published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-211).

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1979. / Also available in print.

Magister Legum - LLM / Universally, workers’ protection is centred on the standard employment relationship (full-time,indeterminate employment) based on the distinction between ‘employee’ and ‘independent contractor’; nonetheless globalization coupled with advances in technology and other related processes such as casualization, externalization and informalization, has resulted in the proliferation of different forms of work that deviate from the conventional employment relationship. There is also an increase,worldwide, in the number of persons who perform work outside the employment sphere because they are labelled independent contractors though in fact they are on the same level of economic dependence and vulnerability with those who perform work as ‘employees’. It is to this category of workers that literature refers collectively as ‘atypical employees’ or ‘non-standard employees’. Despite the fact that there have been moves internationally and nationally to integrate these classes of worker, it remains clear that they constitute a labour force which is less well paid and less secure. Most of the atypical employees are included in the definition of ‘employee’ in both jurisdictions though home workers are explicitly excluded under the Ethiopian labour law.However, the collective bargaining system does not function to address the problems of atypical employees in both countries as it does for standard employees.

No description available.

The outputs chosen for inclusion for this PhD by publication comprise seven articles published in peer reviewed journals, two book chapters, one research paper and two resource guides commissioned by professional bodies. These outputs explore two major themes. The first concerns the nature of resilience in social workers and identifies the inter- and intra-individual competencies associated with the concept. The second concerns how resilience and its underpinning competencies can be enhanced in social work education, both pre and post qualification. The report begins by contextualising the research within the existing literature, outlining my epistemological and methodological position and highlighting the importance of a pragmatic mixed-methods approach to research design, data collection and analysis. A critique of the outputs is subsequently provided together with a discussion of how I developed as a social work academic and a researcher during the research programme. Finally, the significance of the contribution to the body of social work knowledge provided by these outputs is demonstrated by identifying how the research has enhanced understanding of improving wellbeing in social workers though the development of a tool box of strategies to manage stress and foster resilience in social work training and practice.

Objectives. A community health worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. While natural leadership may incline individuals to the CHW profession, they do not always have skills to address broad social issues. We describe evaluation of the Women’s Health Leadership Institute (WHLI), a 3-year training initiative to increase the capacity of CHWs as change agents. Methods. Pre-/postquestionnaires measured the confidence of 254 participants in mastering WHLI leadership competencies. In-depth interviews with CHW participants 6 to 9 months after the training documented application of WHLI competencies in the community. A national CHW survey measured the extent to which WHLI graduates used leadership skills that resulted in concrete changes to benefit community members. Multivariate logistic regressions controlling for covariates compared WHLI graduates’ leadership skills to the national sample. Results. Participants reported statistically significant pre-/post improvements in all competencies. nterviewees credited WHLI with increasing their capacity to listen to others, create partnerships, and initiate efforts to address community needs. Compared to a national CHW sample, WHLI participants were more likely to engage community members in attending public meetings and organizing events. These activities led to community members taking action on an issue and a concrete policy change. Conclusions. Leadership training can increase the ability of experienced CHWs to address underlying issues related to community health across different types of organizational affiliations and job responsibilities.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work