The passage of welfare reform shifted significant authority for welfare provision from the federal government to state and local governments. Proponents of devolution point to drastic caseload declines as evidence that state-run programs are decreasing dependency among families. However, welfare rolls in many states have remained stagnant or…

Although many in the social work profession have written about empowerment, few have offered a description of the empowerment process from the perspective of clients and workers in high-risk communities. This qualitative study presents a model of empowerment practice from the perspective of frontline workers, the challenges they faced, and the…

Notes that rural people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have difficulty obtaining support. Describes development, implementation, and evaluation of model to bring support groups into homes of rural residents through six telephone group sessions. Describes goals of psychoeducational group being to increase information and social…

Describes Project HELP, an innovative community self-help program in Nashville, Tennessee which was developed in response to the inability of certain populations to pay their utility bills, and which is staffed primarily with volunteers and funded exclusively through contributions. Reports on the program's first five years of operation, and…

Identifies and analyzes three basic policy issues that pose limits to the practice of primary prevention in social work. These issues are the identification of clients, the unanticipated consequences of intervention, and the profession's capacity to implement primary prevention. Discusses formulation of primary prevention policies. (Author)

Reviews past and current school reform efforts designed to link human services with public schools. Discusses five alternative approaches for linking public schools and human services: informal relations, coordination, partnerships, collaboration, and integration. Offers suggestions for planning, training, resources, and funding necessary to…