A Step in the Right Direction: An Evaluation of the F����ilti���� Information and Advise Service

The F��¡ilti��º service provides information and advice on rights, entitlements and options to homeless people, or those at risk of homelessness. The objectives of this evaluation were to assess the information needs of users of the service, how effectively they were being met, and how they could be improved. Two focus groups of staff members and service users gave their views on the design and implementation of the research at the outset of the project. A screening questionnaire identified 78 people who used the F��¡ilti��º service in a specified time period, of whom 40 participated in the evaluation by giving their views on the service. The study reviewed the literature on homelessness, attempted to define the term, and examined the characteristics of homeless people and relevant Irish social policy. The conclusions reached were: users of the F��¡ilti��º service are marginalized in a number of ways and share characteristics related to poverty and social exclusion, such as poor educational qualifications, high levels of unemployment and experience of prison; their needs are multi-dimensional and include accommodation, financial, social and medical support, and access to employment and training services: the service needs to respond to these needs in a holistic way.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

End of life care standards for people with dementia

End of life care standards for people with dementiaThis project, funded under Call 1 of CARDI’s Grants Programme and led by Dr Suzanne Cahill, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, highlights the need for guaranteed standards of care for older people with dementia at the end of their lives.The research recommends the introduction of standards as a matter of urgency because of the huge increases in the number of people affected, and the number likely to be affected in the future. It is estimated that the number of people with dementia in the Republic of Ireland will rise from 44,000 to 104,000 by 2036 and in Northern Ireland from 16,000 to 47,000 in 2051.The research draws attention to the importance of agreeing new standards in Ireland, North and South, by proposing guidelines to develop policies and practices that can reflect the best available throughout the world.Research Team:•������������������ Dr Suzanne Cahill, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin•������������������ Ms Daphne Doran, Quality Initiatives, Belfast•������������������ Dr Max Watson, University of Ulster and Northern Ireland HospiceResearch briefingFull report������

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Research on individual social policy preferences has highlighted a number of socio-structural cleavages as determinants. Studies investigating public opinion on the various redistributive schemes that make up today's welfare states have shown the relevance of class-related factors such as income or education as key explanatory variables (Ferrera 1993; Taylor-Gooby 1995, 1998; and Svallfors 1997). More recent studies, however, have suggested that other factors are also likely to play a role. Among these, the most important are age, gender, and individual values (Armingeon 2006; Deitch 2004; and Roller 2000, 2002). The scenario that emerges from the existing literature is one of multiple intersecting cleavages, but it remains unclear as to what today is the relative weight and specific impact of each of these cleavages.

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The chapter provides an account of the changing role played by active labour market policies (ALMPs) in Europe since the post-war years. Focusing on six countries (Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom), it shows that the role of ALMPs is related to the broad economic situation. At times of rapid expansion and labour shortage, like the 1950s and 1960s, their key objective was to upskill the workforce. After the oil shocks of the 1970s, the raison d'��tre of ALMPs shifted from economic to social policy, and since the mid-1990s, we see the development of a new function, well captured by the notion of activation, which refers to the strengthening of work incentives and the removal of obstacles to employment, mostly for low-skilled people. The adequacy between economic context and policy is not always optimal, though. Like other ones, this policy domain suffers from inertia, with the result that the countries that have led the way in one period have more difficulty adapting to the economic conditions prevailing in the following one.

I ara qu��? que hi ha en pol��tiques de joventut despr��s del Plans de Joventut?

Fa m��s de 10 anys del primer Pla Nacional de Joventut de Catalunya, del pas de les pol��tiques de suport a l���associacionisme a les pol��tiques integrals, i amb aquestes la prol��fica etapa dels Plans de Joventut i de l���expansi�� real de les pol��tiques de joventut al territori catal��. ��s a dia d���avui, en un moment de grans esdeveniments en aquest camp, en que es proposa un an��lisi sobre la futura evoluci�� de les pol��tiques de joventut, basat en l���estudi i la interpretaci�� de la informaci�� existent i les aportacions de 9 persones vinculades al m��n de les pol��tiques de joventut

National Health System Virtual Library Viability Project (Spain)

Introduction: The ICT progress and development are making the set up of virtual libraries easier, with great advantages for users in terms of immediate access to vast amounts of library information, online resources, and services. Most of the Autonomous Spanish Regions are presently working on the establishment of virtual libraries with the aim of optimising economic resources destined to subscribe bibliographic information sources and offering qualified documentary services to Public Health System Professionals. The Ministry of Health and Social Policy, an institution unifying health matters, issued this Project to study the National Health System Virtual Library creation viability, in order to guarantee relevant scientific information access equity. Objectives: - To study the National Health System (NHS) Virtual Library set up viability. - To elaborate the Spanish territory health information resource map. - To identify the appropriate technological model. - To identify the documentary services to be offered. - To identify the more optimum functional, structural model. - To identify the economic model. Method: - To create a chart organization for the project��s management. - To organize Work groups. - To elaborate a standardised survey model for the libraries of the autonomous regions. Results: - Identification of the different Autonomous Region libraries of health models. - Recommendations for the NHS Virtual Library: - Functional, structural model - Technological model - Financial-economic model Conclusions: The fact that the Virtual Library would be an invaluable space for access to quality scientific information, as well as that the minimum services could be offered to every NHS user regardless of geographical situation, is confirmed. Accordingly, we thought about three different models to develop the Virtual Library, depending on this initial analysis, which will allow us to establish the most suitable model for the Spanish National Health System, considering its economic, functional and technological recommendations. It would be necessary to do a study for the NHS Virtual Library Set Up following the recommendations arising from this Project.

Effectiveness of olive oil for the prevention of pressure ulcers caused in immobilized patients within the scope of primary health care: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Pressure ulcers are considered an important issue, mainly affecting immobilized older patients. These pressure ulcers increase the care burden for the professional health service staff as well as pharmaceutical expenditure. There are a number of studies on the effectiveness of different products used for the prevention of pressure ulcers; however, most of these studies were carried out at a hospital level, basically using hyperoxygenated fatty acids (HOFA). There are no studies focused specifically on the use of olive-oil-based products and therefore this research is intended to find the most cost-effective treatment and achieve an alternative treatment. METHODS/DESIGN The main objective is to assess the effectiveness of olive oil, comparing it with HOFA, to treat immobilized patients at home who are at risk of pressure ulcers. As a secondary objective, the cost-effectiveness balance of this new application with regard to the HOFA will be assessed. The study is designed as a noninferiority, triple-blinded, parallel, multi-center, randomized clinical trial. The scope of the study is the population attending primary health centers in Andaluc��a (Spain) in the regional areas of Malaga, Granada, Seville, and Cadiz. Immobilized patients at risk of pressure ulcers will be targeted. The target group will be treated by application of an olive-oil-based formula whereas the control group will be treated by application of HOFA to the control group. The follow-up period will be 16 weeks. The main variable will be the presence of pressure ulcers in the patient. Secondary variables include sociodemographic and clinical information, caregiver information, and whether technical support exists. Statistical analysis will include the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, symmetry and kurtosis analysis, bivariate analysis using the Student's t and chi-squared tests as well as the Wilcoxon and the Man-Whitney U tests, ANOVA and multivariate logistic regression analysis. DISCUSSION The regular use of olive-oil-based formulas should be effective in preventing pressure ulcers in immobilized patients, thus leading to a more cost-effective product and an alternative treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01595347.

Continuity and change in the gender segregation of the medical profession in Britain and France

It is a well established fact that the entry of women into higher-level professional occupations has not resulted in their equal distribution within these occupations. Indeed, the emergence and persistence of horizontal and vertical gender segregation within the professions has been at the heart of the development of a range of alternative theoretical perspectives on both the "feminisation process" and the future of the "professions"more generally. Through an in-depth comparative analysis of the recent changes in the organisation and administration of the medical profession in Britain and France, this paper draws upon statistical data and biographical interviews with male and female general practitioners (GPs) in both countries in order to discuss and review a variety of approaches that have been adopted to explain and analyse the "eminisation" process of higher-level professions. Our conclusions review the theoretical debates in the light of the evidence we have presented. It is argued that, despite important elements of continuity in respect of gendered occupational structuring in both countries, national variations in both professional and domestic gendered architectures lead to different outcomes as far as the extent and patterns of internal occupational segregation are concerned. Both female and male doctors are currently seeking - with some effect - to resist thepressures of medicine on family life.

Do welfare benefits affect womens' choices of adult care giving?

The efficacy of social care, publicly and universally provided, has been contested from two different points of view. First, advocates of targeting social policy criticized the Matthew���s effect of universal provision and; second, theories arguing in favour of heterogeneous rationalities between men and women and, even different preferences among women, predict that universal provision of services is limiting women���s choices more than home allowances. The author tests both hypotheses and concludes that, at least in the case of adult care, women���s choices are significantly affected by women���s social positions and by the availability of public services. Furthermore, targeting through means-test eligibility criteria has no significant effect on inequality but, confirming the redistributive paradox, reduces women���s options.

Urban mobilities: the anglo-catalan production of the Barcelona model

The aim of the project was to gauge the extent to which the so-called ���Barcelona Model��� of urban transformation has been ���exported��� to Britain and whether Barcelona has learned from British cities. We engage with the literature on successive British governments��� strategies for cities, focused on collecting data on contemporary policy initiatives and debates in the UK, did interviews in Manchester, London Barcelona and participated in the official visit of Leeds to Barcelona in March. Our research findings to date suggest that there is a good deal of mobility and interaction between Barcelona and the UK. However, it is by no means certain that this has resulted in definite instances of policy transfer. While the ���Barcelona model��� has indeed featured in oficial discourse on urban regeneration in the UK, it does not appear to be the preferred best practice ���model��� ��� other North American and European cities figure discursively as much, if not more. Where Barcelona does feature in official discourse, it is usually as an example of good design and an appealing urban aesthetic, rather than in terms of economic or social policy best practice. Our research suggests that the Barcelona model is seen as non-transferable to the UK due to the relatively more centralised governance structure therein.In contrast, evidence collected suggests that the Barcelona model is not influenced by UK British cities experiences but there is small evidence of being influenced by UK-based professionals.

The drift of public spending towards the elderly: A generational analysis of the trend of public policies in Spain

The tendency for public welfare spending to be increasingly aimed at the elderly has been pointed out for the US and other developed countries. While population ageing is a common trend, it is not obvious why the shift in spending exceeds the trend in ageing, or why per capita spending on the elderly increases.We show that this is the case in Spain, identify the losers from this development, discuss the policies that underlie this trend, and propose adjustments based on Musgrave s fixed proportions rule as an inter-generationally fair distribution.

Trade-off between formal and informal care in Spain

The remarkable growth of older population has moved long term care to the front ranks of the social policy agenda. Understanding the factors that determine the type and amount of formal care is important for predicting use in the future and developing long-term policy. In this context we jointly analyze the choice of care (formal, informal, both together or none) as well as the number of hours of care received. Given that the number of hours of care is not independent of the type of care received, we estimate, for the first time in this area of research, a sample selection model with the particularity that the first step is a multinomial logit model. With regard to the debate about complementarity or substitutability between formal and informal care, our results indicate that formal care acts as a reinforcement of the family care in certain cases: for very old care receivers, in those cases in which the individual has multiple disabilities, when many care hours are provided, and in case of mental illness and/or dementia. There exist substantial differences in long term care addressed to younger and older dependent people and dependent women are in risk of becoming more vulnerable to the shortage of informal caregivers in the future. Finally, we have documented that there are great disparities in the availability of public social care across regions.

Consideraciones educativas de la perspectiva ecol��gica de Urie Bronferbrenner

El objetivo de este art��culo es presentar las bases te��ricas y algunas aplicaciones contempor��neas de la teor��a de Urie Bronfenbrenner. En primer lugar, se describe su biograf��a. Posteriormente, se explica su teor��a ecolog��a, su modelo ���Proceso-Persona-Contexto-Tiempo��� (PPCT) y su reciente aproximaci��n bioecol��gica. A continuaci��n, exponemos algunas consideraciones educativas de su teor��a. M��s espec��ficamente, destacamos seis temas basados en algunas ideas de Bronfenbrenner: 1) la relaci��n entre pol��tica social y ciencia, 2) la creaci��n de contextos de desarrollo primarios y secundarios, 3) la implicaci��n afectiva, 4) el curr��culo centrado en el cuidado o la atenci��n de las personas, 5) la intervenci��n comunitaria, y 6) el establecimiento de continuidades entre microsistemas (noci��n de ���mesosistema���). Finalmente, revisamos algunas aportaciones contempor��neas en psicolog��a y ciencias de la educaci��n basadas en la perspectiva de Bronfenbrenner

Une europ��anisation des politiques de conciliation de la vie familiale et professionnelle? : les cas de l'Italie et de la France

Les diff��rents pays membres de l'UE connaissent des politiques dites de �� conciliation de la vie professionnelle et familiale �� qui correspondent �� un ensemble de dispositifs h��t��roclites, plus ou moins complexes, mais rarement coh��rents. Alliant des objectifs tels que la hausse de la natalit��, la protection des m��res et des enfants, l'��galit�� entre femmes et hommes, la lutte contre la pauvret�� des enfants et des familles monoparentales et l'activation des femmes, ces politiques sont fortement ancr��es dans des traditions nationales de politiques familiales, d'emploi et fiscales. Ces politiques portent en elles l'h��ritage et les tensions de l'histoire d'un pays. Au moment o�� un nouvel acteur international, l'Union europ��enne, intervient de mani��re de plus en plus explicite dans le d��bat et dans la d��finition de ces politiques, la pr��sente ��tude tend �� analyser l'influence exerc��es par les r��f��rentiels europ��ens en mati��re de politiques de conciliation sur les discours et politiques nationales de l'Italie et de la France. A partir d'une analyse cognitive du processus d'europ��anisation, nous montrons que les r��f��rentiels d��velopp��s au sein de l'UE, par leur caract��re abstrait et flou, n'ont eu jusqu'ici qu'une faible influence sur les discours et politiques en Italie et en France. Croisant une perspective n��o-institutionnaliste historique et discursive, notre recherche a ��t�� construite autour de deux axes de r��flexion. Premi��rement, il a ��t�� question d'analyser, d'une part, l'��volution du discours tenu par les diff��rentes instances europ��ennes (notamment de la Commission europ��enne, le Conseil europ��en et le Fonds Social europ��en) et, d'autre part, questionner comment un consensus a pu ��merger entre des pays et des acteurs qui ont des traditions extr��mement diff��rentes en mati��re de politique sociale, de politique familiale et de convention de genre. Deuxi��mement, il a ��t�� question d'analyser si et comment un cadre de r��f��rence con��u au niveau communautaire a pu influencer les discours et politiques au niveau national. - The reconciliation of work and family life policies forms, in the EU's member States, a plurality of politics, more or less complex, but rarely coherent. Combining different objectives such as fertility increase, mothers and children protection, equality between men and women, fight against children and lone-parent families poverty and women activation, these policies are part of the national traditions of family, employment and tax policy and bear the heritage and the tensions of the country history. At a moment when a new global player, the European Union, interferes increasingly explicitly in the debate and the definition of reconciling work and family life policies, the question at the heart of this thesis was to define what kind of influence the r��f��rentiels of European discourses have on reconciliation policies since the late 1990s, in the Italian and French discourses and policies. Starting from a cognitive analysis of the Europeanization process, we show that the r��f��rentiels developed within the EU, by their abstract and vague nature, have had little influence in Italy and France. Crossing an historical and a discursive neo-institutionalist perspective, our research was based on two axes of reasoning. First, we have analysed, on the one hand, the evolution of various European institutions' discoursed (including the European Commission, the European Council and the European Social Fund) and, on the other hand, we have questioned how a consensus has emerged between countries and actors who have very different traditions in social policy, family policy and gender conventions. Secondly, we have observed if and how a framework developed at Community level, as a kind of ideal to strive for, has influenced discourses and policies at the national level.