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Article
Publication date: 12 March 2018

Remo Siza

The purpose of this paper is to offer a contribution to our understanding of the changing relations of the middle classes with the Italian welfare state. The paper argues that the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a contribution to our understanding of the changing relations of the middle classes with the Italian welfare state. The paper argues that the new interplay between public and private welfare is based on a very simplified analysis of Italian society.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper aims to integrate a variety of different theoretical approaches. The paper makes extensive use of the EU-SILC database, as well as the recently updated historic series of consumer studies undertaken by the Italian National Institute of Statistics. The data used in the paper were also drawn from the biennial cross-sectional Survey on Household Income and Wealth carried out by the Bank of Italy.

Findings

The analysis suggests that the problems of Italian society include not only a high incidence of poverty, but also increasing financial constraints for households placed between the established middle class and people in conditions of persistent poverty. The current public-private mix in service delivery appears less and less capable of protecting this social stratum against the growing risk of instability across all life domains, let alone of creating opportunities and fostering social mobility.

Originality/value

The paper explores some ways in which current politics of welfare have been designed with the view of fundamentally changing the welfare regime. It highlights how the public and private welfare mix has been purposefully organized in order to introduce a new model of social protection that aims to overcome certain specific characteristics of Southern European welfare states. It examines the sustainability of this model compared to the real living conditions of the Italian middle classes.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 38 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 June 2022

Konstantinos Spyropoulos, Christopher James Gidlow, Fiona McCormack, Andy Meakin, Rachele Hine and Sophia Fedorowicz

This paper reports the use of situational analysis as a systems methodology to evaluate the voices of independence change and empowerment in the Stoke-on-Trent (VOICES…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper reports the use of situational analysis as a systems methodology to evaluate the voices of independence change and empowerment in the Stoke-on-Trent (VOICES) partnership project.

Design/methodology/approach

Using situational analysis and drawing on a range of secondary data sources, a three-stage conceptual mapping process provided a detailed picture of both the non-linear interlinkage and complexity of the local system that VOICES was working to influence, as well as the processes that shaped the experiences of those who act within the situation.

Findings

Data highlighted the systemic challenges facing VOICES customers (e.g. stigma and marginalisation and lack of legal literacy), progress made by VOICES in each of their priority areas and an overarching theme of VOICES promoting equity (rather than equality) to address failure demand in the system of support for people with multiple needs and disadvantage.

Originality/value

The authors present the novel application of situational analysis to demonstrate a substantial impact of VOICES while demonstrating the value of this methodology for complex systems thinking research and evaluation.

Details

Housing, Care and Support, vol. 25 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 December 2015

Martin Whiteford and Glenn Simpson

The critical potential of hospital discharge policies and practices to ameliorate the health and social care needs of homeless people has become the focus of considerable interest…

Abstract

Purpose

The critical potential of hospital discharge policies and practices to ameliorate the health and social care needs of homeless people has become the focus of considerable interest in England. Central to this rise in policy formation and practice development is an acute understanding of the multiple exclusions homeless people face in navigating public health and social care systems. In ways small and large this nascent landscape is serving to redefine and reshape hospital arrangements for homeless people, and opening-up new ways to deliver care across clinical, social and therapeutic boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to seek to add empirical vigour and theoretical rigour to this unfolding policy and practice terrain.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on findings from a case study concerned with exploring and explaining how statutory and voluntary sector organisations use specialist hospital discharge policies and practices to coordinate pathways of care for homeless people.

Findings

This paper illustrates how people affected by homelessness and ill-health are routinely denied access to statutory housing support, social work assessments and district nursing provision through acts of institutional gatekeeping and professional abrogation.

Originality/value

This paper makes an important contribution to understandings of the connections between hospital discharge arrangements for homeless people and statutory housing, social work and district nursing provision.

Details

Housing, Care and Support, vol. 18 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Keywords

Abstract

Details

SDG10 – Reduce Inequality Within and Among Countries
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-981-6

Article
Publication date: 29 November 2022

Nicolas Van der Linden, Raoul Pieter Joost Koning, Daan van der Gouwe, Mireia Ventura and Fiona Measham

The purpose of this paper is to present some of the continued resistance and challenges faced by drug checking services (DCS) and review how the existing literature and the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present some of the continued resistance and challenges faced by drug checking services (DCS) and review how the existing literature and the contributions to the special issue address them, with a view to making recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

The existing literature and the contributions to the special issue are reviewed.

Findings

Drug checking cannot be equated with quality control. With the appropriate equipment and chemistry staff, DCS can provide quantitative analysis and reliable results. When the product does not match expectations, service users discard the tested substance of concern. To more easily compare the results of different studies and better evaluate drug checking, standardisation of measures is desirable. Uptake of drug checking, notably in festivals, is low and depends in part on the capacity of DCS. Drug checking has added value in monitoring drug markets and is complementary with chemical (forensic) analysis.

Originality/value

This paper interrogates in a relatively comprehensive way the continued resistance to drug checking in light of theoretical and empirical research to derive recommendations that are specific to drug checking and that are addressed to health professionals, researchers and also to policymakers.

Details

Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-6739

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 8 July 2022

Bruce Wallace, Lea Gozdzialski, Abdelhakim Qbaich, Azam Shafiul, Piotr Burek, Abby Hutchison, Taylor Teal, Rebecca Louw, Collin Kielty, Derek Robinson, Belaid Moa, Margaret-Anne Storey, Chris Gill and Dennis Hore

While there is increasing interest in implementing drug checking within overdose prevention, we must also consider how to scale-up these responses so that they have significant…

1591

Abstract

Purpose

While there is increasing interest in implementing drug checking within overdose prevention, we must also consider how to scale-up these responses so that they have significant reach and impact for people navigating the unpredictable and increasingly complex drug supplies linked to overdose. The purpose of this paper is to present a distributed model of community drug checking that addresses multiple barriers to increasing the reach of drug checking as a response to the illicit drug overdose crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

A detailed description of the key components of a distributed model of community drug checking is provided. This includes an integrated software platform that links a multi-instrument, multi-site service design with online service options, a foundational database that provides storage and reporting functions and a community of practice to facilitate engagement and capacity building.

Findings

The distributed model diminishes the need for technicians at multiple sites while still providing point-of-care results with local harm reduction engagement and access to confirmatory testing online and in localized reporting. It also reduces the need for training in the technical components of drug checking (e.g. interpreting spectra) for harm reduction workers. Moreover, its real-time reporting capability keeps communities informed about the crisis. Sites are additionally supported by a community of practice.

Originality/value

This paper presents innovations in drug checking technologies and service design that attempt to overcome current financial and technical barriers towards scaling-up services to a more equitable and impactful level and effectively linking multiple urban and rural communities to report concentration levels for substances most linked to overdose.

Details

Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-6739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 November 2013

Ian Shaw and Hugh Middleton

The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which “mental health” difficulties are approached in low-income countries, using a case study of Uganda focus down upon the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which “mental health” difficulties are approached in low-income countries, using a case study of Uganda focus down upon the issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved two phases. The first was the collection and analysis of documentary evidence and interviews with policy makers in Uganda. The second involved interviews with health staff, traditional healers and the public in the Buganda Kingdom of Uganda. Interviews were conducted in English or Luganda and translated as necessary. No external sources of funding to declare.

Findings

There are differing perceptions of mental health and illness in Uganda and there exists culturally accepted sources of support for distress. This highlights the important role of traditional healers and the paper argues that they should be recognised for their work in mental health care.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is a small-scale study of one area of Uganda (Buganda Kingdom), the extent to which it can be generalised is therefore very limited. However, the research is sufficient to indicate the benefits of traditional healers in mental health care and supports an argument towards a public mental health model.

Practical implications

The paper argues for a move in priority away from a focus upon a biomedical model of mental health support towards a public health model and the meaningful engagement of traditional healers. This would also necessitate a refocus of spending in the wider society.

Originality/value

The paper poses a challenge to the Global Public Health movement and questions the relevance of expanding biomedical psychiatry in low-income countries. The paper also adds weight to emerging literature on the value of a public health approach to mental health and illness, especially in the developing world.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2019

Geoff Lindsay, Vaso Totsika and Ruth Thomas

There is growing evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of targeted parenting programmes but the evidence for universal parenting programmes is much less developed. The…

Abstract

Purpose

There is growing evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of targeted parenting programmes but the evidence for universal parenting programmes is much less developed. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of Parent Gym, a parenting programme delivered in schools.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper a quasi-experimental design was utilised. Parents were recruited to the Parent Gym programme comprising six two-hour weekly sessions. Parents completed measures of their parenting efficacy, parenting satisfaction, interest in parenting and mental well-being at pre- and post-course. Comparative data were derived from a retrospectively-defined randomly selected group of non-participant parents at two time points, equivalent to the length of the Parent Gym course.

Findings

Changes in the Parent Gym group were compared with the comparison group using repeated measures mixed 2×2 ANOVAs, which accounted for the potential effect of demographic characteristics (parent gender, ethnicity, parent age, parent education level and single parent status), and their potential interaction with group membership. Parenting satisfaction showed a significantly greater increase for the Parent Gym group with a large effect size (d=0.80). Regarding parenting efficacy, there was a significant time × group interaction indicating efficacy scores increased in the Parent Gym group but decreased in the comparison group (d=1.93). Mental well-being also improved for the Parent Gym group from below the national norm before the course (d=−0.26) to significantly greater than the national norm at post-course (d=0.29).

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of the present study is the absence of data on outcomes for children. Second, the administration of the research at local level, primarily the distribution and collection of the measures and return to the research team for analysis, is a potential source of data loss: both pre- and post-programme data were available on 55 per cent of Parent Gym parents, similar to other community studies. Third, the present study did not include a longer term follow-up after the programme ended. Future research is required to examine the sustainability of effects produced from community implemented programmes.

Practical implications

Findings from the present study indicate that a universal programme, Parent Gym, was effective in aiding the positive development of aspects of parenting behaviour, namely parents’ self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction and mental well-being, when delivered in community settings. This demonstrates its potential as part of a regular service delivery option of evidence-based support for parents.

Social implications

Successful parenting requires both the development of parenting skills and a positive relationship between parent and child. Parents vary in the resources (e.g. family) available to develop positively. Evidence-based parenting programmes have an important role in aiding parenting development, both those targeted at parents with most challenges and those (universal) aimed across the population. This study demonstrated that the universal Parent Gym programme is effective across a wide range of parents and has the potential to be a positive social resource for community delivery.

Originality/value

This is the first rigorous study of Parent Gym. It adds to the limited evidence about parenting programmes delivered outside of trials, as part of normal service delivery. With this evidence, parent choice of a suitable evidence-based programme is increased.

Details

Journal of Children's Services, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-6660

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 October 2020

Alex Torku, Albert P.C. Chan and Esther H.K. Yung

The purpose of this study is to identify the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Scopus search engine. Relevant keywords were used to discover 81 publications in academic journals. The titles, abstracts, keywords and full texts of the publications were examined to select 39 publications that were relevant for identifying the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities. The contents of the 39 relevant publications were analysed to ascertain the key barriers. A system thinking approach was adopted to understand the interaction among the barriers.

Findings

The study identified five key groups of barriers – namely physical barriers and environmental characteristics, technological barriers, social barriers, financial barriers and political barriers – that smart cities encountered or are likely to encounter in implementing age-friendly initiatives. Moreover, practical examples of good age-friendly implementation practices were highlighted.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of this study is in the number of publications reviewed. Despite the comprehensive review, the number of publications reviewed may not be exhaustive. This is justified by the inapplicability of considering all possible keywords in one review study.

Practical implications

The systemic perspective of the barriers that hinder the implementation of age-friendly initiatives in smart cities would support policymakers in formulating policy recommendations to improve age-friendliness in cities.

Originality/value

This study underscores the variable and dynamic nature of developing age-friendly smart cities and forms novel basis for gaining insights into the multiple factors that can promote the integration of age-friendly initiatives within smart cities.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 November 2019

Wolfgang A. Markham

The purpose of this paper is to extend a theory of health promoting schools (Markham and Aveyard, 2003) that draws heavily upon Nussbaum’s Aristotelian interpretation of good…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend a theory of health promoting schools (Markham and Aveyard, 2003) that draws heavily upon Nussbaum’s Aristotelian interpretation of good human functioning (Nussbaum, 1990). This theory of health promoting schools proposed that health is grounded in the meeting of identified fundamental human needs and the realisation of identified essential human capacities (Markham and Aveyard, 2003).

Design/methodology/approach

The extension of this theory is achieved through the application of influential social theories with practical tenets to Nussbaum’s insights (Nussbaum, 1990). This extension includes additional essential human capacities, a description and definition of how good human functioning may be recognised, potential limitations of the capabilities approaches and a discussion of major factors inhibiting good human functioning.

Findings

The potential contribution of the outlined framework to discussions of health and health promotion is highlighted in two ways. First, this paper considers how the outlined framework may contribute to discussions of quality of life, morbidity/premature mortality and health-related behaviours. Second, this paper briefly considers how the outlined framework may contribute to discussions of public health policy, and the planning, delivery and evaluation of health promotion initiatives. Basic exemplar pre- and post-questionnaires for a hypothetical health promoting community development programme are offered.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to contribute to discussions of the application of Nussbaum’s Aristotelean interpretation of good human functioning to both public health and health promotion.

Details

Health Education, vol. 119 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

11 – 20 of 48