PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOUR - ACTIONS THAT BENEFIT OTHERS: INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS OR SOCIETY AS A WHOLE

According to an article by Perri Klass, MD from the New York Times in the Chronicle Herald on December 15, 2012, children learn very early to respond to distress by others and to develop feelings of “empathy, sympathy, kindness and charity”. These types of behaviour are learned very early in children and parents play an important part in promoting this approach to humanity. As quoted in the article, two theories have been developed by Scott Huettel, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University to explain prosocial behaviour. The first is, “…essentially motivational: It feels good to help other people”.  The second “…is based on social cognition — the recognition that other people have needs and goals. The two theories aren’t mutually exclusive: Cognitive understanding accompanied by a motivational reward reinforces prosocial behaviour.” Parents serving as positive models can instill these attitudes long before children know the meaning of the words sympathy and compassion. “Working with a child’s temperament, taking advantage of an emerging sense of self and increasing cognitive understanding of the world and helped by the reward centres of the brain, parents can try to foster that warm glow and the worldview that goes with it. Empathy, sympathy, compassion, kindness and charity begin at home, and very early.” See the article at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/science/254154-sowing-the-empathy-seed

HOW FEDERAL JOB CUTS WILL IMPACT ATLANTIC CANADA – A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) highlights how federal job cuts in the Atlantic region will disproportionately affect this part of the country. The report titled: “Public Disservice: The Impact of Federal Government Job Cuts In Atlantic Canada” by Michael Bourgeois, Joanne Hussey, Christine Saulnier, and Sara Wuite of the CCPA, cautions that the number of cuts proportional to other parts of the country, the deeper impact in the region compared to others, the effect on service quality and serviceability, the decrease in institutional knowledge within the public service, and the concern that progress by vulnerable groups like women, visible minorities, aboriginal people and people with disabilities will be lost. We all remember the cuts of the 1990’s, although they contributed to a balanced budget, the social and economic costs were devastating to social progress. See the full report at:   http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/Nova%20Scotia%20Office/2012/11/Public%20Disservice_ENG.pdf

FEDERAL TAX CREDITS COULD BE BETTER SPENT ON LOW INCOME FAMILIES

FEDERAL TAX CREDITS COULD BE BETTER SPENT ON LOW INCOME FAMILIES - The anti-poverty coalition, Campaign 2000, has recommended that certain tax credits paid out to all families each year could be better spent directly on low income families. The child tax benefit, the child fitness tax benefit, and the universal child care benefit could be replaced with a child benefit supplement for poor families and would go a long way to reducing poverty in Canada. “For many families it would mean higher quality food, …it would mean better housing and housing is a very important determinant on its own of health. For some families it might mean that children can become involved in activities that they otherwise couldn’t become involved in. Some children would certainly be clothed better.” (Sid Frankel, a University of Manitoba social work associate professor and Campaign 2000 committee member.) See more at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/185935-canada-in-brief-november-21-2012 .

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES THE CALL FOR NEW IDEAS ON SOCIAL FINANCING

Human Resources Minister, Diane Finley, has launched a call for ideas on how private sector social financing can shape future social policy in Canada. Social financing is a way to use private sector funding to finance social programs. It offers an opportunity for charities, non-profits, and social purpose businesses to open new sources of funding.  Many non-profits are trapped in a cycle of short term subsistence funding that diverts attention from their mission. It is a way for social purpose businesses to contribute to social programs. Minister Finley has expressed her concern “with the lack of progress in social programs, and wants to dramatically re-arrange the system so that there are incentives to deliver better results.” (Chronicle Herald, November 9, 2012). The National Consultation invites ideas from organizations and individuals from across the country on how to improve social and economic outcomes for Canadians. Comments can be made before December 31, 2012 on the website at: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/consultations/index.shtml .

PSYCHIATRIST CAUTIONS COVERAGE OF SUICIDES MAY BE PROBLEMATIC

The extensive use by media that cover adolescent suicides may push desperate young people to choose death as a solution to their pain. Dr. Stan Kutcher, professor of psychiatry at Dalhousie University Medical School, has expressed concern about the wide media coverage of suicides like that of recent bullying victim, Amanda Todd. Dr. Kutcher claims that vulnerable young people who are suffering depression and contemplating death as a solution may be encouraged to choose death as a solution. “It’s important to understand that young people who are thinking of dying by suicide are very ambivalent about that decision. They usually agonize over this for weeks or months or longer. There’s a huge push and pull between the decision, should I take my life or should I choose life.” (Excerpt taken from the Chronicle Herald on October 19, 2012. (Read the article at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/150918-media-coverage-of-suicides-concerns-expert )

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN IS NOT GOOD PARENTING

An article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is strongly advocating for the removal of section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada which permits parents and teachers to use corporal punishment in the name of discipline. Corporal punishment is a form of assault and if used against any other human being would be considered assault under the Criminal Code. Section 43 states in part “… a parent is justified in using force by way of correction … if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances.”  Using corporal punishment is a poor excuse for effective parenting and instead of using section 43 as a protection against criminal prosecution, parents who use hitting, spanking or more serious assaults leaving an injury, need education around more effective approaches to positive parenting. “To have a specific code excusing parents is to suggest that assault by a parent is a normal and accepted part of bringing up children.” See the editorial in the CMA Journal at: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/12/1339

FINALLY, THE DEBATE BEGINS!

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), a think tank, has opened the debate on suggesting ways to increase social programing and transit options in Halifax’s municipal elections this fall. So far there has been little debate on details that citizens want to see from candidates. Most candidates so far have refused to commit themselves on details of their platforms preferring to wait for the right political moment or to wait and consult with the public before committing themselves. Although the CCPA has suggested applying a 4% surcharge to income taxes, a measure that citizens may not be quick to endorse, it claims that this would provide funding for social programs and transit while cutting property taxes. The alternative budget would create a source of steady income for non-profit groups already working in the community. Christine Saulnier, the CCPA’s Nova Scotia director said, “There’s perhaps more social policy spending (but) we’re not asking HRM to actually provide services, we are asking them to help the programs that exist and help grow some of the things that are at the local level”. See the full Alternative Municipal Budget for HRM at: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/ccpa-ns-releases-first-ever-alternative-municipal-budget-hrm

2012 JOINT WORLD CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: ACTION AND IMPACT - Not able to attend the 2012 Joint World Conference in Stockholm, Sweden (July 8-12, 2012) in person? No problem, the International Association of Social Workers (IFSW) has made the conference available on line! Share in the wealth of knowledge presented by educators and social development practitioners from all corners of the world. To view a summary of the event and the day by day plenary sessions, interviews and the conference presentations. Go to: http://ifsw.org/news/world-conference-on-social-work-and-social-development-see-what-happened/ Quoted from: CASW Reporter, July 2012

PREMIERS ENDORSE A REPORT AT THE COUNCIL OF THE FEDERATION – A health care innovation group Co-chaired by Premiers Brad Wall and Robert Ghiz was established by the Council of the Federation in January 2012 and presented their report to the Council on July 26^th as reported by the National Post. The report made recommendations that require voluntary acceptance by the provinces once they have an opportunity to review and determine how the recommendations can be implemented in a particular province. “The report contains 12 recommendations on how provinces and territories can deliver better care, save dollars and find more value in the $130-billion health-care system.” A major recommendation is for provinces to agree on a bulk buying mechanism for 3 – 5 generic drugs. “Other voluntary measures recommended by the report include: adopting common treatment guidelines for heart disease and diabetes (including harmonized guidelines for prevention and screening); sharing information to help trim labour costs and reduce competition in hiring health professionals such as doctors and nurses; and implementing team-based care to prevent patients from jumping from one provider to another.” See the report at: http://www.councilofthefederation.ca/pdfs/Health%20Innovation%20Report-E-WEB.pdf

MILLENNIUM VILAGES

Social policy reform on a global scale is not what normally comes to mind when social workers think about social reform. However the principles of the United Nations Millennium Project have application to poverty reduction and elimination in our own local communities that experience poverty. Albeit poverty is not a serious as found in countries like Africa where a project known as the Millennium Villages Project has been launched since the beginning of the decade, hence the attachment of the name “millennium” to the effort.

Social workers who believe strongly that social development and social justice are part of their profession’s mandate are naturally drawn to projects that have the potential to alleviate poverty wherever it exists. The wider community these days is slowly adopting the social work basic premise that has guided social work practitioners for decades. That is, change can only be effectively accomplished when people are fully engaged in their own rehabilitation.

This principle has been applied in many local projects when social workers work in the community development and social justice areas of their profession. Social workers who work with their individual clientele on a one-on-one basis apply this principle as well in their practice. Often, we lament that, in many cases, it is the “system” that is interfering with people inhibiting them from attaining their full potential. So the principle of engaging people in the work of solving their own problems with some guidance from outside themselves has been time tested.

Millennium Development Goals - Taking this principle to a higher level is the approach of the Millennium Project which was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to develop practicable, concrete, measurable targets for countries to raise their people out of poverty. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) were approved by the United Nations to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people in the poorest nations of the world.

The eight goals which contain specific targets are listed below:

·       Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

·       Achieve universal primary education

·       Promote gender equality and empower women

·       Reduce child mortality

·       Improve maternal health

·       Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

·       Ensure environmental sustainability

·       Develop a global partnership for development (i.e., good governance, availability of new technologies, drugs, debt reduction, productive work for youth, etc.)

In 2005, the independent advisory body headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, special advisor to the UN Secretary-General and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, presented its final recommendations to the Secretary-General in a report, Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Millennium Villages Project (MVP) - The outcome of the advisory body’s recommendations was the Millennium Villages project and is based on a single powerful idea: impoverished villages can transform themselves and meet the Millennium Development Goals if they are empowered with proven, powerful, practical technologies. By investing in health, food production, education, access to clean water, and essential infrastructure, these community-led interventions will enable impoverished villages to escape extreme poverty, something that currently confines over 1 billion people worldwide.

The Millennium Village Project, a large, experimental intervention which aims to spark local economic development in fourteen village clusters across Africa and show that “people in the poorest regions of rural Africa can lift themselves out of extreme poverty in five years’ time”

The Millennium Village Project, a model for fighting poverty at the village level, is trying to show how a few simple reforms, seven in all, can substantially improve lives and provide livelihoods. These are: fertiliser and seed to improve food yield; anti-malarial bed nets; improved water sources; diversification from staple into cash crops; a school feeding programme; deworming for all; and the introduction of new technologies, such as energy-saving stoves and mobile phones.

Millennium Village Projects must be financed from outside until they become self-sustaining. To finance the Millennium Village Projects, developed countries aspiring to permanent seats on the UN Security Council, are encouraged to fulfill their commitment to provide 0.7 percent of their GNP to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2015 as part of their leadership responsibilities (the 0.7% target was first affirmed by UN member states in a 1970 General Assembly and reaffirmed by select country groups in 2002, 2005 and 2010). In many low-income countries, and practically all least developed countries, domestic resources alone are not enough to meet the Goals. The process of funding and implementing a Millennium Village is a shared effort between the Official Development Assistance from rich countries, the receiving country, private sector donations and the villages themselves as well as in-kind contributions.

The MVP is an experiment to demonstrate that the Millennium Goals can be achieved by the target year 2015. The experiment may need to continue past 2015 for some villages but eventually will decrease until the village ends its dependency on outside aid and becomes self-sustaining. The data collected so far indicate significant progress is being made and villages are achieving sustainability.  This project differs in several ways from other development programs that have been offered: (a) Progress is tied to the millennium goals and are measurable; (b) It focuses on participatory community decision-making; (c) The initiative uses improved science-based technologies and techniques that have only recently become available; and (d) initiative is linked to national–level processes to ensure that the success can be continued and enhanced by country governments.

Although there has been some criticism (Moyo, 2009) of giving financial aid to African countries as creating dependence and leading to nowhere, the attempt by the Millennium Village project is to tie financial aid to defined measurable goals which, when reached, lead to independence and sustainability.

In 2004, SauriSauri has dropped by at least 50% since the distribution of free bed nets. Food yield has more than doubled and villagers say that everyone can now find at least a little to eat. A school feeding programme, whereby farmers give a portion of their harvest to the village schools, has had a dramatic effect. Children stay in school longer and, with a bowl of maize and beans in their belly, are able to concentrate. Since school feeding began, Sauri has risen from 108th to 2nd in district exam results, out of 253 schools.

Almost two years into its five-year boost, there are signs of economic activity in Sauri as well. Several shops have opened. A few people have purchased mobile phones, one or two have managed to invest in dairy cows, and many more are diversifying into cash crops”. (The Economist, 2006)

In addition to applying the Millennium Goals to the millennium villages in the poorest nations of the world, a broader application of the Millennium Goals can be applied to the elimination of poverty wherever poverty exists. Best practises in seven investment and policy areas are necessary to achieve the MDG’s:( http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/index.htm)

·       Rural development: increasing food output and incomes – Requires soil improvement and resulting incomes of small holder farmers and their families. Need – fertilizers, increase rural access to transport, information and communications, safe drinking water, sanitation, modern energy, and reliable water for agriculture and agriculture-related small and medium-size enterprises, all done in an environmentally sustainable manner.

·       Urban development: promoting jobs, upgrading slums, and developing alternatives to new slum formation - A central focus should be to strengthen the operational capacity of local governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), women's organizations, and other civil society groups, and to include them in the formulation of relevant national policies.

·       Health systems: ensuring universal access to essential services - Practical investments and policies for a functioning health system include training and retaining competent, motivated health workers, strengthening management systems, providing adequate supplies of essential drugs, and building clinics and laboratory facilities. Eliminating user fees for essential health services, -improving -community health education, promoting behavior change, and involving communities in decision-making and service delivery are also critical measures.

·       Education: ensuring universal primary, expanded post primary, and expanded higher education - Governments should ensure that every child, boy or girl, completes basic schooling of good quality, that a substantial proportion also completes post primary education, and that a significant number are enrolled in tertiary education by 2015.

·       Gender equality: investing to overcome pervasive gender bias - They should also address systemic challenges such as protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights (including access to information and family planning services), equal access to economic assets such as land and housing, increased primary school completion and expanded access to post primary education for girls, equal labor market opportunities, freedom from violence, and increased representation at all levels of governance.

·       Environment: investing in improved resource management - Examples of direct investments in environmental management are replanting forests, treating wastewater, curbing chemical pollution, and conserving critical ecosystems. Well-designed sector strategies, including agriculture and infrastructure services, can use strategic impact assessments to minimize negative environmental trade-offs. The removal of environmentally damaging subsidies can further improve environmental management.

·       Science, technology, and innovation: building national capacities - Sustainable MDG-based strategies require the buildup of indigenous institutions and skills to advance science, technology, and innovation. Practical measures to increase a country's scientific capacity include creating science advisory bodies to the national government, expanding science and engineering faculties in universities and polytechnics, strengthening development and entrepreneurial focus in science and technology curricula, promoting business opportunities in science and technology, and promoting infrastructure development as a technology learning process.

·       Interdependence of investment clusters - Each investment cluster depends on the others and most interventions have effects on several Goals. For example, reducing gender inequality is essential for reducing hunger, containing HIV/AIDS, promoting environmental sustainability, upgrading slums, and reducing child and infant mortality. Reaching the Millennium Development Goals thus depends on ambitious action across many sectors.

Designing a national strategy to achieve the Goals can be accomplished even in the poorest countries if there are intensive efforts from all parties to:

·       improve governance,

·       actively engage and empower civil society,

·       promote entrepreneurship and the private sector,

·       mobilize domestic resources,

·       substantially increase aid to countries that need it to support MDG-based priority investments, and

·       Make suitable policy reforms at the global level, such as those in trade.

Can social workers in Canada benefit from the Millennium Village approach to poverty reduction and elimination? How can the Millennium Goals approach be applied to urban and rural poverty in Canada?  Are the Millennium Goals universal enough to give guidance to social workers who work in the community development field of social work?

WILL WE REALLY PROTECT MEDICARE

Will we really protect Medicare? We not only need to protect Medicare but also find ways to enhance it and make it sustainable. Adrienne Silnicki, Council of Canadians, reporting in the  Halifax Chronicle Herald on March 14, 2012 states that this may not be possible if the federal government does not take on its leadership responsibilities. A statement made by Prime Minister Harper recently that health care is a "provincial responsibility" is not true because the federal and provincial governments both have responsibilities "to play in protecting and strengthening universal health care". What is required is leadership from the federal government to ensure that the funding is maintained through the Canada Health Transfer and that the provinces follow the principles of the health act namely: public administration; universality; portability; comprehensiveness; and accessibility. These principles, if maintained, protect universal health care for Canadians.

Ms. Silnicki concludes: "We need a federal government that can look at the best science-based practices being implemented in provinces and territories and tie funding to encourage other provinces and territories to adopt these practices. We need a federal government that can act as a single-purchaser and negotiate with drug companies and save us $10.7 billion a year by implementing a universal pharmacare plan. And we need a federal government that is committed to strengthening the Canada Health Act and bring it into the 21st century with innovations such as team-based practices and better management of chronic care patients by expanding home care, community care and long-term care".

See the article at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/73368-spur-provinces-be-innovation-incubators

 

GLOBAL AGENDA FOR SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

During the World Social Work Day on March 20, 2012 a GLOBAL SOCIAL AGENDA will be presented to the United Nations, other world organizations and national governments. The joint project between International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW); International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW); and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW/AIETS) began in 2010 and will be the subject of the Joint World Conference in July 2012 in Stockholm Sweden with theme: “Social Work and Social Development: Action and Impact”. Agenda themes are: Social and Economic inequalities within countries and between regions; Dignity and worth of the person; Environmental Sustainability; and Importance of human relationships.

The conference wants to determine how “the Agenda might impact on the conditions of people and demonstrate how actions in the social work and social development community can contribute to an enduring physical environment and sustainable social development”.

Visible signs to look for in the future will be: Human Rights and Social Equality (How can social work and social policies contribute in the endeavour to respect, protect and fulfil human rights?) Environmental Change and Sustainable Social Development (How does climate change affect social work and social development?)  and Global Social Transformation and Social Action (How can social work and social policy actions contribute to the fulfilment of migrants’ rights and to bridging transnational relations – as consequence of border-crossing migration?)

Read more about this exciting conference at: http://www.swsd-stockholm-2012.org/Default.aspx

Early Childhood Education (ECE): A Component of the Education System

Our existing programs for intervention and prevention of serious deviant behaviour culminate in increased crime, uncontrollable behaviour, trouble accepting authority and general disrespect for others has called for new analyses and solutions. In Nova Scotia for example, crime by youth is higher than the national average (Statistics Canada). The programs we have to address the situation are haphazard and expensive and have not focussed on the root causes of behaviour but rather the presenting problems. Adults or youth need to be seen as out of control before programs are developed and put in place to address them.

This is not to say that the existing programs should be discarded because no immediate positive results can be seen. There are always two stages when attacking current social problems: (a) address the immediate presenting problem and try to change behaviour so that the individual can lead a more productive and positive lifestyle, and (b) determine the root systemic causes of the problem and devise programs that will prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.

Determining the root causes and devising preventive programs is a far more cost effective way to address social problems in the long term. This is the approach made recently by the study, Early Years Study 3: Making Decisions, Taking Action[1] (2011) which was presented to a large audience at the Westin Nova Scotian on February 9^th. Two of the authors of the study were present during the presentation: Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain, founder and chairperson of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, which published the study, and former Lt. Governor of New Brunswick, and Kerry McCuaig a researcher in the area of early childhood policy at the University of Toronto. She was also involved with the “Early Years Study 2: Putting Science into Action (2007)”.

Early Years Study 3 transfers the results of scientific enquiry into the realm of innovative social policy and offers suggestions for immediate and concrete action.  The key suggestion in the study is the creation of a solid platform for addressing services for the development of early childhood education which should be the provincial education system. The idea is that our schools are the best place to offer programs for 2 – 5 years olds. “Good quality early childhood education supports children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive growth, providing a smart start for school life. If organized to allow parents to work or upgrade their skills, it has been shown to reduce family poverty and contribute to healthier communities”.

The provincial education system provides the best platform from which to promote and build early childhood education programs. A comprehensive early childhood education program for 2-5 year olds can be launched from our publically funded schools. The infrastructure is already there so there is no need to start from scratch to build a new program. “By broadening education’s mandate to include younger children, we can bridge the gap between parental leave and formal schooling. Schools can become community centres for families, with supports and programs from pregnancy onward”.

Communities that have integrated programs for preschoolers focussing on education, social development, positive social behaviour, greater independence and self-regulation, show more positive results than communities with non-integrated programs. Another advantage in the “all-in-one”concept is the effect it has on parents. “Researchers have also found that parents whose children attend programs that are integrated into their school are much less anxious than their neighbours whose children are in the regular jumbled system”. Parental stress is a major cause preventing parents from responding appropriately to their children and “…researchers have connected chronic parent stress to the poor academic record of their children”.

Major changes are needed not tinkering around the edges with the existing system. We must be ready to ensure that all children have the opportunities to enter the school system ready to learn and to mature as responsible and successful adults. Let’s advocate for the changes that will ensure that our children truly come first.

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[1]  McCain, M.N., Mustard, J.F., & McQuaig, K. (2011). Early Years 3: Making Decisions, Taking Action. Toronto: Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation.