Social Service Provision (social + service_provision)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


HIV and AIDS among fisherfolk: a threat to ,responsible fisheries'?

FISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 3 2004
Edward H. Allison
Abstract Fishing communities are often among the highest-risk groups in countries with high overall rates of HIV/AIDS prevalence. Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS stems from complex, interacting causes that may include the mobility of many fisherfolk, the time fishermen spend away from home, their access to daily cash income in an overall context of poverty and vulnerability, their demographic profile, the ready availability of commercial sex in fishing ports and the subcultures of risk taking and hypermasculinity among some fishermen. The subordinate economic and social position of women in many fishing communities in low-income countries makes them even more vulnerable. HIV/AIDS in fishing communities was first dealt with as a public health issue, and most projects were conducted by health sector agencies and NGOs, focusing on education and health care provision. More recently, as the social and economic impacts of the epidemic have become evident, wider social service provision and economic support have been added. In the last 3 years, many major fishery development programmes in Africa, South/South-East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region have incorporated HIV/AIDS awareness in their planning. The HIV/AIDS pandemic threatens the sustainability of fisheries by eclipsing the futures of many fisherfolk. The burden of illness puts additional stresses on households, preventing them from accumulating assets derived from fishing income. Premature death robs fishing communities of the knowledge gained by experience and reduces incentives for longer-term and inter-generational stewardship of resources. Recent projects championing local knowledge and resource-user participation in management need to take these realities into account. If the fishing communities of developing countries that account for 95% of the world's fisherfolk and supply more than half the world's fish are adversely impacted by HIV/AIDS, then the global supply of fish, particularly to lower-income consumers, may be jeopardized. [source]


Accessibility and equity of health and social care services: exploring the views and experiences of Bangladeshi carers in South Wales, UK

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2006
HV Tut Cert, Joy Merrell BSc (Hons)
Abstract There is a paucity of information regarding the extent and nature of caring provided by minority ethnic communities. The proportion of older people from these communities will dramatically increase in the next 20 years, which will be accompanied by increasing health and social care needs and an increased demand for carers. A qualitative, exploratory study was conducted to identify the health and social care needs of informal carers, who were caring for a dependent adult from a Bangladeshi community in South Wales, UK. This paper focuses on Bangladeshi carers' access to formal support services provided by the statutory, private and voluntary sectors to assist them with their caring responsibilities. The findings are based on data collected using face-to-face, focused interviews with 20 Bangladeshi carers. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit the sample. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The dimensions of accessibility and equity of quality of care were drawn upon to aid understanding of the findings. Bangladeshi carers faced a number of barriers in accessing health and social service provision, which impeded uptake of these services. Additionally, there was evidence of inequity in service provision. Recommendations for improving the accessibility of health and social care services are proposed, which may assist in promoting more equitable services for carers from the Bangladeshi community. [source]


Readmissions: a primary care examination of reasons for readmission of older people and possible readmission risk factors

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 5 2006
Dip N, Linda Dobrzanska MSc, PG Cert HCE
Aim., To identify the reasons that may have contributed to the emergency readmission of older people to a medical unit, within 28 days of hospital discharge. Background., The current UK Government has initiatives in place to monitor quality and service delivery of NHS organizations. This is achieved by setting, delivering and monitoring standards, one of which is ,emergency readmission to hospital within 28 days of discharge (all ages), as a percentage of live discharges'. Design/method., A year-long study examined reasons for unplanned readmission of patients (aged 77 and over) within 28 days of hospital discharge. The population was patients, registered with North Bradford PCT General Practitioners, readmitted to one of five care of older people wards in two local acute trust NHS hospitals. Patient records were scrutinized and data related to demography, diagnosis and readmission were collected using a structured extraction tool. Data analysis was undertaken using descriptive statistics and identification of differences and correlations within the data. Results., A pilot study indicated patients readmitted from home vs. other sources and patients discharged to home vs. other sources had a significantly shorter stay on readmission. The main study showed other significant findings. Patients who lived in care were readmitted sooner than those who lived at home: those discharged home vs. other sources and agreeing to increased social service provision had longer stays on readmission. Shorter length of stay on index admission (up to 72 hours) was associated with increased likelihood of earlier readmission. Conclusions., A framework of factors was identified and could be used to target resources to meet patients' needs more flexibly. Relevance to clinical practice., It is possible that the process of targeting resources to ,at-risk' patients might enable services to be delivered in a more cost-efficient and cost-effective way. [source]


Is There a Dark Side to Government Supportfor Nonprofits?

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 3 2000
Arthur C. Brooks
The relationship between government social spending and private donations to the nonprofit sector is an issue that is relevant to both public administrators and nonprofit managers. Does government funding displace philanthropy, or encourage it? This article introduces the debate into the public administration literature. First, I survey and interpret the empirical work performed to date in this area by economists. Second, I retest this question across four nonprofit subsectors using data on both federal and state/local spending. My survey of the literature shows mixed results, although a broad pattern indicates that "crowding out" tends to dominate, particularly in the areas of social service provision and health. My empirical results are consistent with these findings, although they must be interpreted cautiously from a policy perspective: While results are statistically significant, the degree of crowding out is generally small. On the other hand, the claim that government funding stimulates giving seems to lack both statistical and policy significance. [source]