The elderly citizens’ social support of in the emotional and psychological sphere

The article is devoted the actual problem – the satisfaction of elderly citizens with emotional and psychological support from the social service system. The article presents the results of the qualitative research (interview) as part of the research group at the Department of Sociology of Social Work of Saratov State University in Saratov and the region. On the basis of the qualitative methodology, the groups of elderly citizens who need emotional and psychological assistance are studied and the level for the need for specialized psychological assistance for the elderly is identified.

The potential of mentoring and befriending as a complementary form of support for a professional social service system

Contemporary reality brings many adverse social phenomena, both for individuals and entire groups. The assistance provided by professional support systems are insufficient as in Poland as in the world. The important role of professionally organized volunteering in solving social problems is emphasized in the context of implementing tasks in the field of social services. Noteworthy proposal successfully implemented in United Kingdom are mentoring and befriending programs functioning there as a standard of assistance to people at risk of social exclusion. This form of volunteering is still little known in Poland and mentoring programs are not popular. It is difficult to find works in Polish on studies related to volunteering in the form of befriending and mentoring. Therefore, the article is to fill the gap in this regard. The article presents the assumptions, organization, forms of this type off support as well as its benefits and limitations basing mainly on the example of the solutions used in United Kingdom. Considering the growing demand in Poland for measures preventing social exclusion or supporting the process of (re)integration, the British examples as well as the existing conceptualisations and practices related to mentoring and befriending may be used as inspiration.

Implementing choice-based models of social service: The importance of involving people who use services in reform processes

This article focuses on the opportunities and challenges of introducing choice-based models of social services. Research has found that these models often provide better outcomes and are cost-effective, but the pace of their introduction is generally slow. There are often very deeply held assumptions about the capacity of the people using these services and the potential for change within the existing social service system. Using institutional and social movement theory, the authors seek to explain these barriers to change. Drawing on the experience of supporting the national roll-out of choice-based models in Ireland, the authors propose a number of strategies to accelerate the introduction of these types of models into social services. The authors find that one of the key ways to accelerate reform and reduce transition costs is design processes which have the voice of service users at the centre of the reform process.

The role of social partnership in modernizing the system of social services for older persons

The article considers the role of social partnership in the modernization of the social service system for older people. It is noted that changes in the social sphere are necessary not because the social service system does not cope with its tasks, but because the changed reality, social problems and needs of older people make new demands on it.