THE SOCIAL WORKER

September 19, 2008

Kaunas, Lithuania

2nd Meeting

CLAN – Continuous Learning for Adults with Needs134649-LLL-1-2007-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

a support to individuals of various age groups within the community an assistant in personal care and in patient's psycho-physical state a global assistant and companion in hospitals and rest homes as well as in day-hospital structures, in schools and firms’ surgeries.

A social worker is a person who is involved in social issues, with people in difficult social conditions, in re-education and rehabilitation and represents also a very dynamic

professional profile contributing to the widening of the service network, linking it with local resources which are often ignored because not officially formalised. He/she contributes to

personal growth, contributes to social participation as well as to the reduction of social hardship risk, marginalisation and deviance.

The method is based on relationship, listening and communication

The Social work is “live and solid”“Live" because expresses the relationship with the others, refers to other individualities while putting one’s own in discussion; answers needs and expectations, produces changes in the others. All this without any guarantee of immediate and lasting success.“Solid“ performs an immediate activity, answers people’s need above and beyond results and connects with the relationship the assisted people have with the world.

THE SOCIAL WORKER IS:

Requirements

It is often key for a social worker to be competent in the analysis and survey of the territory, to keep a good relationship with associations, education structures such as schools and families, with the territorial services centres often also acting as a mediator.

the social worker must take a “non judgemental” position which is absence of moral judgement on the subject's life style and at the same time take into consideration the cultural background in order to understand the person's needs and prompt his/her resources into action

the social worker must also mediate, i.e. communicate, which means to know how to listen without prejudice, respecting and welcoming the counterpart’s point of view and allowing the necessary time for change to happen.

He/She carries out his/her activity

with different types of people: Children, Disadvantaged Minors also at risk of becoming offenders, Disabled, Elderly disabled (physically, mentally or sensorial), Drug addicts in rehabilitation programmes.

in different structures and organisations: Shelters for young people under age, Schools, Nursery schools, Play centres, Summer camps, Communities, Residential institutes, Religious institutes, Residential homes, Therapeutic re-hab communities, Home assistance centres, Day work centres, Private families.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOCIAL WORKER

Mainly women with medium/high level of education.There are some obstacles as to working hours, salary and career (lower salary compared with other sectors requiring the same level of education and/or the same job description) Furthermore, in 27.7% of non profit organisations (which represent the operator's main source of employment) working hours are longer than what is actually fixed in the contract and in 17% of those organisations extra working time is neither paid nor recuperated).

[Source: data elaboration by Censis supplied by Fivol and Istat, 2002]

SOCIAL WORKER’S SOCIAL/DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND

Total 681.695

Male workers 39.9

Female workers 60.1

Education certificate

Compulsory school certificate 26.8

Professional qualification 19.0

Secondary school diploma 37.7

Degree 16.5

Effective working hours over contract 27.7

Participation in training courses 52.7

Satisfaction in work (min.1 max. 7)

Relationship with colleagues and volunteer workers 5.6

Relationship with superiors 5.4

Social usefulness of one’s work 5.3

Salary 4.0

Career advancement 3.3

Despite the working conditions and the fact this profession was not the worker’s first choice, the level of satisfaction is particularly high in respect of social usefulness and personal relationship with the other subjects such as colleagues.

The direct professional experience has a positive impact on the worker’s satisfaction level and redresses the balance with lower salaries and worse career opportunities, motivating and acting as a monetary integrator.

High level of investment, also personal, in training (52,7% of the operators take part in training courses)

An important role in the social network is carried out by

Volunteer workers(there are about 4 million). A mixed form of paid and unpaid workers is developing more and more (volunteer workers, objectors, religious orders) mainly in those organisations more involved in a non-stop supply of services. The competences of professional and volunteer workers are therefore becoming increasingly entwined.

OBSERVATIONS ON SOME FEATURES CHARACTERISING THE PROFESSION

THE WORKPLACE

Social workers may work in: public structures or cooperative organizations working on behalf of public services organisations independently in private organisations.

The figure of the social worker has become widely known owing to the strong development ofcooperative societies assisting the elderly, the minors and the disabled.

The cooperative society experience is very important in the Italian social/economic structure It is an association of people who work together to satisfy a common need. The economic and financial side is important but the activity of a coop has a more than marginal impact on the social and economic sphere, and last but not least on culture. At the base of a coop there is the common will of its members to protect their own interests. The sectors and the type of presence of a coop are extremely varied: building, collective shopping, farming, haulage and public transport, movie and visual arts, consumers etc. Coops in Italy are known as “social enterprises”, that is enterprises which have all the traits of any normal company without having its typical primary aims, their main purpose being the promotion of human relations and social integration.

2 kinds of coops

Type A They supply social, health and education services by managing residential homes, nursery schools, communities, health structures, home assistance to a wide range of users who are mainly in a difficult social situation. Type B Carry out various activities such as agriculture, trade or services. Their main aim is to supply jobs for disadvantaged people (physical, psychic and sensorial disabled), subjects under psychiatric treatment, drug addicts, alcoholics, convicts.

- AN OUTLINE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER’S PROFILE AT NATIONAL LEVEL -

The present regulations in Italy show an attempt to re-shape the social service system (Law 328/2000) from a muddled institutional charity policy to a modern service system.

The attempt now under way at regional level elaboration of a plan outlining tasks, profiles and competences. The single regions must set up a professional system for social workers with the aim to:- avoid the dispersion of training courses and reorganise the short training system making it coherent with the general framework

- allow social workers to better use their competences in a supra-regional job market- establish the bases of a new set of regulations for service workers (professional standards and contract levels)- define recognised professional profiles, service workers’ training standards with the view of programming the training opportunities in accordance with the worker’s needs

Results:Working time is highly diversified in social coops; this is necessary in order to operate in a wide range of sub-systems (local authorities, families etc.). Because the profession is still mainly a female job, it’s therefore necessary to structure and experiment new work models apt to reconcile family and profession A working day implies a number of cognitive and emotional accelerations for the operator to pass rapidly from one communication and relation context to another, to be efficient and, if possible, to carry out diversified activities. there is a strong need to set up new organisation models favouring flexibility for a better use of “care time”.

WORK ORGANISATION

The working hours are structured in the traditional standard way both as regards the working day and with sliding shifts. Part time work is widespread, being a

traditional female work model

Difficulty in participating in external activities owing to the close link with the people assisted (students, the disabled, drug addicts, adolescents with behavioural problems) since even one day of absence could have devastating effects, loss of trust, interruption of consolidated links.

Training needs

Wish to improve one’s competences in respect to the new cultural, organisational and professional dimension determined by the evolution of the welfare systems in Europe.

Besides the issue regarding adolescents, children, the disabled with psychiatric problems, the elderly, the drug addicts… the Family is a transversal issue useful to confront the specific problems of each group (any social and/or educational action of individuals must consider the living context and implies the operator's deep knowledge of the family and its dynamics).

The following are some areas in which improvement of competences is considered important: intervention programming and planning

situation assessment interpersonal communications

verification of interventions and quality control.

WORKING TIME AND TRAINING NEEDS

The main features of a social worker’s activities are: support, training, listening. These are all elements

which can be enriched, implemented and stimulated through that part of the training which is not expressly

professional.

THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

The impact of information technologies and in particular of the Internet in the ability to develop horizontal communication and organisation should not be underestimated.The web is an instrument which can make the organisation process, both operational and decisional, easier to achieve and fully adherent to the motivational and concrete needs of the social sector.

It should be noted that the explosion of websites, forums, communities and other interaction tools on the part of NGOs, local volunteer workers organisations, associations, users or people simply interested in these issues is an important phenomenon. Furthermore, within the Internet universe of volunteer work and solidarity the number of websites used only as a “window” or to show a presence is lower than that of business enterprises.

The “social work world” has shown interest in new technology

There have been Italian pilot projects linking technology with social work:

Experiences that have tried to make information available to the weaker social strata also supplying a form of social support; Databanks as meeting points between demand and offer in the labour market particularly in those sectors where disabilities impede a real use of resources Consultation websites such as centres for the study of documentation on social and health issues Link systems between services and public administration Distance training courses on very complex and specific themes etc.

Obstacles little economic resources: the necessary hardware, the access to broadband internet and the basic knowledge for its use.

THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

The situation ….

Social workers are a professional group having particularly strong work time tables ties and relationship so this implying difficulty in using the traditional training methods which are available after working hours (5 pm – 6 pm)

They mostly do shifts and this presents problems when wanting to participate in training courses, even computer evening classes.

the non professional training is considered an integral part of people’s life.

There are few projects under study on reconciliation of work with family and on life and family, since

SOME REMARKS ……

What it is needed …..

The opportunity to be trained and cultivate specific interests

Training is certainly useful to update specific professional competences considered nowadays indispensable. However, there are other activities, not so evident and not connected with specific competences owing to their being widely known, that are now considered more and more a necessity. An example could be: movie techniques, scriptwriting, video production etc. These instruments are also useful to develop the production of documentary work explaining the activities carried out by social operators (interests developed outside work but also exploitable in professional activities).

The profile of a social worker seems to be a mix of transversal competences (e.g. all the tools mentioned before) such as theatre and cinema which become not only an updating operation but also acquisition of awareness of a very complex role.

Thank you for your kind attention!

September 19, 2008

Kaunas, Lithuania

2nd Meeting