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Background People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face heightened barriers to menstrual health, including limited access to products, hygiene facilities, and consistent care. Social service providers (SSPs) and healthcare providers (HCPs) are critical in supporting PEH but often work within resource-constrained systems. This study explores SSP and HCP perspectives on the menstrual health needs of PEH in a rural-serving community in the U.S., using the Social-Ecological Model (SEM) to identify multilevel barriers and opportunities for intervention. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 SSPs and HCPs in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key challenges and recommendations related to menstrual health support for PEH. Results Our analysis revealed complex challenges providers faced in supporting the menstrual health of PEH, including emotional burden, resource scarcity, and limited organizational guidance. They described how stigma, provider discomfort, and systemic gaps in training and infrastructure hindered effective care. Providers also shared that menstrual health was often deprioritized due to competing health needs and structural barriers such as lack of housing, transportation, and product access. Despite these challenges, providers offered actionable recommendations to improve menstrual health support through education, policy change, and more equitable organizational practices. Conclusions This study highlights the multi-level barriers providers face when supporting the menstrual health needs of PEH. Our findings show that meaningful change requires coordinated efforts across all levels of the SEM. Actionable strategies include provider training, improved intake processes, expanded access to menstrual products and hygiene resources, and policy reforms to address housing and insurance gaps. These insights can inform training programs, shelter protocols, and advocacy efforts to promote menstrual health equity and provider sustainability.

Background Women with depression disorder outnumber men, and health care and social service providers are mostly female. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aims to examine the association between role conflicts and depression among health care and social service providers, and further investigate the mediating effect of burnout, as well as the moderating effect of marital status and motherhood. Methods The data come from the baseline of the ‘China Social Work Longitudinal Study’ conducted in 2019, which contains 1,219 female social workers who reported work-family conflict. The five items of the scale in our model were extracted from the existing literature to ensure the construct validity of potential variables, and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were also conducted to ensure the validity and reliability of the scale. Descriptive analyses and correlation analyses were performed with SPSS 24, while the path analysis was conducted using Amos 24. The moderating effects of marital status and motherhood were further tested using multiple-group analyses. Results Female health care and social service providers experienced a high level of depression. Work-to-family conflict (WFC), family-to-work conflict (FWC), and organizational role conflict (ORC) were significantly and positively associated with female social workers’ depression. Exhaustion and cynicism fully mediated the effects of ORC on depression and partially mediated the effects of WFC on depression. In addition, FWC had only a direct effect on depression. A multiple-group analysis further indicated that both marital status and motherhood status may have played a moderating role in the conflict-burnout-depression link and that being unmarried and having no child were risk factors for depression in female health care and social service providers. Conclusions Marriage and motherhood have both negative and positive effects on the depression of female health care and social service providers. This suggests that marriage and motherhood may act as a form of “family clientelism” for female health care and social service providers who marry and have children.

Human trafficking for forced labour or sexual exploitation often takes the form of forced migration. It is the third-largest crime industry in the world and has severe consequences on the women survivors. Trafficking violates the safety, welfare, and human rights of the victims and forces physical and psychological imprisonment on them. Despite the significant number of women being trafficked, little is known about the best ways to address their needs. This article highlights the understanding developed by social service providers in South Africa regarding the consequences of human trafficking on women survivors. Being aware of the complex challenges faced by women survivors of human trafficking enables social service providers to respond to their needs effectively through appropriate interventions and services. Data for this qualitative study were collected through one-on-one interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Social service providers understand the following to be related to women survivors of trafficking: involvement in drugs and sex work, dependency on the perpetrator, lack of self-esteem, self-blame and shame, being disoriented, psychological challenges, lack of financial support, health issues, isolation, and loneliness. To be relevant and effective, services should be packaged in a manner that addresses all the challenges faced by women survivors of human trafficking.

The study focuses on the Russian practice of institutionalizing non-governmental social-service providers. The paper discusses the arrangements for the transfer of governmental social services under the terms of budget financing to commercial and non-profit organizations. The authors proceed from the fact that although there are uniform institutional conditions for the formation of the non-governmental sector in the field of social services, established by the federal center, most of the rules and procedures which determine the implementation of this process are defined on the level of the constituent subjects of the Russian Federation. The paper explores the practices of three regions: Perm, the Republic of Bashkortostan and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra. These regions are recognized as the leaders in the process of diversification of social services. The analysis made it possible to identify the general and the particular in the regional processes of the transfer of social services to the non-governmental sector.

After the policy of separating ownership rights, contract rights, and management rights to rural land, some Chinese farmers entrusted their land to agricultural social service providers. However, at present in land trusteeships, short-term behaviors exist, which are not good for the sustainable utilization of land. This article uses a dynamic game model to analyze the economic reasons for short-term behavior and to explore possible mechanisms. The study’s results showed that fluctuations in trusteeship prices encouraged farmers to sign low-price, long-term contracts or high-price, short-term contracts that allowed agricultural social service providers choose short-term behaviors. A variable-price system may avoid short-term contracts as a result of fluctuations in trusteeship prices, allowing both sides to build a long-term stable partnership, encouraging long-term investment in land. To ensure the sustainable utilization of land, it is suggested that both sides adopt a variable price system.

Sexual and gender minorities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, experience barriers to healthcare as a result of stigma, discrimination, and poor cultural competence by healthcare and social services providers (HCSSP). The purpose of the study is to increase access to care and services for the LGBTQ community in a U.S.-Mexico border city by identifying LGBTQ-friendly HCSSP. A survey, developed based on concerns voiced in a predominantly Hispanic LGBTQ community, was administered to HCSSP and used to create a referral list, “The Purple Pages of El Paso” (PPoEP). Overall, 77 HCSSP have responded and 43 are included in the most recent version of the PPoEP. This model for developing a referral list of providers can be adapted in areas where LGBTQ communities face similar barriers to care and services. To be effective in reducing barriers to care, PPoEP must be updatable and sustainable.

New Public Management (NPM) and follow-up reforms have extended the external accountability duties of nonprofit organizations (NPOs). They are increasingly obliged to demonstrate performance in terms of efficiency and effectiveness and to introduce performance measurement systems (PM systems) for this purpose. This is also the case in Austria, a country with a strong (neo-)corporatist tradition. In the field of social services, nonprofit–government relations are now commonly regulated by performance-based contracts (PBCs) entailing specific accountability obligations. We assume that these externally imposed performance accountability demands affect both NPOs’ strategic focus and their relationships to important stakeholders including state authorities, and thereby influence the system of societal governance. Thus, we investigate NPOs’ stakeholder focus, (power) relations between NPOs and public funders and explore to what extent the latter exert influence on PM system development and how nonprofit executives assess the cost–benefit ratio of PM systems imposed on them.

At present, the global aging process of inhabitants represents a serious social challenge that is related to those countries whose size or economic power is not that significant aspect. Rapid increase of older population results in an increasing inquiry of long-term health care services (long-term care – LTC). As a result of a progress in research as well as investments in health care services, health care constantly improves, but there are increasing inequalities in health of vulnerable groups of inhabitants, such as elderly. The given article focuses on the above mentioned facts and its primary aim is to emphasize the importance of multi-dimensional analyses of available social services in the process of population global aging. In the presented partial results, the research focused on the analysis of social services providers in Slovakia from the point of view of their form, structure, capacity and regional differences. The secondary aim of the article is concentrated on an urgent need to resolve the issue of the Slovak population aging by means of chosen demographic indicators, as well as it focuses on a significance of legal framework formation that would provide long-term health care in Slovakia via social and health care services development.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain the perspectives from social service providers that are a key component in focused deterrence programs. All focused deterrence/pulling levers programs have at least two essential elements: first, the message to the target population that reoffending will be met with swift and certain punishment, and second that social service providers are available to assist in their transition to a law-abiding lifestyle. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach was used to gather qualitative data with open-ended interviews of social service providers that participated in Operation RASOR, a modified focused deterrence initiative that identified cross-jurisdictional, chronic offenders across three cities in New England. Findings The results showed that many providers were unable, and sometimes unwilling, to participate in the strategy due to their lack of awareness of what focused deterrence strategies encompass, participant eligibility restrictions, and lack of funding. These findings may impact the success of focused deterrence programs. Research limitations/implications Future research should include a larger sample from programs operating in different cities. The importance of the social services component of focused deterrence strategies and their capability of serving clients within those programs needs further examination for the integrity of these programs to adequately serve the participants. Originality/value The perceptions from social service providers on the program elements and ability to provide necessary services to the targeted offenders have never been examined. This study aids in expanding the literature on focused deterrence programs. It can also inform law enforcement agencies on the services that are most needed by the target population and the importance of coordinating their initiatives with service providers.

Recently arrived immigrant adolescents experience difficulties in adjusting to school in South Korea. However, the existing social services do not meet their psychosocial needs. This study investigates the perspectives of social service providers about challenges in providing services for immigrant adolescents early in their adjustments. We conducted qualitative, in-depth interviews with 27 South Korean social service providers. We identified barriers to social services, categorized into three themes: (1) Initial Contact Phase; (2) Service Delivery Phase; and (3) Structural Challenges. We suggest interventions concerning work-related stress for the social service providers, family-level involvement, diversity training, and integrated and collaborative immigration services. An examination of social service providers’ challenges in working with immigrant adolescents is a necessary first step toward the development of programs and policies.