Steven G. Anderson

Engaging students in community-based research: A model for teaching social work research

ABSTRACT This paper presents a model for teaching social work research courses that features collaboration between social service agencies and M.S.W. students on community-based research projects. The model encourages student interest and skill development through experiential learning, empowerment in decision-making, group interaction, and application of research principles and techniques. It also fosters community development and linkages between community agencies and universities by responding to agency research needs, and has the longer-term goal of contributing to the research skill base in communities. The processes for implementing the model are discussed, including the roles of instructors, students, and agency staff. Examples of completed research projects also are described. Student evaluations of the model are presented, as are the implications of the model for the development of community-based research.

Welfare recipient views about caseworker performance: Lessons for developing TANF case management practices

As states implement Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, the importance of public assistance caseworker functioning has been magnified. Based on personal interviews with 60 recipients, this article presents recipient perspectives about caseworker performance in one pre-TANF welfare reform program. While assessments of caseworker performance were mixed, study respondents consistently emphasized three dimensions in evaluating caseworker performance: substantive competence, accessibility, and interpersonal relations. Respondents rarely mentioned empowerment, strength building, or other casework practices that have been emphasized in social work practice literature. It was concluded that developing caseworker competence along the basic performance dimensions stressed by respondents may be a prerequisite to the establishment of more substantial helping relationships. Discussion includes prospects for infusing empowerment and strength-building perspectives into TANF case manager roles.

Challenges in Social Work Field Education in China: Lessons from the Western Experience

Social work education has been a growing field in Mainland China in the last two decades, accompanying economic reforms and the reintroduction of social sciences into the curriculum in higher education. The rapid increase of social work programs has also generated concerns and discussion. This study examines one of the most important educational concerns—the nature and challenges of field education. After briefly introducing the development of Chinese social work education, we describe critical features of field education in the United States. We then examine how such educational features may present similar and different challenges in China, drawing on a purposive survey of 15 Chinese universities with an MSW program. The survey content focuses on three specific aspects of field education, including field education curriculum design, features of field agencies, and challenges encountered in implementing field education. Content analysis is conducted to identify key themes and issues in these emerging programs. We find that the lack of faculty supervisors, inadequate field agencies for placement, and few qualified social workers at field agencies are among the most frequently reported challenges. We then provide specific recommendations for addressing the challenges and assisting the development of social work field education in China.

Improving the Knowledge and Attitudes of Low-Income Families About Banking and Predatory Financial Practices

Research has found that low-income families often do not access the mainstream banking services used by financially better-off families, and that they correspondingly are subject to predatory financial practices. This article evaluates a training program intended to improve the banking and related financial practices of low-income persons. Pretraining surveys found low initial knowledge about banking and predatory practices, and trainees were skeptical about the costs and difficulties associated with bank use. Post-training surveys found significant knowledge improvements in these respects, as well as attitude changes favorable to the use of mainstream financial institutions. The implications of these findings for social work involvement in financial training development are discussed.

The collaborative research process in complex human services agencies: Identifying and responding to organizational constraints

Abstract Social service devolution and increased accountability demands have created new opportunities for researchers to develop collaborative research relationships with human service agencies. However, results from such research have been underused in agency decision-making. This article examines selected organizational constraints that limit both the conduct of collaborative research and the utilization of results. Issues analyzed include the differing research orientations and political skills of agency collaborators; conflicting organizational imperatives; and decision-making unpredictability due to external constraints and the shifting attention of key organizational actors. Based on this analysis, strategies are presented for improving the prospects that collaborative research will be used in agency decision-making. Particular attention is given to the selection of agency collaborators, as well as the development of a long-term approach to building influence within organizations.

Developing financial management training in low-income communities: Assessing needs and community practice implications

Abstract As welfare policy contractions and declines in real wages have placed severe financial pressures on low-income families, programs to improve financial management practices and to help the poor accumulate assets have grown. This article examines the need for such programs and the implications associated with implementing two prominent training strategies-one that focuses solely on financial management training and another that combines such training with savings incentives. Based on data from a large financial management training program, we find that knowledge deficits about basic financial issues are substantial, and that the type of financial training program offered has important implications with respect to the subgroups of low-income people likely to be served within a community. We discuss program issues critical to the implementation of such programs in low-income communities, with a focus upon more carefully attending to their participant empowerment and community development potential.

Developing Contracted Social Service Initiatives in Small Nonprofit Agencies: Understanding Management Dilemmas in Uncertain Environments

The author examines management dilemmas experienced by small nonprofit social services agencies as they entered new service domains with the assistance of governmental funding. Miscalculations regarding service and management expectations were common, as were problems in meeting contractual reporting requirements. Agencies also overestimated the possibility of using existing client pools as referral sources for the new services and consequently experienced difficulties in recruiting clients for service provision. Contrary to concerns raised in previous studies of nonprofit agencies, entering into new service domains did not create clear conflicts with existing agency service missions. However, subtle shifts in programming emphases did occur in some agencies. The implications of these findings for the development of contractual relationships between government agencies and small nonprofit agencies are discussed.

Subsidized Child Care by Grandparents: Profiles of Caregivers in an Emerging Public Service Context

Grandparents have become an important source of subsidized noncustodial child care provision as states have developed child care subsidy programs for working families. Based on a sample of 140 grandparents providing care in one state subsidy program, this article examines grandparent characteristics, caregiving patterns, experiences with care provision, and training and resource needs in this emerging public service context. Our findings indicate that grandparents provide care largely for altruistic reasons. They offer vital care during nontraditional work hours and are more receptive to training provision than often is understood. Based on study findings, several strategies are presented for supporting subsidized grandparent caregivers.

Differences in depressive symptoms between rural and urban Chinese labor force: The mediating effects of community factors

Purpose: This study aimed to examine differences in depressive symptoms between urban and rural workers in mainland China and to identify community factors that could contribute to such residential differences. Methods: This study used nationally representative data from the 2014 China’s Labor Force Dynamic Survey. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews on a sample of 22,073 participants from 29 provinces of China, including 15,098 rural workers (Mage = 44.92, standard deviation (SD) = 14.85) and 6,975 urban workers (Mage = 43.28, SD = 13.62). Mediators included community cohesion, foreseeable community threat, supportive network size and medical benefit coverage. Mediation analyses were conducted using Hayes’ SPSS Macro Process for multiple mediators. Results: Urban participants reported fewer depressive symptoms than their rural counterparts. Lower levels of community cohesion, higher community foreseeable threat and poorer medical coverage were related to fewer depressive symptoms. Rural–urban differences were mediated by community cohesion (B = −0.12, p < .01), foreseeable community threat (B = −0.08, p < .01) and medical benefit coverage (B = 0.25, p < .01). Conclusion: This study sheds light on distinctive roles of community factors in explaining rural–urban differences in depressive symptoms. Policies or programs should be designed to promote strengths and address weaknesses in rural communities.

Employment Experiences and Support Services Use Following TANF Exits

ABSTRACT The welfare reforms embodied in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) emphasized the devolution of program authority, which raises questions concerning the variability of outcomes across geographic areas. This article analyzes sub-state variations in the post-exit employment experiences and support services use of a random sample of 514 former Illinois Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. Findings reveal substantial variations in employment and support services outcomes across four types of geographic areas (large city, suburban, other urban, and rural). The implications of these findings for social policy development and research are discussed.