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Public Agencies; State Government; Financial Support; State Aid; Smoking; Health Promotion; Health Programs; Program Evaluation; Training; Role; Evaluators; Technical Writing; Reports; Information Utilization; Attitudes; Stakeholders; Accountability; Program Effectiveness; Test Construction; Scoring

Abstract:
Nearly all private, government and non-governmental organizations that receive government funding to run social or health promotion programs in the United States are required to conduct program evaluations and to report findings to the funding agency. Reports are usually due at the end of a funding cycle and they may or may not have an influence on the continuation of program funding. The final evaluation report (FER), as the end-of-funding-cycle report is often called, generally relates the intervention and evaluation results of the funding period and has a dual purpose. It is considered an element of accountability and should give the program and its stakeholders direction for the future. All too often though, this is not the case. Evaluators have voiced myriad concerns about the many issues related to reports and their usage. In their study of a random sample of American Evaluation Association members, Torres et al. (1997) found that evaluators are generally discontent about reporting and about the fact that their reports are often misused or not used at all. Evaluation reports could be a valuable instrument for moving projects forward if stakeholders and project staff would make good use of evaluation findings. The Tobacco Control Evaluation Center (TCEC) (2006) at the University of California at Davis developed scoring measures for final report writing for over 100 local tobacco control projects in California but found 2007 reports lacking in quality. In 2010, it conducted a training campaign in the hope that the projects themselves, the funding government agency and TCEC may make better use of the reports. The response to the training call was overwhelming, and comparing scores from 2007 and 2010, participating agencies made statistically significant improvements but non-participants did not. Results relating to the mode of training were inconclusive. The pre- and post-score comparison proved to be a valuable measuring tool, and the 1-day face-to-face training was a useful training mode. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Public Agencies; Public Policy; Scientific Research; Periodicals; Access to Information; Federal Aid; Federal Government; Publishing Industry

Abstract:
The National Science Foundation (NSF), in carrying out the Obama administration's new push for greater public access to research published in scientific journals, will consider exclusivity periods shorter than the 12-month standard in the White House directive, as well as trade-offs involving data-sharing and considerations of publishers' financial sustainability. The administration's directive, announced on Friday after two years of deliberation, asks agencies that sponsor research to impose a 12-month upper limit on how long journals can hold subscription-only rights to articles describing research that was financed with federal funds. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) adopted such a requirement almost five years ago, and now all other federal agencies that spend at least $100-million a year on research and development are being given six months to draft a similar policy. The NIH announced this past November that it would soon begin enforcement by blocking the renewal of grant awards in cases where journal publications arising from the awards do not comply with its open-access rule. The NSF, the largest provider of federal money for basic scientific research after the NIH, will very likely follow the NIH in setting a 12-month period of exclusivity as its general rule. The White House science adviser, John P. Holdren, in announcing the new policy on Friday, described an expansion of public access to federally financed research as important to economic growth. Scientific research supported by the federal government spurs scientific breakthroughs and economic advances when research results are made available to innovators. Demands for open-access research have generated years of heated debate involving publishers, universities, researchers, and various advocacy groups. The NIH instituted its 12-month policy in April 2008, but only after strenuous objections from private publishing companies that fought back against an original proposal for six months. Congress has refused to pass a government-wide mandate, despite several years of attempts by some lawmakers. And only a year ago, the Obama administration appeared to have given up on the idea, after a year of studying the question. In the end, the plan outlined by Mr. Holdren does "a very good job of balancing interests" of libraries, universities, researchers, and publishers. Industry representatives appeared to agree. In a statement issued Friday, the Association of American Publishers said the new policy "outlines a reasonable, balanced resolution of issues around public access to research funded by federal agencies." Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Child Abuse; Child Welfare; Foreign Countries; Incidence; Child Neglect; Placement; American Indians; Caseworkers; Public Agencies; Statistical Analysis; Computer Software; Decision Making; Eskimos; Surveys; Comparative Analysis

Abstract:
Objective: Fluke et al. (2010) analyzed Canadian Incidence Study on Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) data collected in 1998 to explore the influence of clinical and organizational characteristics on the decision to place Aboriginal children in an out-of-home placement at the conclusion of a child maltreatment investigation. This study explores this same question using CIS data collected in 2003 which included a larger sample of Aboriginal children and First Nations child and family service agencies. Methods: The decision to place a child in an out-of-home placement was examined using data from the "Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2003" and a reanalysis of CIS-1998 data (Fluke et al., 2010). The CIS-2003 dataset includes information on nearly 12,000 child maltreatment investigations from the time of report to case disposition. The CIS-2003 also captures information on the characteristics of investigating workers and the child welfare organizations for which they work. Multi-level statistical models were developed to analyze the influence of clinical and organizational variables using MPlus software. MPlus allows the use of dichotomous outcome variables, which are more reflective of decision-making in child welfare and facilitates the specific case of the logistic link function for binary outcome variables under maximum likelihood estimation. Results: Final models revealed the proportion of investigations conducted by the child welfare agency involving Aboriginal children was a key single agency level predictor of the placement decision. Specifically, the higher the proportion of investigations of Aboriginal children, the more likely placement was to occur. Contrary to the findings in the first paper (Fluke et al., 2010), individual Aboriginal status also remained significant in the final model at the first level. Conclusions: Further analysis needs to be conducted to further understand individual and organizational level variables that may influence decisions regarding placement of Aboriginal children. There is also a need for research that is sensitive to differences among, and between, Metis, First Nations and Inuit communities. Results are not generalizable to Quebec because data from this province were excluded. (Contains 7 tables and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Child Abuse; Placement; Child Welfare; Foreign Countries; Incidence; Centralization; Canada Natives; American Indians; Public Agencies; Decision Making; Sampling; Hierarchical Linear Modeling; Computer Software; Databases

Abstract:
Objective: This paper builds upon the analyses presented in two companion papers (Fluke et al., 2010 and Fallon et al., 2013) using data from the 1998 and 2003 cycles of the "Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-1998 and CIS-2003)" to examine the influence of clinical and organizational characteristics on the decision to place a child in out-of-home care at the conclusion of a child maltreatment investigation. This paper explores various model specifications to explain the effect of an agency-level factor, proportion of Aboriginal reports, which emerged as a stable and significant factor through the two data collection cycles. It addresses the issue of data comparability between the two cycles and explores various re-specifications and descriptive analyses of reported models to evaluate their solidity with regards to the sampling schemes and the precise contribution of a multi-level specification. Methods: The decision to place a child in out-of-home care was examined using data from the "CIS-2003". This child welfare dataset collected information about the results of nearly 12,000 child maltreatment investigations as well as a description of the characteristics of the workers and organization responsible for conducting those investigations. Multi-level statistical models were developed using MPlus software, which can accommodate dichotomous outcome variables and are more reflective of decision-making in child welfare. The models are thus multi-level binary logistic regressions. Results: Final models revealed that two agency-level variables, "Education degree of majority of workers" and "Degree of centralization in the agency" clarify the nature of the effect of "Proportion of Aboriginal reports", a stable, key second level predictor of the placement decision. The comparability of the effect of this agency-level variable across the 1998 and 2003 cycles becomes further evident through this analysis. By using a unified database including both cycles and various specifications of models, the comparability was found to be robust, in addition to clarifying the precise contribution of a multi-level specification. Conclusions: This third paper in a series establishes the "Proportion of Aboriginal reports" received by the child welfare agency as an important agency level predictor associated with a child's likelihood of being placed in the Canadian child protection system. While the more complex models give support to the notion that unequal resources subtend those results, more analyses are needed to confirm this hypothesis. Unequal resources for agencies with larger Aboriginal caseloads may explain the persistence of the results. These findings suggest that specific resource constraints related to worker education may be explanatory. (Contains 6 tables and 5 figures.) [For Part A, see EJ995515.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Resource Units; Public Agencies; Principals; Juvenile Justice; Law Enforcement; Juvenile Gangs; Group Membership; Educational Strategies; Police School Relationship; Parent School Relationship

Abstract:
After a period of decline, gang membership and gang activity are on the increase in the United States. Recent Department of Justice figures indicate that there are currently over 26,000 gangs involving over 800,000 members active in virtually every community in the nation. No longer territorial, gang activity extends from the most impoverished and blighted communities to the most affluent suburbs and isolated rural areas. Beyond engagement in illegal activity, and the economic rewards that brings, gangs provide a sense of power, belonging and recognition for their members. The fastest growth in gang membership is among middle level youngsters, a group that has changed its status from gang "wannabees" to "gonnabees." The Principals' Partnership is pleased to bring this resource unit on gangs and gang activity in school. This resource unit provides information, tools and links on these topics: (1) The extent and nature of gang activity in communities and schools; (2) Strategies for dealing with gangs in schools and communities; (3) Strategies for discouraging gang membership; (4) Ways to curtail gangs and gang activity in and around the school community; and (5) How schools, parents, the police and juvenile justice officials can form partnerships to control gang membership and activity in the community. Gangs and gang membership are complex topics and a large number of private foundations, government agencies, schools and law enforcement agencies are working on the problem. This resource brief provides useful information and links to many of these groups. It is organized so one can move quickly to the information needed in a school or community situation. A list of resources is included. ("The Ten Most Asked Questions about Gangs" was written by Mike Muir.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Health Services; Mental Health; Adolescents; Public Agencies; Suicide; Grounded Theory; Constructivism (Learning); Mental Health Programs; Agency Cooperation; At Risk Persons; Counseling Techniques; Foreign Countries; Intervention; Access to Health Care

Abstract:
Child and youth care (CYC) professionals often provide care to children, youth and families in conjunction with professionals from other disciplines. How CYC professionals engage other service providers in the provision of care for suicidal adolescents requires examination. The purpose of the overall study was to understand and explain the process of CYC professionals' mental health literacy practices with suicidal adolescents. Findings presented here provide insight into the process of CYC professionals' practice with other service providers in the context of their encounters with suicidal adolescents. Using a constructivist grounded theory method, data were collected and analysed from interviews with CYC professionals, supervisors within youth-serving community agencies, educators within Schools of Child and Youth Care, and extant texts of relevance to suicide, such as organisational policies, assessment tools, and suicide education curricula. One practice identified during analysis, flooding the zone, is the focus of the present paper. Flooding refers to the process of contacting and informing a myriad of professionals or services of the adolescent's suicidality, and was comprised of making decisions as to whom to contact, informing the adolescent, and negotiating with services. Professionals' perceptions of their role and the availability and accessibility of mental health services influenced the practice of flooding. Based on analysis of the data, flooding the zone has the potential to disrupt CYC professionals' relational proximity to the adolescent and may reinforce a devalued role for CYC professionals in suicide intervention within the larger mental health system of care. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Child Welfare; Intervention; Social Services; Literacy; Public Agencies; Foreign Countries; Males; Interviews; Homeless People; Psychology; Undergraduate Students; Program Evaluation; Games; Team Sports; Sociocultural Patterns; Peer Relationship; Program Descriptions; Safety; Government School Relationship; Children

Abstract:
Street children are the most excluded group of people in any society. The general attitude towards them is to criminalise and pathologise. The "To-gather with Children Project" (TCP) has been developed by the Maltepe University Research and Application Centre for Street Children (SOYAC) in Istanbul and implemented in conjunction with the General Directorate of Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHCEK). SHCEK is the core state agency responsible for street children and their protection in Turkey. The TCP started in September 2010. Within the scope of this project, undergraduate psychology students visited SHCEK organisations for three hours on a weekly basis to engage with the children in joint activities that ranged from games and sports to training programmes, including helping the children with literacy skills. In June 2011, in-depth interviews were carried out with the children and their service providers for the purposes of evaluating the project. Findings are discussed from the Sociocultural Activity Theory, Child's Perspective, and Peer-based Intervention. This paper explores the outcomes of this research, which strongly put forward the importance of government-university partnership, of creating a socially safe environment through social partnership including peer-based intervention in working with street-involved children. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Health Promotion; Intervention; Public Agencies; Foreign Countries; Early Childhood Education; Semi Structured Interviews; Family Environment; Young Children; Case Studies; Observation; Child Care Centers; Child Caregivers; Health Behavior; Curriculum Design; Parent Child Relationship; Cooperation

Abstract:
This paper investigates the mechanisms by which a health-promotion intervention might influence the health-promoting behaviours of staff members working in early childhood centres. The intervention was an ecological health-promotion initiative that was implemented within four early childhood centres in South-East Queensland, Australia. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 early childhood centre directors, early childhood centre staff, and health-promotion professionals involved in the same initiative. The case studies were based on informal observations and a documentary analysis of health-promotion practices and activities. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data to reveal the key characteristics of the approach. This study found that the health-promotion intervention in early childhood centres was reliant on the development of collaborative, "relationship-focused" partnerships between health and community agencies and early childhood centres. These relationships supported early childhood centre staff to promote healthy and developmental appropriate behaviours such as communication and social connectedness between children, parents and the broader community. Collaboration between health and community agencies and early childhood centres led to the shared planning of curriculum activities designed to create supportive structures within the early childhood centre and home environments to promote the development of health-related behaviours. These findings demonstrate the potential value of an ecological health-promotion approach to support the development of health-promoting behaviours in early childhood centres. Although the direct impact of health promotion is difficult to assess, this paper addresses an important gap in the literature about how health promotion might indirectly contribute to the health in children by supporting childcare staff in their endeavours to promote health. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Equal Opportunities (Jobs); Minority Groups; Racial Discrimination; Public Agencies; Federal Government; African American Employment; Racial Composition; Position Papers; Change Strategies; Barriers; Employment Opportunities; Employment Patterns; Employment Practices; Employment Statistics; Social Justice; African American Organizations; Research Reports

Abstract:
The U.S. Department of Education Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG) reviewed and responded to the EEOC [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Office] African American Workgroup Report. The BIG ED Chapter considered whether: There is any evidence indicating that the number and percentage of African Americans employed by any federal government agency is a variable in the barriers described in the Report. Articulated another way, do barriers still exist in agencies with large numbers and percentages of African Americans relative to the total number of employees in an agency? Do barriers exist in those agencies with small numbers and percentages of African Americans? The recommendations were timely and strategic, given: (1) The Obama Administration; and (2) The increasing numbers of other groups of people of color along with the lower number of Blacks employed by some agencies in the federal government. While the Report included unconscious bias as a barrier, the ED Chapter recommendations urge monitoring out and out racial discrimination and subtle forms of intentional racism. Recommendations include tracking and monitoring the furloughs, layoffs and other adverse actions for Black employees in all agencies, given sequestration. An appendix presents: EEOC African American Workgroup Report. (Contains 7 tables, 38 endnotes, and 9 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Transfer Policy; Consultants; Public Agencies; Engineering; Technology Transfer; Foreign Countries; Natural Sciences; Laboratories; Research Universities; College Faculty; Transfer of Training; Ethics; Resource Allocation; Surveys; Researchers; Validity; Problem Solving; Industry; School Business Relationship

Abstract:
Academic consulting is a form of knowledge and technology transfer largely under-documented and under-studied that raises ethical and resources allocation issues. Based on a survey of 2,590 Canadian researchers in engineering and natural sciences, this paper explores three forms of academic consulting: (1) paid consulting; (2) unpaid consulting for companies and; (3) unpaid consulting for government agencies. The results of this study show that academics tend to engage simultaneously in paid and unpaid consulting. Two patterns of consulting emerged from the results: a first pattern regarding engagement in paid consulting for companies and government agencies, and unpaid consulting for companies is positively associated with industry funding, size of research laboratories, large-sized research universities, technical validation of knowledge, protection of IP, and strong ties with people in companies. By comparison, a second pattern regarding engagement in unpaid consulting services provided to government organizations is positively associated with size of research laboratories, teaching, large-sized research universities, technical validation of knowledge, and with strong ties with people in government organizations. Knowledge and technology transfer policy should pay more attention to the contribution of academics engaged in consulting activities because they likely significantly contribute to help companies and government agencies solve practical problems that improve their productive and innovative capabilities. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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