Asian Heritage Month: Center helps Asian domestic abuse victims start over

Journalist:  Rebecca Spitz

 

Date:  May 23, 2008

 

Summary:  This article describes a center that provides services to Asian Americans who are victims of domestic violence.  The center provides counseling, case management, advocacy services, and operates a 24-hour seven-day-a-week hotline.  Language cultural, legal and economic barriers make it difficult for Asian American women to seek services for domestic violence. 

 

Relevance:   Help seeking behavior is not the same among all victims of domestic violence.  It is important to know about barriers to help seeking so that social workers can ameliorate these barriers.

 

 

Questions:

 

1.      What are some of the barriers that Asian American women experience when seeking assistance for domestic violence?

2.      What type of services does the center provide?

3.      How many hotline calls does the center receive each year? How many women and children receive services each year?

4.      How many languages are spoken by the hotline operators?

5.      How many shelters does the center operate? How many beds are provided?

6.      How long can a family stay in the shelter?

 

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UNCW partners with housing authority to establish office

Journalist:  Vicky Eckenrode

 

Date:  May 20, 2008

 

Summary:  This article describes a partnership between a university and a public housing authority.  The partnership is intended to provide a central location for social work students’ research projects and volunteer efforts to assist individuals and families living in public housing developments.     

 

Relevance:   University-community partnerships provide significant opportunities for students to provide much needed services within communities.

  

Questions:

 

1.      What paperwork was signed to legitimize this university-community partnership?  What was the purpose of the paperwork?

2.      What are the types of projects that students have previously completed with the housing authority and public housing residents?

3.      What were the results of the needs assessment survey conducted in the Creekwood neighborhood?

4.      What is a needs assessment?

5.   Why are needs assessments important?

 

 

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Cedar Rapids social worker faces three state charges

Journalist:  Steve Gravelle

 

Date:  May 22, 2008

 

Summary:  This article reports that a social worker was charged with three allegations by the state board.  The allegations include falsely billing Medicare for services that were not provided, falsification of patient records, and improper physical contact with a client.  The social worker has denied the three counts and plans to present a defense.

 

Relevance:  State social work boards have the responsibility of investigating professional misconduct and can take action against licensed professionals.

 

Questions:

 

1.      What are the three allegations brought forth by the state board against the social worker?

2.      Have these allegations been proven?

3.      Are you familiar with the role of the state board in your state?

4.      What is the website for your state board?

5.      Are the procedures for filing a complaint posted on the website?

 

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House approves bill to let more criminals to expunge records

Journalist:  Unknown

 

Date:  May 16, 2008

 

Summary:  This article reports on a bill intended to help criminal offenders clear their criminal records faster and easier.  The bill will make it possible for the criminal records of individuals who receive a deferred sentence and have completed their sentences without additional criminal behavior to be destroyed.  The bill was approved 46-17 and is now going to the Senate for a vote.  The bill has both supporters and opponents.

 

Relevance:  Social workers who work in the criminal justice require up-to-date information regarding changes in the legal system.

 

Questions:

  

1.      Will an individual’s past criminal history and seriousness of the crime be considered under this new bill?

2.      What time limits currently apply to first time offenders when requesting to remove a nonviolent crime from their criminal record?

3.      What views do supporters of this bill take?

4.      What views do opponents of this bill take?

 

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New tack on straying parolees offers a hand instead of cuffs

Journalist:  Erik Eckholm

 

Date:  May 17, 2008

 

Summary:  This article reports on new initiatives that address the issue of parole violation among former prisoners.  This initiative is currently being explored in several states.  Previously when former prisoners violated parole, they returned to prison which disrupted their community lives.  Risk assessments are used to determine which former prisoners are likely to commit new crimes, with low risk former prisoners receiving looser supervision and being able to report to their parole officers by mail.  Parole departments are also beginning to hire parole officers who have a background in social work rather law enforcement as a part of this initiative.

 

Relevance:  This article describes opportunities for social work practice within the criminal justice system.

  

Questions:

 

1.      What factors motivated these changes in the parole system?

2.      How many states are presently exploring these new initiatives?

3.      Does parole supervision reduce the rate of re-arrest among former prisoners?

4.      What is the average length of parole supervision?

5.      What percentage of former prisoners do well without parole supervision?

6.      What are parole officers now doing before prisoners are released?

 

 

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Woman honored for efforts to pair nurses, churches

Journalist:  Nancy McLaughlin                                  

 

Date:  May 17, 2008

 

Summary:  This article reports on the Congregational Nursing Program at Moses Cone Health System.  The program places nurses in more than 50 church congregations to provide free health care education, screenings and consultations.  The program has involved underserved areas and outreach to the Hispanic, Korean, Vietnamese and other communities.  The program has also formed relationships among these groups.  The developer of this program has also worked to place social work students with congregational nurses to expand the types of services offered.

 

Relevance:  Outreach work can involve a diverse range of agencies and organizations.  This article reports on community outreach within church congregations.

 

Questions:

                

                  1.      How is community outreach defined?

2.      What are the advantages of conducting outreach within church congregations? What are the disadvantages?

3.      Has the initiative that places social work students with congregational nurses been offered before in the U.S.?

 

 

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Major survey on domestic violence in Cessnock

Journalist:  Krystal Adams                                  

 

Date:  February 4, 2008

 

Summary:  This article reports a social work doctoral student’s research designed to assess a community’s views towards domestic violence.  The anonymous survey will be distributed to more than 18,000 households in the community.  The results will be used to improve safety for women, men and children while in their homes and to seek ways to address the high rates of violence orders that have been issued in the community.  The results will also be presented at community meetings and made available in the local libraries.  The doctoral student has partnered with a local agency to assist with the project.  A follow-up project is planned within two years. 

 

Relevance:  Research results can be used to inform social work practice decisions and identify areas for interventions.

 

Questions:

 

1.      Do you know what resources are available in your community to assist domestic violence victims?

2.      What is an anonymous survey?

3.      What are the benefits and limitations of survey research?

4.      Why is it important to know in advance how long it will take to complete the survey?

 

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Forced treatment a battle over rights

Journalist:  Dana Brown                                 

 

Date:  May 13, 2008

 

Summary:  This article public reports the case of an 11 year old boy who was forced to receive cancer treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia by a Children’s Aid authority.  Such events have resulted in debates regarding whether child authorities can supersede parents desires and impose medical treatment on their children.  The decision to supersede parents’ desires to refuse or use alternative medical treatments for their children is a difficult decision.  When a child’s life is at risk, the first responsibility of child authorities is to protect the life of the child.  Sometimes parents’ desires are upheld.  A major component of such a decision is made based on the suffering-to-benefit-ratio.

 

Relevance:  Although social work clients have a right to self determination, some events may limit the situations where clients can exercise their rights to self determination.  It is important to understand the reasoning behind these debates.

   

Questions:

  

1.      What is the right to self determination?

2.      Are cases treated the same in court?

3.      What is the suffering-to-benefit-ratio?

4.      What are the implications of a lower likelihood of treatment succeeding? What are the implications if treatment is causing suffering for a child?

 

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Alliance hoping to fix a mental health system in disarray

Journalist:  Angelina Cole and Mary Schenk                                

 

Date:  May 12, 2008

 

Summary:  This article is one in a series that pairs students with news reporters.  The article reports the efforts of a community to address the needs of mentally ill individuals who are involved in the criminal justice system.  The County chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill is concerned that more resources are needed in this particular county for individuals with criminal justice involvement.  Resources include reforming the way that mentally ill offenders are sentenced and improving the quality of mental health provided in prisons.  The County chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill is also attempting to introduce a mental-health court to the county.  

 

Relevance:  Individuals who experience a mental illness may commit a crime as a result of their mental illness.  Improved methods are needed to treat and process these individuals within the criminal justice system so that they receive appropriate mental health care.

 

Questions:

  

1.      How was the condition of the mental health and criminal justice system described in this article?

2.      How are mentally ill prisoners who experience a mental illness housed within prisons in this county?

3.      Mental-health courts are based on what model?

4.      What is the view of the county judge regarding the need for a mental-health court in this county?

 

 

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Prisoner HIV program leads to continuum of medical care after release

Journalist: Jessica Collins Grimes

Date: May 7, 2008

Summary: This public release reports the efforts of a program that links HIV positive prisoners with community-based healthcare services while they are still incarcerated. Results show that 95% of participants continued to engage in the health care programs after release from prison. The complete study is published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, May 2008 issue. The program is multi-disciplinary in its approach, although the role of social work is highlighted as a strength of the program because untrained individuals are unlikely to provide effective services.

Relevance: Prisoners are in need of variety of services upon release from prison. Information about effective programs that assist this population can be useful for social workers.

Questions:

1. What type of costs can be reduced by providing continuity of medical care for prisoners upon release from prison?
2. What percentage of prisoners continued to use medical services one year after release from prison?
3. What type of environment are former prisoners likely to return?
4. When was Project Bridge formed?
5. What were the baseline statistics for prisoners living in unstable housing? Prisoners who had a history of substance abuse and/or binge drinking?
6. What percent were in need of addiction treatment? How was effectiveness of Project Bridge measured?
7. What other outcome measures could be used to assess the effectiveness of Project Bridge?
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