Local Crime Prevention Program Colonial Heights Senior Citizens Crime Prevention

Introduction For as long as the human civilization has existed, there have always been those members of the society who have engaged in criminal activities. These misdeeds which affect the rest of the community negatively have resulted in the formation of the police force and other agencies charged with combating crime.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Local Crime Prevention Program: Colonial Heights’ Senior Citizens Crime Prevention specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While this apparatus have had a favorable impact in reducing crime, they are not enough to solve the crime problems of the community. For this reason, Local Crime Prevention groups have sprung up all over the country to help in the reducing of local crime. Local Crime Prevention is based on the understanding that police and other government agencies alone cannot control crime in the country and the members of the community must play an active role in mitigating crime levels in their locality. Most of these crime prevention groups have programs which articulate the purpose of the group, and teach the members useful skills in crime fighting or prevention in their community. This paper will perform an elaborate analysis on one local crime prevention program in America. The paper will them proceed to discuss the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the program as well as the moral astuteness of the program. Crime Prevention Program Name The name of the program is Senior Citizens Crime Prevention University and it is open to the residents of Colonial Heights, Virginia. This program is especially structured for the senior citizens and is based on the fact that older people are more fearful of crime as compared to the other members of the community. O’Block, Donnermeyer and Doeren (2001) hypothesize that the reason for this accentuated fear is the perception by the older people that crime has a greater impact on t hem, both physically and/or economically. Components of the program This program is offered free of charge to senior citizens (persons aged 55 years and older) who reside in Colonial Heights or operate businesses in the location. The program is jointly sponsored by the Colonial Heights TRIAD, Colonial Heights Police Department, and Colonial Heights Sheriff’s Office (Colonial Heights Police, 2010). The program runs for 8 to 10 weeks and is arranged into 13 sessions, which cover various aspects of life that may be relevant for the participants, ranging from; police work, emergency services, legal issues, fire fighting to neighborhood watch and other important issues pertaining crime. Owing to the expansive nature of the lessons taught in the Senior Citizens Crime Prevention University, there are a number of varying professionals who engage in the tutorage. The Colonial Heights Police Department in particular plays a very significant role in lessons regarding the role of law enf orcement in the city.Advertising Looking for research paper on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The police also provide information on Neighborhood Watch and other neighborhood programs which the attendees of the SCCPU program can join. The senior citizens are also advised on how to go about beginning such programs in their neighborhoods. In court and legal matters, the program invites a Colonial Heights Bar Association member who addresses the legal topics such as wills, estate planning and trusts. The session on fire fighting is covered by the personnel from the Colonial Heights Fire and EMS. Health professionals are also part of the trainers in the SCCPU. They provide information on conditions such as mental health that the seniors are prone to and emphasis on potential victimization that may occur to those affected. The attendees are also given training on offering Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. Philosophy and goals of the program No police department can function effectively without the concerned assistance of responsible citizens (Fennelly, 2003). For this reason, the police department of Colonial Heights together with other relevant stakeholders provides local crime prevention classes for the senior citizens for the mutual benefit of all the parties involved. The main rationale for this program is the fact that senior citizens are obvious targets of crime due to their age (Walsh, 2000). The vulnerability that is inherent in most senior citizens makes them especially prone to crimes such as: fraud, scams, physical assault to name but a few. The purpose of the program is to empower the senior citizens so as to reduce the odds of their falling prey of these crimes. The program makes the participants more aware of their surrounding which results in lower crime rates perpetrated against them. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Program One strength of this program is that it empowers the senio r citizens by giving them vital information which helps them to prevent crime by making them more aware. Having awareness of preventive techniques can help an individual to spot a potential crime situation and therefore take measures to remove the risk or at the least reduce its risk (NCPC, 2010). The program also boasts the esteem of the senior citizens since they no longer feel week and vulnerable as a result of the knowledge that they gather from the program. The program also equips the participants to start up their own neighborhood crime prevention programs which assist the communities from which they hail. In addition to crime prevention, the program covers issues such as drafting of wills and establishing of trust funds. This is very vital information for the senior citizens as it helps them plan their lives better. Arguably the biggest weakness of the program is the age restriction that it imposes on its participants resulting in only senior citizens being eligible to the pr ogram. This is a setback since the senior citizens (who are mostly the vulnerable members of the society) cannot form bonds with other members of the community who can greatly assist in crime prevention.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Local Crime Prevention Program: Colonial Heights’ Senior Citizens Crime Prevention specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition to this, the resource pool for the senior citizens is restricted to the old people and as such they lack an opportunity to learn of current trends of crime from the younger generation who may be more exposed to it. Ethical Issues Ethically, the program offered by Senior Citizens Crime Prevention University is sound. This is because they present material that is relevant to the participants. Information such as; wills, trusts and power of attorney is relevant to the senior citizens who are most likely to be drafting wills or setting up trus ts for their children. The lessons on fraud are also relevant since the senior citizens are targeted by confidence tricksters. Achieving this is simple since all the participants are in the same age bracket as well as residents of the same community. The teachers are also locals which mean that the likelihood of a breach of conduct due to ignorance on the local norms or tradition is minimized. Also, most of the subject matter covered in the teaching is of a non-controversial and non-sensitive therefore making ethics a non issue. Effectiveness of the program The popularity of the programs offered by Senior Citizens Crime Prevention University in Colonial Heights is phenomenal. This can be deduced from the fact that all the classes that are offered are booked to capacity (Colonial Heights Police, 2010). This demonstrates that the senior citizens of Colonial Heights are convinced of the practicality of the lessons offered in the programs and therefore ensure that they are a part of the lessons. Correa reveals that the seniors feel empowered as a result of the program therefore accentuating its effectiveness. In addition to the benefits that the senior citizens gain from the program, the police force also gains in terms of improved public relations. Correa (2010) reveals that the program brings about interaction of the policemen with the citizens therefore fostering a cordial relationship as well as a positive outlook of the police force and their work by the members of the public. This makes the work of the police more effective since they have the support of the senior residents of Colonial Heights. Conclusion This paper set out to give an analysis of a crime prevention group program. To achieve this, an analysis of the Senior Citizens Crime Prevention University has been undertaken. The components of this program, its philosophy, goals and its strengths and weaknesses have been highlighted.Advertising Looking for research paper on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More From the information presented herein, it is evident that the program is highly successful in achieving its primary goals and as such, many senior residents in Colonial Heights have participated in the program. This paper has shown that the Senior Citizens Crime Prevention University is responsible for reducing the chances of seniors becoming victims of crime. However, the program has a weakness in that it does not accommodate other members of the society (other than the seniors) therefore reducing its effectiveness and impact on the society. Despite this setback, the program has a lot of advantages and makes a positive contribution in not only dealing with crime against the senior citizens but also in improving the quality of their lives. References Colonial Heights Police (2010). Senior Citizens Crime Prevention University. Web. Correa, M. (2010). Senior Citizens Learn About Police Department. NBC News. Web. Fennelly, L. J. (2003). Handbook of Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention. Butterworth-Heinemann. National Capital Planning Commission (2010). Senior Citizens. Web. O’Block, L, R., Donnermeyer, J. F. Doeren, S. E. (2002). Security and Crime Prevention. Butterworth-Heinemann. Walsh, B. (2000). Crime Prevention: A Shared Responsibility. Brooking Institute Press. This research paper on Local Crime Prevention Program: Colonial Heights’ Senior Citizens Crime Prevention was written and submitted by user Samson L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on First Confession

Eyes of A Child Children see the world with different eyes than those of adults. In a situation where an adult might see a chance for failure, a child might sense an opportunity. Where adults see a person of a different race, culture, religion, or sexuality, a child will see a chance to make a new friend. Adults see shades of gray, while children see different colors of the rainbow. Because of their optimism and resiliency, children have a better grasp of the world than adults do. Adults regret their past, worry about their future, and have no time to enjoy the present. In â€Å"First Confession,† by Frank O’Connor, there is a character named Ryan who speaks about God to children before they get out of school every day. Ryan is an old woman about the age of Jackie’s Grandmother according to Jackie, and she is a God-fearing woman who attempts to instill the apprehension of God into children so that they will save themselves from mortal sin. She talks about the eternal flames of hell, the consequences of performing a poor confession, and the importance of searching one’s conscious to determine whether one is living a righteous lifestyle or not. Because of her anecdotes of gloom and doom, Jackie is terrified to perform his first communion. Ryan sees God as a vengeful figure, someone who will smite evil off of the face of this Earth without mercy. Through Ryan’s descriptions, God is an inhuman, cold, and demanding master w ho will not have any compassion for wrongdoers, regardless of their age. â€Å"All eternity! Just think of that! A whole lifetime goes by and it’s nothing, not even a drop in the ocean of your sufferings.†(O’Connor, p.311). Through Ryan’s descriptions, God is an inhuman, cold, and demanding master who will not have any compassion for wrongdoers, regardless of their age. Every adult has been a child before, and sometimes, a person, place or thing allows him or her to feel like one again.... Free Essays on First Confession Free Essays on First Confession Frank O’Connor’s â€Å"First Confession† is a short story contrasting hypocrisy and honesty in regard to religious faith, which upon reading might, with any luck, inspire a person to examine their own sincerity of faith or lack of it. O’Connor masterfully weaves together the use of three main elements: tone, characterization, and point of view, in illustrating this theme to his readers. A brief examination of these tools will show how they each contribute to the contrast itself as well as how a reading of â€Å"First Confession† might inspire a person to meditate on their own faith to discover if in fact it is of a hypocritical nature or purely honest. One basic element O’Connor uses in his contrast of hypocrisy and honesty is tone. Although this is indeed a serious subject, O’Connor makes his point by incorporating the humor of childhood inexperience into the story, thus creating a lighthearted tone. One example of this is illustrated when the reader is introduced to Jackie’s lack of familiarity with the confessional and his subsequent fumbled attempts to carry through with what he knows vaguely he should do. Such use of tone helps the reader to feel sympathetic amusement toward Jackie in his predicament and defines him as innocently honest in those attempts. To contrast hypocrisy, O’Connor once again puts this same style of humor to use creating a lighthearted tone when upon exiting the confessional Nora, Jackie’s older and â€Å"wiser† sister, puts on a â€Å"holier-than-thou† exhibition of virtue. Her doing so is an incredible follow-up to her malicious and â€Å"r egretfully† toned reminders to Jackie of his past offenses such as: â€Å"Oh, God help us! she moaned.’ Isn’t it a terrible pity you weren’t a good boy? †, â€Å"My heart bleeds for you†, and â€Å"How will you ever think of all your sins?† (O’Connor 323) as well as her musing on the dreadful punishments that surely await him whil... Free Essays on First Confession Eyes of A Child Children see the world with different eyes than those of adults. In a situation where an adult might see a chance for failure, a child might sense an opportunity. Where adults see a person of a different race, culture, religion, or sexuality, a child will see a chance to make a new friend. Adults see shades of gray, while children see different colors of the rainbow. Because of their optimism and resiliency, children have a better grasp of the world than adults do. Adults regret their past, worry about their future, and have no time to enjoy the present. In â€Å"First Confession,† by Frank O’Connor, there is a character named Ryan who speaks about God to children before they get out of school every day. Ryan is an old woman about the age of Jackie’s Grandmother according to Jackie, and she is a God-fearing woman who attempts to instill the apprehension of God into children so that they will save themselves from mortal sin. She talks about the eternal flames of hell, the consequences of performing a poor confession, and the importance of searching one’s conscious to determine whether one is living a righteous lifestyle or not. Because of her anecdotes of gloom and doom, Jackie is terrified to perform his first communion. Ryan sees God as a vengeful figure, someone who will smite evil off of the face of this Earth without mercy. Through Ryan’s descriptions, God is an inhuman, cold, and demanding master w ho will not have any compassion for wrongdoers, regardless of their age. â€Å"All eternity! Just think of that! A whole lifetime goes by and it’s nothing, not even a drop in the ocean of your sufferings.†(O’Connor, p.311). Through Ryan’s descriptions, God is an inhuman, cold, and demanding master who will not have any compassion for wrongdoers, regardless of their age. Every adult has been a child before, and sometimes, a person, place or thing allows him or her to feel like one again....

Early Literacy Instruction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Early Literacy Instruction - Research Paper Example The kind of teaching that is done and the time that teaching is done also affects the rate and quality of learning or literacy acquisition that will take place. Reading acquisition is one of the most important literacy components that take place in people. As far reading instructions are concerned, it has been argued that the acquisition process becomes more effective and efficient when it is done at the very early stages of a child’s learning career. It has also been said that the type of learning intervention that is used by trainees or teachers in teaching reading instructions is also very instrumental in determining the success rate of the learning process. Because these assertions are generalized, the present research paper is dedicated to critically analyzing; by comparing and combing existing works of research to draw valid conclusions on the acquisition of early reading instructions with focus on phonemic awareness. The meta-analysis shall be done using eight existing recent research based studies. The contents of these research works shall be put together in four major themes as discussed below. The use of Scaffolding as a teaching Intervention Two of the research based literatures were thematically captioned to touch on the use of scaffolding as an intervention to teach phonetic awareness. These were research works from Lea et al (2009) and Shayne et al (2010). Whereas Lea et al (2009) sees scaffolding as a teacher-based approach to teaching phonetic awareness, Shayne et al (2010) sees scaffolding as a student based approach. Both researchers however agree that scaffolding is used in such a way that the teaching of phonetic awareness is taken from the student’s perspective whereby the teacher undertakes the teaching process from a point where student lacks the acquisition of a particular phonetic skill. The actual scaffolding takes place in the form of provision of series of guidance to students in developing the phonetic awareness of a particular sound (Lea, 2009). The intervention is thus called scaffolding because the teacher unfolds the learning process through a series of steps or processes (Shayne, 2010). In the various researches, it was found that one of the commonest ways in which kindergarten children learned phonetics was to isolate the sounds in a word, especially the first sound. It was therefore necessary that teachers taught phonemic awareness through the teaching of individual sounds of letters rather than combining them at a very early stage of language acquisition. Effect of phonetic awareness on English reading in non-English children Two other researchers found in their research works that the basis of English reading acquisition was phonetic awareness (Yeung et al, 2012 and Ryder et al, 2007). This means that for children to effectively acquire English reading skills, they needed to have a very good basis in phonemic awareness. According to Yeung et al (2012), phonemic awareness is the single m ost effective way to attempt to pronounce or spell any new English word. Consequently, Ryder et al (2010) hold the opinion that for effective reading to take place among new readers, it is important that the learner gets an idea about as many phonetic sounds of letters as possible. This way, the pronunciation of new words will be attempted by the sounds and pronunciation of already known letters. Consequently, the researchers lay emphasis on learning from the known to the unknown using phonemic awareness. Indeed, the researcher were quick to criticize other

Homework 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Homework 4 - Assignment Example When the first rocket was launched, it made us aware that the world is limited in its resources and space. There is a limit to the amount of life the earth can hold. The destruction to the environment by humanity presents new challenges that plants and animals have adapted. However, the destruction has reached an extreme scale. Species there are over one and a half billion that have been discovered by scientists. There is just a small representation of the diversity of animals that exists all over the world. Most people just appreciate the big animals like elephants. Lions in the savannahs but there are also a great diversity of small animals like mosquitoes, the sea holds so much life beneath it, but most of it remains a mystery. There are many cases of extinction on the face of the planet of big animals but if small animals were to be extinct, the world would face a crisis as they form the foundations of the earth. Extinction has become massive on a scale of 100 t0 1000 due to human activities like deforestation. Is there an importance to preserve our biodiversity. The answer is yes. The eco-environment provides us with soil and cleanses our air all free. Most importantly, we should focus on handing down an environment full of rich biodiversity to the next

Marketing principal Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing principal - Case Study Example The company’s major vision is creating brands that will run the market and achieving maximum profits from the brands (Narayani 1-36). Apple was started in 1976 and has since grown from a small business into one of the most valuable and successful brands in the globe. The brand has managed to plant a perception in its consumers’ minds that it is the very best of the total brands and has, therefore, gained total trust from its consumers (Mirachandani 276-277). The brand has portrayed excellent marketing techniques, and has established an ability to distinguish themselves from other brands. The company has other features such as realizing user friendly and innovative products (Sandoval 98-99). On the market of its products, a certain study revealed that the brand consumers who fall under the categories of high salaries, young ages and techno savvy tend to purchase its products. In the US for instance, about 22 million adults owned an iPod. Several products from apple target consumers who want to listen to music at a go (Mirachandani 276-277). Considering that apple is highly rated, several people desire owning one of its products. This popularity has enhanced sales for the company (Mirachandani 276-277). Apple, however, has some faults in some of its products. The iPod Nano for instance, is said to have a faulty screen that breaks easily. Issues such as poor battery life and software issues also portray weaknesses from the company in its brands (Mirachandani 276-277). The continuous release of music products is continuously generating high revenues for the company, putting it at par with the music industry (Jennings 402). This creates pressure on the company on what decision to take on the music industry. The company also stand gaining many market opportunities. ITunes for instance, is used to download legal songs (Jennings 402). If apple makes all cell phones and MP3 players

The Boy Who Loves Green Straws

The Boy Who Loves Green Straws Leo Rosa, the boy who loves green straws, was diagnosed as autistic in 2002 when he was two years old. His father, Craig, produces science videos for a TV station in San Francisco, and his mother, Shannon, is a blogger, and software consultant. He has two sisters, Zelly and Gisela. For the first few months after he was born, Leo Rosa seemed like a normal developing baby. It wasnt until his first birthday that the Rosas noticed anything unusual about him: he was taking his favorite toys and sliding them from one place to another, over and over again. Leo had always been a picky eater. His diet consisted almost exclusively of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bananas, guacamole, Goldfish crackers, and popcorn snacks. He began suffering from frequent episodes of diarrhea and vomiting. Shannon took Leo to an allergy specialist to test him for allergies. All the tests came back negative. When Leo was two years old, a pediatrician friend noticed that Leo was not responding when called by his name. But when they checked Leos hearing, his hearing was fine. The director at a regional center told Craig and Shannon that Leo might be autistic. Shannon felt devastated. She spent hours searching for information to help her son. Two books in particular made an impression on her: Catherine Maurice: Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Familys Triumph over Autism; and Karyn Seroussi: Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A mothers Story of Research and Recovery. Catherine Maurices book focused on applied behavior analysis (ABA), a behavior modification technique based on the animal-training theory of B.F. Skinner. Karyn Seroussis book tells the story of a mother using a technique called biomedical intervention pioneered by Navy psychology Bernard Rimland. The foundation of this approach is the so-called GFCF diet, a strict diet free of gluten and casein, two proteins found in wheat and dairy products. The theory was that vaccines, like the DPT and the MMR leave some children unable to digest these proteins, leaving the walls of their intestine permeable (leaky gut syndrome). The undigested proteins are then carried by the bloodstream to the brain where they wreak havoc with normal development. Along with the GFCF diet, Seroussi used an aggressive program of high-dose vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and supplements developed by Rimlands Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) network. After reading Seroussis book, Shannon took Leo to see a DAN! Doctor in nearby Los Altos. Samples of Leos blood, hair, stool, and urine were dispatched to the DAN!network for analysis. The allergist who had tested Leo months earlier hadnt turned up any red flags, but the test results from the DAN!network showed that Leo was extremely reactive to peanuts, and soy, and highly allergic to gluten and rye. Leos heavy-metal profile was also problematic, according to the doctor, and they should consider chelation to kick-start their sons recovery process. While they prepared Leo for chelation, the doctor suggested, they could undertake treatments to help correct his systemic imbalance. One such therapy is called BioSET, and the doctor knew of a skilled BioSET practitioner who had an office just down the block and said he would provide the Rosas with a referral. During one of Leos BioSET treatments, Shannon discovered that the therapist and the doctor were a couple. But the doctor hadnt said a word about their relationship when he made his referral, and neither had the therapist. A few months later, the Rosas returned to the doctors office for another round of lab results and consultation. There were some bad news. The heavy-metal profile showed that Leos body was now excreting low levels of mercury. This development made Leo an urgent candidate for chelation. Craig had been trying to get to the root of his research on chelation. The vaccination issue was particularly confusing for Craig because hed been reading a new batch of studies challenging the validity of Wakefields paper of mercury/autism hypothesis. He had told his father, Marty, that they were considering intravenous chelation on the advice of their doctor. Marty replied with a lengthy letter in which he expressed his concerns. He would not put their hope on chelation and food supplements. As a health care professional, he said, he was unnerved by the sheer number of disclaimers in the DAN! Report. Marty felt that the risk was too high to Leo. On the next visit to Los Altos, the doctor brought up chelation again. But this time Craig challenged him. He asked the doctor whether there were any scenario that he would not recommend chelation, and the doctors answer was no. At that point, Craig and Shannon walked out of the doctors office and never went back again. *** Leo was nowhere close to recovery, but he was thriving in his own ways. He connected with his ABA therapist. For 24 hours a week, she worked with him on mastering simple tasks that would enable him to care for himself and express his desires and preferences more effectively. Then Shannon read a book that inspired her to think differently about Leo. Making Peace with Autism was Susan Senators story of raising her autistic son. The book promoted no theories of autism causation and promised no astonishing recovery. After reading the book, Shannon stop treating her son like a science experiment and started improvising creative ways of making connections with Leo and meeting his needs.

Globalisation :: Economics Capitalism Economy Essays

Globalisation Introduction To begin with, tell them that they will need to look at the essay questions today Later we will be doing a trial reflective exercise Let’s look at Globalisation My story When my colleagues and I were faced with redundancy we were placed in a unique position. Or perhaps it wasn’t quite so unique, just unspoken; ‘experts’ are not renowned for publicly applying their own theories to themselves. After years working as labour researchers or workplace change consultants we found ourselves in the position of having the stories we told other workers and their managements about why change was happening being reflected back to us by our managers and the people employed to facilitate our departures. We shifted from being purveyors of the discourses and narratives about why change was necessary to sitting in judgement of whether these very discourses and narratives applied to us, made sense to us, or were believable. Armed with more information than the average potentially redundant worker, we gathered around photocopiers, water coolers, staff room dining tables, coffee shop booths, each others desks - and discussed, argued, complained, questioned. As labour researchers we turned on labour theories, as change consultants we turned on theories of workplace change, and asked ourselves and each other, â€Å"Is what I’ve been saying for the last ten years really the case in my case? Now that I’m down there amongst it all instead of looking at it from the safety of an analyst’s lofty heights, does the story look and sound the same?† The Globalisation Story The stories we told the workers went generally like this: Globalisation led to economic and industry restructuring which leads to organisational change which means jobs change which means you have to do things differently to how you did them before and if you do not change, you won’t be able to give your customers what they want and you and your company and your country are gone† (hereafter called The Globalisation Story). Simple. Logical. Inexorable. Until we started telling it to ourselves and to each other. Then, with remarkable alacrity, we shifted from a reliance on causal explanation to an emphasis on interpretive understanding. Putting yourself inside the picture With many of us ‘experts’ in different stories - some were macroeconomists who understood globalisation theory, some of us were labour or industry economists who understood the theories of work and industry change, some were organisation researchers who knew about change management - we started to pick holes in other people’s stories and they picked holes in ours, many with the preface, â€Å"Your story doesn’t work for me because .

Process Mapping

| PDF | Print | Share Process Mapping – An Overview Back to previous page Process Mapping – An Overview What is it and how can it help me? A map of a patient journey is a visual representation – a picture or model – of the relevant procedures and administrative processes. The map shows how things are and what happens, rather than what should happen. This helps anyone involved see other people's views and roles.It can also help you to diagnose problems and identify areas for improvement. There are different approaches to mapping patient journeys, procedures and administrative processes in healthcare services. Which one you select will depend upon: What you need to know Resources and timescales Engagement and interest of staff Each one gives you a slightly different perspective and there is no definitive right or wrong. The key is to reflect how things are – and not how they should be.Examples of process mapping techniques: A guide to mapping patient journeys – process mapping; a conventional model Process mapping – alternatives ways to conventional process mapping Process templates Walkthrough a patient journey Spaghetti diagram Value added steps A picture of time and resources (process templates) required by a single patient Reviewing the patient pathway; mapping your last ten patients – using patient files and records Getting patient perspectives Care pathway analysis When does it work best?Mapping patient journeys is an essential tool to reduce delays and highlight improvements for patients and staff. Each approach reveals a different perspective. All approaches will reveal: Unnecessary delays Unnecessary steps / unnecessary handovers Duplication of effort / waste Things that don't make sense / not logical Likely hotspots, bottlenecks or constraints Depending upon which approach you use, you will be able to: Identify bottlenecks and constraints Identify and understand variations in clinical practice Deve lop a shared understanding of the problem Build teamsIdentify issues to do with quality of care Gain an in-depth understanding of a patient's perspective Identify steps that don't directly contribute to patient care (those that contribute are sometimes called value added steps) Carry out capacity and demand analysis from core information Mapping things out can also produce brilliant ideas; especially from staff who don't normally have the opportunity to contribute to service improvement, but really know how things work. How to use it You don't need to map everything: concentrate on the area where there is a gap in your understanding, or which needs improvement.Ideally, you will know where the bottleneck is before you go into more detailed mapping as the information you need should be slightly different. The information and level of detail you need depends upon your starting point. Consider the views and perspectives of the people you want to work with to identify the problems and so lutions. Where do I start? What do you need to know? How simple can you go? Are you working at a high level along the whole pathway or focusing in more detail? Whose views do you need? What is the best way to engage them? Do you need to meet with / engage people in advance?How could you capture the patient's view (if the mapping exercise includes part of the service they experience)? Wherever possible, use photographs and pictures of places, staff and equipment in mapping exercises. This brings your representation of ‘how things are' to life. Guide to Conventional Process Mapping Potential impact (on patient journeys) This is often used across teams and Reduces unnecessary delays, time lost due organisations (see mapping the whole patient to duplication and work that doesn't make journey across teams and organisations) to sense, right support for constraints. earn about this mapping technique). Strengths Outcome A range of staff's knowledge about their work Different perspecti ves. (what happens and when it happens) mapped Interpretation is shared. along a patient journey. Staff buy-in for potential improvements. Lots of ideas for improvement. Change or improvement ideas. What it is Usually a big meeting of fifteen to twenty- five people lasting around two to three hours. Team building. Everyone understands the issues, so reduces resistance to change proposals.What resources you need Weaknesses Skilled facilitator (not part of the group). A room. Lead-in time to get the right people in the Effort to set up. room. Cost of external facilitation (unless you Time from the people involved, preferably at a time when there is lease opportunity for are able to get someone from another interruption. part of the organisation). Rolls of paper, post-its. Time – delay in getting going. People who aren't in the room don't get engaged. Lots of ideas for improvement overwhelming, so follow-up doesn't meet expectations.Non-Conventional Process Mapping Potential imp act (on patient journeys) This is often used across teams and Reduces unnecessary delays, time lost due organisations (see process mapping – to duplication and work that doesn't make alternative ways). sense or doesn't ‘add value', right support for constraints. Outcome Usually more quickly accessed knowledge Strengths about a procedure / clinic / administrative process. Details could focus on: Can be planned in a shorter timescale. Walk the patient journey yourself. Set up a mini mapping session. Value added steps.Potential for more detailed information to be produced. A good place to start. A picture of the time and resources Weaknesses (process templates) required by a Could still get silos unless links or single patient. interfaces with other teams Staff buy-in for potential considered. improvements. Change or improvement ideas. What it is (eg different approaches) 1. Walking through the patient journey 2. Set up a mini process mapping session. 3. Follow a patient. 4. Be a patient . What resources you need Clipboard and paper (if doing it by yourself) or flipcharts, rolls of paper and post its. onsidered. Just because there is more detail, it does not (and should) not reflect everything. A judgement call needs to made on what actually would be useful and what is possible to undertake in the time that has been allocated. Tracking paperwork, samples, patients Potential impact (on patient journeys) through a system (see tracer studies to Reduces unnecessary delays, time lost due learn about this technique). to duplication and work that doesn't make sense or does not ‘add value'. Outcome A small number of pathways mapped ie 10 Strengths patient records along key steps and/or staff nteractions. Less resource intensive to set up. What it is A form developed to pick up information as something goes through the system. Collate the information and follow-up either through interviews or group discussion. Identifies steps that are hidden. Level of detail in a contained area. Some staff may feel this approach is more scientific as it focuses on what happened and when, adding weight to the findings. What resources you need Planning time and good communication (staff who are involved need to know what they need to do and why). Weaknesses A good form. Analysis time. Analysis time.Follow-up time (meeting or possibly interviews). Ownership of the results or findings less. Some people may say the sample size is too small. Using patient files and records Potential impact (on patient journeys) (see reviewing the patient pathway: mapping Standardises clinical practice / timescales at key stages of clinical pathway, reduces your last ten patients). unnecessary delays and work that doesn't ‘add value'. Outcome 10 records of patient journeys with timescales Strengths from a defined start and end point. What it is A review of patient records and a follow-up meeting to discuss findings.Relatively quick and easy to focus – it gi ves you a good starting point. Focus on clinically important events and when they happen. What resources you need Access to patient records (this isn't always Comparison across consultant. easy). Time to review the patient records. A room and the right people to discuss the Weaknesses results. Misses out the detail. Misses out the ‘why things happen'. People may say the sample size is too small. Walkthrough a patient journey / patient Potential impact (on patient journeys) shadowing (see process mapping – Reduces unnecessary delays, time lost due alternative ways). o duplication and work that doesn't make sense or doesn't ‘add value'. Delays reduced Outcome due to quality issues picked up from patients' Qualitative perspective of the patient's viewpoints. journey and interactions with staff. See also Strengths getting patient perspectives What it is Someone ‘shadows' a patient taking a tour of all of the steps or some steps in a patient's journey. You can al so walk through the journey talking to staff, but you will miss interaction between patients and staff. What resources you need Someone external to the team to carry out the walk through.Identifies issues that staff may be less happy to highlight in a bigger group. Quality focus. Identifies local solutions with staff that they can take forward. Good way for individuals in a team to see how other teams work. Some preparation. Weaknesses Agreement about what to do with the findings. General ownership of the insights Staff who are skilled at observing / gained (it is recommended someone interviewing doing the walk through. Permission from patients. external to the team does the walk Time to write it up. through). Shadowing does not necessarily provide representative views. Workflows (see spaghetti diagram)Outcome A picture of time wasted from walking / movement of things. Strengths What it is A picture of the actual movement of staff, patients or things eg X-rays through a department. Called a spaghetti diagram as that's what it often looks like. Results of improvements Better layout for a department or ward based on observations. Easy and quick to do. Visual picture reveals a lot and triggers much discussion. Weaknesses What resources you need Someone to observe the movement of the Also its strength – a single perspective person, patient or thing. Preparation and discussion time with team. Flipchart and pens.Compare with evidence based pathways Results following improvement Development towards evidence pathways. based Outcome A comparison of your clinical pathways with existing evidence based pathways. Strengths What it is Uses existing pathway work as a source of knowledge and ideas, links to pathway work: Focus on evidence based care and best practice. Simple vision for the future. Map of Medicine May get people ‘on the same page'. Delivering quality and value Cancer Services Collaborative Partnership Department of Health 18 week programme Weaknes ses NHS Library – Protocols and Pathways What resources you need Preparation.Access to the existing pathway. Meeting room and time with the right people. Flipchart. A focus on ‘right patient, right care, right time' (Source local evidence) May not pick up the reality of what is going on in your pathway (especially in support function).. Currently, only main pathways are available. You must know your own pathway to get the most from it. Care Pathway Analysis Tools Results following improvement Care pathway analysis tools allow health Depends upon the focus of the simulation systems to map out the patient journey as a and the changes made as a result. rocess map. You can then modify this to show the potential impact of new ways of Strengths working, or new technology and practice (see care pathway analysis). Displays ideas for improvement and potential impact without need to make What you get from the analysis actual changes on the ground. The anticipated impact prior to change. Done right, it can save significant resources eg you can see bottlenecks and anticipate the impact Helps to visualise benefits of change. of changes in work patterns around the Can prevent decisions that would make things worse rather than better. ottleneck. The discussions around the results usually What it is lead to direct improvement. It is a simulation software tool. A number of Weaknesses tools are now being developed for the NHS, Generally needs a lot of data and some such as the Scenario Generator. The NHS expertise from information and analytical Institute for Innovation and Improvement has departments as well as facilitation. acquired a free license for each SHA and All models represent a view of the world. The PCT. impact the model simulates may not be what happens.What resources you need Currently, free tools only have limited number Access to the simulation software. of pathways Reasonable standard of computer hardware Not available to some regions. to ensure si mulation runs quickly. You must know your own pathway to get the Analytical expertise. most from it. Additional data. Meetings to develop your model. Good understanding about the strengths and limitations of the approach. Examples â€Å"We want the simplest possible picture of how the process works, and simplest is the key word here.The aim of process mapping is to make things clear – to provide us with insight, and the best map is the simplest map that provides that insight. † The East Midlands Improvement Network Originally from Jones & Mitchell, Lean Enterprise Academy  © NHS Confederation. A high level value stream shows the time taken by each main party in an elective care pathway. This type of map can give you context for more detailed mapping exercises. What next? Be clear about your focus. If you are starting out, select an approach that will give you an overview of the whole pathway. Try to get an experienced facilitator on board to help you out.Be clear abo ut your objectives, ie ask what, why, when, where and how? For example, the scope of your project may be to reduce waiting times for radiology. You know mapping will help you. What do you do? A couple of high level maps would be a good place to 1. Describing the workflow of the department, around diagnostic tests 2. Describing the whole pathway for the most common test These would pick up areas for improvement that are straightforward (for example reducing the number of handovers) and may also pick up problem areas for more detailed mapping exercises.You should make improvements before you get to the next stage. The specific tools will guide you a bit more, but you may find it helpful to refer to the service improvement project guide as a checklist. Some tools that may help you Listening – the importance of this skill will help to ensure all participants' views are acknowledged Managing conflict may help with resistance to change Additional resources Websites: Map of Medicine Map of Medicine is linked to Connecting for Health and is currently available to organisations in the english NHS.NHS Scotland's Centre for Change and Innovation covers measurement, analysis, techniques and solutions for service improvement in health, including a section on mapping. Background The techniques described here originate in the main from the manufacturing industry, with a couple from social sciences. For example, the emphasis and term ‘value stream mapping' comes from an approach called Lean.Directly translated to health, this separates and maps out procedures and work processes that: Directly benefit patients (hands on time, decision making) Supports the benefit of patients (eg staff training) Does not benefit patients (eg time spent looking for something that isn't in the right place) Our knowledge about how to apply these approaches to improve health services is developing all the time. The foundation of this guide originates from the NHS Modernisation Agency, the National Clinical Governance Support Team and the learning and experience of work done by NHS organisations.At present, there is a strong influence from Lean and Six Sigma approaches to mapping pathways, procedures and work processes in healthcare. The other strong influence on health services is the development of evidence based clinical pathways. These are being developed as standardised pathways, using evidence developed by organisations like the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). Mapping has been used to illustrate the world and how things work pretty much since the beginning of time.Humans navigate by maps, as well as using them to illustrate and make sense of the world. Different maps have different perspectives and uses – which all combine to give us a more balanced overview of any given situation. Acknowledgements / sources The foundation of this guide originates from the NHS Modernisation Agency, the National Clinical Governance Support Team and t he learning and experience of work done by NHS organisations.  © Copyright NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2008  © Copyright NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2006-2012

Social Changes During the Trudeau Era

In 1999, the top Canadian newsmaker of the century was voted out and the glory fell to the charismatic former Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who was elected into office after WWII. Throughout that time period, Trudeau worked towards promoting countless emerging social issues in Canada in various ways, and greatly influenced the transformations of the nation into the one that is known now. Among those social changes were the arising force of feminism, the altering relationship with Quebec, and the growing cultural diversity within Canada. Soon after WWII, â€Å"The Second Wave† of feminism swept the decade and the rights of women were largely demanded by feminists. Pierre Trudeau realized that the unbalanced status between the sexes was in the need of change and encouraged feminism by supporting it with new laws and measures. In 1967, Pierre Trudeau gained himself much attention by introducing an omnibus bill as the Justice Minister. In the bill, he showed his views and suggestions to many concerned issues including abortion. The law stated that an abortion would be legal if approved by a committee of three doctors. However supported by feminists, the reform was doubted by the public. Trudeau stood firm and defended the bill with a famous saying, â€Å"there is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation† (CBC 1967). The bill was later passed and it granted more rights to women who then became supporters of Trudeau, out of reason over passion. After their basic rights were guaranteed, Trudeau turned to focus on the lack of equality for female workers. In 1970, women were paid 59 cents to each dollar a man earned for doing the same amount of work. In order to alter this situation, the Canadian Human Rights Act was passed under the Trudeau government. The Act prohibited sex discrimination, guaranteed equal pay for work of equal value and improved the status of female workers. In result, 47 percent of the married women were under employment in 1979, whereas eighteen years ago, only one in five of them were. From this information, it is clear that women were encouraged by the granted social rights which led to many changes in their lives. In the meanwhile, Trudeau supported feminism not only in the society, but also within the federal government. The first female governor general in the history of Canada, Jeanne Sauve, was appointed due to the recommendations of Trudeau to the Queen. In a speech, he stated that â€Å"it is right and proper that her Majesty should finally have a woman representative here† and that this would be a â€Å"welcome revolution† for the society (CBC 1984). This appointment entitled women the rights to be at high rank in the federal legislature. The carefully selected governor general had also been the first cabinet minister from Quebec, the first female Speaker of the House and the ideal candidate for the position. His actions revealed that the Prime Minister of Canada believed that women were as capable as men and should be promoted if ability is recognized. Therefore, Trudeau showed support to feminism and helped drive one of the most important social changes in those decades. As Trudeaumania swept up the nation, the Prime Minister was not only popular among men and women, old and young, but also supported in both western and eastern parts of Canada. As a federalist, he contributed greatly towards making changes and improving French-English relationship. He believed that it was important to make efforts in keeping Canada together after the testaments it had been faced with and the growing separatism in Quebec. Trudeau decided that the solution was to grant more rights to the Francophone. Therefore he promoted the status of French to a national basis, granting Francophone the language rights by passing the Official Languages Act. The law of 1969 transformed Canada into an official Bilingual nation. When the mixed criticizes appeared, he again defended the law by stating â€Å"of course a bilingual state is more expensive than a unilingual one, but it is a richer state† (Julian 14). This quote reflected his determination in promoting federalism and trust in the future of bilingualism in Canada. He was not alone. Among the Francophone, bilingual government services were extremely popular and were supported at a rate of 79 percent (Parkin 6). Later on, Trudeau and his government created the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in which the sections 16 to 22, specifically outlined the official language rights for Francophone again. This time the reform focused on the co-operation between federal and provincial governments to ensure the official bilingualism services in Canada. The goal included allowing both Francophone and Anglophone to preserve their basic language rights and cultural identity, regardless of their geographic location or language backgrounds. The bilingual law is still supported by 76 percent of Canadians today according to a poll in 2002, 35 years after its initiation (6). However back then, many separatists criticized on the reforms of Trudeau and some went into action. During the October Crisis, Prime Minister Trudeau refused to give in to the terrorists and he implemented the War Measures Act, ensuring the safety of Canadians from the extreme nationalists. â€Å"Just watch me† (CBC 1970), said Trudeau in an interview after the kidnapping of a provincial cabinet minister by the FLQ. He tried to protect the society from the threat that endangers French-English relationship, and he was supported by the Parliament and the Quebec Premiere. In all, Pierre Trudeau contributed with great efforts towards portraying French-English relationship and holding Canada together as a nation. Apart from his federalism, Pierre Trudeau also encouraged cultural diversity within Canada. He promoted multiculturalism and immigration policies. â€Å"I believe a constitution can permit the co-existence of several cultures and ethnic groups with a single state† (Craats 23), stated Trudeau. He foresaw the importance of multiculturalism and drove social changes in Canada with the passing of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. The Act encouraged and protected citizens from different cultural backgrounds in preserving their traditions. Under the Act, heritage language classes and various programs welcomed all residents and helped them feel comfortable in Canada. Also, the reform of Immigration Act was passed, allowing more immigrants to be admitted to Canada. The barriers were reduced and immigrants were separated into three classes: family class, humanitarian class and independent class. The basis of selection was broadened and it successfully attracted more immigrants. In 1970s, eighteen percent growth in total population appeared mostly because of immigration in the previous decade. After that, the Trudeau government passed the Citizen Act, which granted equal rights for all citizens. The law stated that native-born and naturalized Canadian citizens would both be entitled to citizenship rights and obligations equally. Citizens from foreign backgrounds were given the voting right, mobility right, language right and etc. This Act showed respect and recognition to all cultures based on multiculturalism. With efforts, Trudeau and his government created laws that drove many social changes by encouraging multiculturalism in society. As one of the most popular politicians in the history of this nation, Trudeau led Canadians through the difficult years after world war two, and left a permanent mark on its society. Throughout that time period, Canada was driven into changes mostly influenced by Trudeau in terms of feminism, federalism and multiculturalism. Those changes left great impacts and had altered the daily lives of Canadians ever since.

Kids Who Kill

Kids Who Kill Why Kids kill Over the past decades violent crimes committed by juveniles are on a steady rise. On almost every magazine cover and newspaper on almost any given day you can open it up and read how children as young as 6 are committing horrible violent crimes on almost a daily basis.Such reports are widespread and are regular topics to political officials, citizen action groups and or law enforcement officers. The Political officials are always promising a get-tough approach.According to the F.B.I, America experienced its highest Juvenile Violent Crime Arrest rate ever in 1990. 430 per 100,000 juveniles! The rate for Violent Crimes committed by juveniles, took a sharp turn upward among both Black and White youth, while it dropped for youth of all other races. Overall, arrests for Violent Crimes increased 44 percent for White youth, 19 percent for Black youth between 1980-1990, while only a 53 percent increase among those of the "Other Race" category.Map of violent crimes in 2005 in Ch icago community...All Violent Crimes except robbery, showed increases among all juveniles in the 1980's! Specifically, the arrest rate for Juvenile murder increased 145 percent for Black youth and 48 percent for White juveniles between 1965-1990. The overall murder arrest rate for juveniles increased 332 percent; accompanied by a 79 percent increase in the number of juveniles who committed murders with guns, in 1990. Almost three out of four juvenile murders used guns to commit their crimes! (violentkids.com) A study by the National Crime Analysis- Project, confirms the FBI report. In that study, researchers found that the number of seventeen-year olds arrested for murder increased 121 percent from 1985-1991, by 158 percent for sixteen-year olds, and by 217 percent for fifteen-year olds! As the trend goes, it appears to only get worse! It's been estimated that at least 100,000 students carry a gun...

The Audit Expectations Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Audit Expectations Gap - Essay Example Essentially, the basic issue was not fraud detection by the auditors but the alleged act of in concealment which done the damage. Nevertheless, there is still no conclusive empirical evidence in the literature about whether and how auditing mechanisms influence the performance and the value of the firms; and, about how these mechanisms interact (in a complementary or substitute way) (Bohern and Odegaard, 2003). There are no hard and fast rules for auditing, which can be prescribed for all the countries. These rules can be different for different countries according to their needs and cultural settings. According to ICAEW (2002) with all the contrasts present in the rules and regulations of different countries emphasis is given to generic auditing principles of responsibility, accountability, transparency and fairness. Accountability of the board to shareholders who have the right to receive information on the financial stewardship of their investment and exercise power to reward or remove the directors entrusted to run the company. Transparency of clear information with which meaningful analysis of a company and its actions can be made. The disclosure of financial and operational information and internal processes of management oversight and control enable outsiders to understand the organisation. Fairness that all shareholders are treated equally and have the opportunity for redress for violation of their rights. According to Meigs et al. (1999) this information meets the needs of users of the information-investors. Creditors, managers, and so on-and support many kinds of financial decision performance evaluation and capital allocation, among others. (P.07) In case of Enron as mentioned by Vinten all the above mentioned rules were broken by the governing bodies. The management of the corporation resolutely focused on maximising profits and a 'legal obligation to act in the best interests of its shareholders. By and large, this excluded the corporation to act ethically or socially responsibly'(Slapper and Tombs, 1999). (Shah, 2002) states that some Trans-national corporations make more in sales than the GDPs (Gross Domestic Product) of many countries. In fact, of the 100 hundred wealthiest bodies, 51 percent are owned by corporations. While this can be seen as a success story from some viewpoints, others suggest that these and other large corporations are largely unaccountable for the many social and environmental problems that they leave in their wake, and that their size means that their effects are considerable. The multinational corporations who naturally have vested interests in international development and trade policies (like any group) are able to deploy enormous financial resources in an attempt to get favourable outcomes. The political power that is therefore held by such a small number of people impacts the planet significantly. As a result a few of these corporations make up some of the most influential sources of political and economic

Partitioned views Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Partitioned views - Research Paper Example The tables that take part in the partitioned view have either the same or extremely alike structures as far as the names of the column, the types of data, the precision and scale are concerned. These needs to be similar if one wishes to have a read-only view or they must be the same if one wishes to allow updates in the course of the view (Views- Partitioned, 2012). In this organization, each of the servers that take part in the partitioned view are required to be linked as servers on the servers present locally where the view is identified. Portions of the entire set of data are contained in the tables on each of the servers. Thus a table can be split horizontally through the use of partitioned views enabling the achievement of the most advantageous performance. Partitioning column is referred to the column that performs the task of splitting the larger table into the smaller ones. The partitioned views are put into practice all the way through remote that is distributed queries (Views- Partitioned, 2012). â€Å"Partitioning  enables you to decompose very large tables and indexes into smaller and more manageable pieces called  partitions. Each partition is an independent object with its own name and optionally its own storage characteristics† (Partitions, Views, and Other Schema Objects, 2011). With the use of a partitioned view, partitioned data that are arranged horizontally are joined from a set of member tables transversely one or more servers, making it appear as if the data comes from a single table.  Federation of database servers, referring to the group of servers controlled autonomously, is capable of being implemented through the use of distributed partitioned views (Creating a Partitioned View, 2012). The advantages of partitioned views can be understood as follows (Partitioned Tables and Indexes, 2002): Data management operations are enabled through partitioned views. These include data loads, index creation and rebuilding. This also