Subjects of social activity. Social work system: main characteristics

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Objects and subjects of social work

First of all, we note the logic of considering these components of social work in this sequence: in our opinion, subjects, despite all their importance, are to a certain extent derived from objects. In fact, the objects of social work arise, are formed objectively, under the influence of the socio-economic conditions of life in a particular "society; the subjects, although they arise under the influence of the same objective conditions, are nonetheless formed by political and other social institutions, i.e. are an add-on.

Further. The promotion of objects to the fore is predetermined by their characteristics, by the tasks that need to be solved based on the problems that the objects have. The subjects (social services) are formed and organized on this basis.

That is why it seems inappropriate for some authors to consider these components of social work in the sequence "subjects - objects".

In addition, the characteristics of the subjects of social work must be considered taking into account all its aspects - both as a practical activity, and as a science, and as an academic discipline. For they are all closely related activities of the same phenomenon of social life. It is from this point of view that subjects are analyzed (perhaps for the first time) in the textbook "Theory of Social Work".

In this regard, we will give a brief philosophical and sociological interpretation of the concepts of "object" and "subject".

The object can be interpreted as something opposed to the subject in its subject-practical and cognitive activity. It is not just identical to objective reality, but is that part of it that interacts with the subject.

The subject is the bearer of object-practical activity and cognition (individual, social group), the source of activity directed at the object.

Let us emphasize three points that are important for understanding objects and subjects in social work: their differences; organic interaction, communication; their ability to change places.

Further, it must be borne in mind that the concept of "object" can be correlated with the concepts of both "subject" and object. Object-subject relations mainly characterize social work as a practical activity.

When we consider social work as a science, we are dealing with object-subject relations. In this case, the object is perceived as a certain type of practical social activity, and the subject is either a side (s) of this object (the social situation of the client - an individual, family, communities, groups), or (most often) patterns of social work.

When analyzing social work as an academic discipline (more precisely, the educational process), the object (mainly) is students, listeners, and the subject is teachers, scientists. At the same time, object-subject relations are quite fluid here, especially when we are talking about independent, research and other activities (including practice) of students (students).

The object of social work in its broad interpretation is all people. This is explained by the fact that the vital activity of all strata and groups of the population depends on those conditions that are largely determined by the level of development of society, the state of the social sphere, the content of social policy, and the possibilities for its implementation.

It must also be borne in mind that every person at any time, at any period of his life, needs a more complete satisfaction of his needs and interests. At the same time, in each sphere of life they can be satisfied unevenly: a rich person needs to maintain and improve his health, in a calmer environment that is not associated with a stressful situation; a healthy person can be poor, unable to realize his various attitudes; in any family, relations between spouses or between parents and children can become aggravated (this is especially evident in a crisis state of society); Everyone needs support, help, protection in one way or another.

The population is structured on a different basis, and it distinguishes such people, such groups and strata who, finding themselves in a difficult life situation, either cannot at all, or can only partially solve their social and other problems. Therefore, considering social work in its direct, narrow meaning, we understand by objects precisely these groups, strata of the population, their individual representatives, individuals.

There are a lot of these objects. Let's try to classify them, taking into account the priority of the grounds for this classification:

a state of health that does not allow one to independently solve life problems;

These are the following population groups: disabled people (both adults and children), persons exposed to radiation, families with disabled children, adults and children with psychological difficulties, experiencing psychological stress, prone to suicidal attempts;

service and work in extreme social conditions.

This group of persons includes participants in the Great Patriotic War and persons equated to them, home front workers during the Great Patriotic War (whose life situation is aggravated by advanced age and health), widows and mothers of servicemen who died during the Great Patriotic War and in peacetime , former underage prisoners of fascist concentration camps;

elderly, retirement age of people, due to which they found themselves in a difficult life situation - these are lonely elderly people and families consisting of pensioners (due to age, disability and other reasons); deviant behavior in its various forms and forms.

These categories include children and adolescents with deviant behavior; children experiencing abuse and violence; found themselves in conditions that threaten health and development; persons returning from places of deprivation of liberty, special educational institutions; families in which there are persons who abuse alcohol, use drugs;

difficult, unfavorable situation of various categories of families.

This group of the population includes families with orphans and children left without parental care; low-income families; large families; incomplete families; families in which parents have not reached the age of majority; young families; divorcing families; families with an unfavorable psychological microclimate, conflict relations, pedagogical failure of parents;

special position of children (orphanhood, vagrancy, etc.).

On this basis, it is advisable to single out the following groups: independently living graduates of orphanages and boarding schools (until they achieve material independence and social maturity); orphaned or left without parental care children; neglected children and teenagers;

vagrancy, homelessness.

This group includes persons without a fixed place of residence, registered refugees, internally displaced persons;

prenatal and postnatal condition.

These are groups of pregnant women and nursing mothers, as well as groups of mothers on parental leave;

legal (and therefore social) status of persons subjected to political repression and subsequently rehabilitated.

The proposed division into groups is not the only one. It is possible, probably, to differentiate these groups of people more specifically or, on the contrary, to single out broader categories - this depends on the goals and objectives of the study, the solution of practical problems.

The subjects of social work, which include people, institutions, organizations, social institutions, designed to solve (and solve) certain tasks, problems facing the objects of social work, can be differentiated on various grounds, including taking into account the components of social work: practical activity, science and educational process (educational disciplines in the field of social work).

The subjects of social work are:

1) first of all, organizations, institutions, social institutions of society:

* the state with its structures in the form of legislative, executive and judicial powers different levels. In this structure, a special role is played by the Ministry of Labor and social development, as well as executive bodies for managing social work at the regional level (bodies social protection territories, regions, republics, autonomous formations), cities, local administrations;

* various social services: territorial centers of social assistance to families and children; social rehabilitation centers for minors; centers for helping children left without parental care; rehabilitation centers for children and adolescents with disabilities; social shelters for children and teenagers; centers of psychological and pedagogical assistance to the population; centers of emergency psychological assistance by telephone, etc.:

* administration of state enterprises, organizations, institutions, universities, etc. and their divisions;

2) public, charitable and other organizations and institutions: trade unions, branches of the Children's Fund, Red Cross societies, private social services, organizations, etc.

Non-state charitable organizations in Russia are, in particular, the Moscow House of Mercy, charitable foundations "Complicity", "The Soul of Man", "Metropol" (Moscow), the Association for Refugee Assistance (St. Petersburg), "Altai-AIDS", etc. .

Currently, charitable activities in the country are carried out in accordance with federal law"On charitable activities and charitable organizations", which provides legal regulation of these activities, guarantees support to its participants, creates a legal basis for the development of the activities of charitable organizations, in particular, the establishment of tax benefits;

3) people engaged in practical social work professionally or on a voluntary basis. In fact, they are representatives of the two specified subjects of social work. At the same time, they can be divided into two groups: organizers-managers and performers, practical social workers who provide direct assistance, support, provide social protection for clients, representatives of the objects of social work we have already considered.

According to some data, there are about 500 thousand professional social workers in the world. Many graduates have appeared in recent years in Russia. There are significantly more ungraduated but professionally engaged in social work specialists, especially in those countries (including Russia) in which a new profession, “social worker”, has been introduced relatively recently.

There is no exact data on how many people are engaged in social work on a voluntary basis, but their number is large (it is generally accepted that one social worker serves 10-15 people).

Social workers are a special group, since they must have certain professional, spiritual and moral qualities. (This issue is discussed in chapter 10 of the textbook);

4) teachers, as well as those who contribute to the consolidation of knowledge, skills, abilities: leaders of student practice, mentors, practical social workers and other workers who contribute to the practice of students (students) in various organizations, institutions, social enterprises;

5) researchers of social work. Researchers analyze the state of social work using various methods, develop scientific programs, record existing and emerging trends in this area, publish scientific reports, books, articles on social work issues. A major role in this process is played by departments of the country's leading universities, laboratories, scientific institutions, dissertation councils for the defense of doctoral and master's theses in the field of social issues.

It will not be superfluous to note that in Russia several research schools of social work have already been practically created: philosophical, sociological, psychological, etc. Their representatives, developing the problems of social work, pay special attention to its individual areas.

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Answers to the social work exam.

The mission of social work in modern society.

The reform of Russian society, the deployment of new and the modernization of traditional forms of social life have made the question of the role and significance of social work, its methodology and technologies in the system of social institutions and relations particularly relevant in recent decades. Large-scale structural changes in the economy caused by new economic realities and technologies, individualization of lifestyle and pluralization of value systems make social work in the life of modern society a stabilizing factor that contributes to maintaining social balance and increasing welfare.

Reasons for the formation of social work.

In the literature, the emergence of social work is usually dated to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. It was during this period that groups of specialists appeared in a number of industrialized countries, who began to professionally engage in social work, created educational institutions, and trained social workers.

The main reasons for the formation of social work are the following:

1. destruction of a single community associated with common principles and norms of existence;

2. urbanization and industrialization;

3. increase in social ties and human relationships. The rapidity of industrial development in the countries of Europe and the USA, urbanization, which increased the share of marginalized strata of the population in society, poorly adapted to life in the city, the rupture of traditional social ties in relations between people, between man and society, led to the emergence of such social problems, which could not be solved by methods tested in traditional society.

3. The purpose and objectives of social work in modern society.

Purpose of social work – Ensuring normal, worthy of human existence living conditions. It is achieved through social policy, which involves the creation in society of a system of social relations based on the regulation and optimization of the objectively existing interests of various social groups with increasing production efficiency.

The main tasks of social work are :

- diagnostics of social and personal problems, situations;

- social prevention, i.е. implementation of a system of measures to prevent the occurrence of crisis situations for an individual, a group of people;

- social adaptation, i.е. the process of adaptation of the individual to changing conditions in the social environment, to the conditions of life;

- social rehabilitation, i.е. a system of measures to restore or compensate for impaired functions of the interaction of an individual with the environment social environment;

- social therapy (correction);

- social service;

- social design;

- social supervision;

- social guardianship, i.е. care, patronage of someone;

- social mentoring;

- social innovation - the implementation of social projects.

Actual problems of social work in Russia and Belarus.

Social program in Russia:

RF Pension Fund - the largest organization in Russia for the provision of socially significant public services to citizens. It was founded on December 22, 1990 by the Decree of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR No. 442-1 "On the organization of the Pension Fund of the RSFSR". PFR divisions (more than 2.5 thousand territorial bodies) operate in every region and in every regional center of Russia. The labor collective of the PFR is over 133 thousand social workers [

Among the socially significant functions of the Pension Fund of Russia:

§ appointment and payment of pensions (for 40 million pensioners);

§ accounting for insurance funds received under compulsory pension insurance;

§ appointment and implementation of social payments to certain categories of citizens: veterans, disabled people, disabled people due to military trauma, Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes Russian Federation etc.;

§ personalized registration of participants in the mandatory pension insurance system;

§ interaction with policyholders (employers - payers of insurance pension contributions), collection of arrears;

§ issuance of certificates for receiving maternity capital;

§ payment of maternity capital funds;

§ managing the funds of the pension system;

§ implementation of the Program for State Co-financing of Voluntary Pension Savings (56-FZ dated April 30, 2008, also known as the program "one thousand per thousand");

§ since 2010 - administration of insurance funds received under compulsory pension insurance and compulsory health insurance;

§ since 2010 - the establishment of a federal social supplement to social pensions, in order to bring the total income of a pensioner to the subsistence level of a pensioner.

Social program of the Republic of Belarus:

"Children of Belarus"

The main objectives of the program are: improving the quality of life of children, strengthening state support for families and children, maintaining and strengthening health, physical and spiritual development the rising generation. The coordinating role and function in the implementation of the program “Children of Belarus” belongs to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.

Until 2009, it is planned to carry out a gradual increase in the amount of allowances for children under the age of three (up to 100% of the subsistence minimum budget) for all categories of mothers. Already this year, the contingent of recipients of free meals for children in the first two years of life will expand. Work will continue to improve legislation in terms of reducing the taxable base when calculating income tax for employees raising children and children with disabilities. It is planned to increase the amount of financial support in paying off debt on soft loans for the construction or purchase of housing from 30% to 50% (in the event of the birth of a third child or the presence of three children) and from 50% to 70% (in the event of the birth of a fourth child or the presence of four children).

In the current five years, work will continue to create conditions for the development of new forms of family life - guardianship, patronage, adoption. It is planned to build 56 residential buildings for families raising orphans and children left without parental care. As part of the program, institutions for post-boarding adaptation of orphans and their employment will be built. In the structure of the territorial centers of social services for the population, it is planned to open 23 day care departments for disabled children in five years.

The program attaches great importance to the further strengthening and preservation of children's health.

5. Subject and object in social work.

Object of social work- client - a person in need of social protection. Historically, at first, the concept of a client included people who had a predisposition to violate generally accepted standards (beggars) or difficulties in adapting (migrants). Over time, not only the categories of clients change, but also the groups of problems that form the clients of social work. Subsequently, the category of clients was extended to people who, under the influence of society and the abnormal living conditions that this society creates, lose the possibility of normal functioning. In this interpretation, social work clients included marginalized, unemployed people with certain problems in family relationships. Currently, a social work client is defined as a person, group or community that needs the help of a social worker and with whom an agreement has been reached to work together.

The subject of social work is, first of all, a person and his place in society, the attitude of society to a person and a person to society. A specialist in the field of social work acts as an intermediary between the state, called upon to be the protector of the rights of its citizens, and the individual. The need for such mediation is due, first of all, to the fact that the state does not always act as the authority that guarantees the rights and decent ways of human existence. This can be due to many reasons, including those outside the state character. The back reaction of a person who does not receive sufficient guarantees from the state is alienation, apoliticality, asociality. In such a relationship, both parties turn out to be suffering: both the person and the state. A social worker as an intermediary between a person and the state, an individual and society, on the basis of knowledge of social patterns and various forms of their practical implementation, adapts the interests of the state to the person and the interests of the person to the state. Social work is both a form of social activity, social practice, a synthesis of scientific and theoretical knowledge and an academic discipline.

Subjects of social work, their characteristics.

Subject of social work- is the one who provides social assistance. It can be state organizations(bodies of social insurance, social protection), public organizations (various charitable unions, organizations, foundations, etc.) and individuals - specialists in the field of social work of various qualifications (social therapist, social gerontologist, social ecologist, etc.). ) or voluntary assistants - volunteers. Social work is two-sided. The social assistance provided is based on the system of interactions between the social worker and the client, as well as with the significant social environment of the client.

Red Cross and Red Crescent Society:

international humanitarian movement, founded in 1863 and uniting more than 100 million employees and volunteers (volunteers) around the world.

The movement considers its main goal to be “To help all those who suffer without any unfavorable distinction, thereby contributing to the establishment of peace on Earth” .

Components of the International Red Cross:

§ International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

§ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC and RC).

§ National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

RUSSIAN CHILDREN'S FUND- charitable public organization, established in 1991 on the basis of the Soviet Children's Fund. V. I. Lenin (established in 1987). It unites the efforts of the public to strengthen the role and authority of the family, to provide special assistance to children left without parental care, children with disabilities, as well as children affected by natural disasters, epidemics, and wars.

Association of Social Educators:

Tasks and goals:

socio-psychological assistance to single-parent and conflict families, families with problem children;
development of legal and other culture of parents;
support in a crisis situation;
unification of the pedagogical and other public in matters of strengthening the family, the development of the child, the humanization and democratization of his environment.

The main areas of work at the present stage:

Educational programs for social educators: seminars, round tables, consultations, pedagogical workshops;
- cultural and educational programs for parents and children: training seminars, holidays, presentations of joint creativity of parents and children, promotions, etc.;
- family clubs.
The fundamental principle of the activity of the OOSP&R "Eola" is open interaction in the society, aimed at the development, protection, humanization and democratization of the environment of the family and the child.

As an object of social work in its broad interpretation are all people, the entire population. This is explained by the fact that the life of people, all strata and groups of the population depends on those conditions that are largely determined by the level of development of society, the state of the social sphere, the content of social policy, and the possibilities of its implementation.
However, the population is structured for various reasons. And it distinguishes such people, such groups and strata, who find themselves in a difficult life situation, when they can either completely solve me, or only partially can solve the social and other problems that have arisen before them.
Therefore, when considering this issue, it is necessary to expand the interpretation of the object.
1. The first group of objects of social work are groups of the population that find themselves in a difficult life situation. When they talk about practical social work, they primarily mean the provision of assistance, support, social security (health, deviant behavior, old age, the disadvantaged situation of families and responsible categories of citizens, homelessness, orphanhood, etc.)
2. The second most important group of objects of social work are various spheres of people's life.
The sphere of production, industrial and social infrastructure (environment, environment, the process of creating wealth; industries that serve this area; population, etc.).
Urban, rural, and intermediate forms of settlement. It is important to take into account the size of settlements, the concentration of the population in them, the level of development of productive forces, types of production, saturation with cultural and community facilities, improvement, development of transport, means of communication, etc.
Health sector - system, public and private institutions, ongoing health care activities, etc.
The sphere of education, including all types and forms of education, training and retraining of personnel, the corresponding infrastructure.
Sphere of science (research institutes and laboratories, institutions, teams, scientists).
The cultural and leisure sphere is a part of non-working time used for recreation and entertainment.
Power structures (units protecting the state from external hostile forces and opposition within the country).
The penitentiary system is a correctional labor institution.
Socio-ethnic environment.
The sphere of consumer services.
Thus, the object of social work is specific areas of people's life, all people (in a broad interpretation), individuals and groups in need of constant help (in a narrow interpretation), who find themselves in a difficult life situation.
Subjects.
All functions of helping the needy are performed by the subject of social work. The subject includes all those people and organizations that conduct social work and manage it. This is the state as a whole, carrying out social policy. These are charitable organizations, relief societies such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society. These are public organizations: Children's Fund. VI Lenina, Russian Association of Social Services. Association of social educators and social workers. Union of Officers, etc.
But the main subject of social work is, of course, not organizations, not associations, but people engaged in social work professionally or on a voluntary basis.

15. Social work as a field of scientific knowledge.

Criteria that determine the scientific status of the theory of social work.

Social work as a science is a sphere of human activity, the function of which is to develop and theoretically systematize objective knowledge about a certain reality - the social sphere and specific social activity. social activities can be defined as the professional and social activities of various organizations (state, public and private), professionals and activists, aimed at solving the problems of social actors (individuals, families, groups and strata). Analysis of existing forms and methods of social work, development of optimal methods and technologies for solving social problems of these objects is one of the most important tasks of social work as a scientific discipline.

As a science, social work in our country is still in its infancy. In recent years, relevant departments have been opened in dozens of universities in the country, the All-Russian Research Institute of Social Work has been functioning, the Russian Journal of Social Work has been published since 1995, and many textbooks and manuals on the theory and methodology of social work have been prepared and published.

Each science is a fusion of theoretical and empirical knowledge, theory, methods and techniques (techniques). The peculiarity of social work as a scientific discipline lies in the unity of knowledge and skills. This is her founding principle. Without such unity, there is no science; without such unity, a social worker cannot take place as a specialist in this area, which is most important for people's lives.

Regularities, principles and methods are integral components of every science. In the specialized literature patterns social work is proposed to be divided into two groups: 1) patterns of functioning and development of the subject of social work; 2) regularities that reflect the essential links between the subject and the object of social activity.

As principles theories of social work can be called:

General philosophical principles: determinism, reflection, development.

General principles of the social sciences: historicism, social conditioning, social significance.

Specific principles of social work (observance of confidentiality in work; continuity of all types and forms of social services; targeting; priority of assistance to citizens in a situation that threatens their health or life; preventive orientation; promotion of social rehabilitation and adaptation, etc.).

Psychological and pedagogical principles - modality, empathy (sympathy), attraction (attractiveness), trust.

Methodological principles - a differentiated approach, continuity, consistency, continuity, competence.

Organizational principles - universality, complexity, mediation, solidarity, subsidarity (assistance).

Methods- these are methods, a set of techniques and operations in social work; ways to achieve a goal, solve a specific problem.

Many methods used in social work are interdisciplinary, which is predetermined by the universal nature of social work as an activity. Therefore, characterizing the methods of social work, they are divided into economic, legal, political, socio-psychological, medical and social, administrative and managerial, etc.

It should be noted that the methods of social work are often included in the more general concept of "social technologies", interpreted as ways to apply the theoretical conclusions of science in solving certain problems or as a set of techniques and influences used to achieve goals in the social sphere.

The main patterns inherent in social work as a scientific discipline.

The development of a new specialty and professional activity for our society - social work - gives special relevance to its theoretical understanding. As a kind of professional activity, social work for more than a century of history has accumulated a huge amount of empirical material, the theoretical understanding, generalization and systematization of which open up new perspectives for practice in terms of increasing its efficiency and effectiveness.
The totality of ideas, ideas that explain the essence, content, the presence of significant connections and dependencies in social work, allow us to assert that an integral system of scientific knowledge, the theory of social work, is being formed. Domestic and foreign experience of social work, the richest empirical material are the most important basis for the analysis of theoretical generalizations and conclusions, the identification and scientific explanation of trends and patterns in the development of social phenomena, facts, events, processes.
Each science singles out a certain area from the reality surrounding us, the processes and phenomena of which can be investigated by the tools of this science. Such processes and phenomena constitute the object of science. Depending on the object, the totality of sciences can be conditionally divided into 3 large groups: natural sciences; social Sciences; Technical science.
Social work as a science investigates social phenomena and processes, and therefore is basically a social (social science). At the same time, it is connected with technical and, especially, natural sciences (physiology, psychology, ecology), which emphasizes its integrative nature. The research carried out within the framework of the theory of social work is often interdisciplinary in nature in terms of their relationship with the social and natural sciences.
Thus, it can be argued that the theory of social work is a social and humanitarian science in content, interdisciplinary and integrative in nature.
The theory of social work as a science is based on three main components:
1.Philosophical ideas and principles.
2. Ideals and standards that express the values and goals of science.
3. The general scientific picture of social work, which is formed as a result of the synthesis of knowledge obtained in various sciences and manifested systematically in social work, in its inherent phenomena and processes.
Social work is a relatively new area of scientific and practical activity for our country, and many of its theoretical aspects remain debatable. This concerns, in particular, the determination of the scientific status of social work.
Most researchers point out that social work is predominantly applied in nature. At the same time, it also develops serious theoretical problems.
It is the applied nature of the theory of social work, the organic inclusion of facts and data from specific practical experience in it, that distinguishes it from the fundamental sciences, but does not oppose them. If the task of the fundamental sciences is the knowledge of the laws operating in nature, society, thinking, regardless of their possible practical use, then the task of the applied sciences is the application of the results of the fundamental sciences to solve cognitive and socio-practical problems. A close connection with life, the specific conditions of life of various groups and strata of the population is an indispensable condition for increasing the applied significance of scientific research in the field of social work.

Basic principles of the theory of social work (general philosophical, specific, substantive, methodical, organizational).

The principles of social work are the most important structural elements of the logical forms of scientific theory and the fundamental rules of empirical activity. It is through the application of principles that a direct correlation of theoretical provisions, embodied in categories and patterns, with the practice of social work is carried out. The following groups of principles of the theory of social work are distinguished.

General philosophical principles underlying all the sciences about society, man and the mechanisms of their interaction. These include: the principle of determinism, the principle of reflection, the principle of development, the principle of the unity of consciousness and activity, the principle of historicism, the principle of the inextricable relationship between the individual and his social environment.

Narrower in content, but also covering various aspects of social work, are the principles of socio-political, organizational and activity, psychological and pedagogical, etc. The complexity and variety of interacting factors, the manifestation of various subordination, coordination and correlation links and relationships is reflected in the interplay of principles governing the provision of social assistance to the population.

Socio-political principles express requirements due to the dependence of the content and direction of social work on the social policy of the state. This dependence determines the conceptual approaches to the choice of priorities in the social protection of the population, to the combination of individual and public interests in social work. The main principles of this group include: the unity of the state approach in combination with the regional characteristics of social work, the democratism of its content and methods, taking into account the specific conditions of the life of an individual or a social group when choosing the content, forms and methods of social work with them, the legality and fairness of the activities of social worker.

Among organizational principles it is necessary to highlight such as the socio-technological competence of personnel, the principle of control and verification of performance, the principle of functional certainty, the principle of unity of rights and duties, powers and responsibilities.

A large place in the structure of the logical forms of scientific theory is occupied by psychological and pedagogical principles. They express the requirements for the choice of means of psychological and pedagogical influence on the clients of social services, the need to take into account individual characteristics in the implementation of any socio-technological procedures. The main principles of this group include: a comprehensive analysis of the assessment of the living conditions of clients and the choice of forms and methods of working with them; individual approach; purposefulness and targeting of social work.

Finally, the specific principles of social work determine the basic rules for the provision of social services to the population.

The principle of universality requires the exclusion of discrimination in the provision of social assistance on any grounds of an ideological, political, religious, national, racial, or age nature. Assistance should be provided to each client for a single reason - his need for assistance.

The principle of protection of social rights states that the provision of assistance to the client cannot be conditioned by the requirement for him to renounce his social rights or part of them. For example, in accordance with the current legislation, it is impossible to link assistance provided to a large family with a requirement for it to limit its childbearing activity.

The principle of social response implies an awareness of the need to take action on identified social problems, to act in accordance with the specific circumstances of the social situation of an individual client, and not be limited only to a standard set of measures aimed at the “average” consumer of social services.

The principle of preventive orientation involves making efforts to prevent the emergence of social problems and life difficulties of clients or to prevent the aggravation of problems that have already arisen. Practice shows that it is always easier to prevent a social disaster than to subsequently make efforts to eliminate its manifold consequences. For example, the preservation of family and school ties of children who find themselves in a state of maladaptation is incomparably more favorable and pragmatic for themselves, for their relatives and for society as a whole than subsequently fighting against child vagrancy, crime, etc.

The principle of client-centrism means recognition of the priority of the client's rights in all cases, except for those where it is contrary to the rights and interests of other people. The traditions of a totalitarian society force us in many cases to put forward the interests of the state and society. For example, when analyzing the social disintegration of the family, it is customary to say that a decrease in the birth rate will have a negative impact on the labor resources that society will have in the next generations, on the conscripts for the Armed Forces, which in ten years will be completely insufficient for the needs of the state. It should be remembered that all these, of course, important priorities cannot be in the foreground for a social worker: the most important goal of his activity is to ensure the ability of his client to social functioning, create favorable conditions for his social well-being and development of his personality. The needs of the state and society are satisfied as a result of its activities only indirectly.

As part of this principle it is possible to consider the sovereignty and autonomy of the client, who has the right to accept or not to accept the help of social workers, has the right to choose one or another type of assistance or a scenario for resolving his life problems, must receive full information regarding work with him, and also has the right to protect his personal life from outside interference to the extent that this does not damage the rights and interests of other persons.

Self-reliance principle emphasizes the subjective role of the client, his active position in resolving his problems. It is unlikely that anyone can, instead of the person himself, resolve his life difficulties, eliminate the conflict situation, and improve relations with loved ones. The social worker should advise the client in choosing a strategy for overcoming the crisis, provide him with psychological assistance, encourage him to self-help, and help bring together people with similar problems to overcome difficulties together. Of course, in this case we are talking about clients who are sufficiently capable in terms of their intellectual, mental and physical resources. People with disabilities, children, the elderly, who do not have the potential for self-help, of course, have the right to receive assistance without showing their own activity.

The principle of maximizing social resources proceeds from the fact that each social system inevitably allocates a minimum of funds for the provision of social assistance to its population. True, the real value of these funds depends primarily on the socio-economic capabilities of the state and on society's ideas about what is included in the necessary social minimum for the individual. Therefore, the social resources of Germany or Sweden, for example, with their stable economy and traditionally high level of life differ from the level of provision of social assistance in our country with its difficulties in the economy and extremely ascetic habits of the population. However, the effect of the principle is manifested everywhere: social workers should make efforts to attract additional opportunities to provide assistance to the client in addition to the guaranteed minimum by contacting non-governmental, voluntary, charitable institutions, self-help organizations and mutual assistance of clients, use other methods not prohibited by law.

Principle of confidentiality is connected with the fact that in the process of activity, information about the client becomes available to the social worker, which, if disclosed, can harm him or his relatives, discredit and discredit them. This is information about diseases, negative habits, mental illness, family conflicts, criminal past or present. Such information may only be used for professional purposes; it should not be disclosed, except in cases provided for by law and related to the possibility of violence, harm to any person, especially children.

The principle of tolerance due to the fact that social work is carried out with a variety of categories of clients, including individuals who may not inspire sympathy for a specialist. The political, religious and national characteristics of individuals in need of assistance, their behavioral stereotypes and their very appearance may be unusual for people involved in social work. Certain elements of xenophobia, i.e. hostility and fear of manifestations of alien traditions are common in our society. Social workers are not free from the illusion that their point of view, their stereotype of behavior, their ideas about good and bad are the only true and normative ones. Meanwhile, the diversity of human types, national and cultural traditions, customs of behavior is the key to the viability of the development of all mankind. No one should pass judgment on another person's activity as long as it does not pose a danger or cause harm to others. A social worker cannot sort clients into "good" and "bad", "convenient" and "uncomfortable". Anyone who needs help should get it. The professional tolerance of a social worker means recognizing the patterns of diversity in clients and tolerance for manifestations of this diversity.

Knowledge of the social reality surrounding us is the most important instrument of practical influence on it. The essential components of the system of elements of scientific theory are the consequences arising from the laws and principles, imprinted in methods, technological algorithms and techniques. They provide the key to solving problem situations and practical problems. The system of categories, regularities and principles of social work combines logical consistency, verifiability and practical orientation.

The relationship of social work with other scientific disciplines.

The correlation of the theory of social work with other sciences is based on traditional methods systemic approach. Thus, stable links between social work and sociology, social work and psychology, social work and medicine, social work and ecology are fixed.

For example, sociology studies societies, behavior and beliefs of specific groups: families, work collectives, children, youth, pensioners, representatives of various professions. Knowledge in the field of sociology allows a social worker to explore social problems and master the skills of questioning and interviewing. This involves knowing how to talk to a person who is faced with a particular problem in order to help him open up, trust, so that he feels attention and care. Only on the basis of collecting relevant information and analyzing it, the social worker will be able to outline a real plan of his actions to help the client.

Also closely related to social work is psychology, which studies the mental state of clients in order to understand their internal motivations for certain actions, to issue appropriate recommendations.

Thus, the social worker uses knowledge of sociology and psychology in order to assess the problem of the client and make the necessary intervention or recommendations. But at the same time, the social worker should not focus only on the individual, as the psychologist does, or only on the client's social environment, as the sociologist does. He must study various aspects of a particular range of problems in order to develop a constructive solution.

It should be remembered that a social worker in any of the areas of his activity is connected with a person, with the relationship between the individual and the team, social group, state structures. All of its activities are aimed at improving human relations, at what we call the implementation of the ideas of humanism.

In addition to philosophy - the science of the methods of scientific knowledge, the most general laws of the development of nature and society - the knowledge of logic, aesthetics, and ethics is important for social work.

Logic is the science of laws and forms of thought. Ethics with its main categories - good and evil, good, duty, responsibility - allows you to describe the relationship that develops in a group or society as a whole, the attitude of a person towards other people.

Consider the relationship of social work with other sciences in more detail. And, first of all, let's pay attention to the fact that a significant part of the theory of social work grew out of sociological concepts. And a specialist in the field of organizing social work, managing this activity relies on the conjugation of the main research approaches in sociology and the theory of social work. He must be sufficiently familiar with the theory of organization and social management. The data of sociological research is necessary for the organizer of social assistance to individuals, families, groups in an extreme situation.

Modern psychology, as a science about the inner world of a person, helps him to make life more meaningful, to fully realize individual abilities, to help others purposefully. In the practice of placement of personnel, career guidance, and forecasting of social behavior, psychodiagnostics is used - the formulation of a psychological diagnosis.

In the middle of the XIX century. The German educator Diesterweg proposed the term "social pedagogy", meaning by it "the process of pedagogical influence on the social action of a person during all age periods of life in various areas of microstructure". Social pedagogy is now one of the academic disciplines of the training course for social workers.

In developing the theory of social work, i.e. social work as a science, was attended by many researchers in different countries. The concepts of Freud, Skinner, Piaget had an important influence on its development in the West.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is the founder of the theory of psychoanalysis, which goes beyond the medical and biological concepts of the phenomena of the human psyche. He gave an analysis of the mechanism of functioning of social institutions, the main incentives human activity, formulated the psychoanalytic concept of personality.

Burhus Frederick Skinner (1904-1990) explored the problems of controlling people's behavior. He believed that three factors should be taken into account:

 an event that causes a certain reaction of a person;

 this reaction itself – its nature and form;

 Consequences.

Technique so-called. "conditioning", developed by Skinner, has become widespread in social work.

Jean Piaget (1896-1960) developed the concept of the connection between the socialization of the child and the individual development of the personality.

Four eminent female researchers have made significant contributions to the development of the theory and practice of social work.

Josephine Shaw Loull (1843-1905), prominent New York charitable worker, researched the character of poor people, became an organizer of the poor women's movement.

Mary Richmond (1861-1928) gained extensive experience in social work as an assistant to the head of a large charitable organization in Baltimore (USA). Knowledge of theory and personal experience allowed her to publish the book "What is Social Therapy" in 1917, which quickly gained popularity.

Jane Adams (1860-1935) put a lot of effort into organizing the New Modern Woman movement and, being free from many prejudices, called for educating people to pay attention to other people's troubles, to be ready to help those in need. In 1932, her great contribution to the development of the theory and practice of social work was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Bertha Reynolds (1883-1978) began her practice of social work in an orphanage in Boston (USA), sought to combine the upbringing of white and colored children. Working at the orphanage convinced her that it was not the personality that needed to be changed, but American society, its economic structure and the nature of interethnic relations. Her view is interesting that a social worker should perform the function of a kind of public controller of how social policy is implemented and how much it corresponds to the real needs of society.

A significant contribution to the development of the theory of social work and the practice of its implementation in modern Russia was made by professors of the Moscow State Social University V.I. Zhukov, I.G. Zainyshev, P.D. Pavlenok, M.V. Firsov, E.I. Their works have become teaching aids for the training of social workers in the country's universities.

Summing up, we can say that social work as a science is a sphere of human activity in the development and theoretical systematization of objective knowledge about the social sphere and the specifics of social activity. One of the most important tasks of social work as a science is the analysis of the forms and methods of social work, the development optimal technologies and methods of solving social problems of society. Social work as a science combines a theoretical (empirical) and applied system of knowledge. Moreover, the applied part prevails in it, which distinguishes it from other scientific disciplines.

19. Social technologies.

Essence, principles and basic concepts of technology of social work.

Techno (Greek) mastery of the art of work
Technologies are a set of knowledge systems of methods, means of processing and converting materials.
1977 Nikola Stefano - Bulgarian scientist "social sciences and social technologies"
Tech: Social technology is a way of managing, regulating, planning social processes
Phil: social technology is the end product of social projects necessary to ensure the processes of reproduction and improvement of activities
Social technologies: a set of techniques, methods and influences used to achieve the goals.
Social technology is a social category that provides and characterizes a way to purposefully solve a social problem in the form of a defined set of procedures and operations and as a means of practical achievement of the goals.
Social technologies - a system of knowledge about the optimal ways of transforming and regulating social relations in people's lives, as well as the practice of algorithmic application, the optimal methods of transformation and regulation of social relations and processes.
Social work technology is one of the branches of social work focused on help, support, sow services for citizens who are in a difficult life situation.
Social service is the provision of services by the state to people who find themselves in a difficult life situation.
The place of social work in the system of social technologies
1. Specially oriented area of knowledge about methods and procedures for optimizing human life
2. a way of carrying out activities based on its rational division into procedures, operations, followed by their coordination and the choice of optimal means, methods for their implementation
3. method of managing social processes that provide a reproduction system in certain parameters: quality, volume, integrity of activity
1The meaning and tasks of social technological training for social workers
1. to equip the technologist with knowledge of the basics of technology and methods of organizing social work with various groups of the population.
2. having developed creative thinking, the ability to analyze and evaluate conflict situations, correctly determine the ways and means of optimal solutions to social problems.
3. shaping the skills and abilities of specialists in organizational activities, methods of managerial influence, etc.

Classification of social technologies.

Social technologies are distinguished in close dependence on the spheres of social activity in which they are used. Social technologies can be:

proper social (achieving social justice (“who does not work, he does not eat”; protection of vulnerable segments of the population);

economic (assessment of a person's abilities; intellectual optimization of an employee's work; "an ordinary person becomes a manager", in other words, the staff receives power and responsibility);

managerial (development of management systems and the order of collective activity of organizations; allocation of personal strategy);

o political (guarantees of foresight and balanced political decisions);

Spiritual sphere (cultural needs and interests of people; response to trends related to social and cultural life; availability of economic prerequisites for solving existing problems).

Social technologies, which are increasingly paid attention at the state level, in turn, can be associated with work with society as a whole, with the family, the younger generation, women, pensioners, with technologies of social foresight, adaptation, creative development, preventive value and economic support of people, as well as socio-pedagogical, socio-psychological, socio-medical.

The specificity of social technologies in various spheres of human life and with different groups of people.

The noted features and interrelationships of the two groups of methods are also characteristic of technologies. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the structural content of technologies as a set of methods, methods, techniques for solving certain problems.

Technologies in general, and social technologies in particular, should be interpreted in two ways: firstly, as ways to apply the theoretical conclusions of a particular science in solving practical problems; secondly, as a set of techniques, methods and influences that are used to achieve the set goals in the process of social development, solving certain social problems.

From the point of view of social work as a science, it is important to interpret technologies as theoretical conclusions focused on practice.

The literature most often deals with "practical" technologies of social work, i.e. technologies applied to the practice of social work. This also applies to educational activities and technologies of the educational process. However, it must be borne in mind that these technologies (practical and educational) are based on accumulated experience, the systematization of knowledge in this area.

In accordance with this approach, it is possible to classify the technologies used in social work. This refers to three aspects of social work, in which technologies act mainly in the form of knowledge (science), knowledge and skills (training), as well as knowledge, skills, experience and practice (practical activity).

Social work technologies can be divided into three large groups (which is reflected in the relevant Model Program and standards):

1) general and private technologies (often referred to in the literature as functions, areas of social work). These are social diagnosis, social therapy, social rehabilitation, social prevention, social control, social insurance, social services in the sphere of everyday life, social mediation, social guardianship. Each of them includes both scientific (theory) and practical and educational components. We are primarily interested in the interpretation and operationalization of these technologies as a knowledge system (they are described in more detail, taking into account practical and educational activities, in separate chapters);

2) technologies of social work with different groups, strata, communities, as well as with individual. Their theoretical content is reduced to identifying the features of the application of technologies of the first group, taking into account knowledge of the specifics of this group of objects of social work;

3) technologies of social work in various spheres of life, which are a system of knowledge of the application of general and particular technologies, taking into account the characteristics of each sphere of life of a social orientation (education, healthcare, etc.) and the structure of these areas.

There is a classification of technologies taking into account the levels of social work: individual-personal, social-group and societal (local, regional, federal, as well as continental and global). Undoubtedly, the theoretical component in each of them is different.

The technologies of social work in professional and non-professional activities are defined differently. The component of interest to us - theory - is presented here, of course, primarily in professional work. In non-professional activities (although there is some theoretical knowledge here), skills, traditions, customs, and everyday knowledge predominate.

Technologies of social work (taking into account all three of its components) are classified depending on the predominance of certain aspects. So, in socio-economic, socio-legal, socio-pedagogical, socio-psychological, socio-medical technologies, there is a combination of theoretical knowledge of social work in general and knowledge in the field of economics, law, pedagogy, psychology and medicine.

In conclusion, we note that the technologies of social work and its theoretical component are the most in an organic way associated with social technologies in general: global (knowledge global problems modernity and the “exit” of technologies beyond the framework of national-state formations); innovative and routine (knowledge of new and old methods of solving problems); historical (knowledge of solving social problems at different stages of the history of one's own country and other countries), etc. The theoretical component of technologies in social work is especially clearly presented and expressed in information social technologies. This is due to the importance of information in modern society, called the information society.

20. The main areas of activity and professional qualities of a social worker. Qualification characteristics of a specialist in social work.

The specialist's responsibilities include organizing and coordinating social work with individuals and groups with special needs, with disabilities.

A specialist in the field of social work participates in the organizational, managerial and administrative work of social services, organizations and institutions, and also promotes the integration of the activities of various state and public organizations to provide the necessary social protection and assistance to the population.

The duties of a social work specialist include conducting educational activities in social services, secondary specialized educational institutions (subject to receiving additional education in this area).

Required knowledge and skills. The social worker must be sufficiently broadly educated in various fields. In addition to knowledge of general humanitarian and socio-economic disciplines (history, philosophy, cultural studies, political science, etc.), he must know the main stages and trends in the development of social work as a social institution in Russia and abroad, know the concepts and categories, principles and patterns, forms and levels of social work, the specifics of knowledge, forecasting and design of social work.

A social work specialist must know the essence, content, tools, methods and types of social work technologies in various spheres of life and with various individuals and groups of the population.

His responsibilities include knowledge of the basics of psychology, pedagogy, social medicine, legal support of social work.

A social work specialist must have an understanding of the organization and management in social institutions and services, be able to receive and process information necessary in professional activities, analyze and monitor the state and development of social work objects.

The duties of a specialist include organizing and conducting psychosocial, socio-pedagogical and socio-medical work.

Requirements for the personality of a specialist. The activity of a social work specialist is distinguished, first of all, by communication with a special contingent of the population. As a rule, people seeking help are, for a number of reasons, emotionally unbalanced, vulnerable and need a special approach.

In order to work successfully in organizations of the system of social protection of the population, it is necessary to have patience and sociability. Professionally important qualities of a specialist are benevolence, decency, disinterestedness, honesty, a developed sense of intuition, observation and diligence, emotional and volitional stability.

A specialist in the field of social work must have developed intellectual qualities: an analytical mindset, the ability to work with a large amount of information.

Employment. The areas of professional activity of graduates are state and non-state social services and institutions of the system of social protection of the population, education, healthcare, the army, law enforcement agencies, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, consulting firms, various business and entrepreneurship structures.

A social worker must possess a considerable arsenal of professional skills, have deep knowledge in the field of human sciences: psychology, acmeology, sociology, pedagogy, law, in order to act as a worthy implementer of the goals of social work. The knowledge and skills of a social worker, combined with relevant personal qualities, are subject to assessment using appropriate methods, which contributes to a more effective performance of professional activities.

Qualification characteristics of a graduate– social work specialist – provides for the following:

A social work specialist conducts professional practical work (mediation, counseling, specialized assistance) in social services, organizations and institutions;

Provides social assistance and services to families and individuals, etc. population groups;

Organizes and coordinates social work with individuals and groups with special needs, disabilities, etc.;

Conducts research and analytical activities (analysis and forecasting, development of social projects, technologies) on the problems of the social situation of the population in the supervised area, in order to develop projects and programs of social work;

Participates in the organizational, managerial and administrative work of social services, organizations and institutions;

Promotes the integration of the activities of various state and public organizations and institutions to provide the necessary social protection and assistance to the population;

Conducts educational activities in social services, secondary specialized educational institutions.

Objects social work is performed by an individual, a small group, the population of a certain localized territory (in whole or in part). A distinctive feature of the objects of social work is the presence of a difficult life situation: disability(impairment of health with a persistent disorder of body functions due to diseases, consequences of injuries or defects, leading to limitation of life activity); inability to self-care due to old age, illness inability to self-care due to old age, illness(limitation of movement, inability to perform household and hygiene procedures); orphanhood(loss of parents by persons under the age of 18 due to death); neglect(non-fulfillment by parents of their functions of supervision and upbringing of the child and the threat of a complete rupture of the child and the family); low income ( insufficiency of a material resource as a means of satisfying vital and social needs); unemployment(the problem of able-bodied citizens who, for one reason or another, do not participate in production activities, do not have jobs and earnings (income) ready to start working); lack of a fixed place of residence(the actual lack of socially acceptable housing, the lack of material opportunities, the violation of the human "microworld", which manifests itself in wandering, vagrancy, the absence of certain occupations); conflict and abuse in the family(clash of spouses, children and parents, caused by contradictions that are difficult to resolve, associated with confrontation and acute emotional experiences; physical violence; mental (emotional) violence; sexual (sexual) violence; neglect of life's needs); loneliness(subjective state showing a split in the network of relationships and connections inner world personality).

Subject they call a cognizing and acting being, opposing the external world as an object of cognition or transformation. A distinctive feature of the subject is the presence of a goal - the intended result. As subject social work is considered, as a rule: individual workers of social services, with a certain degree of conditionality - social state and non-state (confessional, public organizations, commercial) institutions.

Important role plays in social work social service(system of social services). According to the law “On the Fundamentals of Social Services for the Population” (1995), the state system of social services consists of state enterprises and institutions that are federally owned and owned by the subjects of the federation, and the corresponding municipal system consists of enterprises and institutions that are in charge of local government. The legislation provides for the existence of three systems of social services: private, state and municipal. Special place in state system social work is occupied by federal non-budgetary funds (the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation, the State Employment Fund of the Russian Federation, the Republican (Federal) Fund for Social Support of the Population, the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund). TO non-state actors social work include: church, public organizations (including trade unions, political parties, movements), charitable foundations, manufacturing enterprises(various forms of ownership). The subjects of this group can play the role of a social investor (realizing their own financial resources under certain conditions), or the role of a social performer (personnel and organizational resources) using the financial resources of other institutions, including the state. In this case, confessional or public social services are created. Relatives, friends, neighbors, private benefactors can act as informal subjects of social assistance.

The strategy of social work is to study the person, his integrity, world, individuality and universality. In practice, most models of social work focus on the technological aspects of providing assistance. The effectiveness of social work depends on understanding the essence of human life, its changes under the influence of economic, socio-psychological factors. The formation of the human world is a complex process of cognition, consolidation, creative development of the worldview, ideological, moral attitudes of society, the process of assimilation of social qualities, knowledge and skills created by society, on the basis of which one's own vision and assessment of things is developed.
The active, creative nature of a person is interpreted and taken into account in different ways. various models theory and practical organization of social work. The development of humanistic psychology (K. Rogers, A. Maslow, V. Frankl, and others) has become especially important for understanding a person as an integral personality. All methods of cognition should be used in a systematic, holistic, versatile study of sociocultural phenomena, and above all, a person as an integral part of that cultural environment, sociocultural tradition, which determines his development and his characteristic problems.
Object and subject are the fundamental categories of the development of the theory of social work. This theory is characterized by a variety of methodological approaches to their selection. So, in the dictionary-reference book on social work it is noted: “The object of the study of social work is the process of connections, interactions, ways and means of regulating the behavior of social groups and individuals in society. The subject of social work as an independent science is the patterns that determine the nature and direction of the development of social processes in society.
The boundaries of the object and subject of the theory of social work are associated with the concepts of "social interaction", "social and interpersonal relations", "social change", "social dynamics" and "social structure". The substantive essence of social work, despite the variety of theoretical approaches, is characterized by such a general concept as “sociality”, which expresses the diverse ways and forms of coexistence and interaction in society as a system of integral social subjects.
Social coexistence and interaction should be built on the principles of social equality and partnership, fair distribution of material wealth, reliable guarantees for the creative self-assertion of all subjects of society. This understanding of sociality is the most important criterion implementation of social work.
The object and subject of social work, on the one hand, are determined by the goals and objectives of practical social work, and on the other hand, they determine the boundaries and content of the theory and practice of social work. There are many definitions of the object and subject of social work. They are largely similar in that in modern conditions social work goes beyond the boundaries of practical social assistance and is increasingly becoming fundamental theoretical knowledge about a person in the system of social relations and interactions, about ways to improve his social life and social well-being.
The subject and object of social work are the most important components of the system of theory and practice of social work. The object of social work is, first of all, a person in the system of social connections and relations, to whom social action is directed. This is a client of social assistance, social adaptation and rehabilitation, social diagnostics and prevention, social expertise and social therapy.
The object of social work is the client - a person in need of social protection. Historically, at first, the concept of a client included people who had a predisposition to violate generally accepted standards (beggars) or difficulties in adapting (migrants). Over time, not only the categories of clients change, but also the groups of problems that form the clients of social work. Subsequently, the category of clients was extended to people who, under the influence of society and the abnormal living conditions that this society creates, lose the possibility of normal functioning. In this interpretation, marginalized, unemployed people with certain problems in family relationships were classified as clients of social work. Currently, a beating person, group or community is identified by a social work client who needs the help of a social worker and with whom an agreement has been reached to work together.

In such a broad context, any person with any problem can be a client of social work. In the theory of social work, there are various typologies of clients of modern social work. For example, according to the direction and nature of interaction: individual;
Group; community; or according to the specifics of the request: aggressors, polite, dumb, etc.
The subject of social work is the one who provides social assistance. These can be government organizations (social insurance, social protection agencies), public organizations (various charitable unions, organizations, foundations, etc.) and individuals - specialists in the field of social work of various qualifications (social therapist, social gerontologist, social ecologist etc.) or voluntary assistants - volunteers. Social work is two-sided. The social assistance provided is based on the system of interactions between the social worker and the client, as well as with the significant social environment of the client.