Suchergebnisse

The closing of manufacturing plants has affected many workers in the United States throughout the past decade. As a result, social workers and other human service professionals increasingly deal with the impact of displacement on individual workers and their families and participate in designing solutions to problems at multiple social-system levels. Based on findings from the unemployment literature and recent research on plant closings, the author presents a model for understanding dislocated manufacturing workers and their families. The model can be used to guide formulation of interventions in direct practice and empowerment as well as in advocacy, community planning, and policy practice.

The number of children born in the U.S. to nonmarried parents is increasing, and these children are at risk of deleterious outcomes. However, little is known about relationships between unmarried fathers and mothers. Based on a review of extant empirical research and on a multilevel social systems theoretical framework, a practice model is proposed that identifies 12 key factors for further knowledge-development: child well-being, mother's well-being, father's well-being, mother–child relationship, father–child relationship, mother–father relationship, maternal extended family relationships, paternal extended family relationships, neighborhood characteristics, mother's family background, father's family background, and public services and institutional structures. Implications for multilevel approaches to social work practice include needed interventions at both macro and micro levels that address poverty, housing and neighborhood stabilization, employment, child care, human capital development, health and mental health services, family and individual counseling, and parenting skills. Further research must focus on this specific population of "fragile families," including development and evaluation of effective policies, programs, and services.

A multilevel social systems practice model is presented for work with individuals and families affected by the Family Support ("welfare reform") Act of 1988. Discussion of issues in the implementation of the JOBS progam focuses on six social systems levels: national, state, local, neighborhood, family, and individual. A specific example of contrasting programs at local and neighborhood levels highlights differential approaches to facilitating individual and/or family system change.

Differences and similarities in family and child functioning by family structure were studied in a child guidance clinic population. Single-parent families showed more social–environmental stress, and remarried families showed the highest number of within-family problems. Two-parent biological families reported the fewest problems and stressors. Although some similarities among families were found, the differences shown have important implications for practice.

The authors argue that there is a "goodness of fit" between brief problem-solving systemic therapy and the evaluation procedures of experimental single-system design. The model and the evaluation procedures are summarized. A case example illustrates the integration of single-system evaluation with the therapeutic process.

From a pilot research study in a family service agency in Singapore, the authors identified four key factors in understanding positive change versus no change in multilevel systemic work with low-income, stressed families: family life-cycle stage, type of problems or crisis, worker continuity and skills, and resources in the local community. The findings raise important questions for both practical and future knowledge building, suggesting that systemic work with low-income, stressed families can be effective.