– The purpose of this paper is to highlight the actions needed and organisations to make a difference to the problem of loneliness in old age.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the actions needed and organisations to make a difference to the problem of loneliness in old age.
Design/methodology/approach
Draws on the work of the Campaign to End Loneliness in collaboration with hundreds of organisations worldwide to document what has been done so far and to provide exemplars and imagined case studies based on collected experience to identify potential relevant actions.
Findings
Many hundreds of organisations worldwide are recognising the need to support older peoples’ connections and abilities to engage with their communities. However, these need to be better mapped and coordinated.
Practical implications
Innovative work is already being done to tackle loneliness needs to be more systematically supported and promoted.
Originality/value
Identifies how much has already changed in terms of recognising and addressing loneliness but that a more comprehensive approach to support is needed.
Details
Keywords
Anne Krogstad and Aagoth Storvik
We take as our point of departure Weber's well-known taxonomy of forms of authority (Weber, 1947; 1968). Traditional authority, which first of all characterizes pre-modern…
Abstract
We take as our point of departure Weber's well-known taxonomy of forms of authority (Weber, 1947; 1968). Traditional authority, which first of all characterizes pre-modern societies, is based on inherited privileges and positions. Legal authority, which is often termed rational and bureaucratic, is based on position and competence. In addition, it is impersonal. By contrast, charismatic authority is personal, not positional. It has one main feature, authority legitimated by the appeal of leaders who claim allegiance because of the force of their extraordinary personalities. Weber saw this kind of authority as liberation from the alienation, which the bureaucratic “iron cage” represented. The essence of charisma is a sort of life and vitality, which is the opposite of the formality of bureaucracy and the roles and conventions of traditional society (Weber, 1968, p. 24). Consequently, charisma implies a sort of renewal. According to one of Weber's most heavily quoted passages, charisma is based on “the devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him” (Weber, 1968, p. 46). The charismatic leader has, in other words, exceptional qualities and is accordingly “set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities” (Weber, 1968, p. 48).
This paper suggests that the concept of sustainable development has considerable limitations because it has become abstract and too often ignores that many forms of development…
Abstract
This paper suggests that the concept of sustainable development has considerable limitations because it has become abstract and too often ignores that many forms of development (oil and gas exploitation, mining) are not sustainable. Development, as the well‐worn cliche puts it, is about people. Our approach at the Community Development Institute focuses on how individuals can become sustainable and motivated to develop their own potential while at the same time working towards the development of their organizations and communities. Discussions about development thus move from abstractions to ways in which specific individuals can live good lives (as they define them) while contributing to their communities. The concept of sustainable people is linked to that of community development, which offers a middle way for the creation of employment and wealth between the efforts of the state and those of the private sector, especially in poor and marginalized areas.
The purpose of this paper is to describe a major reader development initiative delivered by a cross‐border partnership, involving two public library authorities (one in Ireland…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a major reader development initiative delivered by a cross‐border partnership, involving two public library authorities (one in Ireland and one in the UK). It aims to outline the strategies and activities developed to support the wider political agenda of building a peaceful and stable society.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides an introduction to the context within which the project was developed and an overview of the project delivery. It focuses on the development of project activities to address the peace and reconciliation agenda and draws on the external evaluation report findings.
Findings
The project demonstrates that public libraries are well placed to develop and deliver community‐based programmes to address sensitive and contentious issues, through the provision of reading activities and opportunities for meaningful discussion.
Originality/value
This paper is based on the experience of two public library services, operating in different countries, in communities divided by physical borders and sectarian divisions. It shows how libraries can capitalise on their local presence, and the imaginative space provided by books and reading, to move from their traditional role as a neutral space to a more dynamic role, in which the promotion of reading supports inclusion and diversity.
Details
Keywords
This article focuses on the conditions that are conducive to effective work on reducing children's vulnerability to social exclusion. It draws on three studies of practitioners…
Abstract
This article focuses on the conditions that are conducive to effective work on reducing children's vulnerability to social exclusion. It draws on three studies of practitioners who are collaborating to prevent the social exclusion of children and young people. Two ideas are discussed: distributed expertise and relational agency. Distributed expertise recognises that expertise is distributed across local systems and that practitioners need to become adept at recognising, drawing on and contributing to it. Relational agency offers a finer‐grained analysis of what is involved in working in systems of distributed expertise. Findings include the need for professionals to develop relational agency as an extra layer of expertise alongside their core professional expertise and a concern that interprofessional work may result in seeing clients as tasks to be worked on rather than people to be worked with relationally. Implications for training and professional development are outlined.
Details
Keywords
Research suggests that individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are inconsistently supported throughout the criminal justice system (CJS) in the UK. Bradley (2009…
Abstract
Purpose
Research suggests that individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are inconsistently supported throughout the criminal justice system (CJS) in the UK. Bradley (2009) recommended the introduction of criminal justice liaison and diversion (L&D) teams to bridge the gap between the CJS and mental health services and provide a more consistent and improved quality of support for individuals with vulnerabilities, including those with autism. This study aims to explore the experiences of staff working in L&D teams who encounter individuals with ASD.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with ten L&D team members. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to gain insight into their lived experiences of working with autism in the CJS.
Findings
Interpretation of individual transcripts resulted in three super-ordinate themes: “feeling helpless and helpful in the system”, “transition to knowing” and “impact on self”. Each theme encapsulated a number of sub-themes depicting the limitations of services, difficult environments, making a difference, lack of understanding, developing understanding and the impact of these experiences on staff’s confidence, attitudes and well-being.
Practical implications
Criminal justice services are limited for people with autism. There is a lack of autism awareness by staff. Lack of awareness impacts staff attitudes and confidence. Training in autism should be provided to criminal justice staff.
Originality/value
This research highlights the limitations of services available for individuals with autism and the widespread lack of autism awareness. These concerns directly impacted participants’ confidence, attitudes and well-being. Recommendations are proposed to guide future practice and research including increasing availability of access to ASD services, enforcing mandatory autism-specific training for staff and routinely collecting service-user feedback.