Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender family issues in the context of changing legal and social policy environments.

Author(s):  
Charlotte J. Patterson
2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Mitchell ◽  
Timothy MacLeod

Community psychologists offer relevant tools for pursuing critical reflection on the nature of social policy, with special consideration of power inequities that often arise from the misrepresentation of affected stakeholders. This article examines the critical role researchers and community health practitioners can play in guarding against the misrepresentation of community voices in neoliberal policy environments. We identify the extreme harm caused by socially exclusive policy-making in an examination of the institutional oppression of Aboriginal peoples across Canada. We caution against the dangers of perpetuating neoliberal agendas and token participation via the misuse of community engagement. We emphasize the important role of community psychologists in challenging the status quo, for engaging stakeholders in authentic participation, and in policy development. We conclude with recommendations to broaden and improve the policy skills of community psychologists and other mental health professionals to more effectively advance social policy and actualize the potential for transformative social change in Aboriginal communities.


Author(s):  
Eugene G. Kolb

The social policy of Lionel Jospin’s government was focused on solving the problems of unemployment and social inequality, which in the 1990s were perceived by the population as the main problems of the country. This corresponded with traditions and ideological principles of the French left and the methods used were very close to the policies of previous left governments. One of the distinguishing features of Jospin’s government was the close attention it gave to family issues and protection of the interests of disabled people. Another distinctive feature was active use of the strong-willed approach, from which left-wing governments had retreated since 1983 under the influence of economic realities. At the same time the government took into account the necessity of economic development and refused to strengthen state control over labor relations as well as avoiding any large-scale actions to increase employees income. Despite the government’s pragmatism, for the first time since left forces came to power its social policy did not cause obvious disappointment among the part of the population close to the left camp. Despite all the external success of social policy results, it did not deliver the expected electoral effect due to the contradictions contained in it.


Author(s):  
Simone Baglioni ◽  
Stephen Sinclair

This chapter discusses how social innovation relates to debates in social and public policy analysis. The chapter outlines the respective normative, analytical and empirical questions raised by social innovation in relation to welfare provision and reform. It discusses how social innovations originate and develop, and the extent to which they can be actively cultivated by policy makers. The chapter examines the varying receptiveness to social innovation of different types of welfare regime. It considers how far social innovations provide secure entitlements upon which service users can rely. The chapter then discusses the potential transferability of social innovations beyond the particular socio-economic contexts and policy environments which germinate and nurture them. The respective impact of social innovation and social movements are considered. The chapter concludes by highlighting the potential conservative or regressive implications of social innovation, and how it could be used to justify withdrawing public welfare services.


Author(s):  
Ashley M. Frazier

Abstract School speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are increasingly likely to serve children of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) parents or GLBT students as cultural and societal changes create growth in the population and increased willingness to disclose sexual orientation. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has a progressive nondiscrimination statement that includes sexual orientation as a protected status and strongly urges the membership to develop cultural competence as a matter of ethical service delivery. The purpose of this article is to describe cultural competence in relation to GLBT culture, discuss GLBT parent and student cultural issues as they are important in parent-school or student-school relations, and to provide suggestions for increasing sensitivity in these types of interactions. A list of resources is provided.


Author(s):  
Linda Challis ◽  
Susan Fuller ◽  
Melanie Henwood ◽  
Rudolf Klein ◽  
William Plowden ◽  
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