The purpose of this study has been to explore the experience of parents who were part of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry–Child Welfare Initiative (AJI-CWI). This restructuring of the child welfare system in Manitoba was the first of its kind in Canada. To date, no research has been done which explores the clients’ experience of this restructuring. This research was done using an Indigenous perspective and a qualitative and quantitative methodology and case study. Three themes were identified and discussed: Love, Trust, and Trauma. The research findings suggest that the AJI-CWI was an important and necessary change to the child welfare system for Aboriginal people in Manitoba. However, systemic issues which have been in existence since before the restructuring occurred, continue to affect the way in which child welfare services are delivered. Recommendations for child welfare practitioners, future research, policy, and education are discussed.

This research study considers the experiences of nine Aboriginal child welfare workers who worked in five remote communities. The purpose was to describe some of their child welfare practices. This qualitative study included the oral tradition and story telling techniques of the Indigenous paradigm. The study explored three general areas of interest: residence and employment in ones' community of origin, the availability of resources and supports for child welfare practice, and knowledge and application of traditional Aboriginal cultural methods. These areas were explored in work done within the children in care, child protection and family services programs in child welfare. All the workers used both conventional and non-conventional methods of child welfare practice in their respective communities. Child welfare is a difficult practice under any circumstance, and this study indicates that workers often tackle complex issues with very few resources or supports. Child placement is a growing concern and the lack of culturally appropriate services results in Aboriginal children experiencing a disconnection not only from their family, but also from the community and culture of their birth. Traditional Ojibway culture was known to many of the participants. Although there were exceptions, the application of cultural practices was most often limited to working with the extended family and private arrangement placements. This exploratory study raises some implications regarding the following: Child welfare may be responsible for the transmission of cultural knowledge to children in care. Should Aboriginal agencies provide tutorials on colonization as part of the intervention with families? These are issues that require further research.

In recent literature, it has been stated that Native children adopted into non-Native homes do not fare well emotionally or culturally. But to place ourselves in another era; the decades of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, where the child welfare systems were overrun with Native children needing to be placed in long term homes, begs us to examine the systemic and political structures at play. Also, to examine the homes that these children were placed in and embrace a different perspective: the stories of the non-Native adoptive parents. This research study delves into the adoption experiences of eight non-Native adoptive parents and empirically examines their stories, resulting in many significant similarities and common themes with the main one being, the situation that these families found themselves in at times was not ideal but they transcended adversity to the best degree they could. Native children are no longer adopted out to non-Native families at the high rate that they once were. The political atmosphere of today differs significantly from the era that became known as the "Sixties Scoop". However, this study may contribute to the body of literature surrounding Native/non-Native adoption and could impact long term fostering policy and practice if the data were to be extrapolated into today's context.

<p>Abstract In this thesis, I draw on qualitative research collected through a California food bank's CalFresh outreach program to examine barriers to SNAP participation. Drawing on ethnographic methodology, I conducted participant observation, semi-structured interviews, phone surveys and numerous informal interviews in order to develop a client narrative around the application process. Through this research I explored the obstacles and barriers clients must overcome to enroll and maintain enrollment in CalFresh. My research findings revealed there are numerous barriers to participation. Some barriers are a result of being a vulnerable low-income individual or household, while others are a result of program administration or service delivery. My research also revealed that having a community based advocate or CBO intermediary significantly improved the client experience. Having assistance and an advocate throughout the application process improved the application experience as well as retention in the program. Keywords: Keywords: CalFresh Participation, SNAP, food stamps, CalFresh outreach, food bank outreach

<p> In this analysis, we use National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data to investigate whether the adoption of the ambulatory electronic health records (EHR) system is associated with changes in patient-specific health education prescription rates, patient-physician interaction time, and returned appointment rates. We estimate the treatment effect of EHR adoption with multinomial propensity score weighting adjusted regressions. We find evidence to suggest that full EHR adoption positively affects patient-specific health education prescription rates. We find no robust evidence to show a significant effect of the EHR system on time utilization or returned appointment rates. We discuss possible reasons for our findings. We recommend linking patient education with quality improvement efforts and improving the usability of EHR systems.</p>

No description available.

This research thesis is a small exploration of attachment theory in child welfare practice. The researcher investigated the extent of knowledge that child protection workers had of attachment theory and the extent to which they integrated attachment theory into child welfare practice. A purposive non-probability sample was used to recruit General Authority child welfare workers in Manitoba. Five workers participated in the exploratory qualitative descriptive research study. Participants responded to a demographic survey investigating their education, training, years of service and the participants provided a brief description of attachment theory. Participants also reviewed vignettes and responded to semi-structured interview scripts eliciting practice information related to the vignettes. The data elicited was analyzed using content analysis. The degree of exposure to attachment theory, opportunities to engage in theory informed practice, and external and internal agency pressures were observed to influence theory integration into child welfare practice. Participants acknowledged the attachment theory concepts of transmission of parenting behaviours and attachment strategies through relationships. Participants considered the therapeutic capacity of relational and attachment focused interventions to bring about change to maladaptive parenting behaviours.

The study included a survey of 14 personal identification items and 38 questions. The survey was given to 100 caseworkers who worked in county departments of public welfare in Indiana. Secondly, the survey was given to 90 directors of departments of public welfare in Indiana. Also 15 budget items for the years 1966 and 1971 were used.The survey was designed to give some indication of the social values and attitudes of the people involved in the study. There was no attempt made to find cause-effect relationships.The data was analyzed by use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences which was a group of computer programs.The budget data was correlated with the director survey. Individual analysis was performed on the caseworker and director survey. The caseworker findings were mixed; some relationships were found on the director survey; the more liberal the director, the higher the tax rate in the county.

The unprecedented beef export growth observed in Paraguay during recent years generated a new marketing environment in its livestock sector. While changes in beef marketed along the supply chain are well-known, no efforts have been undertaken to assess welfare changes of each economic agent of the Paraguayan Beef Supply Chain. Demand and supply systems are estimated for the fattening, slaughter and beef retail markets. A vertical multi-market approach accounting for the linkages among the three markets is used to measure welfare changes of all economic agents in the new marketing environment. The results suggest that consumers and slaughterhouses are worse off, feeder and calf producers are better off and overall society is better off.

<p> In public policy literature, there is a lack of research that integrates social construction theory within the advocacy coalition framework, and far less is known about how these theories address policy change and processes related to programs for disabled veterans.The purpose of this study was to conduct a policy analysis to evaluate how well the needs of veterans are met through the U.S. Veterans' Disability Compensation (USVDC) program. In a case study of a city in the southeastern U.S., gaps between formulation and implementation of USVDC policy were examined. The theoretical frameworks used in this study were Hacker's formulation and implementation gap to analyze policy, Schneider and Ingram's conceptualization of social construction, and Sabatier and Weible's advocacy coalition framework. The central research question for this study explored the extent to which the USVDC program meets the needs of disabled veterans (DVs). Data consisting of over 355 USVDC formulation and implementation documents, from March 2007 through August 2013, were coded using a priori codes and content analysis methodology.Findings indicate the USVDC policy subsystem struggled to manage the claims backlog that grew to over one million claims. Between April 2013 and September 2013, an emphasis to reduce the claims backlog improved stalled policy formulation, resulting in a shift to positive social constructions for DVs.Implications for positive social change include improved collaboration between policy makers, the Veterans' Administration, and recently transitioned target group DVs, to reshape policy formulation and implementation to further improve the quality of life for sick and injured veterans when entering the USVDC policy subsystem.</p>