This study investigated the relationship of unemployment, family support, and mental disorder to the recidivism of incarcerated females in a Georgia State Prison. The research hypothesis of the study was: unemployment, family support and mental disorder are significantly related to the recidivism of incarcerated females in a Georgia State prison. Two hundred and seventy-two female prisoners, consisting of randomly selected first-time and repeat offenders, participated in the study. The questionnaire used in the survey had three sections with a total of forty-six questions. Professional counselors, under the supervision of the researcher, administered the questionnaire to the participants. The statistical procedures used to describe and analyze the data included descriptive measures, correlation analysis and the chi-squared distribution. The findings of the study indicated that the three variables: unemployment, family support and mental disorder are significantly and highly correlated with recidivism.

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This study examined the predictors of independent living outcomes among community–living older women who received informal care. The central hypothesis was that older women’s level of functioning is influenced by their relationship with their informal caregiver. The study attempted to understand the independence of older women through the perspective of both informal caregivers and the older women themselves. The following eight variables were measured: 1) the older women’s independence (dependent variable); 2) the relationship between older women and their informal caregivers (independent variable); 3) roles of both the informal caregiver and older women (independent variable); 4) the older women’s attitudes toward aging (independent variable); 5) the older women’s age identity (independent variable); 6) the older women’s health (control variable); 7) the older women’s level of social support (control variable); and 8) the older women’s level of depression (control variable). The variables were measured from the perspective of the older woman herself and her informal caregiver. This study used an ecological and developmental framework along with role theory to understand the interaction among the aforementioned variables through a cross-sectional design. The recruited older women participants of this study were receiving ongoing care and personal assistance from two large home care agencies located in Miami, FL. An analysis was conducted through a mixed-methods incorporated into the study design. The present study aimed to contribute to the understanding of how the relationship between older women and their informal caregivers influences older women’s ability to maintain independent outcomes. The primary finding of this study was that there were both positive and negative experiences within the relationship dynamic of older women and their informal caregivers and that this relationship was either unidirectional or bi-directional.

<p>Receiving equitable access in order to participate in post-secondary education is often a struggle for students with disabilities. This issue is not only alarming for the field of social work but also for post-secondary schools of social work. Literature that examines the challenges that students with disabilities encounter often reinforces a bio-medical model perspective, which consequently can further marginalize this population. In contrast, this research study is guided by a social model understanding of disability and conceptualizes disability as an act of social oppress ion. Using a critical disability framework, this thesis examines the personal experiences of students with disabilities to gain a better understanding of how the McMaster University School of Social Work supports its students with disabilities in regards to inclusion and their academic needs.<br /> This thesis examines students with disabilities' experiences in areas such as the admissions process, academic accommodation s, disclosure, classroom setting, field practicum, faculty/administration support, and feelings of inclusiveness. Findings suggest that students with disabilities experience discrimination and their rights being violated by faculty and field placement staff members in regards to disclosure of their disability and obtaining accommodations. These issues seem to stem more from a lack of understanding from faculty/staff members about providing accommodations than a malicious act. Normative assumptions carried by faculty about students also seemed to contribute to students with disabilities' rights being violated. This research study also supports the literature that students with disabilities often have to engage in extra work in comparison to their non-disabled peers. The implications of this research stud y suggest that the McMaster University School of Social Work needs to be more proactive with addressing issues of disability. Adopting a social model understanding of disability and providing training for staff members are approaches that the School of Social Work can take to develop a more inclusive learning environment.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

<p>Of relevance to the field of intellectual disabilities is the interest in service provision that increases community inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. In response to this interest the provincial government has recently developed individualized funding models of service provision for people with intellectual disabilities (i.e. the Passport program). The implementation of the Passport program has raised questions for the researcher about the effectiveness of individualized funding programs to increase overall inclusion in communities. In particular the researcher was interested in exploring how Passport recipients and their caregivers experience this shift is service provision.</p> <p>Reviews of literature related to individualized models of support in other regions have indicated that the move to individualized service can sometimes support larger neoliberal shifts in social service provision. Results indicated that the Passport recipients and their caregivers experienced increased opportunities for inclusion, as was indicated by increased opportunities for social relationships at various levels. But, the experience of positive emotional effects from social inclusion was diminished by consumeristic neoliberal influences on service provision that do not challenge societal attitudes about disability thereby the marginalization of people with intellectual disabilities.</p> <p>The results inform a need for social work to attribute more value to the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families by increasing opportunities for self determination through the promotion of self-advocacy and fostering relationships of value among people with and without disabilities. Results also warn against the erosion of service quantity and quality that accompanies shifts in service delivery which place value on neoliberal principles rather than principles of inclusion.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

<p>This research explores the impact of incarceration on women, including Aboriginal women in Ontario and in Canada. Twelve years working and volunteering in the area of women in conflict with the law led to my professional observation that incarceration exacerbated the problems women faced after they left prison. Secondly, that any attempt to help rather than further harm them must be based on an intersecting analysis that takes into account their race, class, and gender-related oppressions, given that most of these women are racialized, live in poverty, are solo parents, live with addictions, are survivors of childhood, familial and partner abuse and are in many ways marginalized. Furthermore, this observation suggested the need for a interpretive antioppressive research approach to take into account women's first-hand accounts of the problems women faced, such as poverty, abuse and discrimination that led to their incarceration in the first place.</p> <p><br />With regard to methodology, two focus groups of formerly incarcerated women were asked to share their experiences before, during and after incarceration. Participants were also asked what changes they thought were needed that might have been helpful to prevent their incarceration, while they were incarcerated and post-incarceration. It is important to state from the outset that focus group responses overwhelmingly came through the lens of Aboriginal women, hence, the need to consider both western and Aboriginal Restorative Justice alternatives.</p> <p>The group fmdings corroborate decades of research on the systemic abuse of incarcerated women. Secondly, the findings reinforce the longstanding call for costly and unaccountable 'superjails' to be largely replaced by cost-effective community-based alternatives to incarceration, namely western and Aboriginal Restorative Justice (RJ) preventative programs such as those currently provided by E. Fry Hamilton-Branch.</p> <p>An analysis of western and Aboriginal RJ Justice alternatives to incarceration from an intersecting anti-oppressive perspective suggests that they have much greater potential to meet the needs of women in conflict with the law than the current punitive and retributive prison system. That said, their potential is severely limited by factors<br />including a chronic lack of funding and the inappropriate use of RJ programs, particularly in cases of intimate gendered violence. In short, an intersecting perspective suggests that the current federal policy to 'embrace' RJ must be based on a framework that takes into account redistributive, woman-centred and culturally-sensitive RJ values. These would provide educational upgrading, employment training, substance abuse treatment, housing and counselling to pull these women out of poverty, addictions and abusive relationships when they leave prison.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

<p>The Ministry of Children and Youth Services has embarked on a Transformation Agenda that suggests a fundamental re-orientation of child welfare services in Ontario from an expert-led model to one which promotes family participation in child welfare decision making. Family Group Decision Making, also referred to as Family Group Conferencing, is an approach that encourages collaboration between child welfare workers and the family group (which includes the immediate family, relatives and friends). Alongside child protection mediation and Aboriginal approaches, Family Group Decision Making forms one of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms advanced in the Transformation Agenda as outlined in Bill 210.</p> <p>While Family Group Decision Making does facilitate conflict-resolution and will ideally significantly reduce the time spent in court over anyone case, or even in some cases, successfully divert cases from court involvement, it's fundamental purpose is as a planning tool for the family to make decisions for the safety and well-being of a child designated as at risk or in need of protection. With the advancement of the Transformation Agenda in Ontario in November 2006, it is anticipated that Family Group Decision Making will be implemented as a service in many of the fifty-three Children's Aid Societies in Ontario, and that it will be particularly useful in high-conflict, high-complex cases, although it may also be utilized in other contexts where decision making regarding a child's future is needed.</p> <p>The purpose of this study is to examine how Children's Aid Societies are implementing and carrying out the practice of Family Group Decision Making/Family Group Gonferencing as one of the three approved Alternate Dispute Resoulution methods required to be considered under Bill 210, and to examine the degree to which each of the programs studied provides a service that adheres to the Family Group Conferencing Model for Ontario.</p> <p>The study is based on indepth, face-to-face qualitative interviews with approved Family Group Decision Making coordinators involved with child welfare agencies in Ontario. The interviews explored Family Group Decision Making program design and implementation factors. Findings indicate that programs are closely adhering to the Ontario model, and that overall the coordinators who provide the service are extremely positive about this approach to working with families. Issues of debate include whether coordinators located "in-house" jeopordize the neutrality of the program, and if identifying Family Group Decision Making as an Alternative Dispute Resoulution mechanism to be utilized particularly in high-conflict, high-complex cases denies other families that would appreciate engaging in such a process as early on as possible in their involvement with child welfare.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

<p>The narratives of university graduate students with learning disabilities (LDs) are for the most part absent in the development of a life course perspective and analysis of LDs, yet an in depth qualitative study of individual stories and experiences with schooling or transition from high school to post-secondary education at this age can inform what we know about employment rates, income, and other markers of adult adjustment in the context of LDs. An insider perspective of this group may help to uncover patterns of discrimination in the dispersal of resources that lead to lower educational attainment and socioeconomic status and mental health problems, as is seen in this group.</p> <p>Specifically, this thesis aims to examine two research questions: a) What are the experiences of graduate students with LDs in a university setting?; and b) What are the implications of such experiences for policy and services for this group? I am interested in exploring the unique narratives amongst graduate students with learning disabilities from their own perspectives and understanding the implementations of such policies as the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) in light of these students' experiences.</p> <p>Two female graduate students from two different universities in the south-western Ontario area were interviewed using open ended questions. Literature of empirical studies was compared to the spirit of our government legislation for analysis of its potential effectiveness at ensuring equal opportunity for this group.</p> <p>The undergraduate experiences of the participants in this study are consistent with international literature on undergraduate experiences, adding to data that suggests that individuals with LDs who manage to gain admission to a postsecondary institution continue to be subjected to disparaging attitudes and interactions similar to the ones they endured as children. The attitudes of teachers and staff betrayed ignorance of facts regarding LDs, leading to judgments such as that they are intellectually inferior, lazy, and unworthy of attention or of accommodations that are their legal right.</p> <p>Participants discussed their more recent graduate experiences, the context of which sometimes differed in noteworthy ways from that of their undergraduate experiences. As graduate students they emphasized their belief that the most worrisome and discriminatory experiences were those related to unreasonable delays in the provision of accommodations, the delivery of financial aid, and the delivery of technological aids. This included problems such as vague, complicated, and excessively time consuming rules and processes, as well as rules that seem to be structured so as to disqualify individuals with LDs from receiving resources or help, rather than, as might reasonably be hoped, identifying those who should be granted help, and policies and procedures that work to create a substantially larger financial burden.</p> <p>It is suggested that the AODA has not been effective as a tool for disseminating truth and knowledge and eradicating discrimination against individuals with LDs, and that interactions with individual staff members may not only evidence the discriminatory beliefs of that individual, but of the system or department that he or she represents as well. Suggested changes include: mandatory education and awareness training for post secondary instructors; the implementation of Universal Design of Instruction and needed infrastructure; and the implementation of clear procedures and penalties for non compliance that do not place the onus on the student to report incidents or secure and provide proof.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)