Abstract The discrepancy between the spiritual beliefs and practices of the general population and the willingness of social workers to address them can limit effective practice. A critical factor inhibiting the use of spirituality is the inaccurate impression that various religious beliefs conflict with the philosophy and values of social work. This paper proposes a cross‐cultural model that can be used to increase the comfort of social workers in integrating the spiritual dimension of clients’ lives in practice. The paper then applies the model to the assessment of clients who hold a belief within each of four faith traditions, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestant Christianity.

Summary Children whose parents experience a divorce or separation frequently do not have a voice during the legal proceedings that determine custody and visitation. This paper describes one program that serves to give a voice to the children in these situations. Heritage House, a supervised visitation and custody exchange program, was established as a way to improve the quality of parents' and children's interactions and decrease the potential for violence while maintaining parent/child ties. The initial evaluation of this program is discussed along with the implications of the program's design and operationalization for other programs. Keywords: Collaborationsocial serviceslawhigh‐conflict divorcesupervised access/custody exchange

Abstract Inasmuch as social work practice is influenced by the context in which it is performed, it will in some way be influenced by the prevailing belief systems in a country. This article presents some of the context influencing social work in Norway. Even though Norway has a State Church based on the Evangelical‐Lutheran faith, the training of social workers is particularly inclusive of neither a religious nor a spiritual perspective. Religion and spirituality are not a central part in social work practice. We might rather hypothesize that the State Church and its influence on K‐12 education makes religion and culture so intertwined that it is hard to separate them from each other, and that this blend creates a negative alertness for religion and spirituality in general.

Abstract Abstract This article explores the tenets that support the history of faith‐based social services in the United States and highlights the role of faith‐based organizations, which have a long and respected tradition in service provision. These tenets are rooted in the religious and secular precepts of duty, obligation, charity, responsibility, participation, community, and justice. As basic as these concepts are, the 2001 political debate about extending public support of faith‐based services has proven to be divisive rather than unifying. The concepts and practice of, and experience with, faith‐based services provide an important perspective by which to view and assess the 2001 Bush initiative to expand the use of faith‐based groups in the provision of social services. There is an inherent danger in raising expectations about the ability of faith‐based groups to meet social service needs and to do so "better" than other nonprofit or government agencies. Based on this review of the purposes, history, and current capacity of faith‐based groups, implications are identified and future scenarios offered in regard to an extended role of religious groups in service provision. Keywords: Faith‐based servicessectarian social servicesreligious charitiesfaith‐based initiative

Summary Formal definitions of justice calling us to “render the other their due” are elastic, given shape by our grasp of the moral bonds connecting persons and the relationship between this virtue and other moral habits, affections, or the concrete experience of our lives. This paper, written for a conference on education to justice in Jesuit Universities, examines nine theories of justice (Utilitarianism, Libertarianism, Social Contract, Complex Equality, a Feminist Ethics of Care, Christian Realism, Catholic Social Thought, Liberation Theology, and a Biblical notion of justice) in light of their perspective on the rights and duties persons have to one another and the relationship of justice to compassion and the affections.

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER ISSUES IN SOCIAL WORK: COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH ANNOTATIONS. Compiled by James I. Martin and Ski Hunter. Alexandria, VA: Council on Social Work Education, 2001, 52 pp., $13.00 (paper). SOCIAL WORK WITH THE FIRST NATIONS: A COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH ANNOTATIONS. Compiled by Joyce Z. White. Alexandria, VA: Council on Social Work Education, 2001. 73 pp., $13.00 (paper). FAITH, SPIRITUALITY AND MEDICINE: TOWARD THE MAKING OF A HEALING PRACTITIONER. By Dana King, MD. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press, Inc., 2000. 126 pp., $49.95 (cloth), $15.95 (paper). SPIRITUALITY IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: NARRATIVES FOR PROFESSIONAL HELPING. Edited by Sonia L. Abels. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Company, 2000. 131 pp., $19.95 (paper). BOWLING ALONE: THE COLLAPSE AND REVIVAL OF AMERICAN COMMUNITY. By Robert D. Putnam. New York: Touchstone Books, Simon & Schuster, 2001. 541 pp., $16.00 (paper). PEACEFUL REVOLUTION: CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AND AMERICAN CULTURE FROM PROGRESSIVISM TO THE NEW DEAL. By Maxwell Bloomfield. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. 209 pp., $35.00 (cloth). SACRED MOMENTS, HOLY DAYS: STORIES OF LIFE, SERVICE AND GRACE. By Michael Maiello. Franklin, WI: Sheed and Ward, 2001. 120 pp., $16.95 (paper). SURVIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE IN POVERTY. By Ronald Paul Hill. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2001. 175 pp., $22.95. PARISH SOCIAL MINISTRY: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS. By Tom Ulrich. Notre Dame, IN, 2001. 121 pp., $15.95 (paper). THEOLOGY AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. Edited by Michael Horace Barnes. The College Theology Society Annual, Vol. 46. Mary‐knoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001. 317 pp., $20 (paper).

Summary Many social work practitioners see social support groups as a mainstay of direct/clinical practice yet make little or no connection between their work with these groups and social justice practice. This article examines a community‐based support group process for women ex‐offenders and family members that integrates social justice activities. It focuses on the women ex‐offenders as group facilitators, advocates, and community educators. The research also highlights their specific social change activities and suggests complementary activities for social justice practitioners working with them.

Abstract Randomly sampled Catholic priests functioning in parishes throughout the United States were surveyed to determine who they believed should assist people in 13 moral, emotional, familial, and personal problem‐situations. To each problem situation, respondents were asked to choose one of the following four options: (1) a priest; (2) a priest with advanced mental health training in clinical social work, counseling, psychology or psychiatry; (3) a lay mental health professional; or (4) these specific situations should be handled by the person alone and without skilled help. The findings indicate that priest‐respondents believed that moral problems such as marrying a non‐Catholic (92.0%) and conflict over birth control (78.9%) should be handled by priests, whereas severe emotional problems (74.9%), spousal abuse (62.8%), personal alcohol abuse (59.3%), abnormal grief reactions (54.8%), and teenagers using drugs (52.3%) should be referred to lay professionals. “Hearing the voice of God” and “seeing Jes...