A widespread bias exists among legal, medical, and social service professionals that the appropriate placement for elderly individuals with cognitive impairment (dementia) is a nursing home. Two major reasons for institutionalization are to remove the patient from a potentially harmful situation and to relieve the family of the burden of care.…

This paper reports an attempt to determine whether or not an analysis and disaggregation of provincial public accounts could illuminate trends in the development of Canadian personal social services. Every third fiscal year between 1963-1964 and 1980-1981 was analyzed to give some idea of trends occurring immediately prior to and since the…

Explores licensing of out-of-home care as nonservice protective approach to child welfare distinguished from placement protective services. Discusses individual and role conflicts in relation to common goals of community protection of vulnerable children. Reviews administrative and organizational issues in light of assuring consistent and uniform…

Families care for their elderly even when the burden is enormous, suffer guilt when institutionalization becomes necessary, and maintain contact after institutionalization. Policies must be developed to reduce premature institutionalization, help families cope with the process when it becomes necessary, and provide institutional care to those…

Proposes the use of a post-substantiation model for responding to incidents of abuse within an institutional setting. Provides an example of how this model is applied to the investigation of institutional abuse. (Author/BB)

Examines the influences of three principles (deinstitutionalization, normalization, and the right of dependent persons to treatment) on the child welfare system over the period 1960 to 1980. (Author/CM)

The mother of a moderately mentally handicapped son describes her decision to place her child in residential care. The author discusses her adjustment on learning of her son's handicap and how, after 10 years, she is confident that the decision she made was right for her family. (PHR)

A more productive approach to providing appropriate long-term care is to separate physical from psychosocial needs when performing functional assessment and to rearrange them into a matrix. By examining each need separately, and where needs overlap in the matrix, more direct assessment can be performed, and specified interventions can be designed.…

Uses a historical and sociological analysis to examine the nature of leadership, focusing on power and charisma and how these can become embedded in the relationship between leaders and followers. Contends that attention to residential child care leadership has been lacking in the literature. (Author/KB)

This symposium overview examines the outcomes of standards established in Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded to receive Medicaid funding. The argument is made that, although regulations have provided cleaner environments and better documented procedures, they lack in provisions promoting personal, moral, and educational…

This parable is presented in the form of news items and excerpts from jury testimonies in three fictional malpractice suits against physicians and adult care workers in group homes. Key issues at stake are the roles of Interdisciplinary Treatment Teams and Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded regulations. (PB)

Provides a selective review of relevant research on developmental psychopathology and its relevance for group care programming; a summary overview of major themes in residential care outcome research; and suggestions for future research on group care with implications for direct practice, service organization, and policy. (TJQ)

Provides a personal account of a British tutor's experiences with children at a state-run orphanage in Rumania, focusing on emotional reactions of the tutor and the children. Describes a cooperative project to provide the children with materials for play and learning activities, and discusses changes in orphanage practices after the project. (AC)

Introduces theme issue on assessing outcomes in children's services, based on presentations given at a conference in September 1997. Articles in Part 1 deal with assessing outcomes for services to all children in need. Articles in Part 2 focus on initiatives in Britain and elsewhere related to the Looking After Children project, dealing with…

This commentary discusses the structure of residential care in the United States, the aging of caregivers and the growing demand for services, the increased longevity of persons with developmental disabilities, the long waiting lists for services, and state initiatives to address waiting lists. Policy considerations and recommendations are…