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Influenced by news reports of young children brutalized by their parents, most of us see the role of child services as the prevention of severe physical abuse. But as Tina Lee shows inCatching a Case, most child welfare cases revolve around often ill-founded charges of neglect, and the parents swept into the system are generally struggling but loving, fighting to raise their children in the face of crushing poverty, violent crime, poor housing, lack of childcare, and failing schools. Lee explored the child welfare system in New York City, observing family courts, interviewing parents and following them through the system, asking caseworkers for descriptions of their work and their decision-making processes, and discussing cases with attorneys on all sides. What she discovered about the system is troubling. Lee reveals that, in the face of draconian budget cuts and a political climate that blames the poor for their own poverty, child welfare practices have become punitive, focused on removing children from their families and on parental compliance with rules. Rather than provide needed help for families, case workers often hold parents to standards almost impossible for working-class and poor parents to meet. For instance, parents can be accused of neglect for providing inadequate childcare or housing even when they cannot afford anything better. In many cases, child welfare exacerbates family problems and sometimes drives parents further into poverty while the family court system does little to protect their rights. Catching a Caseis a much-needed wake-up call to improve the child welfare system, and to offer more comprehensive social services that will allow all children to thrive.

Captures the unique moment in time created by the Covid-19 pandemic and uses this as a lens to explore contemporary issues for social work education and practice. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic provided an unprecedented moment of global crisis, which placed health and social care at the forefront of the national agenda. The lockdown, social distancing measures and rapid move to online working created multiple challenges and safeguarding concerns for social work education and practice, whilst the unparalleled death rate exacerbated pre-existing problems with communicating openly about death and bereavement. Many of these issues were already at the surface of social work practice and education and this book examines how the health crisis has exposed these, whilst acting as a potential catalyst for change. This book acts as a testament to the historical moment whilst providing a forum for drawing together discussion from contemporary educators, practitioners and users of social work services.

Summary Description This book is primarily a celebration of the qualitative work undertaken internationally by a number of experienced researchers. It also focuses on developing the use of qualitative research for health and rehabilitative practitioners by recognizing its value methodologically and empirically. We find that the very nature of qualitative research offers an array of opportunities for researchers in being able to understand the social world around us. Further, through experience and discussion, this book identifies the multifaceted use of qualitative methods in the healthcare and rehabilitative setting. This book touches on the role of the researcher, the participants involved, and the research environment. In short, we see how these three central elements can affect the nature of qualitative work in attempts to offer originality. This text speaks to a number of audiences. Students who are writing undergraduate dissertations and research proposals, they may find the myriad of examples stimulating and may support the rationale for methodological decisions in their own work. For academics, practitioners, and prospective qualitative researchers this book also aims to demonstrate an array of opportunism in the field of qualitative research and how they may resonate with arguments proffered. It is anticipated that readers will find this collection of qualitative examples not only useful for informing their own research, but we also hope to enlighten new discussions and arguments regarding both methodological and empirical use of qualitative work internationally. Features Encompasses the importance of qualitative research and how it can be used to facilitate healthcare and rehabilitation across a wide range of health conditions. Evaluates empirical data whilst critically applying it to contemporary practices. Provides readers with an overview with future directions and influence policy makers in order to develop practice.　 Focuses on an array of health conditions that can affect groups of the population, coincided with life issues and the care and family support received. Offers innovative methodological insights for prospective researchers in order to add to the existing evidence base. 　 1. Introduction. 2. Qualitative Research in Rehabilitation. 3. Children and Young Adults. 4. Life Issues. 5. Older People. 6. Caregivers and Family Support. 7. Policymakers. 'As an introduction to qualitative work in rehabilitation settings with a focus on the perspective of healthcare professionals, this book provides sufficient information and examples of qualitative research that has been conducted by experts in their respective fields. This book is worth reading and I recommend it. The qualitative examples are useful for helping to inform readers about their own research and for demonstrating the value of qualitative research both methodologically and empirically.' - Dominique Kinnett-Hopkins , Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Dr. Hayre is currently a lecturer in diagnostic radiography at the University of Suffolk. He has published both qualitative and quantitative refereed papers in the field of diagnostic radiography. He founded the Journal of Social Science & Allied Health Professions and remains Editor in Chief. He is currently writing a book chapter surrounding sustainable practices in medical imaging and is currently a visiting lecturer at the Odisee University in Brussels. Professor Muller is currently Editor of the CRC series with Professor Marcia Scherer on Rehabilitation Science in Practice. He was founder Editor of the Journal Aphasiology and is currently Editor in Chief of the Journal Disability and Rehabilitation. He has published over forty refereed papers and has been involved either as Series Editor, Editor or Author of over fifty books. He is a visiting Professor at the University of Suffolk, United Kingdom.

Motivated by ongoing debates over welfare state retrenchment and growing economic insecurity, this book compares the situation of older workers in Germany and the United States over the past three decades. Both nations are seeing a rise in insecurity for older workers, but the differences in support programs, pensions, and retirement options have led to differing outcomes for workers faced with early retirement or job loss.

Participation, responsibility and choice are key policy framings of active citizenship, summoning the citizen to take on new roles in welfare state reform. Participation, Responsibility and Choice: Summoning the Active Citizen in Western European Welfare States traces the emergence of new discourses and the ways in which they take up and rework struggles of social movements for greater independence, power and control. It explores the changing cultural and political inflections of active citizenship in Germany, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Italy and the UK, with ethnographic research complementing policy analysis. The editors then look across the volume to assess some of the tensions and contradictions arising in the turn to active citizenship. Two final chapters address the reworking of citizen/professional relationships and the remaking of public, private and personal responsibilities, with a particular focus on the contribution of feminist research and theory.