The components of the working definition's constellation that makes up social work practice are examined. This article suggests that the working definition, as stated, is not appropriate today. It is suggested that it is not the knowledge and methods of social work practice but the values and purpose underlying social work that define it. It is emphasized that the definition of social work should be inclusive of different attitudes and opinions, yet limited, avoiding the incorporation of other problem issues. Furthermore, it is suggested that the definition, if inclusively stated, can remain constant through time and environment. It is also suggested that alternatives have been offered that may be more appropriate in the current environment of global awareness and sensitivity. More inclusive statements, although allowing for growth and change in the profession, do not necessitate change in the definition itself.

This cross-sectional study compares 52 working poor families receiving subsidies for child care with 50 demographically matched families drawn from the subsidy waiting lists across three sets of variables: (1) maternal employment and income, (2) child care, and (3) child well-being. Compared to mothers from waiting lists, mothers receiving subsidies for their child’s care were more likely to be employed, spent half as much of their income on child care, and were less likely to be very poor. Compared to children on waiting lists, children receiving subsidies for child care were more likely to be in a formal licensed child care center, have more stable care, and have mothers who were more satisfied with their child care arrangement.

Objective: The impacts of a job-finding club for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients required to work were investigated. Dependent measures included welfare recipients’ self-esteem, assertive job-hunting behavior, and perceived barriers to employment. Method: Pretest and posttest data were collected from four 2-week job-finding clubs sponsored by a welfare agency in a suburban county in Georgia. Results: Twenty-five of 40 participants (62.5%) found work during the job-finding club. For those who did not find work, no significant differences were found between pre- and posttest scores on any dependent measure. Conclusion: The only evident difference between the two groups was that unsuccessful job seekers were more than twice as likely (as successful job seekers) to perceive transportation (54% compared to 24%) as their biggest barrier to employment. Policy implications of these results include orienting job clubs to specifically address clients’ perceived barriers to employment.

The nearly automatic acceptance of Cubans into the United States as political refugees for 35 years represents a contradiction which lingered in U.S. refugee policy. This article provides a description and analysis of the 1994 Cuban Balsero (rafter) Crisis that prompted a decision by the Clinton administration on May 2, 1995, to officially end the open door era for Cuban acceptance into the United States. The resulting policy change 1) terminated the indefinite detention of over 28,000 Cubans held in safe haven camps, 2) repealed the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, 3) put severe new restrictions on travel to Cuba, 4) prohibited the sending of monetary remittances to Cuba, 5) equalized the number of annual visas for Cuba with the other countries of the world, and 6) legalized the return of Cubans intercepted at sea. The authors examine the interaction of variables that set the stage for the Balsero Crisis and analyze how and why its resolution catalyzed the historic policy change. Implications of the resolution of the Balsero Crisis upon problems underlying U.S. relations with Cuba are discussed.

Social work faculty and students from a university in the south-eastern US participated in a 21-day exchange program with a university in Mexico. The experience involved 10 days of language and cultural immersion, concurrent exposure to social service agencies, and an additional week of visits to regional social work campuses. Goals included developing bilingual, culturally competent social workers. Objective measures for cultural competence showed gains in scores which were supported by qualitative data gathered through the use of journals. Results indicated gains in cultural competence with many gains for future efforts.

Perinatal loss has recently received attention in the literature that presents it as different from other types of losses. Perinatal loss, or the loss of an infant due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, is a significant problem that may be best understood when viewed through the framework of attachment theory. Recent advances in medical technology, including prenatal diagnostic procedures and resulting decisions have influenced issues of both perinatal attachment and loss, and have provided challenges for the clinician. This article presents a review of current theories and research on attachment and perinatal loss, and discusses how knowledge gained from this research may be integrated into clinical practice.

This article analyzes the conflict between two interest groups—advocates for battered women and advocates for law enforcement personnel— that has arisen over P.L. 104-208, which prohibits those who have been convicted of domestic violence from possessing and carrying guns. The article describes the evolution of responses to domestic violence, presents a brief history of the battered women's movement, and discusses the stances of the two interest groups in relation to public policy.

In an effort to curb the reported increases in violent juvenile crime, the growing trend of state legislatures is the removal of crimes specified as serious from the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Having been legislatively waived, these offenses are placed within the jurisdiction of the superior court, and the offender regardless of age, is tried as an adult. This investigation reports on the deterrent effect of the Georgia legislative waiver passed in 1994. A quasi-experimental cohort design is used in a comparison of the mean arrest rates for juveniles arrested for the specified crimes before and after the law's enactment. The analysis of the data suggests that there were no significant reductions in the mean arrest rates for the offenses specified by the law. Findings are consistent with studies that evaluated the legislative waiver in other states and suggest that the law does not reduce serious juvenile crime.