Needs, Rights and Democratic Renewal

The way in which a discourse of human needs has been appropriated by neo-liberal perspectives within modernity is well-documented. The construction and definition of “needs” by professionals has been criticised as “the dictatorship of needs”, and has readily excluded people other than professionals and managers from the definition of need. Need becomes objectified, something to be “assessed” by professionals using expert methodologies, rather than involving democratic participation. Here need becomes another excluding professional category, apparently objective and value-free, but in reality ideological. Furthermore, the deficit approach inherent in the idea of “need” runs counter to the more positive “strengths” approach of social work. “Rights” as an alternative to “needs” is superficially a more empowering discourse, and moving from a needs-based to a rights-based approach is therefore intuitively seductive, and has evidently appealed to social workers. However, ideas of “rights”, and especially “human rights” are also embedded within modernity and the privileging of the expert. The conventional discourse of human rights as defined by the UN or other legal bodies, applied universally, and protected through laws and legal institutions, is a negation of any democratic understanding of rights. “Human rights”, like need, thus becomes an objectified discourse of the powerful about the powerless. However the idea of human rights, if constructed from within a more postmodern framing, has the potential to move our understanding of a shared humanity beyond the constraints of modernity. Thus human rights per se is an inadequate, and potentially dangerous, formulation for progressive social work, unless democratic participation is restored to the human rights project. If human rights are understood as being embedded in a community of reciprocal rights and responsibilities, rather than as “things” possessed by individuals, human rights from below can become a powerful framework for the democratic renewal of practice.L’appropriation néolibérale des discours modernes sur les besoins est aujourd’hui bien documentée. De même, de nombreuses voix se sont élevées pour dénoncer ce qu’elles appellent « la dictature des besoins », c’est-à-dire le monopole du pouvoir que détiennent les professionnels et gestionnaires de définir les besoins de ceux et celles auprès de qui ils interviennent. Cette objectivation des besoins fait immédiatement appel aux ressources d’experts, évacuant par le fait même toute ouverture à une approche prviliégiant la participation démocratique. Ici « les besoins » s’ajoutent aux autres catégories construites et idéologiquement investies par les professionnels. En réaction à cela, les travailleurs sociaux ont été séduits par l’idée de suppléer aux approches basées sur les « besoins » des dynamiques d’intervention fondées sur les « droits ». Or, les « droits » et, surtout, les « droits humains » sont aussi des catégories de la modernité qui tendent à être instruites et utilisables uniquement par des experts. Si nous acceptons maintenant de nous pencher sur les « droits humains » dans une perspective davantage postmoderne, nous sommes à même d’en « déplacer » le sens et d’appréhender la solidarité humaine au-delà des contraintes de la modernité. Pour inadéquate et potentiellement dangereuse que puisse être la catégorie des « droits humains », ces derniers peuvent toutefois fonder les pratiques d’intervention du travai social dans la mesure où ils engagent à des pratiques démocratiques. En ce sens, si les droits humains sont partie intégrante du projet d’une communauté de droits et de devoirs réciproques, et non des choses que peuvent détenir les individus, ils peuvent en effet s’imposer comme un levier puissant pour le renouvellement démocratique des pratiques d’intervention

Development and automation of a test of impulse control in zebrafish.

Deficits in impulse control (difficulties in inhibition of a pre-potent response) are fundamental to a number of psychiatric disorders, but the molecular and cellular basis is poorly understood. Zebrafish offer a very useful model for exploring these mechanisms, but there is currently a lack of validated procedures for measuring impulsivity in fish. In mammals, impulsivity can be measured by examining rates of anticipatory responding in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a continuous performance task where the subject is reinforced upon accurate detection of a briefly presented light in one of five distinct spatial locations. This paper describes the development of a fully-integrated automated system for testing impulsivity in adult zebrafish. We outline the development of our image analysis software and its integration with National Instruments drivers and actuators to produce the system. We also describe an initial validation of the system through a one-generation screen of chemically mutagenized zebrafish, where the testing parameters were optimized

Parents' involvement in care order decisions: a cross-country study of front-line practice

This article examines parents’ involvement in care order decision-making in four countries at one particular point in the care order process, namely when the child protection worker discusses with the parents his/her considerations regarding child removal. The countries represent different child welfare systems with Norway and Finland categorized as ‘family service systems’ and the US as a ‘child protection system’, with England somewhere in between. The focus is on whether the forms and intensity of involvement are different in these four countries, and whether the system orientation towards family services or child protection influences practice in the social welfare agencies with parents. Involvement is studied in terms of providing information to parents, collecting information from parents and ensuring inclusion in the decision-making processes. A vignette method is employed in a survey with 768 responses from child protection workers in four countries. The findings do not show a consistent pattern of difference regarding parental involvement in care order preparations that align with the type of child welfare system in which staff work. The goal in each child welfare system is to include parents, but the precise ways in which it is done (or not) vary. Methodological suggestions are given for further studies

Crafting communities: promoting inclusion, empowerment, and learning between older women

While social policy and planning documents are replete with ominous warnings about the cost of an ageing population, this article tells a different story about the productive and self-sustaining networks that exist among older women in the community who do craftwork. From our research conducted in Victoria, Australia during 2007&ndash;2008 we discovered a resilient and committed group of older women quietly and steadily contributing to community fundraising, building social networks, and providing learning opportunities to each other in diverse ways. Through our conversations with nine craftswomen we have been able to articulate clear links between the theory and models commonly espoused in the community development literature and the life-enriching practices used in organising informal community craft group activities. From our interviews with the older women we provide evidence of sustained participation, the generation of social capital, and the fostering of life-long learning. While none of the women we spoke to were trained in community development and did not use language commonly associated with feminist ideology, the relationship between the informal group work with principles of empowerment and self-efficacy were unmistakeable. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for critical social work practice.<br /

UsingWomb Grammars for Inducing the Grammar of a Subset of Yorùbá Noun Phrases

We address the problem of inducing the grammar of an under-resourced language,Yorùbá, from the grammar of English using an efficient and, linguistically savvy, constraintsolving model of grammar induction –Womb Grammars (WG). Our proposed methodologyadapts WG for parsing a subset of noun phrases of the target language Yorùbá, from thegrammar of the source language English, which is described as properties between pairs ofconstituents. Our model is implemented in CHRG (Constraint Handling Rule Grammar) and,it has been used for inducing the grammar of a useful subset of Yorùbá Noun Phrases. Interestingextensions to the original Womb Grammar model are presented, motivated by the specificneeds of Yorùbá and, similar tone languages

Comparison of Microleakage in Teeth Obturated with Bioceramic vs. Resin- Based Sealers

Microleakage is still an essential parameter that predetermines the final outcomes of the root canal treatment since it allowsthe intrusion of bacteria and undermines obturation integrity. Sealers made of resin are considered to be one of the goldstandards based on their adhesive qualities and clinical history; nevertheless, the issue of polymerization contraction andinterfacial crevices remains. On the contrary, bioceramic sealers have already become bioactive substitutes with desirableproperties, such as dimensional stability, formation of hydroxyapatite, and possible chemical bonding to dentin. Thisreview makes a comparison between microleakage of teeth obturated by resin-based and bioceramic sealers based onevidence of in vitro leakage models, ex vivo investigations, and existing clinical assessment. Results of the majority oflaboratory studies show that bioceramic sealers have less microleakage than resin-based sealers, however the outcomesare inconsistent with the different methodology used. Although promising, clinical evidence is limited and calls on theneed to conduct long-term randomized controlled trials. All in all, bioceramic sealers have greater sealing potential butmore standardized studies are needed to confirm their effectiveness in the long-term in clinical practice

Las nuevas agendas internacionales: ¿qué papel para el trabajo social?

http://revistaseug.ugr.es/index.php/tsg/article/view/904/1042If social work is to be truly international, it needs to address newly emerging international issues, specifically terrorism and global warming. Both of these raise profound implications for human rights and social justice, and hence social workers have significant contributions to make to addressing such issues. However to do so, social workers in western countries will need also to accept the loss of legitimacy of the western modernity, so that their theory and practice can be influenced by post-colonial writers and alternative knowledges and wisdoms from the global south, and from indigenous people. A number of curriculum proposals are made, with a view to developing more appropriate international social work education programs.Si el trabajo social tiene que ser verdaderamente internacional, necesita dirigirse a los emergentes acontecimientos recientes, específicamente al terrorismo y al calentamiento global. Estos dos temas originan profundas implicaciones para los derechos humanos y la justicia social, y por ello, los trabajadores sociales tienen contribuciones significativas al respecto. Aún así, para poder hacer esto, los trabajadores sociales de los países occidentales necesitan aceptar la pérdida de legitimidad de la modernidad occidental, de forma que su teoría y práctica pueda ser influenciada por escritores postcoloniales y conocimientos y saberse alternativos del sur global y de las personas indígenas. Se realizan un número de propuestas curriculares con la perspectiva de desarrollar programas educativos internacionales en el trabajo social más apropiados

Technical assistance, neo-colonialism or mutual trade? The experience of an Anglo/Ukrainian/Russian social work practice learning project

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union there has been a steady stream of Western consultants ready to work in Eastern Europe and Russia and share professional and academic expertise and experience. Social work, unknown as a discrete discipline or profession in the Soviet Union, has been a growth area with funding from a variety of sources to help promote East-West partnerships.Social work theory and practice emphasises critical appraisal of policy and embraces issues of power, discrimination and oppression. Social work educators should therefore be especially alert to the complex ethical questions which these kinds of collaborations raise, and adept at finding practical solutions or workable compromises. This article explores these ethical and political issues with reference to a project to develop social work practice learning in a Russian oblast' (region). The project was an ambitious partnership of British, Ukrainian and Russian educators, involving numerous Russian social work and related agencies, and four Russian universities and colleges in one oblast'. The authors use a series of vignettes to help the reader achieve insights into these East-West transactions. The article concludes with a discussion of different interpretations of these dealings, using three prisms: technical assistance, neo-colonialism and mutual trade

Social and Human Capital Contributions of Diverse Board Members

While most firms serve a diverse population, many have no minorities or women serving as Members on their board. Boards are disadvantaged when their composition fails to align with Their employee population or the stakeholder groups they serve; they are neglecting the Contributions of women and minorities as their voices are unheard. The purpose of this multiple Case comparison study builds on current boardroom diversity and board effectiveness research by Exploring how the unique human and social capital contributions of women and minority board Members increase the boards’ capabilities and impact board governance. I qualitatively examined Six boards of varied demographic diversity, systematically analyzing data from multiple sources Including board member interviews, on-site observations of the board meeting interactions, and Archival examination of annual reports to understand performance. The findings revealed the Diverse board members human and social capital coupled with their contribution of learned Strategies and unique interactions resulted in a positive influence on both the board and firm Effectiveness. Based on my findings I developed the Optimal Imperviousness Theory to speak to Strategies that are deployed by women and minority members as coping mechanisms in their Interactions with the dominate culture. Additionally, a Board Competency Matrix was created for Those charged with diversifying boards and a communication process that is captured with the Acronym ‘STUDS’ can be used to guide future research and practice

Perhaps a Black Girl Rolls Her Eyes Because It\u27s One Way She Attempts to Shift Calcified Pain Throughout Her Body

This essay describes a unique undergraduate survey of African American literature—titled Black Girl Magic Across Time & Space —designed to celebrate rather than punish expressive Black girlhood and womanhood