Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay

Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay A kinship care arrangement is an agreement that is commonly made between the parent of the child, the local authority and a close relative such as a grandparent or aunt on a short or long term basis, the kinship carer must be approved by Warwickshire Fostering Panel. Where the child is accommodated by the local authority that is often subject to an Interim Care Order the kinship agreement is reviewed under the Child in Need procedure s (Warwickshire County Council 2009). There is a six week timescale to complete the kinship assessment. The fostering team has the responsibility for completing this within the timescale set out in line with the Fostering Regulations 2002. A Viability Assessment which is Schedule 3 of the fostering regulation 2002 requires that there is a detailed report complete with references be submitted to the Fostering Panel for approval (Warwickshire Fostering Services 2002). As part of this assessment I had to complete a two part Health Safety Checklist Part One during initial visit and Part Two during the actual assessment, which is updated annually as part of the Foster Carer review. I was required to complete the initial 6 week Kinship Assessment on Arthur and Joan to be submitted to Warwickshire Fostering Panel approval, followed by submission to a Finding of Fact meeting in court. Jane is a 6 year old dual heritage female who lived close to Nuneaton centre with mother, Ruth 28 white female unemployed recovering heroin addict and her current partner Jason 35 year old unemployed white male with offending history for violence. The local authority have been involved with Ruth and her child since 2008 the police contacting social services to advise them that Ruths partner had been arrested for having indecent images of children on his computer and serious abuse of babies. Ruth was advised of this but did not appear to recognise the risk he presented to Jane. The courts ordered that Ruth should only have supervised contact due to this. Warwickshire Council convened a child protection conference which concluded that Jane be made subject of a child protection plan. Whilst the investigation into the neglect was ongoing, Jane stayed with her maternal grandfather Arthur and Joan his partner. Arthur is 58 year old football coach and Joan is a 62 year old retired book keeper and they live in a 3 bedroom house close to Ruth. A kinship referral was received by the Fostering Team to complete a viability assess Arthur and Joans ability to meet Janes needs as temporary carers. Jane is still subject of a child protection plan, as well as Looked After Child procedures and is subject of an Interim Care Order made in December 2009. The responsibility for completing the kinship assessment was given to the fostering team that I am on placement with and I was then asked to complete the assessment under supervision. This is the type of assessment that is completed when a child is looked after and placed on a statutory order. Jane is currently experiencing problems at school with bullying because of her skin colour and is in a minority. Jane is being teased because her hair is not the same as other children. I feel that Jane has not recognized that her mother is white and her father black. Arthur has stated that although she is not white she is his granddaughter and he doubts whether Jane even recognises her skin colour as significant. It is important for the Fostering Social Worker to have access to all case files relating to the child when completing the viability assessment so that the assessment demonstrates the level of commitment the grandfather and his partner have and have had to the child (BAAF, 2009). Farmer and Moyers (2005) suggest: Kinship care occupies an uneasy position on the boundary between the public and private spheres of caring and this leads to a situation where some kin carers struggle to care for needy children with low levels of support and financial help. Janes maternal grandfather has shown incredible commitment including being willing to give up his fulltime job to be able to meet Janes needs. This is causing tension in the relationship between Arthur and Joan as this will significantly reduce their income. She has also expressed concerns at not always being able to cope with the high demands of Jane and how this has brought her relationship with Arthur to breaking point at times. When childs behaviour is causing a disruption, kinship carers (as opposed to foster carers) tend to be more willing to persevere with the difficulties faced by the child (Broad and Skinner, 2005, Colton et al, 2008: 38). It is important that when examining Kinship Care that the outcome for the child is measurable, this could be in terms of regular contact with the birth parent with less supervision. Legislation has a propensity towards securing long term placements, children who were placed with their grandparents were the least likely to experience disruption when compared with other family or friends (Hunt et al, 2008). Some placements continued with little monitoring or supervision from the social worker. In other instances social workers had allowed professional standards to fall well below what would have been acceptable to another child. This can cause the child rights to be compromised as they will not receive a service that they are entitled to (Farmer Moyers, 2005). An assessment involves assembling full and accurate facts about a service users circumstances and it is essential during the assessment process that person being assessed is fully engaged with the assessment and as the assessor I am in continuous consultation with my supervisor. The information collected must be recorded in a systematic way to give a clear and accurate understanding of needs and a possible plan of action (Smale Tuson, 1993). The viability assessment must pay close attention to the circumstances around the reason why the kinship arrangement is needed. Arthur and Joan realise that if they do not take on the role of carers then Jane is likely to be placed with unrelated foster carers. The assessment includes the family to look at creating a kinship arrangement that will at best be acceptable to the child, the local authority should consider the childs extended family as an alternative to the mainstream fostering system when completing the assessment. The Childrens Act 1989 directs that where the child is looked after by the local authority the child should be placed with a relative, friend or significant other (www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk accessed 16/01/2011) if this is a viable option. The Adoption and Children Act 2002 directs that relatives must be considered in care proceedings and in line with Public Law Outline which emphasizes the importance of robust judicial case management. The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 has led to developments that promote the childs welfare and are likely to increase the use of placements with family members. Over a 15 year period from 1989 to 2005 there has been a gradual increase in the numbers of children in care that are fostered with family and significant others, from 6 per cent to 12 per cent of looked after children in England (Department of Health, 2006; DfES, 2004). If a child is looked after by the Local Authority and is placed with a family member or significant other for a p eriod exceeding 6 weeks then the carer should be approved as a foster carer by the Local Authorities Fostering Panel (Warwickshire Council 2009). The Local Authority must have a clearly defined role in enabling the parent of the child to have some input in the care arrangements of their child in accordance with section 20 of the Childrens Act 1989. Where the local authority places children in kinship care arrangements they also must assess the kinship carer(s) in line with existing legislation that applies to unrelated foster carers therefore have responsibilities to ensure that the kinship carers receive financial support in line with boarding out regulations (Warren-Adamson, 2009). The Munby judgement in 2002 set a precedent that local authorities must treat kinship carers in the same way as non related foster carers. This means that Warwickshire County Council must assess Arthur and Joan as kinship carers even though they may well already be looking after the child at the point the assessment starts. The difficulties I experienced as the Fostering Social Worker completing the assessment was mainly around the support, training and payment of Kinship Carers. The research also found that Kinship Carers are unlikely to challenge parents legally for the kinship of the child because it can have a negative impact on the parents relationship with the Kinship Carers. One of the implications highlighted by the research document was that Kinship Carers are unlikely to go for Special Guardianship Orders due to the reduced payments and support. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) research found that kinship carers may resent the intrusion the assessment process will entail into their lives by statutory services and feel they are being monitored and placed under surveillance (JRF, 2002). The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that unsatisfactory placements with family and friend lasted significantly longer than with unrelated carers (Farmer Moyers, 2008). Local Authorities are required under the Childrens Act 1989 to operate a policy of less intrusive intervention when intervening with families. Argent (2009) draws attention to the assumption that social workers from non ethnic backgrounds tend to assume that families from Black Minority and Ethnic groups would rather manage the kinship without outside help or they do not understand the process. Argent highlights that some minority groups have a strong sense of kinship without any legal or statutory intervention. There are four types of kinship care these are determined by the legal status of the child that is being accommodated Fostered with a family or friend; Residence Order; Living with family and friends and a Special guardianship order. The viability assessment I undertook was to assess whether Arthur and Joan were suitable to go on to the next stage of the assessment, the Special Guardianship Order. Special Guardianship Orders were introduced in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 to encourage flexibility with regards to the length of the placement. This order recognizes that long term fostering or adoption might not be an option and that this type of order gives parental responsibility until the child is 18. At present there is not a legal requirement for Warwickshire Council to explore Kinship but the legal framework implies that it is a preferred option to private fostering. A family group conference is called with a view to exploring the potential of a family member becoming a kinsh ip carer (Hunt et al, 2008). The aim of the Viability Assessment is to make certain that Janes needs remain central to the assessment (Hunt et al, 2008). Milner and OByrne (2002) suggest that assessments can be divided into a number of stages: Preparation: I gathered information from case notes and other reports that have previously been written, in consultation with the Janes social worker we agreed on who to interview with regards to people that are a part of the extended family or wider support network and would be in contact with Jane. Preparing for the interview I ensured that I had the essential questions and an explanation of the interview purpose along with timescales for the viability process. Collecting data: I checked on sources of written information for factual accuracy. Weighing the data: I identified gaps, consulted colleagues and began to identify any key facts or themes. Analysing the data: I considered relevant research evidence and theory. Using the data: I analysed the data and formed an opinion as to whether Janes needs would be met by Arthur and Joan. The outcome of the above process was to make a recommendation to the court. Along with the viability assessment was the health and safety of the property that the child will be living in also had to be assessed. . I had to think about how the separate pieces of information interlink and about their impact on the grandfather. It has been suggested it is important to avoid subjectivity and not to dismiss information that does not fit with preconceived assumptions: Taking information for granted and not checking. Getting stuck with one perspective, and failing to recognise alternative explanations. Stereotyping situations and solutions to them. Making assumptions about age, culture, disability or any aspect of a service users life. The way its done here approach fitting service users into the routine response of the agency instead of focusing on the client. Using the assessment process to ration resources or disguising their absence, in other words, assessment becomes resource-led rather than needs-led (Milner and OByrne, 2002). Smale and Tuson (1993) propose three models of assessment: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The questioning model: where the worker is seen as expert and follows a set format of questions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The procedural model: in which the worker gathers information in order to see if agency criteria are met à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The exchange model: in which the service user is seen as expert in his or her own situation and the worker helps to provide resources and seeks to maximise potential. In conclusion, I realise that people change and as a social worker I need to be aware that new information may emerge that causes situations change, so I have to consider the impact it has on the assessment. Although the assessment is often viewed as a separate stage to the intervention, it is also a continuous process and there is a need to constantly re-assess throughout the intervention (Milner and OByrne, 2002). I used a Task Centered Model for completing the Viability Assessment as it was a short term (6 weeks) problem solving approach with a clear beginning, middle and end, and has a specific timeframe to complete the assessesment and submit it to the court. I adopted a Solution Focused approach in my intervention as it worked with Arthur and Joan to help them to look at their strengths and to find their own solutions to challenges they may face. A Solution Focused approach enables people to see better futures, it can be used to focus on the positives whilst also accepting that their strengths which are Arthur and Joans commitment to meeting Janes needs for as long as she needs them and fact that this can be used as a platform for future long term planning. In practice I found it difficult to choose a single model as I realized I would be using all three in this case. Firstly, the Viability Assessment for kinship involved me in the role of expert with a set format of questions, and secondly, I was conscious of the criteria for kinship to enable me to ask appropriate supplementary questions but lastly, I feel that the exchange model reflects the values of anti-oppressive practice in that Arthur is placed in a position of control and so that the process meets his expectations as well as mine as the assessing social worker. However, as social workers operating within a statutory setting we must recognize that there are pressures to conform to questioning or procedural models. To work in an anti-oppressive manner is to incorporate necessary questioning, schedules and scales into an assessment that respects Arthurs expertise in caring for Jane (Smale and Tuson, 1993).

A Look into Ernest Hemingways Childhood Essay examples -- Biography B

A Look into Ernest Hemingway's Childhood Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on the morning of July 21, 1899. He was born in the house of his grandfather, Ernest Hall, on his mother's side. Both of his grandfathers influenced the character of Ernest Hemingway as it developed. Ernest Hall, at the time of little Ernest's birth, was widowed and living in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb about ten miles from Chicago. Hall was a veteran of the Civil War, in which he fought valiantly before he was shot in the leg, but, out of respect and hatred of killing, did not allow anyone to speak of it in his presence. He later tried to commit suicide with a gun he kept under his pillow but was thwarted by Ernest's father who had removed the bullets. According to Jeffrey Meyers, "Ernest, who was six at the time, thought it was a cruel thing for his father to have done." Ernest's other grandfather was Anson Hemingway, who had also fought in the War, and also lived in Oak Park, where Ernest's parents met. The very nature of Ernest Hemingway can be cleanly divided into the often conflicting influences of his mother and father. Grace Hall Hemingway lived a charmed life and almost achieved success as an opera star, being a fairly gifted vocalist, but quit both because she was proposed to and because the lights of stage bothered her eyes (she had sensitive eyes due to a several month period of blindness set on by scarlet fever). Clarence Edmond Hemingway was a collector of coins, stamps, preserved snakes, and Native-American arrowheads, as well as an avid outdoorsman. He also went to college at Oberlin and became a practicing physician. However, his real passion and a good deal of talent lay in hunting, fishing, and outdoor cooking, and liv... ...e offers a brief and to-the-point biography of Ernest Hemingway. It has a list of his published pieces in chronological order, and highlights his life effectively while offering the author's personal commentaries on a number of more pertinent incidents. Meyers, Jeffrey. Hemingway: A Biography. New York: Harper & Row, 1985. Jeffrey Meyers writes an full biography of Hemingway. The text includes a number of stories to compliment the factual information. The Hemingway Resource Center. "Ernest Hemingway Biography > Childhood." 1993- 2003. <http://www.lostgeneration.com/childhood.htm>. This was the best online resource I found. It offers a good biography as well as giving a comprehensive bibliography (the above books included). It also harbors photos, and other interesting material from Hemingway's life including links to his works. A Look into Ernest Hemingway's Childhood Essay examples -- Biography B A Look into Ernest Hemingway's Childhood Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on the morning of July 21, 1899. He was born in the house of his grandfather, Ernest Hall, on his mother's side. Both of his grandfathers influenced the character of Ernest Hemingway as it developed. Ernest Hall, at the time of little Ernest's birth, was widowed and living in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb about ten miles from Chicago. Hall was a veteran of the Civil War, in which he fought valiantly before he was shot in the leg, but, out of respect and hatred of killing, did not allow anyone to speak of it in his presence. He later tried to commit suicide with a gun he kept under his pillow but was thwarted by Ernest's father who had removed the bullets. According to Jeffrey Meyers, "Ernest, who was six at the time, thought it was a cruel thing for his father to have done." Ernest's other grandfather was Anson Hemingway, who had also fought in the War, and also lived in Oak Park, where Ernest's parents met. The very nature of Ernest Hemingway can be cleanly divided into the often conflicting influences of his mother and father. Grace Hall Hemingway lived a charmed life and almost achieved success as an opera star, being a fairly gifted vocalist, but quit both because she was proposed to and because the lights of stage bothered her eyes (she had sensitive eyes due to a several month period of blindness set on by scarlet fever). Clarence Edmond Hemingway was a collector of coins, stamps, preserved snakes, and Native-American arrowheads, as well as an avid outdoorsman. He also went to college at Oberlin and became a practicing physician. However, his real passion and a good deal of talent lay in hunting, fishing, and outdoor cooking, and liv... ...e offers a brief and to-the-point biography of Ernest Hemingway. It has a list of his published pieces in chronological order, and highlights his life effectively while offering the author's personal commentaries on a number of more pertinent incidents. Meyers, Jeffrey. Hemingway: A Biography. New York: Harper & Row, 1985. Jeffrey Meyers writes an full biography of Hemingway. The text includes a number of stories to compliment the factual information. The Hemingway Resource Center. "Ernest Hemingway Biography > Childhood." 1993- 2003. <http://www.lostgeneration.com/childhood.htm>. This was the best online resource I found. It offers a good biography as well as giving a comprehensive bibliography (the above books included). It also harbors photos, and other interesting material from Hemingway's life including links to his works.

Problems of Pakistan Essay

PROBLEMS OF PAKISTAN AND THEIR SOLUTIONS OUTLINE: 1.INTRODUCTION 2.PROBLEMS OF PAKISTANS A. INNER PROBLEMS a.TERRORISM b.SECTERIAN VIOLANCE c.ENERGY CRISIS d.POOR RULE OF LAW e.ECONOMIC MELTDOWN f.CORRUPTION g.POLITICAL DESTABILITY h.FLOODS i.INJUSTICE j.LACK OF NATIONAL INTEGRITY k.POVERTY l.UNEMPLOYMENT m.INFLATION B. OUTER PROBLEMS a.DRONE ATTACKS b.FOREIGN DEBTS c.LACK OF FDI d.WEAK FOREIGN POLICY SOLUTIONS a.TO CURB THE TERRORISM BY DIALOGUES AND MILIATRY OPERATIONS b.ENERGY CRISIS SHOULD BE TACKELED IMMIDIATELY c.RULE OF LAW SHOULD BE MIANTAINED AT ANY COST d.LONG AND SHORT TERM ECONOMIC POLICIES SHOULD BE LOUNCHED TO OVERCOME ECONOMIC PROBLEMS e.DAMS SHOULD BE MADE TO CURB WITH FLOODS f.UNEMPLOYMENT,POVERTY AND INJUSTICE SHOULD BE ERADICATED g.FAIR AND TRANSPARENT SYSTEM SHOULD BE LOUNCHED TO COPE WITH CORRUPTION h.ATMOSPHERE OF NATIONAL INTEGRITY SHOULD BE INSTALLED i.EFFECTIVE FOREIGN POLICY SHOULD BE MADE TO COPE WITH DRONE ATTACKS j.FOREIGN DEBTS SHOULD BE MINIMIZED CONCLUSION ESSAY: Today, pakostan is facing various problems. The intesity of these problems is increasing day by day.Infact, there are two types of problems, the inner problems and the outer problems.The inner problems like terrorism, secterian violance,target killing,energy crisis,economic meltdown,destability, poor rule of law,floods ,corruption ,injustice,poverty,unemployment,inflation and social disorder are weakining the country very fastly.On the other hand, the outer problems like drone attacks, weak foreign policy ,foreign debts,lack of foreign direct ivestment and foreign intervention are aloso detriorating the country to high extent.Owing to these problems the progress and development of the country has almost jammed.The economy of the country has shunned,the political destability has emerged,mobs and chaos has become the order of every day,religious intolrence has reached to its peak and the image of country has gone bad to worset.To overcome these problems, the government should take all necessary steps with proper planning.All the strategies should installed with tranparency to curb these problems.All the institutions and concerned authorities should lounche their steps in unity to cope these menaces.Apart from government, the individuals should also cooperate with government in this critical time to save the country.The above mentioned problems and their solutions will be discussed in appropriate manners in next paragraphs.

The view that secondary socialisation is responsible for the creation of gender identities in the contemporary UK Essay Example

The view that secondary socialisation is responsible for the creation of gender identities in the contemporary UK Essay Example The view that secondary socialisation is responsible for the creation of gender identities in the contemporary UK Essay The view that secondary socialisation is responsible for the creation of gender identities in the contemporary UK Essay In this essay, I shall be discussing the roles of secondary socialisation in both the creation and promotion of existing gender identities in the UK. The two social institutions I will be looking at are education, and the media these both constitute as being ways of how we are socialised into particular roles, in this case through secondary socialisation. Firstly, we need to establish what gender roles are so we are able to discuss the importance of socialisation in education and the media on these roles. Ann Oakley distinguishes between sex (the biological differences between males and females) and gender (culturally created differences), in that she focuses on what society defines as masculine and feminine behaviours, roles, attitudes, expectations and so on. Gender identity is the result of gender role socialisation, unlike sex, which is biologically determined. When discussing masculinities and femininities we need to appreciate that these are not merely two types of gender identities, but that in fact, there are different types of these identities. This has been highlighted by Connell, who illustrated that there are both dominant and subordinate forms of these identities, for example, gay sexuality is a subordinate from of masculinity. So in fact, we should not be referring merely to masculinity and femininity, but to masculinities and femininities. Drawing on the nature/nurture debate, Joan Smith (1997) stated that men and women become different because they are treated differently. In other words, socialisation and upbringing are more important than nature. This suggests that biological differences in fact play no, or little, part in how our behaviour differs, but that in fact, gender identities are actually socially constructed, and then promoted through various social institutions. Evidence to support the social construction of gender identities comes from research into AIS, and also from cross cultural studies which show that different cultures define acceptable gender roles differently, proving that biology is not the main factor in determining male and female behaviour. Discussion of popular culture, including the roles of magazines and books leads us to consider: How are men and women represented in popular culture, and what role does this play in reproducing gender roles and identities? Firstly, we shall look at the idea that the education system is responsible for the creation of gender identities in the UK. Most importantly, we will be looking at how males and females learn their gender identities in education by assessing the role of childrens books in the promotion of, or the distinction between, gender identities. We already know that educational institutions play an important role in socialising children for adult roles, but how exactly do we learn our gender identities from education? Michelle Stanworth (1983) introduced the idea of a hidden curriculum whereby not only do children learn formal subjects such as Maths, English etc. , but from the school experience, they are also receiving hidden messages about their class, ethnicity, and gender. As Stanworth found, this may be from the teachers in a study, one male teacher was quoted as saying, of one of his female students, that she was likely to become: a personal assistant to someone rather important. (I. e. this teacher means a man. ) In addition, it has been found that male students are likely to get more attention from staff than girls, even if girls outnumbered boys. An important way we learn our gender identities in education is through the use of books. Dale Spender suggested that women are made invisible in our culture, in that their lives and achievements are not represented as being as being of any significance, or may even be trivialised. This idea is supported perfectly when we look at childrens books. Many studies, including Lobban (74) and Best (93) have provided us with interesting findings. In the majority of childrens books, male characters tend to outnumber female characters by anything up to three to one. Additionally, when female characters do appear, they are likely to be in traditionally stereotypical female roles. Male characters often appear as being heroes, are adventurous, and out of the home situation. How does this affect the children who are reading the books, and how does it promote gender identities? Young girls are likely to get the impression that they should serve men (happy servitude), and the use of male heroes implies that women need to be rescued. For boys, they learn that men are big, adventurous, heterosexual and also protect women. These effects are a clear example of how this form of secondary socialisation (education) promotes, and highlights the differences between gender identities. The second way we are socialised into gender roles is through the media. This includes books, the radio, television, videos and films, but we will look more specifically at magazines. In Angela McRobbies findings (82), she demonstrated perfectly that the magazines girls read do in fact redefine, or even create, gender identities. When looking at Jackie magazine, she found that it helped to define girls identities and expectations from childhood onwards. She focused particularly on how the magazine constructed a female world based around the ideals of romance, fashion, and pop music. The effects this had on young girls was that it promoted the idea that their primary task was to get a man and that their primary identity would be based on getting a man. Ferguson (85) added to this idea, stating that womens magazines promote the view that women should concentrate on cooking, housework, and childcare. Furthermore, these are seen to be the main roles of women, and clearly define female identity as one which is centred around housework and childcare. Although Ferguson recognises that since her first studies in the 40s, there has been a change in how this message is promoted in magazines, she does reiterate that nowadays, the predominant message is one of femininity being centred on childcare and housework. Taking a more general look at magazines aimed at females, we can draw certain conclusions about how we learn our gender identities through the media. Most magazines aimed at young women, seem to have an unhealthy concern with appearance, health, and beauty. Many of the articles focus on diets, especially so called celebrity diets which are an even more effective way of promoting diets, as young women are more likely to imitate the behaviour of people who they already look up to. This promotes the view that females should predominantly focus on their appearance. Looking at a recent issue of Company magazine, we can see that there are 49 health and beauty articles, compared to six articles on real life issues. This implies to the reader that health, beauty, and physical appearance are more important than real life issues, socialising them into a female gender identity based on these values. When looking at (heterosexual) mens magazines, such as FHM or Loaded, we can see that they are based around the idea that a mans main interest is to have sex. Most of the articles are written in a way which almost give advice on how to get women. The magazine is socialising the reader into what is nowadays seen as typical masculine behaviour. This is done by the content being predominantly about lad-culture, and provides a good source, for young males, of somewhere to learn typical male behaviour from. This shows how secondary socialisation can create gender identities in the UK. To conclude, we need to look at other factors, aside from secondary socialisation, and cannot ignore the main source for our socialisation, (primary socialisation,) which is the family. Our parents are likely to treat us differently from other siblings of a different sex, although it may be unintentional. This can include the way they dress us, they way they may restrain or encourage particular behaviour we display, and may even be evident in the toys they buy us. For example, giving boys tractors encourages them to do manual work and giving girls dolls encourages them to be caring and motherly. This is surely an important institution, and we must acknowledge its effects on the promotion of gender identities. We also need to reiterate that there are different types of masculinities and femininities, and need to recognise how these might be promoted through secondary socialisation. For example, nowadays, there are many different types of men represented in the media. We are shown more traditional men such as Tony Blair who has a high-powered job and has a wife and children. But also, we are faced with images of David Beckham, who, although being a football player, (a typically masculine career,) has challenged typical masculine roles, by toying with feminine identities, without actually being homosexual. He has done this by, for example, wearing nail varnish, or by appearing on the cover of gay magazine Attitude. To conclude, we have seen that both the media, and education do socialise gender specific behaviour into us from an early age. Personally, I do not find one of these institutions to be more effective than the other, but when considering other institutions, such as peer group influence, and the effects of the family, we can see that our gender identity is very much taught to us, and is by no means biologically predetermined, instinctual behaviour.

STCW IMO Standards for Training Certification

STCW IMO Standards for Training Certification The Standards for Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping, or STCW, is a convention of the IMO. These regulations first came into existence in 1978. Major revisions to the conventions occurred in 1984, 1995, and 2010. The goal of the STCW training is to give seafarers from all nations a standard set of skills useful to crew members working aboard large vessels outside of the boundaries of their country. Do All Merchant Mariners Need to Take an STCW Course? In the United States mariners only need to take an approved STCW course if they intend to work aboard a vessel greater than 200 Gross Register Tons (Domestic Tonnage), or 500 Gross Tons, which will operate beyond the boundaries defined by the Federal Regulations which indicate international waters. Although STCW training is not required for seafarers working in nearshore areas or domestic inland waterways it is recommended. STCW training offers exposure to valuable skills which make the mariner more flexible aboard ship and more valuable in the job market. Not all nations require their licensed merchant mariners to take a separate STCW course. Many high-quality programs meet the training requirements for STCW during the regular licensing coursework. Why is STCW a Separate Course? STCW training guidelines are laid out in the IMO convention to standardize the basic skills needed to safely crew aboard a large vessel outside of areas where domestic rules apply. Some of the training does not apply to smaller craft or vessels operating in coastal or river areas. To simplify testing requirements, not all countries include the STCW information for basic merchant mariner licensing. Each country may decide if their licensing requirements meet the terms of the IMO convention. What is Taught in an STCW Course? Every course goes about their training in different ways so no two courses are the same. Some courses have a greater emphasis on classroom learning but generally, some concepts are taught in a hands-on situation. Classes will include some of the following disciplines: Bridge and Deck Skills; Traffic Patterns, Lights and Day Shapes, Horn Signals for international watersEngine Room; Operations, Signals, Emergency ProceduresInternationally Standardized Radio Operations and TerminologyEmergency, Occupational Safety, Medical Care and Survival FunctionsWatchkeeping Major components of the STCW conventions were modified during the last revision in June of 2010. These are called the Manila Amendments and they will go into effect January 1, 2012. These amendments will bring the training requirements up to date for modern operational situations and technologies. Some of the changes from the Manila Amendments are: â€Å"Revised requirements on hours of work and rest and new requirements for the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as updated standards relating to medical fitness standards for seafarers†Ã¢â‚¬Å"New requirements relating to training in modern technology such as electronic charts and information systems†Ã¢â‚¬Å"New requirements for marine environment awareness training and training in leadership and teamwork†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Updating of competence requirements for personnel serving on board all types of tankers, including new requirements for personnel serving on liquefied gas tankers†Ã¢â‚¬Å"New requirements for security training, as well as provisions to ensure that seafarers are properly trained to cope if their ship comes under attack by pirates†Ã¢â‚¬Å"New training guidance for personnel serving on board ships operating in polar waters†Ã¢â‚¬Å"New training guidance for personnel operating Dynamic Positioning Systems† These new training elements will give a merchant mariner many valuable and potentially life-saving skills. Anyone considering a new career in the maritime industry or an upgrade to their current credential should strongly consider taking part in an approved STCW course. More information is available for U.S. licensees from the National Maritime Center website.

Speaker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Speaker - Essay Example Vanchiere would give a speech that would be largely similar to nearly all the other speeches that I have heard over the years, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the speech was quite interesting and could easily be analyzed using the five cannons of rhetoric. Rhetoric is mainly seen to be divided into five key categories that mainly include arrangement, style, invention, delivery and memory, it is these five categories that essentially comprise of the five canons of rhetoric. An analysis of the speech given by Dr. Vanchiere reveals that that he used the five cannons of rhetoric as follows. Invention: This cannon is defined as being the art through which the speaker is able to successfully find a number of appropriate rhetorical arguments that can be presented in a given rhetorical situation. In using this cannon of rhetoric, Dr. Vanchiere started off the lecture by pointing out that the HPV vaccine is one of the most successful vaccines that is currently being administered. Dr. Vanchiere then went on to compare the successes of the HPV vaccine as compared to other vaccines such as the flu vaccine. By using the flu vaccine as a comparison against the HPV vaccine, the doctor was able to successfully create a reference point that resonated with his audience as most members of the audience could easily relate with the flu vaccine as nearly all of them had been given the vaccine at some point in their lives. Arrangement: The rhetorical cannon of arrangement is seen to be concerned with the arrangement of a speech in a manner that will enable the speech to have the maximum level of persuasion that it can possibly have. In this regard, after Dr. Vanchiere had commenced his speech by arguing that the HPV is actually the most successful vaccine to have ever been created. He went on to validate his claims by providing empirical data on some of its successes such as the fact that an estimated 80 million doses of the vaccine have already

Analyzing Culture Researching Subculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analyzing Culture Researching Subculture - Essay Example Despite the size and purpose of any subculture, one needs to be aware of the fact that it could leave a significant impact on the society and furthermore could present the possibility of proving to be life altering in the long run. This paper seeks to conduct a research into the origin of Bosozoku and how influential this subculture is in today's society - not only in Japan but also, the rest of the world. To begin with, it focuses on the starting place of the Japanese subculture called Bosozoku, when it started and by whom it was started. This has been critically analyzed to study the main purpose of their subculture and how is has changed over time. Secondly, this paper concentrates on how influential Bosozoku is within Japan and what lies behind the influence and the growth. Thirdly, it focuses on the impact it has on the rest of the world, especially the USA. Before introducing this subculture, it would be imperative to talk about the emerging trends. The rising volume of teenagers showing interest and rendering involvement to modified cars and motorbikes, boy racers and midnight rides are no longer an issue in today's society. But the question that needs to be answered pertains to where it all started and by whom. (Greenfield, 1995) In tandem with this perspective is a corresponding and rather common view is that a causal relationship exists between the policing system and low crime rates in Japan. According to these views, subcultures need to be reduced to a state where they hold minimal significance in Japan. However, numerous, visible, and significant subcultural formations continue to peacefully and unobtrusively exist in these parts. These include groupings of street youths, Bosozoku (hot-rodder) groups, and Yakuza, which may be further described as networks of male adult criminal organizations. (Sato, 1991) Bosozoku, a Japanese subculture has immensely grown to influence the Japanese society in the last 10 to 15 years (Jachim, 1993); from adults to even teenagers. Having originated as a bunch of bored bikers who went by the name of Kaminari - zoku, the Bosozokus have branched out as a group that believes in adorning themselves in traditional Japanese garb and boasting of a contrasting cosmopolitan perspective as well. The cities generally find them cruising around in sophisticated, and more often than not, bikes that are illegally modified, with an intention that seemingly revolves around teasing the local police in the peaceful suburbs. So why aren't they being taken to task The answer to that might have something to do with the implication that they might share connections with the Japanese underworld, otherwise known as Yakuza, as well as the Uyoku. That explains why most people are scared of them and regard them as dangerous. (Jachim, 1993; p. 277) Most of the assumptions that exist in the Western world regarding Japanese crime control seem to be based on notions of a specific Japanese "shame culture," in which social pressures force all individuals to conform to these laws and norms revolving around, or dictated by these subcultures. The subculture popularly referred to as "The Bosozoku - speed tribes" - basically consists of Japan's discontented youth. The Bosozoku have been around since Japan's rebirth as an industrial power after World War II; starting on September the 6th, 1959, when