Susan Mapp

Teaching Note—Integrating a Social Justice Assignment Into a Research Methods Course

Although social justice is a core value of social work, it can be more difficult to integrate into a research methods class. This article describes an assignment developed for a BSW one-semester research class that served the dual purpose of educating students about social justice as well as qualitative research. Students were instructed to identify a social norm and then breach it for 1 hour. They then wrote about their experience and their insights in a paper using thick description, analyzing themes and reflecting on insights into social justice.

Evidence-Based Practice or Practice-Based Evidence: What is Happening with MEPA and Current Adoption Practices?:

The Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) and Interethnic Placement Act (IEPA) were passed in an attempt to eliminate race as a barrier to adoption. The purposes of the current research were to discover what child welfare social workers know about MEPA and IEPA, their views about the usefulness of the acts in addressing race issues in adoption, and how these two acts have affected their child placement practices. A randomized nationwide survey of social workers in child welfare had 261 respondents. Respondents seemed knowledgeable about the acts, but they remained uncertain about their intended purpose and lacked knowledge about research on transracial adoption (TRA). The majority of respondents indicated race is a continuing factor in adoptive placements.

Effectively preparing students for international field placements through a pre-departure class

Abstract Goals of international social work internships include greater cross-cultural sensitivity, professional growth, increased awareness of the impact of culture on the helping process, and a greater degree of intercultural adaptability, however, purposeful preparation is required to these desired goals. Therefore, a US BSW program developed a semester-long pre-departure class for students preparing to complete international internships. Theories of intercultural development and cross-cultural competence shaped the curriculum to help students increase self-awareness and critical reflection on their home culture; develop an understanding of cultural values about helping and social work as a profession in the destination country; and learn practical aspects of international travel and living abroad. Utilizing a non-randomized comparison group, significant differences were found on the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory.

Local Law Enforcement Officers’ Knowledge of Human Trafficking: Ability to Define, Identify, and Assist

ABSTRACT Local law enforcement officers have been identified as key figures in the fight against human trafficking, yet training has lagged, and their preparation to fulfill this role is unknown. Thus, 175 U.S. local law enforcement officers completed a survey assessing their ability to define human trafficking and to identify and assist its survivors. Approximately 17% of officers reported receiving training on human trafficking, while two thirds relied on mass media for information about human trafficking. Answers indicated confusion between human smuggling and human trafficking and a lack of knowledge of the elements of trafficking and who potential victims are. A substantial minority struggled to identify signs that a person might be a survivor of human trafficking and methods for intervention. Having received training and receiving information on trafficking from an official source significantly increased officers’ knowledge base. These results strongly support the need for formal training of local law enforcement officers and provision of knowledge from law enforcement sources in order to be able to effectively combat human trafficking.

Vulnerable Children: Global Challenges in Education, Health, Well-being and Child Rights, by Johnson, D. J., Agbényiga, D. L., & Hitchcock, R. K. (Eds.)

This edited volume has pulled together work from a wide variety of scholars who are united by their focus on violations of children’s rights. As laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, there are certain minimal things to which children must have access to reach their adult potential, and these authors explore some violations of the Convention in a variety of cultural contexts. The volume is a collection of scholarship produced as a result of a project from Michigan State University. As stated by the editors, scholars from a variety of disciplines and cultural contexts were brought together at a conference to examine threats to vulnerable children and violations of their rights. The work presented at that conference resulted in this compilation of their work. It is divided into five sections: cultural empowerment and selfdetermination; education; health and well-being; orphans and fostering; and children’s rights. However, the wide-ranging nature of these violations and chapters makes these categories difficult, and a number of chapters could easily have been placed in other categories. The book advances the knowledge base in a number of areas. Space has been given to specific examination of issues that are not generally allotted space in the peer-reviewed literature, such as Trokosi children in Ghana (a form of child sex trafficking) or South-South comparisons of child wellbeing. A key benefit of this text is that each chapter is firmly grounded in a positive, strength-based view of the cultural context. As several of the authors point out, far too often, these examinations are conducted in a deficiency, need-based framework. As asked in the chapter examining differences in well-being between middleand working-class children in both Kenya and Brazil (p. 122), “Why have scholars focused their attention on the poorest children of each of these countries or on children and families growing up in very different conditions than those typically found in many parts of the industrialized world?” The authors do not defend violations of children’s