scholarly journals The what, how and who of social service design

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieke VAN DER BIJL-BROUWER
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Important Type ◽  
Service Consumer ◽  
Design Expertise ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
Chronic Health Problems

Services are an important type of intervention used to address complex societal problems such as chronic health problems and climate change. Social services are defined as services that have a social purpose, and are based on high-quality social interactions between service deliverer and service consumer. This paper shows through three case studies what we are designing, how we design, and who designs when designing social services. The case studies show that while some are focused on the interface between service deliverer and consumer, an important type of intervention is a ‘social infrastructure’, which is a structured way of bringing service deliverers together to incrementally redesign their own service. Practices that support the design of social services include: developing a deep understanding of the needs of both service consumers and service deliverers, using design expertise to frame complex problems, and playing an active role in prototyping and implementing the intervention.

The Development of the Communication Skills of Individuals Living in Homes for People with Disabilities

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-70
Author(s):  
Petr Kopečný
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Educational Support ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Given

This paper concentrates on the area of special educational support provided to individuals living in homes for people with disabilities in the Czech Republic and presents partial research results illustrating the state of the provision of speech therapy to users of social services facilities falling under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The subject of the research is an analysis of support for the development of the communication skills of pupils living in social services facilities. The partial results of the research outline the approaches employed by the managerial staff of the given facilities in implementing special educational procedures, describe forms of speech therapy provision in homes for people with disabilities, and compare the attitudes of teachers and social services staff to the development of communication with the importance attributed to it by speech therapists and demonstrated by the case studies performed.

scholarly journals Negotiating Quality for Social Work: A Participatory Research Project in South Tyrol

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 505-514
Author(s):  
Walter A. Lorenz ◽  
Silvia Fargion ◽  
Urban Nothdurfter ◽  
Andrea Nagy ◽  
Elisabeth Berger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Starting Point

Purpose: The measurement of quality in social work practice has become an area of growing interest and relevance in the social services field. Our starting point is that quality in interventions with human beings has to be defined in ways that incorporate the multiple perspectives of all the subjects involved. Methods: The study, adopting qualitative and quantitative methods, explored issues of quality in social services provision in South Tyrol in Italy from the point of view of the main stakeholders. Results: It was possible to identify four dimensions of quality that stakeholders considered important: the political role of practitioners, the ability to take an active role in the organization, the capacity to connect with other professionals, and the quality of direct relationships with users. Conclusions: Results provide an understanding of the common and differing expectations evident in stakeholders’ perspectives and ideas for better quality systems

Accountability and governance in social care: the impact of personalisation

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Bracci
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Public ◽  
Governance Process ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to illustrate the changing structure of accountability under a new public governance agenda introduced in England to deliver social care through personal budgets. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on accountability and public governance literature, in particular, the accountability framework proposed by Hupe and Hill. The evidence was gathered from exploratory case studies conducted in two English County Councils. Findings – The introduction of personal budgets has modified the roles of the different actors involved in the co-production of social services. The case studies evidence changes in the accountability and governance process, particularly with respect to the personal budget regime that has devolved responsibility and accountability to the customer. Specifically, the customer's role has shifted and expanded in the accountability chain and thus developed into a partnership. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to analyse the relationship between the personalisation agenda in English social services and the relevant accountability mechanisms involved. Moreover, the paper refines the theoretical framework proposed by Hupe and Hill according to the different role the public now plays.

scholarly journals Social infrastructure of territorial communities: interests of stakeholders

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
L. Benovska
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Socially Responsible Investments ◽  
Alternative Sources

The paper clarifies the main problems of the development of social infrastructure of territorial communities, associated with high levels of wearing and low energy efficiency of institutions, disorder of property relations, low level of budget funding and lack of effective incentives to attract alternative sources of funding, imperfect system of territorial location institutions of social sphere. The reformation of administrative and territorial decentralization promotes strengthening of the local authorities role in the management of social infrastructure, increasing the autonomy of institutions and active involvement of public in solving problems of their management. The success of the territorial community development depends not only on the availability of the developed social infrastructure, but also on the community ability to turn it into the development asset. This requires improving the efficiency of management, reconciling the interests of all stakeholders in identifying ways to develop it, and finding effective forms of interaction. The paper identifies and analyzes the interests and conflicts of interest of the main stakeholders of the territorial communities social infrastructure. The main forms of their interaction such as: public and private partnership, social entrepreneurship, social order, socially responsible investments, community funds, public funding (crowdfunding) are analyzed. In the author’s opinion, the directions of improving the management of territorial communities social infrastructure are as follows: searching effective forms of interaction between the state, public, business, which would ensure the development of social infrastructure of community, contribute to the expanding of access and increase the quality of social services, bring their quantitative and qualitative parameters to the standarts of developed countries; maximum balancing of territorial proportions with real demand in social infrastructure institutions; streamlining the ownership to the social infrastructure facilities and eliminating conflicts of interest of management entities at different levels; increasing the efficiency of budget financing by streamlining the network of institutions and bringing it in line with the demographic situation in the community, the labor market.

Teacher Education and its Effects on Teaching and Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annemarie Palincsar ◽  
Gabriel DellaVecchia ◽  
Kathleen M. Easley
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Achievement ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Codified Knowledge

Exploring the relationships between teacher education, teaching, and student achievement is a complex undertaking for a host of reasons, including the complexity of teaching, the number of different approaches to teacher education, the challenges associated with measuring teacher knowledge and teacher effectiveness, and the multiple mediators that operate in the study of teaching and learning. Teaching expertise requires technical skills that support instruction, theoretical knowledge, codified knowledge that guides professional decision-making, and critical analysis, which, in turn, informs the enlistment of technical skills and the development of codified knowledge. There is little consensus regarding the specific teacher characteristics that consistently lead to student achievement, although one hypothesis that has received considerable attention in the literature is the importance of teacher subject-matter knowledge. One of the challenges to making definitive statements regarding teacher education and its effects on teaching is that there are multiple approaches to teacher training. These approaches differ in terms of the candidates recruited, admission requirements, course content, the duration of training, the roles and extent of field-based experiences, and relationships with schools. Among claims regarding alternative preparation programs (i.e., programs that are not university-based), for which there is emerging support, is that alternative route teacher education programs are attracting a pool of prospective teachers of diverse age and ethnicity. Furthermore, alternatively certified teachers are choosing to teach in urban settings or settings with large numbers of minoritized students. With respect to measuring the effects of teacher education, a number of methods have been deployed including correlational studies investigating, for example, the relationship between the number of reading courses a teacher has taken and student performance on reading assessments, descriptive case studies of educational systems that are identified as successful, syllabus studies, and quasi-experimental studies. The field is developing more sophisticated and comprehensive measures and methods, as well as theoretical constructs to guide the study of teacher education and its effects on teaching and learning. The study of teacher education and its effects on student learning will benefit from the use of multiple methods—for example, large-scale studies complemented by carefully constructed case studies. In addition, this area will benefit from interdisciplinary scholarship by teams that include scholars who have a deep understanding of teaching and learning, adult development, school systems, and economics so that the field can acquire a more coherent and comprehensive understanding of the complexity of becoming a teacher.

scholarly journals Addiction and Recovery: Perceptions among Professionals in the Swedish Treatment System

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 51-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Samuelsson ◽  
Jan Blomqvist ◽  
Irja Christophs
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Treatment System ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Hard Drugs ◽  
Professional Treatment ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
Addiction Care

Aims The objective of the study was to explore perceptions of different addictions among Swedish addiction care personnel. Data A survey was conducted with 655 addiction care professionals in the social services, health care and criminal care in Stockholm County. Respondents were asked to rate the severity of nine addictions as societal problems, the individual risk to getting addicted, the possibilities for self-change and the perceived significance of professional treatment in finding a solution. Results The images of addiction proved to vary greatly according to its object. At one end of the spectrum were addictions to hard drugs, which were judged to be very dangerous to society, highly addictive and very hard to quit. At the other end of the spectrum were smoking and snuff use, which were seen more as bad habits than real addictions. Some consistent differences were detected between respondents from different parts of the treatment system. The most obvious was a somewhat greater belief in self-change among social services personnel, a greater overall change pessimism among professionals in the criminal care system and a somewhat higher risk perception and stronger emphasis on the necessity of treatment among medical staff. Conclusion Professionals' views in this area largely coincide with the official governing images displayed in the media, and with lay peoples' convictions.

scholarly journals ПРОСТОРОВІ ФАКТОРИ ОЦІНЮВАННЯ КОМФОРТНОСТІ МІСЬКОГО СЕРЕДОВИЩА ВЕЛИКОЇ МІСТА

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-75
Author(s):  
Валерій Петрович Сидоров ◽  
Павло Юрійович Ситніков
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Large City ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Spatial Factors ◽  
Effective Combination ◽  
State Of The Environment

The conditions and spatial factors for the implementation of national projects are considered. On the example of a large city, the factors of the comfort of the urban environment of a large city are assessed. Variants of effective combination of spatial urban complexes are identified. The purpose of the article is to analyze the spatial factors of assessing the comfort of the urban environment in a large city. The subject of the research is the process of assessing the comfort of the urban environment in a large city. Analytical, historical, statistical, logical, comparative methods were used as research methods. Research hypothesis. By the comfort of the urban space, the authors understand not only the level of the amenities of the adjoining territories, which the developers create at a high aesthetic and practical level. This refers to the convenience of receiving social services and their transport accessibility. Therefore, having successfully sold apartments of the first stage, the developer may and is faced with the problem of selling apartments of the second and subsequent stages of construction. Presentation of the main material. The authors of the article propose to use the original aggregate indicator for the purposes of assessing the comfort of the city - the index of the comfort of the urban environment, with a form already successfully tested in other studies, consisting of 35 private indicators combined into 7 sections: geographical location, level of development of public transport, state of the environment. environment, the level of development of social infrastructure (combined in 3 sections), the arrangement of the adjoining space. Originality and practical value. The problem of the housing stock deficit is gradually weakening and replaced by the problem of the excess of the supply of housing over the demand for it. In the new conditions, a potential buyer of an apartment is interested not only and not so much in its size and price, but also in the environment surrounding the chosen house. On the other hand, the commercial interest of the developer was traditionally manifested in the desire to sell the apartment soon. Research conclusions and prospects for further research. The comfort of the urban environment is becoming an increasingly monetized element of the total cost of purchased housing. Competent use of information about it makes it easier for the developer to offer and sell a particular apartment. In addition, the indicator of the comfort of the urban environment can be actively used in applied studies, for example, in geomarketing research.

scholarly journals SOCIAL WORK WITH A DEPRESSED CLIENT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Michaela Šuľová
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Social Intervention ◽  
Stressful Situation ◽  
Triggering Mechanism ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression

Mental health is a fragile area. One of the frequent psychical illnesses is depression which means decline, uneasiness, anxiety. Many people develop a psychical illness during their life, whereby the triggering mechanism can be different stressful situation. Thus, many people with psychical illness become clients of social services facilities. This way the client comes into contact with social workers, which should be ready for their work (or rather mission) professionally and personally. They should be familiar with a range of approaches, methods and techniques, which they can implement based on the client’s individual needs within social intervention, in order to improve the client’s quality of life. The aim of our research is to determine what approaches and methods are used in social work with depressed clients. As a research method we use the analysis of professional materials and case studies, which focused on the application of methods of social work with clients with depression. The article has theoretical and research parts. In the theoretical part we introduce the diagnostics and symptoms of depression. In the research part we analyze the approaches and methods, used in social work with a depressed client. Then we present case studies, which are focused on the application of methods of social work with clients with depression.

PP123 Triangulate, Converge, Assess, And Recommend (TCAR): Evaluation Method

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (S1) ◽  
pp. 113-113
Author(s):  
Sylvie Beauchamp ◽  
Martin Drapeau ◽  
Carmen Dionne
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
The Social

Introduction:Methods to assess evidence and to use that evidence to inform practices and policies are under developed in the area of social services. Although health professions have developed robust methods in recent decades to collect, analyze and synthesize scientific evidence and to inform clinical recommendations, the use of these methods often remains difficult in social services. A taskforce was implemented to address this and to propose a method that may be more appropriate for the social sciences.Methods:The project was comprised of four steps: (i) performing a qualitative review of discussions between experts, (ii) designing a cognitive map of the data, (iii) conducting a systematic literature search, and (iv) comparing the data from the meetings with experts with the scientific literature. These steps were completed using the grounded theory approach. In order to test the method developed, focus groups were then conducted and four case studies were used to assess the evidence and provide recommendations for youths with mental health problems and for elderly care.Results:Although robust scientific data remain crucial when developing recommendations for practice, results showed that these data are incomplete if considered alone, and that contextual (circumstances in which the intervention is delivered) and experiential data (how the intervention is perceived by stakeholders) must also be taken into consideration. A method to triangulate these three types of data is proposed. Using this technique, the value of the data is established by means of various measurements that converge towards the same result or that provide a consistent overall picture or some important nuances that need to be considered, as illustrated by the four case studies.Conclusions:The proposed method can be used to address the limitations that are inherent to the use of techniques and procedures drawn from the medical field when assessing evidence and developing recommendations for the social sciences. The case studies that the proposed method is not only a viable option to methods drawn from medicine, but also adds to the quality of the recommendations that are made and is more congruent with the epistemology of social sciences.

scholarly journals Using Reflexive Interviewing to Foster Deep Understanding of Research Participants’ Perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 160940691882502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Sandro Gomes Pessoa ◽  
Erin Harper ◽  
Isabela Samogim Santos ◽  
Marina Carvalho da Silva Gracino
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Research Questions

It is usual that researchers, in the process of transcribing interviews or even during data analysis, realize that important issues were superficially mentioned by the interviewees, but for several possible reasons, these topics were not explored by the researcher in-depth or properly. It is also common during the interview to not realize that certain content evoked by the participants are connected to the research questions that originated the study. Similarly, some content brought in by the interviewees may seem confusing, contradictory, or even insufficient to be subjected to protocols of qualitative data analysis. This article aims to present a technique that allows researchers to have a deeper and more accurate understanding of the subjective topics that may emerge through a qualitative approach: the reflexive interview. This technique consists of the engagement of the interviewer and interviewee in the process of elaboration and collective understanding of the interviewee’s perspectives and experiences. Rather than only reporting their experiences descriptively, interviewees, with the support of interviewers, have the opportunity to share the meanings of the reality surrounding them and the events of their own lives, without being interpreted arbitrarily only by the interviewer. This article intends to conceptualize the reflexive interview, pointing out its benefits and the procedures necessary to employ it in a qualitative study. Two case studies are presented to the reader to illustrate the reflexivity processes that can engage participants through this resource, as well as how reflexive interviewing promotes a deep understanding of participants’ perspectives. Finally, general recommendations are provided, including examples of questions that can compose a script of a reflexive interview. It is hoped that this article provides a new resource for researchers interested in more accurately embodying participants’ perspectives and experiences.

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