Menachem Monnickendam

POVERTY-AWARE SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

Despite the profound commitment of social work toward people living in poverty, the social work profession has failed to develop practice based on awareness of poverty. This article shows the ways in which poverty became a marginal issue in social work practice, reviews the literature on teaching poverty in international context, and then explicates the expected educational results and the main course and fieldwork contents. The proposed framework for poverty-aware social work education includes knowledge acquisition, structuring of professional values, skills development, and experiencing. A consideration of the ways in which this content may be integrated into the existing social work curriculum concludes this article.

Computer systems that work : A review of variables associated with system use

Abstract The objective of this study is to provide system developers with a framework to classify variables that influence computer use, and to assess their different roles in this respect. To that end, variables from thirty-five studies were identified, classified and reviewed for their effect on system use. Process variables including participation and involvement were the strongest predictors. Second in strength were system attributes such as perceived usefulness, and user variables such as training, skills and self-efficacy. Organizational context and support, categorized as environmental variables, and attitudes, demographics and personal traits, categorized as user variables, were the weakest predictors. The paper concludes with implications of the review for system design and implementation, and for future research.

An assessment of the utilization of a computerized decision support system for youth probation officers

ABSTRACT This article presents an assessment of a decision support system (DSS) to assist youth probation officers in selecting their recommendations to the courts. The evaluation employed mixed methods in a sequence of four stages: (1) Qualitative assessment of the impact of the DSS via interviews with senior administrators and analysis of documents; (2) Qualitative assessment of staff responses to the DSS, via focus groups and personal interviews; (3) Quantitative assessment of system utilization, via statistical analysis of data bases; and (4) Quantitative assessment of DSS utilization and its predictors, via administration of a battery of questionnaires to all youth probation officers throughout the country. Quantitative findings showed a low rate of utilization of the DSS by the youth probation officers and this is discussed and interpreted in light of the qualitative information stemming from the interviews.

Targeting implementation efforts for maximum satisfaction with new computer systems: Results from four human service agencies

Human service management needs to pinpoint the areas in which to concentrate computer implementation efforts in order to achieve maximum satisfaction with new systems. This study sought to identify the most salient factors affecting user satisfaction in management and client oriented computer systems in human services. Along with commonly used factors to assess user computer satisfaction (UCS), congruence with human service norms was added. UCS was evaluated in newly implemented computer systems in four human services. Two had introduced management oriented systems and two had introduced client oriented systems (N=517). Hierarchical regression was conducted to assess the relative effects of four classes of variable (user, environmental, process, and system), on UCS. Contrary to expectations, results show that the two types of system were analogous with respect to contributing variables to UCS. Preparedness, importance to management, integration, usefulness, and technical support best predict UCS. Moreover, the systems did not differ with respect to congruence with human service norms, and this variable did not load on the regression. A discussion of the implications of these findings for implementation theory and human service management concludes the paper.

Poverty perceptions of social workers and physicians in Israel.

This qualitative study comparing poverty perceptions of social workers (SWs) and primary care physicians (PCPs) employed in Israels public services found that both attributed the poverty of their own clients to similar causes—individualistic, structural, fate, and policy—but differed in most of their perspectives and moral imperatives. The PCPs tended to be more angry, skeptical, and accusatory than the SWs, who were more forbearing and accepting. Both believed that those in a position to work should, but only PCPs held that they should work for any salary. With respect to policy, PCPs looked at the macro, SWs at the micro. The findings suggest that it might be more fruitful to keep inter-professional discussions on the poor and poverty pragmatic, rather than theoretical and principled.

Ideological purity versus pragmatic considerations in the development of social welfare in Israel

Israel is often characterized as being dominated by two main political groupings: the left-wing labour parties who espouse socialist values, and the right-wing capitalist parties who espouse free market policies. It is therefore only natural to portray the current structure of the Israeli welfare state as a product of the ideological strife between these politically disparate groups. Yet, this conflict is convoluted because due to pragmatic reasons, both groups would have implemented similar policies if in power. The question then becomes to what extent is the continuing strife between these two groups an ideological or a turf conflict? This article will show how the development of human services in Israel was affected by these intricate and often ideologically obfuscated conflicts. The first part of this article will trace the roots of this conflict and its impact on the development of Israeli social services in the pre-state period before 1948. The second part will illustrate how both groups restrained yet fostered the development of Israel into an advanced westernized welfare state.