be used to examine the women's experience. The study found academic and social integration to be mutually interdependent for the single parent students.

This dissertation will examine the determinants of international variations in child welfare. In particular, I intend to focus on the relationship between child welfare and the distribution of power in societies. In pursuing this objective, I will proceed in four steps. First, I will identify elements to construct a holistic child welfare index (WINOCENT). Second, drawing on the chapter on literature review, I will assemble and present data on various determinants of child welfare identified in that chapter. I will sort these determinants into two broad categories: structural variables, which are not readily amenable to alternation by policy makers, at least in the short run; and the policy variables, which can be more readily manipulated. Third, I will calculate the National Performance Gaps (NPG)s for the child welfare index (WINOCENT) and the variables comprising it, by regressing them against per capita income using the ordinary least squares method. In the fourth and last stage, regression analysis will be used to examine the relationships between the dependent variable, i.e. the WINOCENT and its constituent elements, and the independent variables, i.e. the structural and policy variables.

This study in fiscal sociology explores the extractive and distributive effects of the Massachusetts State Lottery (MSL) on the state's 351 cities and towns. In Massachusetts, lottery profits are distributed as local aid that is intended to have an “equalizing” effect. This investigation was prompted, in part, by political controversy over the MSL's redistributive impact. Critics of the MSL argue that it functions as a “reverse Robin Hood,” whereas proponents stress its “fiscal friendliness” to all communities—poor and wealthy alike. This study differs from most previous lottery research in two major respects. First, it examines the tax incidence of the MSL with regard to geopolitical communities, rather than individuals. Second, it examines the MSL's distributive effects in addition to its extractive effects. Conceptualization of lottery ticket expenditure as a property of communities allows for comparison of the dollar amount paid into the MSL system by a community in relation to the amount it receives back in the form of lottery aid. Multiple regression analysis strongly suggests that the relationship between community level of affluence and per capita ticket expenditure is curvilinear, that the proportion of community income spent on lottery tickets decreases as income increases, and that the number of lottery agents per capita decreases as community affluence increases. Although no evidence is found of a “reverse Robin Hood” pattern of redistribution across all communities, a “take from the poor and give to the rich” effect is noticeable with respect to some cities and towns. This research illuminates the Lottery as a mechanism whereby the State exerts power over both individuals and communities as consumers of lottery tickets, payers of the lottery tax, and purported beneficiaries of its proceeds. It demonstrates the fruitfulness of investigating the real, as opposed to purported, effects of state finance policies. By determining who taxation and expenditure policies really benefit, how they benefit, and to what degree, sociologists can illuminate their political content and demonstrate that they are powerful tools of the State—tools that may be used to serve the interests of particular social groups, be they economic classes or geopolitical communities.

Given the growing homeless population of men, women and children in temporary housing, the researcher was interested in focusing on determining whether a grass roots organization called "Parents on the Move" was perceived by its population as a success or failure. The research paradigm that was used to conduct this study was qualitative. The study participants were interviewed in-depth and were tape recorded. Profiles of the participants were constructed. Themes, and metaphors and symbols were catalogued and coded, and then constructed into a narrative around the basic questions on which the study was based. Tables were constructed presenting frequencies and distributions on background variables and responses to the questions listed above. The major findings of the study were that the leaders defined the organization as successful, even though different individuals defined success in quite different terms. The organization was successful in making people feel good about themselves and their homeless situation. It provided support to the residents and helped improve conditions at the hotel. These accomplishments instilled in the participants the courage to handle problems on their own. It is less clear whether POM, through its protests and efforts, caused the closing of the hotel and the successful placement of the residents in permanent housing. It was also found that POM consisted of two quite different constituencies: those who were politically committed and willing to engage in social action to better their lives and those who were not politically active, who wanted to make sure that they received their social services. For those who were the more politicized, POM was a greater success than for those who were not. When the hotel was closed, many of the less politicized parents were nostalgic about life in the hotel, since services were provided on site.

Thesis advisor: Joseph Quinn / Thesis advisor: Christopher Berger / In Economics, the concept of welfare, and specifically maximizing welfare, has been an important area of study since the inception of the field. Historically economists have used single indicators, like Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or Composite Indicators, like the Human Development Index (HDI), both to compare welfare across societies and understand the welfare level within one society. This paper presents a dashboard approach to welfare as an alternative and shows how a collection of indicators listed together gives the best picture of the welfare of a society. This project considers both the philosophical and theoretical background necessary for measuring welfare as well as the economic data to argue for this dashboard approach. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

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