The purpose of this project was to determine whether certain personal, socioeconomic, and court-related factors are significantly related to the differential placement of delinquent and dependent children from the detention facility at the Donald E. Long Home. A stratified random sample was composed of 173 placements of children who were held in detention after a preliminary hearing. The review of literature revealed that little systematic. Information is known regarding the placement process as it is related to differential placement of children from a detention facility. A code sheet was developed for recording the information in the children’s records maintained by the court. Fourteen variables were ultimately selected for analysis of their relationship to differential placement. These variables were subjected to three statistical approaches; a descriptive analysis of the random sample, testing of the significance of each variable to the alternatives in placement by either Chi square or analyses of variance, and testing of several variables in combination by discriminant function. This study was limited by the fact that only demographic variables were tested. Although three individual variables were found to have a high degree of significance in relation to placement, the data as produced within the scope of this research project does not provide an effective placement profile. The need for additional research in the area of the differential placement process is clearly indicated. Suggestions are made for future research.

This study explores perceptions of interorganizational collaboration through an investigation of the opinions and actions of a public library and three community-based organizations. Interorganizational collaboration is often viewed as an effective strategy for accomplishing objectives that would not otherwise be possible with a single organization. Particularly for complex societal issues such as adult literacy, researchers and practitioners believe collaboration between organizations is necessary in order to achieve desired outcomes. Public libraries are engaging in collaborations also to extend their reach, establish the library’s relevance, increase community involvement, and advocate for their position as a community asset. This thesis is a case study of one such library and its community partners. In 2005, Oregon’s Multnomah County Library (MCL) developed a strategic plan that included helping adults reach their personal literacy goals. Recommendations for the implementation of adult literacy services included advice against the library becoming a direct service provider and advocated instead for the use of community relationships in order to pool resources, generate new ideas, and improve access to services. This thesis explores how MCL and three employment agencies envision and enact collaboration, and how they perceive and engage with each other as partners or collaborators. Semi–structured, open–ended interviews with central players at MCL and staff from three employment agencies formed the basis of this research. These thirteen participants represented multiple perspectives on adult literacy and collaboration in the library and its community. Participants’ responses were coded and organized according to themes found in the literature, and additional themes emerged from significant topics in the interviews. Analysis consisted of comparing and contrasting the themes with existing theory and across participants, determining patterns and relationships, and developing a framework for understanding the perceptions of collaboration held by the library and its community. Although the collaboration literature distinguishes between partnership and collaboration, the participants in this study used both terms interchangeably. However, they typically referenced and had experience with relationships between individuals (partnership) as opposed to relationships between organizations (collaboration). Participants indicated that the role of the individual, characterized by the importance of a personal connection and the effort required to engage in partnership or collaboration, was the most important factor in building working relationships. Considering that participants typically described relationships between individuals as representative of collaborations or partnership, a logical consequence is that an individual contributes significantly to the process. Other findings of this study focused on the differences between how MCL perceived its role as a partner and how the employment agency staff perceived the library as a partner. Although the community participants believed in the benefits of collaboration, they did not often pursue collaboration, and they did not see the library as a partner. Conversely, engaging with the community was part of the library’s mission, and each library participant confirmed that the goal of the library was to reach out to those who did not already know about the library. Three factors that shaped the process of partnering with the library were used as a framework for exploring the different perspectives held by the library and the community participants. Through an exploration of the library’s goals for community engagement, the library as a resource, and the library meeting community needs, this study found that the community participants perceived barriers to using the library as a resource and didn't realize that the library wanted to help them meet their needs. Implications of these findings for libraries and communities include the need for clarification of goals for collaboration and type of collaboration. Through a concrete awareness of the objectives for each collaborative endeavor, the library and community agencies can better understand the initial effort and resources required. Because the employment agencies did not see the library as a partner, the library may have to lead the process of engaging with the community, helping the community identify its needs, and explicitly linking library resources to specific community needs. Suggestions for future research include investigation into individuals who seek partnership or collaboration, specific information about initial interactions between individuals that eventually leads to collaboration, and the importance of linking the collaboration research to the public library setting.

This is a descriptive, partially exploratory study which examined the date obtained from interviews with socials workers in selected social welfare programs in regard to the father in treatment. Explored were descriptive information concerning the agency's characteristics, the type and extend of treatment offered, the involvement or resistance of the father in therapy, and the provision made for a surrogate male model in the event of the father's absence. The literature revealed that currently there is a growing body of knowledge and theory related to the father's role in the psychosocial development of the child and the consequences of his absence. It might be noted that in the past more attention has been given in theory and research to the mother's role. Through personal interviews with one professional social worker in each of eighteen selected programs in Multnomah County data were obtained with a data collection schedule used as a guide. The findings indicated that the father was interested in his child's development and more willing to participate in treatment than is generally appreciated. Although the philosophy and policy of all of the agencies recognized the importance of the father in therapy, in actual practice only a minority had been able to implement this in treatment to an extensive degree due to the lack of staff time and training. A few programs, however, did report a ratio of staff to clients which enabled them to sustain the father and his family in intensive, meaningful therapy. There are indications that more flexible agency hours need to be implemented to better enable social workers to involve the father. An emerging emphasis on innovative new methods such as total family group therapy which tends to involve the father in therapy, was reflected in the study. The data indicated that several agencies in the last few years have begun to use new methods to a significant degree, with the leadership of trained social work therapists, and that other agencies are using new methods in a moderate degree or are planning to implement these methods in the near future. The majority of agencies did recognize the need for the use of substitute male models, in some cases of father absence, but they found few available resources for the provision of this service. Although this was a general, descriptive paper only, some trends in practice regarding the father did emerge. Indications are that the father has a vital interest in his child's development, that he has shown an increasing willingness to become involved in therapy, and that there is a growing emphasis, in agencies, for the use of new treatment methods which emphasize the involvement of the father.

Childrens' Services Division of the State of Oregon is involved in a group home project. They have to date nine group homes in operation within Multnomah County. Their staff consists of a director, three social workers and the group home provider staff. The primary goal for this practicum was the development of an evaluative system that would establish descriptions of the type of client who entered the Group Home Program and some criteria for success in that program. In developing this system, it was necessary to design instruments to measure behavioral changes and attitudes and also to collect descriptive data. Such a system should be as comprehensive as possible while remaining fairly simple and easy to implement. A secondary goal was to pre-test the evaluative system and gather data for the use of the Group Home Project. The instruments could be used continuously in an on-going evaluative process with pre-test data as a standard by which to set more definite objectives and evaluation of the program. Finally the information gathered could be valuable for the 1975 Legislative review.

The purpose of this project was to obtain a preliminary description, through study of the legal files, of that group of persons who appear before the Court of Domestic Relations for a reconsideration of the custody decision made initially, at the time of divorce. A sample of 92 cases heard in Mu1tnomah County in 1965 was obtained. A survey of the literature revealed that much of what has been written on the subject of divorce and custody is primarily from a statistical or legalistic standpoint and very little bears directly on the granting or obtaining of custody or the problems encountered by the custodial or non-custodial parents and the children. A reading schedule was developed for the purpose of recording the information in the legal files maintained by the court. The characteristics of the sample group were tallied in an effort to obtain a statistical profile of that group requiring additional court appearances to settle the matter of custody. A number of hypotheses were developed and tested by means of Chi Square. Though this study was limited by the fact that no control group was used and no personal interviews were obtained, it clearly indicates the need for additional research in the area of divorce and custody and suggestions are made for future projects.

This study attempts to assess short term behavioral changes, as measured by the Hewett Behavioral Checklist in emotionally handicapped children enrolled in three of the special education classrooms.

Multnomah County, Oregon, like many other counties across the nation, faces the perplexing problem of meeting the needs of the youthful offender. Historically, and even in more recent times, juvenile court authorities have relied primarily on detention facilities to provide secure custody for youthful offenders. However, the continued increase in delinquency and a growing storm of criticism of the juvenile court have led to a re-examination of current policy and a number of proposed changes on both the national and local level. A policy change in Multnomah County with regard to detention of youthful offenders has led to the closure of some of the detention facilities at the Donald E. Long Home. The policy change was also responsible for the creation of an alternative program for the young offender. The policy change was also responsible for the creation of an alternative program for the young offender. The alternative program called the Close Supervision Program was based on the philosophy that many of the youths held in detention do not require secure custody in the county’s detention home while awaiting adjudication. The authors surveyed the literature to examine the delinquency problem in the light of “casual” factors, labeling and stigma, treatment, institionalization and alternatives to detention. This theoretical framework is provided in order to give meaning to the conceptualization of delinquency and the need for alternative programs.

The process of judicial decision-making is not well understood. This paper has tried to shed some light on that process by examining the impact of presentence report recommendations upon the sentences handed down by the judges of a circuit court. Very little empirical work has been done on this problem, even though the presentence report recommendation is generally regarded by those in the judicial system as extremely important to the sentencing process.

The Social/HMO Demonstration evaluates the feasibility of expanding Medicare Supplemental Insurance benefits to cover a limited amount of ICF and community based long-term care (LTC) services provided under a comprehensive HMO benefit package for capitated Medicare beneficiaries. The policy research question addressed by this study is whether adding an Expanded Care Benefit (ECB) to the capitated HMO benefit package offered by Kaiser Permanente (KP) changes utilization patterns and costs of ICF services, and the probability of becoming Medicaid eligible. This study provides descriptive information regarding this policy research question. The research goal of this study is to measure the extent to which collective ICF use rates and expenditure patterns for S/HMO members are consistently the same, greater or less than baseline data of Risk HMO Medicare members who do not have the S/HMO ECB. The purpose of such measurement is to determine if an empirical basis exists for postulating an ICF utilization and expenditures outcome effect which is influenced by the S/HMO ECB. Utilization and financial data are collected from all SNF and ICF level nursing homes in Multnomah County for all Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in KP between June 1, 1986 and July 31, 1988. Eligibility data are assembled on all Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in KP during the same time period who were residents of Multnomah County. Nursing home use rates and rates for related expenditures are determined for all nursing home residents (1, 331) by their eligibility status in KP during the time of each nursing home stay. Days in an ICF are censored by transfers between Cost, Risk and S/HMO enrollment status. Rates are standardized by the age and gender distribution of research population members (19, 261) to adjust use rates for differences in age cohort distribution of Risk members and S/HMO members. Risk rates and S/HMO rates are compared and differences in utilization and expenditures are evaluated. Conclusions about such patterns are used to formulate hypotheses for testing and confirming descriptive observations. Findings show that overall S/HMO member rates are less than Risk member rates for five of the six Research Questions addressed in this study. Specifically, the probability of admission to an ICF is substantially greater for S/HMO members than for Risk members. However, S/HMO members remained in ICFs fewer days than Risk members, over the two year study period, as measured by age adjusted rates for ICF days per member year of eligibility during the study period. Difference in the mean length of ICF stay is statistically significant between Risk and S/HMO. The rate of total payments received by nursing homes for S/HMO ICF residents per 1000 S/HMO members was substantially less than that for Risk members. The rate of spend-down to welfare status was substantially lower for S/HMO members than for Risk members who became ICF residents. Higher proportions of S/HMO members were discharged from ICFs to home than were Risk members, which is consistent with S/HMO Expanded Care Benefit objectives.

Serving in the capacity of Sheriff's interns during the time the decision had been made to implement Neighborhood Team Policing, the writers of this study propose to participate in evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the project. However, due to the size and complexity of such a task--and the time restrictions placed upon completion of this study--the boundaries of this research will be limited to those of providing descriptive data on the performance of project activities as they relate to the achievement of the objectives of Goal 1 of the Neighborhood Team Policing Project: Improved police-community mutual involvement and problem-solving.