Human rights in the United States : beyond exceptionalism
Foreword: are Americans human? Reflections on the future of progressive politics in the United States Dorothy Q. Thomas 1. Paradoxes and possibilities: domestic human rights policy in context Kathryn Libal and Shareen Hertel Part I. Structuring Debates, Institutionalizing Rights: 2. The yellow sweatshirt: human dignity and economic human rights in advanced industrialized democracies Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann 3. The welfare state: a battleground for human rights Mimi Abramovitz 4. Drawing lines in the sand: building economic and social rights in the United States Cathy Albisa 5. State and local commissions as sites for domestic human rights implementation Risa Kaufman Part II. Challenging Public/Private Divides: 6. The curious resistance to seeing domestic violence as a human rights violation in the United States Sally Engle Merry and Jessica Shimmin 7. At the crossroads: children's rights and the US government Jonathan Todres 8. Entrenched inequity: healthcare in the United States Jean Connolly Carmalt, Sarah Zaidi and Alicia Ely Yamin 9. Business and human rights: a new approach to advancing environmental justice in the United States Joanne Bauer Part III. From the Margins to the Center: Making Harms Visible through Human Rights Framing: 10. The law and politics of US participation in the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities Michael Ashley Stein and Janet E. Lord 11. The anomaly of citizenship for indigenous rights Bethany R. Berger 12. Human rights violations as obstacles to escaping poverty: the case of lone mother-headed families Ken Neubeck 13. The human rights of children in conflict with the law: lessons for the US human rights movement Mie Lewis 14. LGBT rights as human rights in the United States: opportunities lost Julie Mertus 15. No shelter: disaster politics in Louisiana and the struggle for human rights Davida Finger and Rachel E. Luft.
Educating for the Global Agenda: Internationally relevant conceptual frameworks and knowledge for social work education
In this article, we discuss the capacity of social work educational programs to prepare graduates to contribute to the human, social and environmental challenges outlined in the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development. The educational sector must play a lead role through training and research. Using examples from Kenya and the United States, we argue more curriculum emphasis on such areas as social and economic development, human rights, and social integration is required. The article concludes with recommendations for strengthening curriculum and dialogue on the globally relevant concepts identified in the Global Agenda.
Professional support in rural New South Wales: perceptions of new graduate occupational therapists.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the experiences of professional support among new graduates working in rural New South Wales, including the current availability of professional support and the impact of support levels on professional practice.


DESIGN
Qualitative, using semistructured face-to-face or telephone interviews.


SETTING
New graduate occupational therapists employed in public and private hospitals and community health services in rural New South Wales.


SUBJECTS
Nine new graduate occupational therapists within their first year of practice.


MAIN OUTCOME
A description of participant experiences of professional support and strategies to enhance the recruitment and retention of occupational therapists in rural areas.


RESULTS
Participants reported varied experiences of professional support and emphasised the importance of having access to a wide variety of resources. Participants highlighted that professional support could assist in developing independence and other skills. However, ultimately a lack of support resulted in decreased confidence and subsequent decreased job satisfaction among participants.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that greater effort should be directed to ensuring that all new graduates have access to professional support, including structured supervision, and that strategies be explored and adopted to ensure that this occurs.