Research for Action Cross-National Perspectives on Connecting Knowledge, Policy, and Practice for Children

by Chaskin, Robert J.; Rosenfeld, Jona M.

• ISBN13: 9780195314083
• ISBN10: 0195314085
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-10-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Across the social welfare and human services fields, interest is growing in how to apply research to influence policy and practice; simultaneously, with globalization's advance, it is clearer than ever that an international perspective is vital in understanding how social, political, and institutional contexts affect research and dissemination practices. This volume, with contributions from an array of eminent researchers and practitioners, provides valuable insight into effective research practice and the factors involved in putting research findings to use. Leading with experience - narratives of six child welfare case studies from the UK, Ireland, Israel, South Africa, and the US - the book frames those cases in the context of relevant literatures to build up a cross-case analysis that distills lessons, throws enduring questions into relief, and lays a foundation for informing future practice. It mines the cross-national experience to develop perspective for a better understanding of the importance of different policy and cultural environments, while nonetheless emphasizing issues that are applicable across borders. The ground prepared by the case studies allows the volume to tease out themes and lessons, placing the empirical findings against relevant theoretical frameworks and developing guidelines for improving research practice in this arena. Researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and advocates concerned with promoting effective policy and practice will find this book a vital aid in understanding how to apply knowledge to the real world and bring about in ways that can inform and contribute to social change.

Author Biography

Robert Chaskin is Professor, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago and Chapin Hall Center for Children. Jona Rosenfeld is Gordon Brown Professor (Emeritus), Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Senior Advisor/Head of Unit of Learning from Success, Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute

Table of Contents

Mapping the Terrain

Researching Family Support and Children's Services Planning in Northern Ireland

From Fieldwork to Facts to Firearms Control: Research and Advocacy Towards Stricter Firearms Control Legislation in South Africa

The Development and Use of Data for Child Welfare System Reform

The Relationship between Research and Practice in Implementing the RAF Method for Quality Assurance in Residential Settings for Children in Israel

Research-Based Practice Tools to Improve Child Welfare Services in England: Using the Going Home? Practice Tool to Support the Effective Reunification of Families

Some Lessons Learned?: A Case Study of Research Dissemination to Young People in Care

Research, Dissemination, and Impact: Issues, Lessons, and Future Directions

Charting a Course for Fuller Engagement: Toward a Framework for Action

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