scholarly journals Los Servicios Sociales: en el cambio integral de la Asistencia a la cohesión social

Author(s):  
María José Lacalzada de Mateo

La Constitución de 1978 marca un antes y un después para las políticas Sociales. Así mismo el Trabajador Social como profesional experimentará a partir de ahora cambios fundamentales en su formación y en su capacidad de intervención. El Estado Social de Derecho dentro de un sistema de Bienestar mixto es nuestro marco de referencia.La asistencia social como un derivado de la estructura de la Beneficencia tuvo un sentido fijado al socorro en necesidad extrema con cierta indefinición sobre su alcance durante la España de Franco. El recorte de derechos y libertades políticas se hizo notar en este nivel, adquiriendo ciertas connotaciones peculiares.Así mismo y en consecuencia el papel del Asistente Social quedaba muy limitado en sus recursos y condicionado a ciertos valores dominantes.El concepto de Servicios Sociales como derecho de la ciudadanía, su extensión y garantía jurídica así como las políticas encaminadas a favorecer la inclusión y cohesión social, han nacido y se están desarrollando con un sentido integral muy diferente en los últimos veinte años, quedando abierta la consecución de su madurez hacia el futuro Es interesante ofrecer a los estudiantes una perspectiva de análisis y reflexión de esta trayectoria enfocando la visión no hacia los �antecedentes� �consecuentes� y �evoluciones� como se suele mirar hacia �la historia� sino constatando la �mutación de la especie�. Creo que puede ayudar a fijar y entender en su medida el carácter y posibilidades que tiene hoy trabajo social, evitando lastres no deseados.The 1978 Constitution marks a tipping point for social policies. Likewise, as a professional, the social worker will experience fundamental changes in their training and in their ability to intervene.We take our frame of reference to be the Welfare State within a mixed welfare system.Social assistance as a derivative of the charity structure had a meaning associated with providing aid in the case of extreme necessity, and was somewhat ill defined with regard to scope during the Franco years in Spain. The cutting of political rights and freedoms was noticeable at this level, with its own peculiar connotations being felt in some aspects. Likewise, the role of Social Worker was consequently limited with respect to resources and constrained by certain dominant values.The concept of the Social Services as a citizen�s right, along with their scope and legal guarantees, plus the policies designed to foster social inclusion and cohesion, have been put in place and are now being applied across the board in a very different way than in the previous twenty years. The way is now open for them to be fully developed in the coming years.It is interesting to offer students a perspective of analysis and reflection concerning such developments. However, rather than focusing on �precedents�, �results� and �developments�, which is the normal approach to history, instead we concentrate on the �mutation of the species�. In my opinion, this can help to fix and understand the nature and potential of social work today, avoiding any unwanted burdens.

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-48
Author(s):  
Agota Giedrė Raišienė ◽  
Laura Gardziulevičienė

The phenomenon of the welfare state is characterized by complexity of indicators. To determine in which areas the country is closer to the welfare state, various areas of social policy are analysed. In this article, we set out to investigate one of them, i.e., the accessibility of social services for children with disabilities. The European Union ensures the basic preconditions for the well-being of children with disabilities and emphasizes the compatibility of health, social and educational services (European Commission, 2021). In addition, Member States are free to introduce specific measures for social inclusion (COM, 2021). The well-being of children with disabilities is inseparable from that of adults, usually the family in which the children live. Depending on the child’s disability, the family has to devote time to the child’s special needs, so opportunities to function in society, such as working and earning an income, become dependent on the social assistance received for the disabled child. Research shows that participation in labour market processes reduces the social exclusion of families with children with disabilities and improves quality of life indicators in general (Stefanidis & Strogilos 2020). However, analysis of good practice is more common, while information about the lack of services that parents face difficulties remains overboard. Thus, our research contributes to a better understanding of how families raising children with disabilities use state-provided social services and what solutions and measures are needed to improve the quality of life of children with disabilities and their relatives. The practical implications of our article are revealed through the possibility of more confidently shaping the decisions and measures of the welfare state.The article presents results of a survey of 68 families with disabled children. Our research was conducted in Druskininkai municipality which has typical infrastructure of social services for the disabled and their families in Lithuania.Our study has shown that social services in Lithuania poorly meet needs of families with disabled children. Though social inclusion is one of the most important features of the welfare state, the provision of social services to disabled and their families goes beyond the concept in Druskininkai municipality at least. Families have little information about social guarantees and support provided by the state and municipality. The families are limited to services reported by health care and education institutions. Moreover, the most significant problem hindering social integration of disabled and their families is a small portion of disabled children using services of day care centre. As a result, children suffer at risk of social exclusion while disabled children’s parents lack of opportunities to fully participate in the labour market.Based on the results of the study we state that increasing the availability of social services that meet the needs of families with disabled children is a necessary social policy solution, without which the development of a welfare state in Lithuania is hardly possible.


Author(s):  
Maryna Lekholetova

The article presents an analysis of different approaches of domestic scientists to the interpretation of the concept of «social work management». The author surveys the features of management as an object of governance in the activities of a social worker. Features include the social nature of management information; the need for motivation methods that effectively influences and motivates professionals to better results in social work; availability of social workers' professional competence; the presence of problems with forecasting the results of management in the social sphere; the importance of current and final management results. The author proves the necessity of social workers' self-management skills (time management, motivation, stress resistance and recuperation, development of emotional intelligence) for the effective performance of management tasks in professional activities.  The article highlights the principles that should be followed in solving organizational and managerial tasks in social work management (purposefulness, ability of realization, adaptability, efficiency). The researcher presents the structure of social work management methods in the study (economic, administrative, social counselling, psychological and pedagogical influence, social influence). Research characterizes the methods of social work management while working with recipients of social services (methods of individual social work, methods of group social work, methods of community work, methods of social service design).


Author(s):  
Fahri Özsungur

Social work plays an important role in managing the process of planning, supervising, and ensuring the sustainability of protective and supportive measures applied to children who are dragged into crime and in need of protection in order to prevent incompatibilities that may arise in society. Social workers are actors in the field in the execution of the process. In this chapter, these practitioners who have made significant contributions to social work by giving reports and opinions about the measures taken by the courts about the children dragged into crime, determining the criminal tendencies of the children and the necessary precautions and training, are examined closely in the context of the Turkish legal system. The chapter includes the issues of judicial control, protective and supportive measures, preparation of a plan for the implementation of cautionary decisions, confidentiality, the role of the social worker and the social worker board for children who are dragged into crime and in need of protection.


Author(s):  
Katarina H. Thorén ◽  
Pia Tham

This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in Sweden. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy and the welfare state in Sweden and by discussing the emergence of the social work profession in that country. The development of social work education in Sweden and its contemporary features are then depicted. Following these, the methodology and the findings of a study of the policy engagement of Swedish social work academics are presented. The findings relate to the levels of engagement in policy and the forms that this takes. The study also offers insights into various factors that are associated with these, such as perceptions, capabilities, institutional support and the accessibility of the policy process. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the findings and their implications.


Author(s):  
Andreas Herz ◽  
Stefan Köngeter

This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in Germany. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy and the welfare state in Germany and by discussing the emergence of the social work profession in that country. The unique features of social work education in Germany and the place of policy engagement in the social work discourse are depicted. Following these, the methodology and the findings of a study of the policy engagement of German social work academics are then presented. The findings relate to the levels of engagement in policy and the forms that this takes. The study also offers insights into various factors that are associated with these, such as perceptions, capabilities, institutional support and the accessibility of the policy process. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the findings and their implications.


1989 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney Lowe

ABSTRACTBetween 1955–7 welfare expenditure in Britain came under serious attack. The main protagonist was the Treasury and its chosen implement a five-year review of the social services, to be presided over by a ministerial Social Services Committee. The attack rebounded, for the Committee provided the opportunity for the consolidation of the defence of welfare expenditure and for a frontal attack on Treasury assumptions. This neglected episode in Conservative government social policy places in historical context the early defeat of monetarism (with Thorneycroft's resignation in 1958) and provides the background to the establishment of the Plowden Committee and of the Public Expenditure Survey Committee. It also raises questions about the degree of post-war consensus and the failure to make the constructive development of the welfare state an objective of ‘conviction’ politics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-271
Author(s):  
Ada Filipaj ◽  
Marko Buljevac

PROVIDING SOCIAL SERVICES TO CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: THE ROLE OF A SOCIAL WORKER EMPLOYED IN A SOCIAL WELFARE INSTITUTION The aim of this paper is to present social worker’s job in social facility for children with developmental disabilities. The work of a social worker is described through its parts: work with users, work with user’s families, cooperation with various formal support providers, counselling, and finally social worker as a member of the professional team. These parts of the work are described and problematized. In the last part of this paper, the most common problems faced by social worker in his daily work are problematized. Key words: social work with families of children with developmental disabilities; social work in social facilities; social worker job description


Author(s):  
Jean K. Quam

Mary Antoinette Cannon (1884–1962) was a social worker and educator who helped develop medical social work. She created courses in psychiatry and medicine in schools of social work and helped establish the Social Services Employees Union.


2020 ◽  
Vol 691 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-173
Author(s):  
Lihi Lahat

Many welfare states have increased their regulatory role, but little attention has been given to historical changes in the regulatory role of government ministries. This study embraces a mezzo perspective and explores the regulatory role of the Welfare Ministry of Israel in the field of personal social services, asking the following questions: 1) What are the changes in regulatory expectations versus practices over the last five decades? and 2) How can we explain these changes and their outcomes? The study is based on the qualitative analysis of comptroller reports and other resources. It reveals a growing gap between society’s expectations of the Ministry as a regulator and the Ministry’s capacities over five decades. Notably, it points to the variety of regulatory spaces that have appeared in a regulatory welfare state. The Israeli case is relevant for other countries that have experienced processes of outsourcing and privatization in the welfare state and whose ministries had to change their role.


Author(s):  
Sana Loue

The strengths-based approach to the provision of social work services is said to rest on a respect for the worth and dignity of every individual and a concern that every individual be able to fulfill his or her potential. The strengths perspective transforms the role of the social worker role from that of an authority to that of a collaborator and seeks to facilitate client identification of internal and external strengths and resources and delineation of goals. Numerous criticisms have been raised about the approach, which has not been standardized in practice and has not been systematically evaluated through rigorous research to ascertain the effects of the approach or its acceptability to clients. As a consequence, numerous ethical issues are raised, including questions relating to client self-determination and informed consent. Additional research is needed to further evaluate the value of this perspective to client growth and development.


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