Limits of local self-government in the provision of “personal” social service in Slovakia

Social services provide a person with intervention and care from society. By activating a person through the use of social services, an individual reintegrates into social functioning, where he finds his natural place and thus, through his actions, the society keeps developing. Conceptually and competently, local self-government has suitable conditions for its citizens to provide social services that respond to their needs, as well as taking into account how the citizens' needs are concretized and what the demand for them is. Here, however, there is a need for research and analysis of demand, which the municipality should carry out in search of the types and forms of social services that it wants to effectively provide for the citizen. The aim of the article is to determine; what are the limits of municipal self-government in providing "personal social services" in Slovakia. The research was focused on identifying the most common problems and the demand for social services in relation to municipalities. In the 5 author's questionnaires, we focused on the hierarchy of the number of problems expressed, which most often led to the municipal self-government-the executive body of the municipality, the mayor. On the hierarchy of the most common problems, sets of questions and items were compiled for their solution by the municipal self-government. The results showed that mayors are limited by law in the provision of social services, but are not able to provide social services for the category of unemployed in terms of citizen activation.

Child-Care Services and the Urban Labour Market. Part 1: The Urban Child-Care Market

In this two-part paper we examine some of the market characteristics of urban child-care services. Part 1 is concerned with theory. In it we review the contemporary child-care and preschool education service issue; consider questions of market efficiency and equity, and formulate these in a general equilibrium model which generates testable household labour-supply and service-supply functions. In part 2 we report on an empirical study in which aggregate versions of these functions are calibrated for the supply of labour from mothers with young children and for the supply of childminding services. We focus on the childminder sector, which is of interest as a personal social service that has traditionally been left to the private sector and as a private service with relatively easy entry and exit. These models yield interesting results which indicate on the one hand that access to child-care services is a binding constraint on female labour-market participation and on the other, that the supply of child-care services is quite unresponsive to demand.

Child psychiatry and child sexual abuse

In the light of new contexts, a working group of the Child and Adolescent Specialist Section of the College has produced a comprehensive new document reviewing the current role of child and adolescent psychiatry in the field of child sexual abuse. There is also mention of the role of general and forensic psychiatry. The need for this review has arisen due to major changes in health and personal social service provision, the law, developments in clinical practice and new research findings.

The Governance of Early Education Programs: A Case in Support of Public School Responsibility for Them

The governance of early childhood education is a public responsibility. The need exists for proactive local policy development and program management and for accountability of programs to the purpose of public policy. Public governance of education should be deliberate in order to assure that desired benefits are arranged for all children and their families. Such governance should also be taken cautiously through consideration of issues about (1) education as a personal social service, (2) the impact of educational structures on individuals and families, and (3) the use of preschool programs as a massive human experiment. Alternative ways to govern the education of young children are explored. A clear advantage appears possible for young children when policy decisions are made by persons close to those who are to receive their benefits.