I chose a journal article co-authored by Callahan, M. & Lumb, C. (1995), titled: “My Cheque and My Children: The Long Road to Empowerment in Child Welfare.” The article can be found via:

http://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2152/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=3d6ac9ab-ff65-486e-85c7-6bc6b39d1bca%40sessionmgr4007&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=24227297&db=a9h

 

The following, is my appraisal of the article;

 

Authority

At the time of publication, Callahan, M. was an associate professor at the University of Victoria School of Social Work in Victoria, British Columbia. Her co-author; Lumb, C., was a social worker at the Ministry of Social Services also at British Columbia. The article was based upon a two-year research project in a government child welfare agency, involving child welfare workers and women, who were single parents’ resident in the same province as the authors. Internet searches show that Callahan, M., is an award-wining authority in the field of social welfare and is considered a pioneer in the treatment of sex offenders. The co-author, Lumb, C., was an experienced social worker at the time. The article has fifty-two citations in different journals; this, I believe further establishes the authority of the authors.

 

Currency

The article was published in 1995. Clearly, it is an outdated article given that it is now over twenty years old.

 

Purpose

The article examined the gap between social workers who are mostly women, and their clients, mostly female and single parents. Principles on child welfare from a previous research; [Child welfare worker, Callahan et al. 1994] were applied in order to find more effective methods of empowerment that actively involve social workers and their clients.

 

The authors targeted a public audience; social workers, their managers and policy makers in social welfare. They also make extensive use of previous research and data gathered from a government child welfare agency, for two years. The authors were clearly unbiased, this was evident in the tone of the article, their findings and research methods.

 

Content, publication type / process

The content of the article reveals a research question followed by research methods, insights and clear answers to the question. It contains twenty-seven references, it is peer-reviewed and was published by the Child Welfare League of America Inc. This clearly suggests a comprehensive research study.

 

Bias and special interests

The interpretation of research results and study design reflected absolutely no bias on the part of the authors. All findings were backed by traceable data and also results from other research sources, where applicable.

 

References

Callahan, M. & Lumb, C. (1995). My Cheque and My Children: The Long Road to Empowerment in Child Welfare. Child Welfare, 74(3),795-819

 

Link: https://create.twu.ca/ldrs591-sp18/unit-2-learning-activities/