<p>The main aim of this study was to explore lived experiences of unaccompanied foreign minors in South Africa from a social work perspective. An important goal was to also explore the lack of guidelines on how to assist these young people. This study was conducted in a Children&rsquo / s Shelter, which is situated in the North-Eastern outskirts of Polokwane, where a group of unaccompanied refugee children from Zimbabwe were living. This study was qualitative and explorative in nature. Non-probability sampling was used to select participants for the study. Ten children were selected, ranging from age 14 to 18 years. Semi-structured interviews with the children and a focus group discussion with five care workers were held. Thematic analysis was used. The findings of this study revealed that services by government social workers are limited compared to those from social workers employed with nongovernmental organisations. It is hoped that this study will assist government and other role players in planning, advocacy and policy development related to the issues affecting unaccompanied refugee children.</p>

This study, conducted in Pietermaritzburg and surrounding rural and township areas, is a critical exploration of the training of mid-level Community Based Rehabilitation workers with a specific focus on the ability of course participants to understand and address the oppression and empowerment of people with disabilities. The aim of the study was to develop a conceptual framework for curriculum construction of a midlevel Community Based Rehabilitation course, through examining a Community Based Rehabilitation course and the changes that were made to it. The study was conducted within a critical theory paradigm. The social model of disability and an understanding of disability as a form of oppression were the key constructs that guided the research. Participatory action research was used in the initial phase of the research, followed by a second phase that adopted a life history approach. The initial phase of the study consisted of one cycle of action research, beginning with a reflection on the existing curriculum. The action research cycle then moved through stages of planning changes to the curriculum, implementing the changes, observing the effects of the changes and reflecting again. Data collection comprised interviews with staff members, students and community rehabilitation facilitators who had previously completed the Community Based Rehabilitation course, as well as focus groups with people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. Several participatory rural appraisal techniques were also used with the students. The action research cycle raised further questions about how the life experiences of the students influenced their responses to the changed curriculum. This stimulated the development of the second phase of the research which used life history methodology, comprising in-depth interviews with four students. The study found that several changes occurred in the students’ attitudes and understanding as well as in some of the activities they undertook. Some students worked with rather than for people with disabilities, indicating a change in the power relationship with their clients. The students were able to analyse their own oppression and that of people with disabilities, unlike previous students. The students also engaged in social action for the rights of people with disabilities. These findings cannot be solely attributed to the changes in curriculum. However, they raise the possibility that Community Based Rehabilitation personnel can work to address the oppression of people with disabilities rather than focusing entirely on technical rehabilitation, which is a common approach in the literature. An analysis of the life histories revealed that those students identified as ‘activists’, more willingly engaged in social action during the Community Based Rehabilitation course than other students. This challenges the dominant discourse in the literature of Community Based Rehabilitation personnel as rehabilitation workers rather than activists. One key contribution of this thesis is to research methodology through its combination of life history methodology and action research in the study. A second is its proposed framework for curriculum construction that incorporates findings from the action research and the life histories. This framework, with its macroenvironment, organisational and student influences on the curriculum, contributes to the under-theorised field of Community Based Rehabilitation training. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu Natal, 2008.

Remiantis mokslinės literatūros analitiniu apibendrinimu ir kokybiniu tyrimu, siekiama atskleisti psichikos negalios asmenų požiūrį į gaunamas paslaugas.Tyrimo metu taikytas struktūruotas interviu. Atlikus tyrimą nustatyta su kokiomis funkcionavimo problemomis susiduria psichikos sergantys psichikos ligomis (šizofrenija, depresija), kokios jiems reikalingos socialinės paslaugos, taip pat aptarti bendravimo ypatumai neformalioje aplinkoje. / In the article are analysing persons having mental disabilities needs to get the social service. Also discussing what kind off difficulties they meet with. On the basis of scientific literature and quantitative study care out in the employment study in Vilnius Republican psychiatric hospital aim to uncover the mental incapacity of persons approach to push social services. Investigation, used the interview questionnaire for mental disability for individuals. Quantitative study was selected the respondents who could be the available sources of information, because they are experts of this sphere.

Currently human trafficking is named the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. It is the second largest social problem in the global community, just behind narcotics and drug trade. Approximately 70% of trafficking is in the form of sexual exploitation. Victims of human trafficking often go undetected because of the deceptive nature of the crime, however once identified there are social services available to help re-integrate these individuals back into society. This research seeks to illuminate social work in human sex trafficking and how the phenomenon of trafficking manifests itself in the United States and Lithuania. The question is asked what are the services provided to victims of sex trafficking in the United States and Lithuania and how does the perceived inherent differences between the victims of phenomenon in each nation impact the delivery of these services, and the understanding of empowerment? In relation to the above research question and objective, the concepts of human trafficking, prostitution, social services, empowerment and international social work will be theoretically explored. In an effort to answer these questions qualitative research methodology was employed because of the freedom is gives to place importance on the subjective experiences of the research participants. To help capture the unique perspectives of the social service professionals working with trafficking victims semi structured interviews will be utilized as a means of... [to full text] / Šiuo metu prekyba žmonėmis įvardyta kaip greičiausiai pasaulyje auganti nusikalstama veikla. Tai antra pagal dydį socialinė problema pasaulio visuomenėje, pirmą vietą užleisdama prekybai narkotinėmis medžiagomis. Apytiksliai 70% prekybos sudaro seksualinis išnaudojimas. Prekybos žmonėmis aukos dažnai lieka neatskleistos dėl apgaulingo nusikalstamos veiklos pobūdžio, tačiau jas aptikus, egzistuoja socialinės paramos organizacijos, galinčios padėti tokiems asmenims integruotis atgal į visuomenę. Šis tiriamasis darbas siekia informuoti, kokios socialinės paramos organizacijų paslaugos teikiamos nuo prekybos žmonėmis nukentėjusioms aukoms, ir tai, kaip prekybos žmonėmis reiškinys pasireiškia minėtose šalyse. Iškeliamas klausimas, kokios paslaugos suteikiamos nuo seksualinio išnaudojimo nukentėjusiems asmenims JAV ir Lietuvoje bei kaip kiekvienoje iš šių šalių jaučiami įgimti skirtumai tarp reiškinio aukų įtakoja minėtų paslaugų teikimą bei galios suteikimo supratimą. Atsižvelgiant į iškeltą klausimą bei tikslą, teoriškai nagrinėjama prekyba žmonėmis, prostitucija, socialinės paslaugos, galios suteikimas ir tarptautinis socialinis darbas. Stengiantis atsakyti į šiuos klausimus, pasinaudota kokybine tyrimo metodika, kadangi ji leidžia sutelkti dėmesį į subjektyvias tyrimo dalyvių patirtis. Norint užfiksuoti unikalias socialinių paslaugų profesionalų darbo su prekybos žmonėmis aukomis perspektyvas, naudojamas pusiau struktūruotas interviu, padėsiantis geriau suvokti interviu dalyvių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Magistro darbe nagrinėjamos nevyriausybinės organizacijos bei jų veiklos ypatumai organizuojant paslaugas specialiųjų poreikių asmenims ir jų šeimoms. Pirmojoje dalyje nuosekliai aprašoma nevyriausybinių organizacijų sampratos kaita, veiklos principai bei teisinis reglamentavimas, numatomos nevyriausybinių organizacijų ateities perspektyvos. Antroje dalyje aptariama šalies socialinė politika bei neįgaliųjų asmenų padėtis socialinės integracijos kontekste, bei trečiojo sektoriaus vaidmuo teikiant socialines paslaugas neįgaliesiems asmenims. Empirinio tyrimo aprašomojoje dalyje koncentruojamasi ties nevyriausybinėmis organizacijomis siekiant aptarti nevyriausybinių organizacijų veiklos ypatumus organizuojant paslaugas, specialiųjų poreikių asmenims ir jų šeimoms. Pateikiami tyrime dalyvavusių aštuonių nevyriausybinių organizacijų tyrimo duomenys, atskleidžiantys jų veiklos apimtis ir turinį, teikiant paslaugas specialiųjų poreikių asmenims, Vilniaus mieste. Taip pat identifikuojamos nevyriausybinių organizacijų veiklos ir bendradarbiavimo problemos, kylančios organizuojat paslaugų teikimą neįgaliesiems. Tyrimo metodas – pusiau struktūrizuotas interviu. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad socialinių paslaugų teikimas yra vienas iš pagrindinių nevyriausybinių organizacijų veiklos prioritetų, siejamas su dienos centrų užimtumo programomis, informavimu ir konsultavimu bei socialine priežiūra. Be to buvo nustatyta, kad dauguma nevyriausybinės organizacijos plėstų savo veikla kultūrinėje... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The object of study of this Master thesis is non-governmental organizations and their specific characteristics of organizations of service for people with special needs and their families. The first section describes conception of non-governmental organizations, their operating principles and legal regulation. It also predicts the future perspective of non-governmental organizations. The second part describes the social policy of the country and the situations of person with disabilities in the context of social integration. It also discusses the non-governmental organizations role in providing social services for disabled people. The empirical research part focuses on non-governmental organizations. The main task of this research is to discuss the characteristics of non-governmental organizations in organize services for person with special needs and their families. The research results presented of eight non-governmental organizations study facts about their scope of activities and content, providing services to persons with special needs, in Vilnius. It also identified non-governmental organizations practice and cooperation problems which arise of arranging services for disabled people. The research method – is the semi structured interview. The results showed that the provision of social service is one of the basic non-governmental organizations priorities, related with day care centre employment programs, information, consulting and social care. Moreover the study... [to full text]

The focus of this thesis is on social workers’ knowledge in assessing and making decisions in child welfare cases. The primary aim is to identify what skills or knowledge social workers find most useful within child welfare agencies in Swedish municipalities. Six different types of knowledge, social policy and the approach of child welfare cases are perspectives considered in the analysis. The interviews with social workers were held in three agencies in southern Sweden, in 2014. Main results: social workers’ think it is very important to have different kinds of knowledge and skills in order to perform such professional work as possible. They value peer support where they can exchange experiences and knowledge with each other. The importance to specialize after the bachelor’s degree in social work was also revealed in the results, due to the social work supplementary course only represented undergraduate studies. The approach of child welfare cases it was found that there are many different ways to manage them, but the main thing is to manage the cases with great respect and always strive to apply volunteer efforts where it’s possible. Another point is the political importance which we not counted on.

Ugdymo sociologijos magistro baigiamojo darbo tema yra aktuali, nes staigūs socialiniai pokyčiai Lietuvoje padarė įtaką daugelio žmonių gyvenimui. Atsirado disfunkcinių, socialinės rizikos šeimų, kurios dažnai tampa įvairių neigiamų reiškinių priežastimi. Pagausėjo skyrybų arba šeimų, kurių nariai nuolatos išgyvena konfliktus, smurtą, prievartą ir panašiai. Tokiose šeimose augantys vaikai patys linkę smurtauti, nesugeba sutvardyti pykčio, sunkiai adaptuojasi kolektyve, turi mokymosi problemų, dažniau linkę į savižudybę. Vaikų dienos centrai – tai įstaigos, kurios teikia dienos globos, prevencines, informavimo, konsultavimo, maitinimo organizavimo bei materialinės paramos paslaugas sunkiai prisitaikiusioms prie socialinių ir ekonominių Lietuvos pokyčių šeimoms su vaikais. Šių paslaugų teikimo esmė – daryti tai, kas įmanoma, kad žmogus galėtų gyventi savarankiškai, tinkamai rūpintis savo vaikais, kad vaikai nepakliūtų į valstybines globos įstaigas ir turėtų tinkamas sąlygas gyventi biologinėse šeimose. Lietuvoje veikiantys VDC nėra unikalūs. Daugelyje Europos valstybių įvairios paskirties atviri vaikų ir jaunimo dienos centrai veikia ir yra sukaupę didžiulę patirtį. Vienus iš pavyzdinių vaikų dienos centrų veiklos modelių galima pamatyti Belgijoje, Vokietijoje ar Norvegijoje. Nuo Lietuvos centrų jie skiriasi tuo, kad daugumoje užsienio valstybių jie yra atviri visuomenei, t. y. bet kuris valstybėje gyvenantis vaikas gali jį lankyti su vaiko teisių specialistų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Sudden social changes in Lithuania have affected the lives of many people that is why the topic of this final piece of master’s studies of sociology of education is relevant these days. Dysfunctional and At-Risk families, which usually bring many negative experiences, started appearing. A number of divorces and the number of families that constantly experience conflicts, violence and constraint has increased. Children who grow up in such families incline using violence themselves, find it more difficult to control anger, have trouble learning at school, have difficulties adapting to new environment, and are also more likely to think about suicide. Children’s day centers are institutions that provide day care, consultation, food, prevention and material support for the families with children, which have difficulties adapting to new social and economic changes. The reason for these services is to do everything to help people live independently, to help and teach them to take care of their children properly, so children could stay in their biological families, and not be sent to the state orphanages. Children’s day centers in Lithuania are not unique; such institutions with diverse purposes are working in many European countries, have a lot of experience, and are open to all children. The best examples of these children’s day centers are seen in Belgium, Germany and Norway. They are different from the day centers in Lithuania in openness, in these countries every child can... [to full text]

Straipsnyje aptariama šokio ir judesio terapija kaip socialinė paslauga šeimoms, auginančioms neįgalų vaiką. Šia socialine paslauga siekiama pagerinti šeimų socialinę situaciją, padėti sėkmingai integruotis, patirti teigiamų emocijų. Atliekant šokio ir judesio terapijos, kaip socialinės paslaugos poreikio tyrimą, buvo atliktas kombinuotas tyrimas. Buvo atlikta anketinė apklausa, kurioje dalyvavo 64 šeimos, auginančios neįgalų vaiką. Paaiškėjo, jog šeimoms trūksta įvairių socialinių paslaugų, tarp jų ir šokio ir judesio terapijos paslaugos. Taip pat tyrimo metu buvo atliktas pusiau struktūruotas interviu su Lietuvos šokio ir judesio terapijos asociacijos vadove – eksperte A. Laurinaityte. Tyrimas atskleidė informacijos trūkumą apie šią socialinę paslaugą, taip pat buvo nustatytas neįgalų vaiką auginančių šeimų poreikis užsiimti šia veikla kaip socialinės situacijos gerinimo galimybe. / This paper discusses the dance and movement therapy as a social service to the person with disability and his family. The social service aims to improve the social situation of families, to help successfully integrate, to experience positive emotions. The dance and movement therapy as a social services needs assessment study was carried out in combination. It was carried out a survey, which included 64 families with a disabled child. It revealed the lack of various social services, including dance and movement therapy services. Also the study was carried out semi-structured interview with Lithuanian Dance and Movement Therapy Association Guide - expert A. Laurinaitytė. The study revealed a lack of information about the social service has also been established families with disabled children need to engage in this activity as a social situation improvement.

The aim of this study was to reach a deeper understanding of the process that occurs within the social services after receiving a notification according to Chapter 14, section 1, The Social Services Act. More specifically the focus of this study was to illustrate how social secretaries reason about children’s participation in the process, as well as to examine whether the legislative change, Chapter 11, section 1 a, The Social Services Act, has affected the process in any way. The study’s results reflect interviews with five social secretaries who are active in four different municipalities in southern Sweden. The results in this study were analyzed with the help of two theories, Lipskys theory about street-level bureaucrats and the theory of childhood sociology. The results show that the social secretaries experience some changes due to the legislative alteration; they feel an increased time pressure that for some of them lead to fewer meetings with the child and more encounters with parents by telephone. Throughout the interviews the social secretaries mentioned their sense of intuition or the feeling in the room as an assessment instrument to assess whether to open an investigation regarding a child’s vulnerability. The majority of the social secretaries did not express that the child’s participation in the process was unconditional. They expressed that whether they would involve the child or not depended on how they experienced the meeting with the parents.

Att större delen av befolkningen använder internet och att användandet ökar medför att allt fler tjänster flyttat ut på den digitala arenan, nu även inom det sociala arbetet - i offentlig regi. Då möjligheter till utveckling av det sociala arbetet på internet upptäcktes har Stockholm stad lanserat ytterligare en e-tjänst som kan underlätta kontakten med kommunen. Socialrådgivning på nätet som den digitala tjänsten heter, är tänkt att bland annat ge en ökad tillgänglighet till stadens medborgare. E-tjänsten är tänkt att nå ut till “alla” medborgare inom staden, vilket medför att det är av vikt att undersöka i vilken utsträckning invånarna är intresserade av att använda e-tjänsten samt vilka attityder som riktar sig till densamma. Tidigare forskning har visat att det finns digitalt resursstarka respektive digitalt resurssvaga grupper i samhället, vilket för med sig att de som redan befinner sig i en socialt exkluderad grupp i och med den tekniska utvecklingen riskerar att hamna än mer utanför samhället - i detta fall informationssamhället. Syftet är således att genom att undersöka medborgare i Stockholm stads avsikter att använda och attityder till Socialrådgivning på nätet, få en ökad förståelse av medborgarnas inställning till Socialrådgivningen på nätet. Studien genomförs genom en kvalitativ metod. Den insamlade empirin består av fem fokusgruppintervjuer med fyra till fem deltagare i vardera, vilka utförts tillsammans med en semi-strukturerad intervjuguide. Undersökningen består av en explorativ samt en deskriptiv ansats. Resultaten visade att det generellt sett fanns mer eller mindre positiva attityder till e-tjänsten Socialrådgivning på nätet mellan grupperna, men även inom. De grupper som står närmst informationsteknologins centrum i samhället tangerar att vara mer positiva till rådgivningstjänsten, medan attityderna varierar bland de grupper som står längre bort. Mest negativ attityd till Socialrådgivningen på nätet gick att finna hos de medborgare som står längre bort, i periferin av det moderna informationssamhället. Attityder korrelerade till stor del med viljan att använda e-tjänsten då majoriteten av medborgarna i den här undersökningen valde att inte använda sig av e-tjänsten. De informanter som kan tänka sig använda Socialrådgivning på nätet bestod främst av medborgare i grupper som stod närmare centrum och främst i dess mitt. Den utökade tillgängligheten kan bidra till både positiva och negativa konsekvenser. Några av de positiva aspekter som medborgarna i samtliga grupper var överens om var att som ett komplement till redan etablerade kontaktvägar, var Socialrådgivning på nätet ett bra alternativ som även ökade tillgängligheten. De medborgare som stod närmre det moderna it-samhällets centrum upplevde sig mer mottagliga för en ökad digitalisering, medan de som stod längre bort, i periferin, upplevde sig bli mer marginaliserade. Det traditionella sociala arbetet är ofta förknippat med det personliga mötet. Värdet av att mötas är en del av essensen i arbetet med människor. Det finns en oro över att en digital kontakt kan orsaka en distans där individer går miste om det viktiga fysiska mötet. Även om socialt arbete 2.0 idag, än så länge finns i begränsad utsträckning, fanns det föreställningar bland studiens deltagare om att den digitala rådgivningstjänsten, trots ökad tillgänglighet kanske inte når ut till de som är i störst behov - de socialt utsatta. Om e-tjänsten går att anpassas till den målgrupp densamma i första hand vänder sig till, ökar chansen att medborgare upplever sig nöjda med den digitala tjänsten, vilket i förlängningen även kan verka för ökad legitimitet av myndigheten.