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4 - Implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention programme in the Southeastern United States
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- By Susan P. Limber, Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, 158 Poole Agricultural Center, Clemson, SC 29634, USA, slimber@clemson.edu, Maury Nation, University of North Florida, USA, Allison J. Tracy, Wellesley College, USA, Gary B. Melton, Clemson University, USA, Vicki Flerx, University of South Carolina, USA
- Edited by Peter K. Smith, Goldsmiths, University of London, Debra Pepler, York University, Toronto, Ken Rigby, University of South Australia
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- Book:
- Bullying in Schools
- Published online:
- 02 December 2009
- Print publication:
- 21 October 2004, pp 55-80
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Summary
Impetus for the intervention study, early stages of planning, and funding
In 1994 the Institute for Families in Society at the University of South Carolina received a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (within the US Department of Justice) to undertake a 3-year project to conduct research related to violence among rural youth. A critical component of this grant was the implementation and evaluation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme in rural schools in South Carolina. Faculty at the Institute for Families in Society were familiar with the success of the programme in Norwegian schools, from reading published summaries of the programme (Olweus, 1991; 1993) and from discussions with Professor Olweus. Recognising that no other violence-prevention programme to date had produced such impressive results, faculty were anxious to test the programme in an American setting.
Early planning and preparation for the implementation of the programme involved the hiring of staff, extensive consultation with Professor Olweus, and the selection and preparation of participating schools. With the receipt of the Justice Department grant, the Institute hired a project director and part-time faculty, staff, and graduate students to support the implementation of the project. The principal university project team consisted of the principal investigator (Melton), a three-quarter time project director (Limber), three part-time PhD-level faculty at the Institute and at the Medical University of South Carolina who were responsible for providing ongoing technical assistance to schools, a part-time consultant for the project's evaluation, and several graduate research assistants to collect, input, and collate data from participating schools.
3 - Advocacy for Children's Rights
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- By Mark A. Small, Professor of Psychology Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University, Susan P. Limber, Director of the Center for Youth Participation and Human Rights Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life and Associate Professor of Psychology at Clemson University
- Edited by Bette L. Bottoms, University of Illinois, Chicago, Margaret Bull Kovera, Florida International University, Bradley D. McAuliff, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
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- Book:
- Children, Social Science, and the Law
- Published online:
- 24 July 2009
- Print publication:
- 10 June 2002, pp 51-75
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Summary
Advocacy on behalf of children is more than simply the provision of needed services to children. Advocacy efforts represent an attempt to increase the responsiveness and accountability of all institutions affecting children. As Melton (1983) notes, “whether the intent is to increase children's self-determination or to enhance the social, education, and medical resources to which children are entitled, child advocates have as their mission social action on behalf of children” (p. 1).
Although social scientists often conduct and report research related to child well-being, these efforts frequently fail to take into account larger social trends affecting children and families. Moreover, they often fall short of informing advocacy efforts – either in helping to set an agenda for advocacy or in evaluating advocacy efforts. The intent of this chapter is to provide an overview of child advocacy issues for social scientists in order to facilitate a greater connection between social scientists and child advocates. We begin by noting some significant social trends influencing the nature of child advocacy. These include the changing nature of the American family, the changing nature of social institutions, and the shift in responsibility for children's welfare from the federal government to state and community organizations. Next, a brief history of advocacy is presented, noting philosophical differences between those who push for increasing self-determination of children and those who primarily advocate for improved health and safety conditions for children.