Quality in Group Day Care Provision: UK self‐assessment models in Hungarian day care centres

The importance of quality in the provision of day care services for young children is well established. A project designed to address issues of assessing, maintaining and enhancing standards of service provision in the UK developed a set of self‐assessment materials for use in group day care settings. This paper describes a project to evaluate whether versions of the same materials might be effective in group day care settings in Hungary. Differences and similarities between service provision in the UK and Hungary are described. In a study involving 76 Hungarian day care centres, > 80% of staff involved thought using the materials raised their awareness of quality issues, although the materials did not have a significant impact on the quality of care provided. Key differences between service provision in the UK and Hungary are identified as influencing the potential effectiveness of the materials in assessing, maintaining and enhancing quality.     

论农民工教育服务的多边合作供给制——基于制度变迁理论的分析

建设和谐社会必然要求农民工教育服务的多边合作供给。对农民工教育服务的多机构合作供给实质上是公共服务领域内的一场制度变迁,即在农民工的教育服务供给领域中引入市场机制,构建多个利益相关者互动的公共服务新秩序,以实现各机构之间功能的互补性贡献。制度需求与制度供给的不平衡是制度变迁的内在动力。     

论农民工教育服务的多边合作供给铜——基于制度变迁理论的分析

建设和谐社会必然要求农民工教育服务的多边合作供给。对农民工教育服务的多机构合作供给实质上是公共服务领域内的一场制度变迁，即在农民工的教育服务供给领域中引入市场机制，构建多个利益相关者互动的公共服务新秩序，以实现各机构之间功能的互补性贡献。制度需求与制度供给的不平衡是制度变迁的内在动力。     

Early education and day care: in search of a policy

This paper examines policy issues in the provision of services for children under five and their families. It argues that services have developed in response to political and economic factors rather than in response to the needs of children and their parents. It shows how the separate strands of development that have led to the current confused situation reflect different ideological and philosophical approaches which tend to militate against a more coherent and co‐ordinated service provision. In the absence of a national policy on services for children under five, the paper examines the attempts by some local authorities to rationalize their own services on a local basis. It considers some of the areas in which a policy is required, including the organizational structure of services, flexibility and responsiveness of nurseries and centres to the needs of families, the quality of day care and education, the involvement of parents, equal opportunities, the relationship between the vouluntary and statutory sectors, pay and conditions of pre‐school workers, and initial and in‐service training.     

Agricultural extension in South-Eastern Europe: Issues of transition and sustainability

Following the economic reforms in the early 90's, most of the south-eastern European countries (SEE) made efforts to establish agricultural extension services. However, a number of factors including tight governmental budgets, lack of experience, and the existence of vested interests have constrained the development of extension services. This paper examines the rationale for public funding of extension programs and evaluates the incentive structure for private and public provision of agricultural extension service in the SEE countries. It suggests a medium and long-term approach with a primary focus on institutional design. Two groups of factors that affect the private sector supply of extension are analyzed: (i) demand and supply-side factors that affect the profitability of the service and (ii) factors arising from the public-good nature of extension output, externalities, and moral hazards that affect the appropriation of returns of the service. The main conclusion is that the SEE countries should try to achieve a public-private extension balance by following a gradual approach toward privatization of the agricultural extension service. However, the paper advocates a continued important role for the public sector to correct for potential undesirable effects of private advisory services.     

基于市场化视野的我国公共服务现状评析

长期以来,我国政府垄断了绝大多数公共服务的供给,忽视了服务提供职能与服务生产职能相分离的可行性和必要性,政府面临着公共服务需求不断扩大与公共服务供给能力不断减弱的尖锐矛盾。以市场化为视角,可以管窥出我国公共服务供给机制的现状：公共服务的提供主体单一化、缺乏竞争性;公共部门的服务意识淡薄、服务观念滞后;公共服务的成本高、质量差、投入相对不足;公共服务的运行机制不健全;公共服务的手段陈旧、方法落后等。     

当代“威斯康星理念”的新发展及其启示——以威斯康星大学为例

"威斯康星理念"是20世纪初美国威斯康星大学倡导并发展起来的关于大学服务社会的思想观念和实践行动体系。"威斯康星理念"一经提出,其价值就得到各国大学的普遍认同。随着时代的变化,"威斯康星理念"的内涵也在不断地丰富和发展。进入21世纪,在国际社会政治、经济改革的背景下,"威斯康星理念"获得了新的发展,不仅传统的推广教育模式得到保持和发展,而且着力构建多主体、多学科参与的服务体制,并注重对社会特定人群提供切实的服务。这些对于我国大学开展服务社会活动具有重要的启示。     

Coming of Age? Overview of Career Guidance Policy and Practice in Australia

In recent years significant international focus has highlighted the critical importance of managing life, learning and work in a constantly changing labour market. This changing world and the corresponding need for individuals to engage in repeated decision-making about learning and work has raised the importance of and necessity for the provision of career development services across the lifespan. This challenge is being addressed by many countries across the globe. Within this context, this paper discusses the initiatives enhancing the status of career service provision in Australia.     

Distance learning technology and service support in Greece: The case study of the Aristotle University over the last decade

In this paper we present the distance-learning (DL) environment of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. The technical infrastructure is based on synchronous DL facilities. DL classrooms have been used successfully over the last decade. We present a generic data model for DL service provision. Supplementary services have also been developed in order to provide support for the DL service provision. The use cases of the DL service are described. The pedagogical issues regarding both students and teachers have been investigated using statistical surveys. The findings are presented in this paper. Finally, the conclusion and future work is discussed.     

服务业跨国投资的发展及其影响

20世纪80年代以来，全球服务贸易自由化进程加快，服务产业的国际投资得到快速发展，尤其是服务企业的跨国并购浪潮一浪高过一浪，服务企业的国际化网络得以大大拓展。这对拉动全球服务产业的发展及世界经济的整体发展产生积极影响；同时，进一步调整着发达国家与发展中国家在国际分工中的利益分配，服务产业落后的发展中国家在国际经济竞争中将处于更加不利的地位。     

Remembering the forgotten victims: Child-Related themes in domestic violence fatality reviews

BackgroundThe needs of children exposed to domestic violence have been historically overlooked. One way in which service provision for children exposed to this violence can be explored is through an examination of Domestic Violence Fatality Review Teams (DVFRT's), who review cases of fatal domestic violence to identify possible areas for improvement.ObjectiveThis study explored key themes relative to children exposed to domestic violence and homicide published by DVFRT's in order to identify the services that exist for children exposed to domestic violence, barriers to providing these services, and recommendations for improvement.Participants and SettingThis study reviewed annual reports from three DVFRT jurisdictions with regular annual reports from 2004 to 2016.MethodsA generic thematic analysis was performed by the primary author, in consultation with the second author, in order to identify dominant themes present in the DVFRT annual reports. The analysis utilized a codebook that was created beforehand in order to capture pertinent information within the reports. Trustworthiness of the data was established through a consistent application and thorough reporting of the coding procedures.ResultsThe analysis highlighted key barriers to child-specific service provision among agencies involved (e.g., lack of professional training and public awareness), recommendations for enhanced intervention (e.g., enhanced child-specific services) and promising practices (e.g., policy and legislation development).ConclusionsThe three DVFRTs identified several gaps in service provision for children affected by fatal domestic violence that will require increased engagement and resources targeting these vulnerable children.     

LEA support services for special educational needs provision and management

The National Foundation for Educational Research recently undertook research on the impact of delegation on local authority support services for special educational needs. This paper presents data on the provision offered by these services and the way in which they are managed. In particular, it examines how support is targeted, the extent and profile of service staff, mechanisms for the referral of pupils for support from the services, management structure, staff deployment and the professional development of service staff, and service monitoring, review and evaluation. Ways in which support services have developed in the 1990s, and their challenges for the next decade in the light of developments in the governance of education and the local policy context, are discussed.     

Strategies of intervention

This paper begins with a discussion of the optimal conditions for the provision of infant mental health services to infants and toddlers. It argues for the importance of the automatic provision of service at all levels of need. The pediatric setting is emphasized as the natural locus for the integration of such preventive services and as the first and often sole contact of parents and infants with professionals. The various kinds of possible service are delineated as are the sources of stress. It is suggested that the understanding of these factors should dictate the kind and level of response which might be most efficacious. Finally, some basic difficulties in establishing a working alliance with parents whose relationships with their infants and toddlers are developing very negatively are discussed. A framework for understanding some of these problems which may interfere with the parents' utilization of services is provided by employing the psychoanalytic concepts of transference and countertransference. The influence of these transference feelings on the relationship between parents and service providers of all kinds is emphasized and explored.     

Book reviews

Lifelong learning is recognized as an important tool to reduce social exclusion, but out of the many investigations into the provision of lifelong learning in Europe none has yet sought to examine the specific situation of mental health care service users. This study examines the provision of lifelong learning for this disadvantaged group; it identifies current policies and explores the access to, and nature of, lifelong learning practices for mental health care service users in eight European countries. Data have been collected through a literature and policy review and through questionnaires completed by mental health practitioners in the eight countries. The study found broad compliance amongst the eight countries with the Lisbon policy goals on lifelong learning, but evidence of specific lifelong learning provision for mental health care service users is patchy and sporadic. The study identified the main benefits of, and the barriers to, the participation in lifelong learning for mental health care service users from the viewpoint of mental health professionals and practitioners. The implications for practice were described, and suggestions for actions were made for improving the lifelong learning provision for the target group.     

Non‐profit education providers vis‐à‐vis the private sector: comparative analysis of non‐governmental organizations and traditional voluntary organizations in Pakistan

Under the New Policy Agenda, international development institutions have promoted non‐profit organizations (NPOs) in developing countries, on a dual logic: firstly, they deliver social services more efficiently than the state; secondly, they mitigate equity concerns around privatization of basic social services by reaching out to the poor. Based on a survey of twenty prominent non‐profit education providers in Pakistan, this paper illustrates that the NPO sector is not monolithic: non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the education sector under the patronage of international donors follow markedly different models of education provision to those of Traditional Voluntary Organizations (TVOs) reliant on domestic donations. While the social service ethos of the TVOs makes them distinct from the private sector, it is not the case with the NGOs: their model of education provision, rather than meeting the education needs of the poor, ends up cultivating markets for the private sector among poor communities.     

亚太地区基础教育PPP的运行机制探析

在当前的基础教育服务经营中,非政府组织经营者发挥着不可低估的作用,成为扩大受教育机会和提高教育质量的一项重要资源.在亚太地区的众多国家里,各种不同的非政府经营者都可以满足教育的需要.但成功的公私合作伙伴关系(PPP)需要精心设计和认真执行.因此政府应当转变角色,出台授权性的政策架构,扶持私营部门成长壮大,推动PPP项目提高教育服务的质量,最终实现全民教育的目标.     

The use of ICT by adults with learning disabilities in day and residential services

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by adults with learning disabilities has been positively promoted over the past decade. More recently, policy statements and guidance from the UK government have underlined the importance of ICT for adults with learning disabilities specifically, as well as for the population in general, through the potential it offers for social inclusion. The aim of the present study was to provide a picture of how ICT is currently being used within one organisation providing specialist services for adults with learning disabilities and more specifically to provide a picture of its use in promoting community participation. Nine day and 14 residential services were visited as part of a qualitative study to answer three main questions: What kinds of computer programs are being used? What are they being used for? Does this differ between day and residential services? Computers and digital cameras were used for a wide range of activities and ‘mainstream’ programs were used more widely than those developed for specific user groups. In day services, ICT was often embedded in wider projects and activities, whilst use in houses was based around leisure interests. In both contexts, ICT was being used to facilitate communication, although this was more linked to within‐service activities, rather than those external to service provision.     

Identifying the costs and benefits of educational psychology: a preliminary exploration in two local authorities

This article provides an account of a small-scale pilot study of the cost and perceived benefits of the educational psychology services in two comparably small local authorities in England. This study is preparatory to a more detailed examination of the costs and likely benefits of state provision of educational psychology services in England. The work is contextualised by acknowledgement of the growing pressure on local authority services to trade and for schools to directly commission the services of educational psychologists. Provisional findings indicate significant differences between the impact of the two services that participated. The authors offer speculation on the effects for local authorities and schools, and ways in which the study might be developed to provide more satisfactory answers to the questions of “what is the value of educational psychology in practice” and “how best to deploy educational psychology services?”     

The Implications of Inclusive Schooling for School Libraries

School library provision for students with disabilities was evaluated in a four year study completed in 1999. The study focussed on the relationship between library and special education staff, and the effect this had on access to library services and the acquisition of information literacy by students with disabilities. Empirical data reflecting the current level of service provision in two Australian states was collected in a survey. This data was complemented by observations and interviews with special education and library staff and students in 15 case study schools. The research showed that as the number of students with disabilities enrolled in mainstream schools was increasing, school librarians had to be aware of the needs of these students, in order to provide them with adequate library services. Although examples of good practice were found, there is need for improvement in service delivery for these students. Much of this could be achieved by enhanced communication and cooperation between school librarians and special education teachers.     

The services provided during a child abuse and/or neglect case investigation and the barriers that exist to service provision

More than one million cases of child abuse and neglect come to attention of child protection agencies each year. During the course of investigating these cases, social workers are charged with protecting the child while assessing whether or not abuse or neglect has actually occurred. Child welfare philosophy also dictates that at the same time the investigation is being conducted, the social worker strives to maintain the family intact, if at all possible. One way to address this dual responsibility of protecting the child while working towards family stability is through the provision of services during the investigation. The purpose of this paper is to identify the services that are provided during the course of a child abuse and/or neglect case investigation. The paper also identifies the barriers that exist both within an agency and within the external community that discourage the provision of services to children and families. The findings of this research show that in the majority of cases services are not provided during the investigation. In those case investigations where services are provided, a much broader range of services are considered for provision than are actually delivered. The research also found that placement is the most frequently provided service; however, only one-third of those children in placement receive any clinical services while in placement. Finally, this study found that the greatest barrier to service provision is a lack of evidence necessary to intervene in the home situation.