The role of "children's hearings" in child abuse and neglect

The juvenile justice system established in Scotland in 1971, in which lay volunteers play a central part, provides a framework for making decisions about children in need of care and protection as well as those who have committed delinquent acts. Although cases of child abuse and neglect have come increasingly to the attention of children's hearings in recent years, they nevertheless constitute a small fraction of a workload dominated by cases of delinquency and truancy. A recent Scotland-wide study of the hearings system therefore gave only limited attention to the processing of abuse and neglect referrals. As a step towards rectifying this imbalance, a separate enquiry was carried out in 1981, when 43 such hearings were systematically observed and the participating panel members interviewed. Examination of these results indicates a heavy dependence on social workers' recommendations, a reluctance to open up sensitive areas for discussion, even though these may be of central importance, and an apparent lack of curiosity about the arrangements made for children removed from their homes, and the implications of these. In general, it is concluded that the anxiety generated by child abuse and neglect has prevented panel members from recognizing the distinctive features of their role in the decision-making process and has led them to fall back on an inappropriate model of practice derived from delinquency hearings. An alternative model is outlined.     

Some effects of curriculum innovation on the racial attitudes of adolescents

The paper reports results of one aspect (assessment of racial prejudice) of a large-scale British curriculum research project concerned with the problems and effects of exposure to three different race-oriented teaching strategies. Over 1,500 14–16 year olds from 39 British schools of varying multiracial composition participated in this research which was also concerned with gaining some insight into the relevance of teaching about race relations in schools. The conclusions point to the possible benefit of such teaching but also draw attention to the constraints operating against curriculum innovation in this area and to the need to consider other contributory factors before definitive answers can be given.     

Design requirements for a planning information system for training and personnel technology RDT&E

Objectives and information requirements are proposed for the design of a planning information system for Training and Personnel Technology RDT&E. Objectives are (1) improved procedures for relating Training and Personnel Technology RDT&E to defense objectives; (2) continuous coordination of plans through the establishment of a computer-assisted, DoD-wide RDT&E plans information sharing system; (3) improved labeling of work units and simplification of top management presentations by organizing large numbers of small technically-described work units into broad thrusts that identify deliverables with obvious payoff for defense; and (4) more systematic procedures for program evaluation and resource allocation decisions. Issues are identified that should be addressed during the design stage of such a system.