Nicole and Matt are working together at Nexus, a group home, with six youth: Cathie, Maria, Ramon, Ron, Cheryl, and Nick. Nexus is a two-story house in the center of a medium-sized city. It is an older building that has been decorated and enlivened with the youth's art and music. Their story is presented in this article to illustrate how youthwork…

Counselors working with adults in transition can integrate the principles of character development with talk therapy, creating a framework for dialogue about the relationship between clients' character identity and their personal struggles and successes. Intervention strategies are proposed focusing on developing character identity for more…

In home visiting programs for children younger than age three, home visitors work with parents to enhance the child's environment. This study examined how the home visitor-parent relationship, amount of contact, and level of need affected the intensity of case management interventions received. Researchers interviewed 90 mothers to measure the…

The article argues that the local authority attendance officers responsible for the enforcement of compulsory attendance changed their approach to truancy under the influence of child welfare legislation and changing views of the child in the first decade of the twentieth century. Some of the changes in their work emerged as a direct response to…

The education of direct care workers (DCWs) is key to improving job quality and the quality of care in long-term care (LTC). This paper describes the successful integration of a supervisory training program into a continuing education intervention (WIN A STEP UP) for DCWs, identifies the factors that appear to influence the integration of the…

For the past eight years, Midwest Educational Research Consortium (MERC), located at Western Michigan University, received two multi-million dollar grants through a U.S. Department of Education program entitled Gaining Early Awareness and Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). GEAR UP is a school/university partnership using a cohort model with the…

Interviewed 15 social workers to examine the use of Life Books for children in substitute family care. Results indicated the project was valuable in helping children integrate past and present experiences and develop a sense of identity. (JAC)

Surveyed 247 social workers to investigate their use of community self-help groups as a resource for clients. Results indicated social workers were aware of self-help groups and their benefits, but agencies do not have policies that encourage their use. (JAC)

Describes Cuban culture and psychosocial characteristics to promote better communication and provide social workers with a better understanding of treatment approaches that are culturally sensitive. Discusses values, family relationships, sex roles, interpersonal relations, locus of control, time orientation, activity orientation, language, and…

Contends that recording has become an administrative rather than a clinical activity, retroactive rather than proactive, bringing its usefulness to clinical practice in question. Presents suggestions for improving the clinical record and for returning it to its proper place as a vital component of clinical practice. (LLL)

Discusses the importance of the interactive dimension for the training of planners and the practice of planning. Presents a framework by which social work planners can begin to use interactional skills. (JAC)

Proposes a comprehensive definition of permanency planning and delineates its major components. (Author/RH)

Conducted exploratory study to identify factors that may influence some caseworkers to continue employment in public child welfare when so many others are leaving. From comprehensive focused interviews with 23 caseworkers, 4 factors of retention emerged: mission, goodness of fit, supervision, and investment. (Author/NB)

This chapter presents additional stories and interpretations by John Korsmo, Molly Weingrod, Joseph Stanley, Quinn Wilder, Amy Evans, Rick Flowers, Arcelia Martinez, and Pam Ramsey. The stories and interpretations are presented as teachable moments that are examples of how people are learning to understand youthwork and, as such, are open to…

We report the impact of case management services and youth psychopathy on Juvenile Diversion program completion for youths involved in a clinical trial, and evaluation of an innovative intervention service providing 16 weeks of intensive case management services to youths and their families. The present study examines baseline interview data for…