Mental health care for foster children in California

This paper reports on a study conducted to assess the health care needs of foster children in California. To evaluate foster children's mental health problems and the services provided to meet them, 154 program administrators, social workers, foster parents, and health care providers were interviewed in 14 counties. Foster parents and social workers were interviewed in groups, and foster parents and administrators also completed questionnaires. We found that although all counties care immediately for children who are injured, abused, or ill, only one county performs routine mental health evaluations of all children, and in most counties less than a third of children ever receive such evaluations. Informants identified mental health problems as more severe than medical problems in this population, and they identified four major barriers to access to appropriate therapy. Recommendations are that all children should receive comprehensive mental health evaluations, and procedures for immediate and ongoing care with consistent providers who are sensitive to foster children's needs should be included in case management plans, and covered by improved payment mechanisms. Additionally, communication, coordination and joint planning should be instituted among relevant agencies to address foster children's needs, and increased resources and training should be directed towards social service agencies and foster parents.     

Selecting Appropriate Assessment Instruments to Ensure Quality Transition Services

The transfer from an early intervention system to a program for a 3-year-old is a critical event that not only brings opportunities but also presents challenges to children and their families. In order to help families handle these transition related issues, professionals should collect authentic data about family concerns, needs, and expectations during transition so as to design developmentally and culturally appropriate transition goals and deliver family-centered services. The purpose of this study is twofold: to review and compare possible transition instruments with a focus on reliability and validity; and to describe how to involve families in transition assessment, planning, and intervention activities, thus ensuring a smooth, successful transition for young children.     

论成都域内高校成都地方文化产业人才培养路径

成都域内高校应依据高等教育教学规律,结合成都经济文化产业市场人才需求,根据高校自身办学条件,找准自己的办学、科研和服务定位。明确各专业人才培养的方向、目标和规格,通过“分层布局、创建特色、创新模式、搭建平台、分类评控、动态反馈”人才培养路径,使域内高校在多层次、多形式、多渠道举办高等教育的多元化的办学主体大背景下合理定位、发挥特长,使其所培养的人才最大程度地满足地方经济文化产业发展过程中社会劳动分工所要求的各层次人才需求,最终使成都域内高校在人才培养、科研服务和社会服务中最大程度地发挥作用。     

Collaboration to teach English language learners: opportunities for shared teacher learning

This study examines collaboration between English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers and content-area elementary school teachers, and makes the case for conceptualising teacher collaboration as an opportunity for shared teacher learning. Using a sociocultural theoretical lens, this study examines how three pairs of elementary teachers and ESOL specialists used and constructed tools for collaboration, which mediated and made visible teachers’ learning processes. Employing interpretive enquiry and cross-case analysis, we examined data from classroom observations, teacher co-planning sessions and interviews with teachers. Findings demonstrated that collaborating teachers used tools to articulate and reconceptualise teaching goals, co-construct knowledge and ultimately transform teaching practices to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study has implications for teacher education and ongoing professional development, by shedding light on the potential affordances of collaborative tools for teacher learning. Findings suggest that teacher education could harness these opportunities for learning by incorporating collaboration between ESOL specialists and content-area teachers as an integral part of preparing more qualified teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students.     

国际商务专业硕士人才培养模式思考

国际商务专业硕士教育在我国虽刚刚起步,却成为了专业学位教育的一种重要形式。人才培养模式取决于经济发展和社会需求,国际商务专业硕士培养的人才必需是符合全球化形势下的国际化人才。本文试图从人才培养目标、课程设置和教学方式、师资队伍建设以及实习和就业的国际化角度出发,探索国际商务专业硕士的人才培养模式,以期进一步提高我国国际商务专业硕士人才培养质量。     

Necessary but not Sufficient: reconceptualizing primary teacher education

Initial primary teacher education should be designed to cater for the socially, culturally and linguistically diverse populations found in schools. They rarely are. As a result they tend to promote social reproduction rather than social transformation. Using vignettes drawn from our work on the New South Wales Ministerial Advisory Council for the Quality of Teaching we demonstrate the need to re‐explore the fundamental purposes and goals of preparing teachers to meet the needs of all children in our primary schools. We propose a reconceptualization of teacher education around a cultural studies perspective as a productive way forward which would allow integration rather than compartmentalization of knowledge and which encourages a search for truth in which tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty feature such that knowledge is understood as relative and fallible.     

Circle house residential treatment program

In summary, the Circle House Residential Treatment Program for abusive families did meet its goals of protection of the child without separation from the family. The program was also effective in making and executing permanent plans for children in a relatively short period of time, but at huge financial cost.Residential care tor abusive families may be feasible if planned for 12–18 families at a time, thus utilizing staff fully. Also, in the Circle House program the single-parent families were clearly able to utilize the program to deal with their child-care techniques. Because the program was primarily geared to improving child-rearing patterns, some fathers in two-parent families, who viewed themselves as only occasional disciplinarians, never really participated in the program. Some were successful in learning new techniques, others were not.Residential care may also be more feasible if utilized as a diagnostic and prognostic facility with enhanced opportunity for long-term relationships to be formed, rather than as a primarily treatment facility, with the expectation of improvement and “cure.” Treatment of abusive families then becomes long-term supportive care no matter how intense the initial intervention. Even with the multitude of services of Circle House at the beginning phase of diagnosis and treatment of a family, this does not reduce or remove the need for ongoing long-term services. The true results of present intervention will be measured in future generations.     

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Developing Placement Services for Liberal Arts Undergraduates

In Fall 2002, the University of Missouri-Columbia began a new initiative to develop placement services for liberal arts students. Placement services had never before been offered to this student population and the MU Career Center was designated as the principal creator, administrator and provider of these career services. The Career Center staff decided the most effective approach would be to develop a strategic plan that reflected the needs, values, and desires of our faculty, student, and employer constituents. We conducted an environmental scan, collected substantial data and gathered campus feedback. After careful analysis, we developed a dynamic and responsive strategic plan that would meet our goals and achieve success with our financial, organizational, and human resources in mind.     

GERONTOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ELDERLY HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN ALASKA: AGING IN THE LAST FRONTIER

The current research assessed Alaskan health and mental health care professionals’ perceptions regarding Alaska's elderly health care services as well as professional educational and training needs. Fifty‐four percent of community professionals sampled indicated that preexisting services in their community were not adequate to meet the needs of the elderly population. In addition, 55% indicated that the knowledge level of community professionals regarding the elderly and the aging process was insufficient and 51% believed they were not well educated in meeting the needs of Alaskan native elders. An overall 91.8% indicted that they were in need of further training in the field of aging and geriatrics. They noted in particular the lack of knowledge and training opportunities in mental health and Alzheimer's disease. The significance of these findings is discussed in terms of the broader social implications associated with meeting gerontological and geriatric education and training needs, as well as the specific education and training problems of Alaskan health care professionals in keeping up with the recent trend of “aging in the last frontier.”     

SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN FOSTER CARE

Students living in foster care are at risk for experiencing many challenges in school, spanning domains of social–emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning. They are twice as likely to be absent from school and to have received and out‐of‐school suspension and up to three and a half times more likely to receive special education services. Therefore, it is important for schools to recognize and respond to the unique needs of students in foster care to provide the necessary resources for school success. When working with students in foster care, school psychologists should be equipped to support the success of these students by determining what the needs of students in foster care are, and how to meet identified needs. The current paper will discuss the education‐related vulnerabilities and presenting problems for children in foster care and outline social–emotional, behavioral, and academic supports that school psychologists can offer.     

How siblings resolve their conflicts: the importance of first offers, planning, and limited opposition

Sixty-four sibling dyads (4-12 years old; 61% males; 83% European-American) were asked to resolve an ongoing conflict. Older siblings provided leadership by suggesting, modifying, justifying, and requesting assent to plans for conflict resolution. Younger siblings countered and disagreed, but also contributed to planning and agreed to their siblings' plans. Compromises were associated with first offers that met both children's goals, future-oriented planning, and limited opposition. Win-loss outcomes followed offers favoring only one child and arguments over older siblings' plans. Conflicts were unresolved when negotiations included frequent accusations and opposition, but little planning. Thus mutually beneficial conflict resolution required that children shift focus from debating past wrongs to developing plans to meet their unrealized goals in future interaction.     

Commercially sexually exploited youths’ health care experiences,barriers, and recommendations: A qualitative analysis

The current study sought to understand commercially sexually exploited (CSE) youths’ health care experiences, barriers to care, and recommendations for improving health care services. We conducted focus groups (N = 5) with 18 CSE youth from February 2015 through May 2016 at two group homes serving CSE youth in Southern California. We performed thematic content analysis to identify emergent themes about CSE youths’ perspectives on health care. Youth described facilitators to care, including availability of services such as screening for sexually transmitted infections, knowledge about sexual health, and a strong motivation to stay healthy. Barriers included feeling judged, concerns about confidentiality, fear, perceived low quality of services, and self-reliance. Overall, youth emphasized self-reliance and “street smarts” for survival and de-emphasized “victimhood,” which shaped their interactions with health care, and recommended that health providers develop increased understanding of CSE youth. Our findings suggest that providers and community agencies can play an essential role in raising awareness of the needs of CSE youth and meet their health needs through creating a non-judgmental environment in health care settings that validates the experiences of these youth.     

首都养老服务业的现状及发展对策

随着我国计划生育效果的逐步显现以及人们生活水平的不断提高,快速老龄化为首都养老服务业带来了巨大压力,且北京现有的医疗资源、养老机构及从业人员均无法满足首都养老服务业的需要。为适应首都老龄化日趋严峻的社会形势,我们应充分发挥以居家养老与社区服务相结合的"居家-社区养老"模式的重要作用,并以"机构养老"作为有益补充,进一步完善首都医疗保健服务体系,有效促进"医养结合"。     

Examining IEPs of English Learners with Learning Disabilities for Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness

Effective education of English learners (ELs) with learning disabilities requires special educators to deliver culturally/linguistically responsive instruction within the context of special services, embracing the interaction between exceptionality and diversity. A critical concept is the notion that cultural and linguistic features are mandated by law to remain integral to teaching and learning once ELs are appropriately placed for special services. We examined a sampling of IEPs for ELs receiving special education for learning disabilities for cultural/linguistic responsive features to inform instruction. We found from our pilot study that the IEPs contain little to no reference to ELs' diverse linguistic and cultural qualities to (1) meet legislative mandates, and (2) guide delivery of appropriate special education. Practitioner implications for developing culturally and linguistically responsive IEPs are provided to support educators who teach ELs with learning disabilities.     

LOVE STORIES OF LATER LIFE: A NARRATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING ROMANCE By Amanda Smith Barusch

The numbers and proportions of ethnic and minority aged are increasing more rapidly than their age cohorts among nonminorities. This is particularly true among the old‐old, where increasing incidences of frailty and functional dependence increase the demand for health care services. In these circumstances the need for health care professionals to develop sensitivity to cultural and ethnic factors that impinge the health care of the aged is compelling. Barriers to effective cross‐cultural communication are discussed, and guidelines for culturally sensitive communication are provided.     

Early childhood education and care in a context of social heterogeneity and inequality. Empirical notes on an interdisciplinary challenge

Against a background of increasing inequality and its impact at various levels on childhood and family life, of the growing societal significance and uptake of extra-familial childcare provision, and of social policy goals emphasising participation and education for all, the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector in Germany is facing new and heightened challenges. This article presents and analyses current and empirically observable changes in society. It comes to the conclusion that ECEC needs to be more strongly viewed as an interdisciplinary challenge, and that ways forward need to include a comprehensive professionalisation and workforce development project: the aim must be to provide children and families with care and support services tailored both quantitatively and qualitatively to their needs, thereby offering not only support to facilitate the reconciliation of work and family obligations and an alternative place of education for children, but also programmes of specific support for disadvantaged and support-dependent children and families.     

论如何满足学生的基础学习需要

学习需要是学生的一种心理需求状态。学习需要不仅包括学生在学习过程中力求通过努力而满足的显性的学业目标需要,而且还包括那些保障和促进学生学业成功的隐性的基础需要,如学生心理安全的需要、自我感觉重要的需要、交往互动的需要、认知方面的需要等等。教师在教学过程中要对这些基础需要予以相当的关注和合理的满足。     

挑战与机遇:托育机构发展研究——基于H市226家托育机构调查

自2016年以来,随着“全面二孩”政策的实施,0~3岁婴幼儿托育服务需求日益突显,国家也高度重视“幼有所育”,重视托育机构的建设和托育服务的质量,制定了许多政策方针。可见,托育服务问题越来越受到国家和人民的广泛关注。根据国家卫生健康委设定的托育机构的设置标准和管理规范,在具体了解目前托育机构的基本情况、管理规范及疫情前后的运营状况的基础上,从场地设施、人员规模、备案管理等不同方面分析其目前发展存在的问题,并从多方面制定相应的解决策略,以促使托育机构向规范化发展,更好地满足人民的需求。     

The Locke paradigm of cross cultural counseling

Summary To meet the needs of culturally different populations, culturally consistent assessment, evaluation, and treatment skills, as well as theoretical content must be understood by those working with these populations. The Locke Paradigm of Cross Cultural Counseling offers a framework for such action. While the paradigm does not specifically address counseling skills, the knowledge one gains from a study of a subculture is the foundation upon which a counselor builds the relationship with a client from a culturally different population. Effective counseling can only occur when the counselor has knowledge of both counseling theory and of the particular culture of the client.     

Student participation in a dementia-outreach research project as community-based experiential learning

People with dementia (PWD) and their family caregivers need an increasing number of diverse health and social services. A multidisciplinary person-centered approach to dementia services is required to meet the complex needs of PWD and their family caregivers. However, educational programs struggle to prepare health and social work students to meet the complex needs of PWD and their family caregivers. This study aimed to assess the self-efficacy, competence, target complaints, and attitudes regarding interactions with PWD and their family caregivers among healthcare and social work students who participated in a large community dementia-outreach research project. A one-group pretest and posttest design was used to collect data from 23 undergraduate students studying nursing, public health, or social work. Students participated in a community dementia-outreach research project as an extracurricular activity. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a pre- and post-participation self-report questionnaire. Students showed increased self-efficacy and competence after project participation. Students’ perceived barriers to interacting with PWD and their family caregivers decreased. In answering open-ended questions, students showed enhanced understanding of PWD and their family caregivers, positive attitudes toward dementia care, and a career preference for dementia care. Findings provided evidence of the benefits of community-research-project participation as an experiential learning tool to enhance dementia care among health and social work students.