State Definitions of Social Work Practice: Implications for our Professional Identity.

PURPOSE: For over a century, the social work profession has been concerned with describing the unique and specific characteristics that define its core functions in society; however, the profession has yet to agree to a single definition of social work. In the absence of a unifying definition, 51 different statutory definitions of social work have been created by each state and the District of Columbia. METHODS: Using qualitative methods, each statutory definition of social work was analyzed to gain an understanding of how social work is defined and understood across the United States. RESULTS: Findings indicate that 57% of the statutory language blend the full range of micro to macro social work practice skills into their definition. However, even within these and those remaining, there are vast differences in definitions. DISCUSSION: Implications for state licensing laws, are considered, along with how this impacts education, the work force, and professional identity.

Working together to shape the endometrial cancer research agenda: The top ten unanswered research questions.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynaecological cancer in developed nations and its incidence is rising. As a direct consequence, more women are dying from EC despite advances in care and improved survivorship. There is a lack of research activity and funding, as well as public awareness about EC. We sought to engage patients, carers and healthcare professionals to identify the most important unanswered research questions in EC. METHODOLOGY: The priority setting methodology was developed by the James Lind Alliance and involved four key stages: gathering research questions; checking these against existing evidence; interim prioritisation; and a final consensus meeting during which the top ten unanswered research questions were agreed using modified nominal group methodology. RESULTS: Our first online survey yielded 786 individual submissions from 413 respondents, of whom 211 were EC survivors or carers, and from which 202 unique unanswered research questions were generated. 253 individuals, including 108 EC survivors and carers, completed an online interim prioritisation survey. The resulting top 30 questions were ranked in a final consensus meeting. Our top ten spanned the breadth of patient experience of this disease and included developing personalised risk scoring, refining criteria for specialist referral, understanding the underlying biology of different types of EC, developing novel personalised treatment and prevention strategies, prognostic and predictive biomarkers, increasing public awareness and interventions for psychological issues. CONCLUSION: Having established the top ten unanswered research questions in EC, we hope this galvanises researchers, healthcare professionals and the public to collaborate, coordinate and invest in research to improve the lives of women affected by EC.

Contemporary social work licensure: implications for macro social work practice and education.

Understanding the impact of state licensing on social work practice remains a critical concern for social work academics and professionals alike. Given the complex social problems of our times, social workers need to be prepared to intervene with the individual, in various structural dimensions, and to engage in policy debates at the core of human injustice and suffering. Currently, there is insufficient research on the impact of state licensing on the profession and on accredited social work education. The purpose of this article is to begin to address this by providing an overview of the current state of social work licensing across the United States and to analyze the implications of social work regulations as they relate to the future of macro social work practice and education.

The prevalence of youth with disabilities among older youth in out-of-home placement: an analysis of state administrative data.

Children with disabilities are overrepresented in in out-of-home-placement; however, there is little research available on the prevalence of older youth with disabilities in foster care. Using state administrative data, this exploratory study used descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis to examine the prevalence and demographic make up of older youth with disabilities in one state's out-of-home placement system. Findings indicate that in one state, youth with disabilities are overrepresented in out-of-home placement and differ in their racial and ethnic identities from youth with disabilities who are not in foster care in the same state. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

The inclusion of disability as a condition for termination of parental rights.

OBJECTIVES: All 50 states and the District of Columbia have statutes outlining the grounds for terminating parental rights (TPR) in relation to child abuse and neglect. Although recent research has found that parents with disabilities are not more likely to maltreat their children than parents without disabilities (Glaun & Brown, 1999; Oyserman, Mowbray, Meares, & Firminger, 2000), studies have found very high rates of TPR of parents with disabilities (Accardo & Whitman, 1989). The objective of this study is to examine how states are including disability in their TPR statutes. METHODS: This study used legal document analysis, consisting of a comprehensive Boolean search of the state codes of the 50 states and District of Columbia (DC) relating to TPR, using the most recent state code available on Lexis-Nexis in August 2005. TPR and related statutes were searched for contemporary and historical disability related terms and their common cognates, such as: "mental," "disability," "handicap," and "incapacity." Two researchers independently conducted the searches, and the searches were reconciled. A code list was then developed to measure for inclusion of disability, preciseness, scope, use of language, and references to accessibility or fairness. Statutes were then reanalyzed, and groupings developed. RESULTS: Thirty-seven states included disability-related grounds for termination of parental rights, while 14 states did not include disability language as grounds for termination. Many of these state codes used outdated terminology, imprecise definitions, and emphasized disability status rather than behavior. All of the 14 states that do not include disability in TPR grounds allowed for termination based on neglectful parental behavior that may be influenced by a disability. CONCLUSIONS: The use of disability language in TPR statutes can put an undue focus on the condition of having a disability, rather than parenting behavior. IMPLICATIONS: This paper recommends that states consider removing disability language from their statutes, as such language risks taking the emphasis away from the assessment based on parenting behavior.

Foster care transition services for youth with disabilities: findings from a survey of county service providers.

This study explores the transition services available for youth with disabilities in foster care and the collaboration among foster care transition programs with other types of providers. Findings from this survey of independent living coordinators working for child welfare agencies indicate that while youth with disabilities are being served through transition programs and these programs collaborate with other government agencies, there are few services targeted directly toward their needs, little collaboration with community-based agencies, and a need for more information sharing.

Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act of 1999: What are the policy implications for youth with disabilities transitioning from foster care?

Youth with disabilities who are transitioning out of foster care are at high risk for poor adult outcomes. Although there are not definitive studies, research estimates that between 50% and 80% of youth in the child welfare system are youth with disabilities (United Cerebral Palsy & Children's Rights, 2006). The John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 expanded transition services for youth aging out of foster care; the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 continues the federal commitment to transition supports for youth with disabilities through special education services. This article examines the similarities and differences between the transition mandates in each of the two laws and makes recommendations for policy improvements.