Rural Families and Reshaping Human Services

Jeanne Cook, Keith Alford, Jennifer Uhrich, Pat Conway, Jeanne Cook, Keith Alford, Jennifer Uhrich, Pat Conway, Jeanne F. Cook, Keith Alford, Jennifer Uhrich, Pat Conway

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781138787926
• eBook ISBN: 9781317658801
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Health Care Delivery

This collection presents creative strategies and programs designed to address needs of families in the context of rural communities. Even before the most recent worldwide economic crisis, many rural families in the United States struggled to meet basic needs. As needs in rural communities have expanded, services have shrunk. This book identifies rural families' needs, including social supports during pregnancy, identification of adolescent risk behaviours, child safety, and basic services such as food and health care, using techniques such as Geographic Information Systems and needs and asset assessments. Strategies to address those needs include program development, the use of technology, and community partnerships.

The book reminds readers of the sense of independence and self-reliance found in many rural communities and the theme of diversity within rural communities runs throughout the book. The chapters are organized by identification of the needs of rural families, addressing disparities in rural areas, practice in rural communities, and human service organizations and professionals. Through research, practice, and creative works, the book contributes to a greater understanding of ways that service providers can advance their work with rural families and broaden their perspectives about realities experienced by families living in rural communities.

This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Family Social Work.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Citation Information
• 1. Introduction to Rural Families and Reshaping Human Services
• 2. The Geography of Need: Identifying Human Service Needs in Rural America
• 3. Using GIS Mapping to Assess Foster Care: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
• 4. Changing Times in Rural America: Food Assistance and Food Insecurity in Food Deserts
• 5. Rural Social Service Disparities and Creative Social Work Solutions for Rural Families Across the Life Span
• 6. A Participant-Informed Model for Preventing Teen Pregnancy in a Rural Latino Community
• 7. Rural Kinship Caregivers’ Perceptions of Child Well-Being: The Use of Attribution Theory
• 8. Preventing Adolescent Risk Behavior in the Rural Context: An Integrative Analysis of Adolescent, Parent, and Provider Perspectives
• 9. Rural Women’s Transitions to Motherhood: Understanding Social Support in a Rural Community
• 10. Influencing Self-Reported Health Among Rural Low-Income Women Through Health Care and Social Service Utilization: A Structural Equation Model
• 11. Family Caregivers for Seniors in Rural Areas
• 12. Barefoot, Country, and Nappy: Life Lessons of a Colored Girl
• 13. The Strengths of Rural Social Workers: Perspectives on Managing Dual Relationships in Small Alaskan Communities
• 14. Giving Voice to Rural and Urban Social Service Providers: Recessionary Effects on the Provision of Services in Hawai‘i
• 15. Better Together: Expanding Rural Partnerships to Support Families
• Index