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Assistance Programmes (assistance + programme)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	50%
Medical Sciences	25%

Selected Abstracts

International and Cultural Variations in Employee Assistance Programmes: Implications for Managerial Health and Effectiveness*

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 2 2007
Rabi S. Bhagat
abstract While employee assistance programmes (EAPs) are becoming commonplace in large Western organizations, little is known regarding their prevalence in non-Western cultures. In this paper, we provide a framework for understanding the prevalence of EAPs in four distinct cells of societal culture-based variations. A cultural matrix for analysing the relative emphases of styles of coping, social support systems, rites and rituals, and the prevalence of EAPs is developed. The implications for managerial health and effectiveness in the global context are discussed. [source]

East Timor Emerging from Conflict: The Role of Local NGOs and International Assistance

DISASTERS, Issue 1 2001
Ian Patrick
International assistance efforts have represented a conundrum for East Timorese seeking to assert their new independence and autonomy. While urgent needs have been met, local participation, involvement and capacity building have not been given adequate attention. This outcome is aptly demonstrated in the case of local non-government organisations (LNGOs). This paper specifically examines the role of LNGOs in the recovery of East Timor within the international assistance programme. It examines the challenges of rehabilitation efforts in East Timor with a particular focus on capacity building of East Timorese NGOs as part of a broader effort to strengthen civil society. The initial crisis response in East Timor highlighted tension between meeting immediate needs while simultaneously incorporating civil society actors such as NGOs and communities. It has been argued that local NGOs and the community at large were not sufficiently incorporated into the process. While it is acknowledged that many local NGOs had limited capacity to respond, a greater emphasis on collaboration, inclusion and capacity building was desirable, with a view to supporting medium and longer term objectives that promote a vibrant civil society, sustainability and self-management. [source]

The emergence of social assistance in China

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 3 2006
Joe C.B. Leung
This article outlines the development of China's social assistance programme, including its design, implementation and trends. The Chinese government has given high priority to the establishment and institutionalisation of this programme. To have an effective social assistance programme in the context of an increasingly pluralistic society, China is facing the profoundly challenging task of designing a coherent and over-arching social protection system that would cover retirement, medical care, unemployment and poverty alleviation. [source]

Premature cessation of breastfeeding in infants: development and evaluation of a predictive model in two Argentinian cohorts: the CLACYD study,, 1993,1999

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 5 2001
S Berra
The objective of this study was to develop a model to predict premature cessation of breastfeeding of newborns, in order to detect at-risk groups that would benefit from special assistance programmes. The model was constructed using 700 children with a birthweight of 2000 g or more, in 2 representative cohorts in 1993 and 1995 (CLACYD I sample) in Córdoba, Argentina. Data were analysed from 632 of the cases. Mothers were selected during hospital admittance for childbirth and interviewed in their homes at 1 mo and 6 mo. To evaluate the model, an additional sample with similar characteristics was drawn during 1998 (CLACYD II sample). A questionnaire was administered to 347 mothers during the first 24,48 h after birth and a follow-up was completed at 6 mo, with weaning information on 291 cases. Premature cessation of breastfeeding was considered when it occurred prior to 6 mo. A logistic regression model was fitted to predict premature end of breastfeeding, and was applied to the CLACYD II sample. The calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow C statistic) and the discrimination [area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve] of the model were evaluated. The predictive factors of premature end of breastfeeding were: mother breastfed for less than 6 mo [odds ratio (OR) = 1.84,95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26,2.70], breastfeeding of previous child for less than 6 mo (OR = 4.01, 95% CI 2.58,6.20), the condition of the firstborn child (OR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.79,4.21), the first mother-child contact occurring after 90min of life (OR =1.88; 95% CI 1.22,2.91) and having an unplanned pregnancy (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.05,2.15). The calibration of the model was acceptable in the CLACYD I sample (p= 0.54), as well as in the CLACYD II sample (p= 0.18). The areas under the ROC curve were 0.72 and 0.68, respectively. Conclusion: A model has been suggested that provides some insight onto background factors for the premature end of breastfeeding. Although some limitations prevent its general use at a population level, it may be a useful tool in the identification of women with a high probability of early weaning. [source]

Are patient assistance programmes able to meet the needs of New York City women with breast cancer?

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 1 2009
Women's perspectives
Women with breast cancer report needs that may interfere with their ability to obtain necessary treatments. High-quality community-based patient assistance programmes exist; however, their ability to identify and meet women's needs is unknown. We surveyed women with breast cancer attending such programmes to assess programmes' ability to identify and meet their needs. We surveyed 117 (42% minority) women utilizing nine programmes in the New York City area about expectations, needs and experiences. Ninety-two (89%) women wanted information, 102 (95%) psychosocial support and 15 (20%) practical assistance. Seventy-three per cent had all or most of their needs identified, and 74% had all or most of their needs met. Seventy per cent stated programmes met needs they were not previously aware they had. Needs identified and met were lower among minority women (57% vs. 84%; P = 0.003), those with lower income (46% vs. 79%; P = 0.02) and those in poor physical health (56% vs. 78%; P = 0.04), independent of the type of need. High-quality community-based patient assistance programmes effectively identify and meet the needs of women with breast cancer but traditionally at-risk women appear less likely to have needs identified and met. Programmes should enhance the systemization and sensitivity of needs assessments to improve women's experience with cancer. [source]

International and Cultural Variations in Employee Assistance Programmes: Implications for Managerial Health and Effectiveness*

Savings from integrating administrative systems for social assistance programmes in Russia

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2003
L. Jerome Gallagher
Russian local governments now have primary responsibility for the administration of social assistance programmes thanks to a combination of decentralization of some responsibilities from higher levels of government and the transfer of certain administrative functions from state enterprises to municipalities. Over the past few years, there has also been a distinct shift to means-testing of social assistance. This article reports on the results of a pilot project undertaken to improve the efficiency of programme administration conducted in the city of Arzamas (pop. 110,000). The municipal administration promotes it as a programme to ease client burden and improve access to benefits. Specifically, the pilot introduced a unified application form for all the major social assistance programmes in the city and required, regardless of how many programmes are applied for, that applicants visit only one office and supply one set of documents verifying their eligibility for assistance. Benefit processing is also consolidated. Staff efficiency improvements are substantial: under the one-window system, 127 benefits are processed per month per staff member, while 85 benefits were processed per month per staff member under the old administrative system. Impressive time savings for clients were also observed: the statistically average client saves between 1.3 and 2.4 hours, depending on the degree to which a client was able to coordinate documentation collection and trips to the benefit agencies under the old system. The total potential time saved by clients as a result of the one-window reforms is between 4100 and 7600 person hours per month. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]