Since the introduction of Family Group Conferences (FGCs) in the Netherlands, there has been a steady growth in conferences being organised each year. Government policy emphasises the importance of empowering families to strengthen their ability to take responsibility for their own well-being. A recently adopted amendment in the Dutch Civil Code reflects this commitment and designates FGC as good practice. However, there is little knowledge on the application of FGCs in mental health care, let alone in a setting even more specific, such as public mental health care (PMHC). Clients in PMHC often have a limited network. The starting point of this study is the assumption that conferences promote involvement, expand and restore relationships and generate support. Over the next two years, we will research the applicability of FGCs in PMHC by evaluating forty case studies. The aim of our study is to provide an answer to the question of whether Family Group Conferencing is an effective tool to generate social support, to prevent coercion and to promote social integration in PMHC. Although making contact and gaining trust is a goal of PMHC, it is an aim to study whether FGCs can elevate or replace the work of professionals.
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From January 2011 until December 2012, forty Family Group Conferences (FGCs) will be studied in the public mental health care (PMHC) setting in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands. Research should yield an answer to whether FGCs are valuable for clients in PMHC as a means to generate social support, to prevent coercion and to elevate the work of professionals. The present study reports on two case studies in which shame and fear of rejection are designated as main causes for clients to avoid contact with their social network, resulting in isolated and marginalised living circumstances. Shame, on the other hand, is also a powerful engine in preventing clients from relapse into marginalised circumstances for which one needs to feel ashamed again. An FGC offers a forum where clients are able to discuss their shameful feelings with their social network; it generates support and helps breaking through vicious circles of marginalisation and social isolation. Findings of these case studies confirm an assumption from a previous study that a limited or broken social network is not a contraindication, but a reason for organising FGCs.
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Family Group Conferencing (FGC) is emerging in the field of elderly care, as a method to enhance the resilience and relational autonomy of older persons. In this article, we want to explore the appropriateness of these two concepts to understand the FGC process in older adults.
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Family Group Conferencing (FGC), a model in which a person and his or her social network make their own ‘care’ plan, is used in youth care and might also be useful in elderly care to support older persons living at home.
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What would you do if you were unable to pay your rent and you were threatened with home-eviction? Would you ask you family or close friends for help, or would you prefer the professional help of a social worker? Or maybe both? What kind of support can family, friends, neighbors, offer in a situation like this? This thesis tries to answer these questions. The research project focused on vulnerable people who were threatened with home-eviction. A Family Group Conference (FGC) was offered to them by social workers. An FGC is a meeting with a person and his/her social network, during which they make their own plan. Professionals merely give information but are not present during the decision-making process and they carry out their part of the plan as presented by the person and the social network. The experiences with nearly evicted persons were compared to FGC experiences with two other target groups. This way, conditions were identified for a successful implementation of the FGC method with people facing home-eviction.
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Parents who grew up without digital monitoring have a plethora of parental monitoring opportunities at their disposal. While they can engage in surveillance practices to safeguard their children, they also have to balance freedom against control. This research is based on in-depth interviews with eleven early adolescents and eleven parents to investigate everyday negotiations of parental monitoring. Parental monitoring is presented as a form of lateral surveillance because it entails parents engaging in surveillance practices to monitor their children. The results indicate that some parents are motivated to use digital monitoring tools to safeguard and guide their children, while others refrain from surveillance practices to prioritise freedom and trust. The most common forms of surveillance are location tracking and the monitoring of digital behaviour and screen time. Moreover, we provide unique insights into the use of student tracking systems as an impactful form of control. Early adolescents negotiate these parental monitoring practices, with responses ranging from acceptance to active forms of resistance. Some children also monitor their parents, showcasing a reciprocal form of lateral surveillance. In all families, monitoring practices are negotiated in open conversations that also foster digital resilience. This study shows that the concepts of parental monitoring and lateral surveillance fall short in grasping the reciprocal character of monitoring and the power dynamics in parent-child relations. We therefore propose that monitoring practices in families can best be understood as family surveillance, providing a novel concept to understand how surveillance is embedded in contemporary media practices among interconnected family members.
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This research paper looks at a selection of science-fiction films and its connection with the progression of the use of television, telephone and print media. It also analyzes statistical data obtained from a questionnaire conducted by the research group regarding the use of communication media.
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The advantages and drawbacks of components of flexible assessment have been studied mostly from the standpoint of students and, to a lesser extent, teachers. A gap persists in understanding the collective perspectives of teachers and students concerning flexible assessment. This study aimed to explore experiences and perspectives of students and teachers regarding flexible assessment within the specific context of nursing education. Seven focus groups comprised four sessions with teachers and three with students, each involving 5-8 participants. Results showed that students and teachers have a predominantly positive perspective towards flexible assessment. They acknowledge the opportunities that flexible assessment provides for diverse forms to present evidence. However, concerns were raised regarding the design of flexible assessments, issues of fairness in rating evidence, and the understanding among teachers and students regarding the assessment processes. Additionally, discussions focused on the perceived benefit of flexible assessments, particularly concerning the time investment required for their implementation and evaluation. In conclusion, the success of flexible assessments is contingent on the careful consideration of its design, ensuring equitable evaluation of evidence, and fostering comprehensive understanding among both teachers and students. Recognizing potential disparities in views of students and teachers offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of flexible assessment. Achieving a balance between the flexibility of assessment formats, aligned forms of evidence, and an appropriate rating methodology is crucial for effective implementation.
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Introduction: In March 2014, the New South Wales (NSW) Government (Australia) announced the NSW Integrated Care Strategy. In response, a family-centred, population-based, integrated care initiative for vulnerable families and their children in Sydney, Australia was developed. The initiative was called Healthy Homes and Neighbourhoods. A realist translational social epidemiology programme of research and collaborative design is at the foundation of its evaluation. Theory and Method: The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Framework for evaluating complex health interventions was adapted. This has four components, namely 1) development, 2) feasibility/piloting, 3) evaluation and 4) implementation. We adapted the Framework to include: critical realist, theory driven, and continuous improvement approaches. The modified Framework underpins this research and evaluation protocol for Healthy Homes and Neighbourhoods. Discussion: The NSW Health Monitoring and Evaluation Framework did not make provisions for assessment of the programme layers of context, or the effect of programme mechanism at each level. We therefore developed a multilevel approach that uses mixed-method research to examine not only outcomes, but also what is working for whom and why.
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