Living life with cerebral palsy? A description of the social safety nets for individuals with cerebral palsy in the Nordic countries.

AIMS: This report reviews major laws, acts and regulations of social benefits and services for individuals with disabilities, focusing on cerebral palsy in the five Nordic countries. It summarizes the available benefits and services and the re-application process and provides comparative analyses among the countries. METHODS: Published reports, articles and relevant government and municipal websites were reviewed for each respective country and used to compile an overview and comparison between the countries. RESULTS: In the Nordic countries, there are a number of laws and regulations in place to support individuals with cerebral palsy and their families. In addition, there are numerous social benefits available for which individuals with disabilities can apply. Although there are national differences, the similarities across the five countries regarding laws, social benefits offered for individuals with cerebral palsy and the application processes are clear. However, the application processes seem cumbersome and, at times, redundant. Physicians and other healthcare specialists repeatedly need to write 'medical certificates' describing the diagnosis and its consequences for a disability that is chronic and lifelong. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in society for individuals with cerebral palsy disabilities can be enabled by social benefits. By extension, social benefits may indirectly have implications for public health in individuals with disabilities. Although the lives of individuals with cerebral palsy - as with others - can improve in certain areas, the need for social benefits will generally increase, not decrease, over time. Although it is clearly important to have checks and balances that prevent system misuse, it might be worthwhile from a cost-benefit perspective to investigate whether the current systems could be improved to better manage time and resources and avoid emotional distress by streamlining the application process.

Deficiência e transferência de renda diante da síndrome congênita do Zika vírus: um estudo sobre a Medida Provisória 894/2019 / Discapacidad y transferencia de renta ante el síndrome congénito del zika virus: un estudio sobre la medida provisional 894/2019 / Disability and income transfer in relation to congenital Zika syndrome: a study of provisional measure 894/2019

Desde 2015, a Síndrome Congênita do Zika Vírus (SCZV) marca o cenário brasileiro, extrapolando o campo da Saúde Pública com demandas da proteção social. Considerando a intersecção entre pobreza, deficiência e marcos da seguridade social, examina-se a Medida Provisória 894, que prevê renda mensal vitalícia para as crianças acometidas. Com o objetivo discutir o instrumento à luz dos marcos da seguridade social no recorte da transferência de renda não condicionada para as pessoas com deficiência (PcD) no Brasil, realizou-se um estudo qualitativo mediante análise de documentos públicos e revisão de literatura. As respostas estatais não produziram impacto na insuficiência de renda porque voltaram-se inicialmente para atender à situação emergencial, recorrendo às políticas preexistentes, e culminaram na substituição entre modalidades de transferência de renda - o Benefício de Prestação Continuada para Pensão Vitalícia -, revelando fragilização da proteção social integral. (AU)

Desde 2015 el Síndrome Congénito del Zika Virus (SCZV) marca el escenario brasileño, extrapolando el campo de la salud pública con demandas de la protección social. Considerando la intersección entre pobreza, discapacidad y marcos de la seguridad social, se examina la Medida Provisional 894 que prevé renta mensual vitalicia para los niños afectados. Con el objetivo de discutir el instrumento a la luz de los marcos de la seguridad social en el recorte de la transferencia de renta no condicionada para las Personas con Discapacidad (PcD) en Brasil, se realizó un estudio cualitativo mediante análisis de documentos públicos y revisión de literatura. Las respuestas estatales no causaron impacto en la insuficiencia de renta porque inicialmente se enfocaron para atender la situación de emergencia recurriendo a las políticas preexistentes y que culminaron en la substitución entre modalidades de transferencia de renta, el Beneficio de Prestación Continua para Pensión Vitalicia, revelando la fragilización de la protección social integral. (AU)

Since 2015, Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS) has been a feature of the Brazilian context and has moved beyond public health to demands for social protection. Given the intersection between poverty, disability and the social security framework, we examine Provisional Measure 894, which provides a lifetime monthly income for affected children. We conduct a qualitative study, analysing public documents and reviewing the literature, in order to discuss this instrument in the light of social security frameworks for unconditional cash transfers for People with Disabilities (PwD) in Brazil. State responses did not have an impact on income insufficiencies, since they were initially intended to respond to emergency situations and referred to pre-existing policies; this culminated in an income transfer modality, the Continuous Cash Benefit, being replaced by a Lifetime Pension, demonstrating a weakening of comprehensive social protection. (AU)

Impacto de la Ley de Dependencia sobre el gasto autonómico en servicios sociales / Impact of the Dependency Act on regional spending on social services

OBJETIVO: En este trabajo se cuestiona si el desarrollo del Sistema de Autonomía y Atención a la Dependencia (SAAD) contribuyó a incrementar el volumen de recursos del sistema público de servicios sociales (efecto desplazamiento) o, por el contrario, si dicho desarrollo se produjo a costa del resto de prestaciones de servicios sociales (efecto sustitución). MÉTODO: Se realiza una aproximación de datos de panel, orientada a explicar el comportamiento del gasto per cápita en servicios sociales para las comunidades autónomas españolas de régimen común en el periodo 2002-2016. RESULTADOS: La introducción del SAAD se asocia con un incremento del 14% en el gasto por habitante en servicios sociales. Este efecto se acerca al 25% cuando la variable explicada es el gasto en transferencias corrientes de carácter social. También se constata que los cambios legislativos introducidos en 2012 y 2013 se asociaron a una reducción del gasto per cápita en transferencias corrientes del 10%. CONCLUSIONES: Esta evidencia refutaría la hipótesis de que el SAAD ha originado meramente un efecto de «sustitución» en el gasto autonómico en servicios sociales

OBJECTIVE: In this paper we address whether the System for Personal Autonomy and Care of Dependent Persons contributes to increasing the volume of resources of the public social services system (displacement effect) or, on the contrary, whether this development has taken place at the expense of other social services (substitution effect). METHOD: Panel data analysis is used to explain how per capita expenditure on social services evolves in the Spanish Regions under the common regime in the period 2002-2016. RESULTS: The implementation of the Dependency Act is associated with a 14% increase in the level of per capita expenditure on social services. This effect raises 25% when the variable explained is expenditure on current transfers of a social nature. On the other hand, law changes introduced in 2012 and 2013 were associated with a reduction in per capita expenditure on current transfers of around 10%. CONCLUSIONS: This evidence would refute the hypothesis that the System for Personal Autonomy and Care of Dependent Persons had merely a "substitution" effect on autonomous spending on social services

[Impact of the Dependency Act on regional spending on social services]. / Impacto de la Ley de Dependencia sobre el gasto autonómico en servicios sociales.

OBJECTIVE: In this paper we address whether the System for Personal Autonomy and Care of Dependent Persons contributes to increasing the volume of resources of the public social services system (displacement effect) or, on the contrary, whether this development has taken place at the expense of other social services (substitution effect). METHOD: Panel data analysis is used to explain how per capita expenditure on social services evolves in the Spanish Regions under the common regime in the period 2002-2016. RESULTS: The implementation of the Dependency Act is associated with a 14% increase in the level of per capita expenditure on social services. This effect raises 25% when the variable explained is expenditure on current transfers of a social nature. On the other hand, law changes introduced in 2012 and 2013 were associated with a reduction in per capita expenditure on current transfers of around 10%. CONCLUSIONS: This evidence would refute the hypothesis that the System for Personal Autonomy and Care of Dependent Persons had merely a "substitution" effect on autonomous spending on social services.

Homeless and Helpless: How the United States has Failed Those With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness.

The United States has failed its citizens who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). Homelessness is one of the most obvious manifestations of this failure. The combination of a lack of effective treatment, inadequate entitlement programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and subpar housing options form systemic barriers that prevent people suffering from mental illness from being able to obtain adequate housing. Cultural beliefs within the United States regarding who is homeless and what homelessness means also play a significant role in the development of positively impactful social welfare programs. Part II of this Note reviews the history of treatment for persons with SPMI--specifically how that treatment has evolved, the history of federal policies regarding SSI, SSDI and housing, and societal beliefs regarding homelessness and mental illness that have impacted policymaking decisions. Part III looks at these same areas from a current perspective and addresses the current issues and some possible solutions. Part IV discusses how lack of effective treatment, poor disability programs, and the need for better housing options work together to form systemic barriers for people with SPMI. Part IV also address how the cultural beliefs in the United States regarding people who have SPMI and are homeless serve as an independent barrier to policy change. Ultimately, this Note argues that homelessness is a product of system failures rather than individual factors.

Social welfare reform in Israel: Social workers' views on change, participation and professional values.

In recent years, many western welfare states have undergone reforms in their social services. These reforms are intended to influence the work of social workers in the public sector, and depend largely upon workers' ability and willingness to implement them. The research presented in this article addresses the reform in Israeli Departments of Social Services through the perspective of the social workers tasked with its implementation. Drawing on recent developments of the Knowledge-Power-Politics Triad model, the relationship between aspects of social workers' support for the reform and their perceived and actual involvement in reform policy making, general attitude towards change, and professional inclinations was examined. Our sample consisted of 180 social workers employed in departments currently implementing the reform. The study's results emphasise the vital role employee participation plays in forming support for reforms' goals, and at the same time expose the complex interplay between developing a 'sense' of participation and participation's actual realisation. They offer several insights into the way social workers' support for reform is constructed, and not less so, regarding aspects of examining such support.

Protección jurídica de la Salud en el Ordenamiento Nacional.

1º Jornada «Derecho a la Salud», organizada por el CVSP Nodo Argentina, la Sala de Derecho a la Salud del Colegio de Abogados de Córdoba y la Escuela de Salud Pública y Ambiente de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas–UNC. La misma se llevó a cabo el día 4 de diciembre del corriente año en el Salón Rojo de la Secretaría de Graduados en Ciencias de la Salud FCM-UNC. La jornada contó con la presencia de Profesionales de la Salud, Profesionales del Derecho, alumnos de postgrado de las Carreras de Ciencias Médicas, Derecho y Ciencias Sociales y público en general. Conferencia dictada por la Prof. Dra. Viviana Perracini. Directora de la Sala de Derecho a la Salud del Colegio de Abogados de Córdoba. Profesora Especialista en Salud UNC y US21

Mandatory Welfare Drug Treatment in Australia.

In 2017 and 2018 Australia almost implemented laws to require unemployed people to undertake mandatory drug testing and treatment. Debate about linking welfare with mandatory drug treatment suffers from the complexity and paucity of research specifically about the efficacy of mandatory welfare drug treatment. This allows the possibility for mandatory welfare drug treatment to remain on the political horizon. This article situates the Australian proposal to introduce mandatory drug treatment for the unemployed within the relevant research literature. It concludes that the literature shows there is little chance of efficacy if welfare is linked with mandatory drug treatment. Instead, cost ineffectiveness and perverse outcomes are more probable than treatment efficacy.

Considering the Provision of Growth Attenuation Treatment to Profoundly Disabled Children in Light of the Family Court's Welfare Jurisdiction.

Internationally, profoundly disabled children have received growth attenuation treatment to allow their parents to continue to care for them as they mature into adulthood. This article considers how the Family Court of Australia might approach this topic. It assumes that parents wishing to attenuate the linear growth of their child require an order from the Family Court under its welfare jurisdiction. This assumption is made because of the parents' conflict of interests; the treatment's irreversible nature; and the fact that it is sought for non-Gillick competent children. This article highlights the view that there are concerns about how the Court, given its adversarial nature and current approach to medical decisions, will determine whether this treatment is in a child's best interests. It concludes that a federally funded interdisciplinary administrative panel is better positioned to assess and decide each application on a case-by-case basis.

Resisting Neoliberal Social Work Fragmentation: The Wall-to-Wall Alliance.

Worldwide neoliberal policies are transforming the landscape of social work. Studies have shown that these policies increased social workers' caseloads, regulated welfare expenditures, impaired public services' capabilities to attend to the needs of growing demand, transformed social services delivery by implanting new public management methods, and often also worsened working conditions and deteriorated the professional status of social workers. Moreover, these policies have raised both poverty and inequality levels and left their negative marks on social work education, by prioritizing academic disciplines more attuned with the needs of neoliberal regimes. This article seeks to encourage schools of social work, social workers in the social services, and people living in poverty to challenge the harmful impact of this context by engaging in meaningful alliances focused on the fight against poverty and social exclusion. This article presents a long-term partnership project between a school of social work, local public social services, and groups of active clients, to tackle the issue of poverty in Israel. The article describes the project, introduces the theoretical and methodological principles, analyzes achievements and challenges, and finally discusses the potential contribution of such partnerships for the future of the profession.

The formulation of social assistance law and the legitimation of the social assistance public policy. / Formulação da lei do sistema único de assistência social e a legitimação da política de assistência social.

This paper analyzes the decision-making process involving the formulation of Bill 3077/20081 by the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger, and its subsequent approval as Law 12.435/2011, which institutionalized the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS). The methodology was based on bibliographic research, analysis of the minutes of the National Social Assistance Council from 2008 to 2011, and public documents from the Ministry and interviews with key stakeholders who worked at the Ministry between 2008 and 2011. The results showed that the Law aimed mainly to legitimize management practices already underway in Social Assistance and to establish legal certainty for federal managers. The decision to propose the Law highlights the relevance of "policymakers" in including issues on the public agenda.

O trabalho analisa o processo decisório que envolveu a formulação, pelo Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome, do Projeto de Lei 3077/2008 e sua posterior aprovação como Lei 12.435/2011, que institucionalizou na ordem jurídica brasileira o Sistema Único de Assistência Social. A metodologia se baseou em pesquisa bibliográfica, análise das atas do Conselho Nacional de Assistência Social de 2008 a 2011 e documentos públicos do Ministério e entrevistas com atores-chave que atuaram no Ministério entre 2008 e 2011. A análise demonstrou que a Lei tinha como principais objetivos legitimar as práticas já em curso na Assistência Social e estabelecer segurança jurídica para os gestores federais. A decisão de elaborar a Lei aponta para a importância dos "policy makers" no processo de inclusão de temas na agenda pública.

Formulação da lei do sistema único de assistência social e a legitimação da política de assistência social / The formulation of social assistance law and the legitimation of the social assistance public policy

Resumo O trabalho analisa o processo decisório que envolveu a formulação, pelo Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome, do Projeto de Lei 3077/2008 e sua posterior aprovação como Lei 12.435/2011, que institucionalizou na ordem jurídica brasileira o Sistema Único de Assistência Social. A metodologia se baseou em pesquisa bibliográfica, análise das atas do Conselho Nacional de Assistência Social de 2008 a 2011 e documentos públicos do Ministério e entrevistas com atores-chave que atuaram no Ministério entre 2008 e 2011. A análise demonstrou que a Lei tinha como principais objetivos legitimar as práticas já em curso na Assistência Social e estabelecer segurança jurídica para os gestores federais. A decisão de elaborar a Lei aponta para a importância dos "policy makers" no processo de inclusão de temas na agenda pública.

Abstract This paper analyzes the decision-making process involving the formulation of Bill 3077/20081 by the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger, and its subsequent approval as Law 12.435/2011, which institutionalized the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS). The methodology was based on bibliographic research, analysis of the minutes of the National Social Assistance Council from 2008 to 2011, and public documents from the Ministry and interviews with key stakeholders who worked at the Ministry between 2008 and 2011. The results showed that the Law aimed mainly to legitimize management practices already underway in Social Assistance and to establish legal certainty for federal managers. The decision to propose the Law highlights the relevance of "policymakers" in including issues on the public agenda.

Behavioral Indicators of Drug Carrying in Open Spaces.

This article identifies and describes a set of behavioral indicators associated with illegal drug carrying in public spaces. Through the use of focus group data, our research documents and translates the visual search techniques that veteran law enforcement and drugs experts report using in their work. Here, we catalogue these findings into 10 overarching categories, and discuss how each indicator may be incorporated into an officer's visual search. Knowledge of these indicators, when combined with proper training and an understanding of a public space, can help law enforcement identify persons who may be carrying drugs. The ability to identify drug-carrying individuals facilitates the interdiction and apprehension of offenders, and also protects the civil rights and liberties of the law-abiding public.

Pobreza, proteção social e cidadania: uma análise do direito à saúde no Brasil a partir da Constituição Federal de 1988 / Poverty, social protection and citizenship: an analysis of the right to health in Brazil from the Federal Constitution of 1988

O presente artigo teve por escopo analisar o processo de constituição da ideia do direito à saúde enquanto direito social no Brasil, integrante do rol de direitos fundamentais insculpidos na Constituição Federal de 1988. Para tanto realizou-se uma concisairrupção histórica no processo de construção da concepção de proteção social na Europa ocidental. Objetivou-se, ainda, analisar a proteção social enquanto elemento essencial da cidadania. Buscou-se compreender a seguridade social como núcleo do Estado de Bem-Estar e discutir o contexto de inserção da questão do direito à saúde na agenda pública. A presente pesquisa utilizou-se dométodo de pesquisa dedutivo, com a apropriação dos conceitos de proteção social e direitos sociais, refletindo sobre as determinações dos conteúdos presentes na concepção constitucional do direito à saúde.(AU)

The purpose of this article was to analyze the process of constitution of the idea of the right to health as a social right in Brazil, as part of the list of fundamental rights inscribed in the Federal Constitution of 1988. For this purpose, a concise historical irruption was made in the process of conception of social protection in western Europe. The objective was also to analyze social protection as an essential element of citizenship. We sought to understand social security as the core of the welfare state and to discuss the context of insertion of the right to health issue in the public agenda. This research used the deductive research method, with the appropriation of the concepts of social protection and social rights, reflecting on the determinations of the contents present in the constitutional conception of the right to health.(AU)