Social Work and Social Welfare

Parental self-efficacy (PSE) is a key to the child-parent relationship. It reflects parents’ self-perception of their ability to perform parenting tasks successfully and a high level of parental self-efficacy is associated with positive child outcomes. The literature on cultural differences regarding PSE is scant. This study applied a cultural perspective and examined differences between Arab and Jewish mothers with regard to PSE and associated factors such as marital satisfaction, social support, wellbeing and stress. Based on a sample of 170 married mothers in Israel (age in years: M = 30.14 , SD = 6.1 ), it revealed that Arab mothers experienced a higher degree of PSE, marital satisfaction and wellbeing, as well as lower stress, than Jewish mothers. PSE among Arab mothers was predicted by marital satisfaction and stress. Among Jewish mothers, PSE was predicted by stress and wellbeing as well as financial indicators. The paper discusses the findings from a cultural perspective, focusing on the experience of parenting in an Arab, collective, traditional and patriarchic society compared to parenting in a Jewish, individualistic, liberal society. The study concludes that it is important to consider the cultural context of parenting to the sense of parental efficacy and to understand the cultural norms and values of individuals whose parenting capacity comes under assessment. Based on the findings it was suggested that family therapy or spousal therapy may provide benefit to Arab mothers who report a low level of PSE. For Jewish mothers, alleviating financial hardship and providing material help could provide similar benefits, in addition to lowering the mother’s level of stress. Limitations of the study as well as future studies directions were also discussed.

The objective of the present work was to specify theoretically, conceptual and empirically a model for the study of deliberative co-participation around the Internet request for termination of pregnancy. A cross-sectional, correlational and psychometric study was carried out with a non-probability selection of 100 university students confined from March 20 to May 30, 2020 due to the mitigation policy of the pandemic caused by the SARS-C OV-2 coronavirus. A factorial structure was found that explained 45% of the total variance, although the research design limited the results to the research scenario, suggesting the extension of the work to other areas of conflict between stakeholders.

Korea has experienced several decades of low birth rates, contributing to an aging population. The government has unsuccessfully attempted several policies to develop and maintain childbirth and childcare that would mitigate the reduction of the productive workforce. Korean policy makers consider the Nordic countries the benchmark for the development and implementation of social welfare programs, but they have been unable to achieve similar levels of success in reversing low fertility. Using documentary research, this study explores the nature and impact of childcare policies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Korea to gain insights that could help optimize childcare policies in Korea. Based on this analysis, this study recommends that Korea adopt childcare policies that focus on defamiliarization, decommodification, gender integration, and a child-centered approach.

Purpose Health insurance reduces the cost of using modern maternal and child cares and encourages women to use modern care services. This is because health insurance scheme spread the burden of maternal care usage across people and overtime. In Nigeria, there is a dearth of research evidence on the effect of health insurance enrolment on maternal and childcare use. This study examined the effect of health insurance coverage on maternal and childcare use in Nigeria, drawing upon data from the most recent National Demographic and Health Survey (2018). Methods Three outcome indicators were used: a minimum of four antenatal care (ANC) visits, place of delivery, and complete child immunization. Descriptive and predictive analytical methods were utilized. A representative sample of 33,715 women who reported recent birth within the last five years preceding the Survey was used for the analyses. Analyses were undertaken using STATA version 13.0 for windows. Results The results showed that 57% of the women made a minimum of four ANC visits, 41% delivered in health institutions, and 27% undertook complete child immunization. Enrolment in health insurance was low as only 2.3% of the women were under any form of health insurance coverage. However, enrolment in health insurance significantly improves the odds for a minimum of four ANC visits [aOR: 1.52, р = 0.00] and health facility delivery [aOR: 1.42, р = 0.00]. However, there is no significant difference in complete child immunization between women who were under health insurance and those who were not [aOR: 1.36, р = 0.28]. Also, residing in an urban area, Southern geopolitical zones, and being drawn from wealthy homes confer an advantage on women to use modern maternal and child healthcare. Conclusion Pragmatic interventions should be initiated to encourage women’s enrolment in health insurance in Nigeria. Community-based health insurance scheme should be encouraged among rural women and those of them in the informal sector

Since social work practice interfaces with the law in various ways, there is a need to integrate legal studies into social work education. Currently, social work curricula leave little room for basic legal education and, furthermore, there appears to be a general negative reaction to the law among social workers. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the importance of law to social work, and discusses aspects of the law that are particularly valuable to social work education and practice. We contend that it is vital to provide social work students with basic legal education in order to promote efficient social work practice and collaboration between the law and social work. We analyze inter-connections between social work and legal disciplines and discuss the challenges and benefits derived from combining the two disciplines. Key areas of legal education that should be addressed in order to educate future effective social work practitioners are also discussed. The discussion is based on our experience in providing legal education to social work students, our belief in the importance of law to social work, and our experience in the practice of both legal and social work.