Social work system: main characteristics. Subjects of social activity

Object social work serve people in need of outside help. These include: old people; pensioners; disabled people; seriously ill people; children; people who find themselves in a difficult life situation - trouble; teenagers who find themselves in bad company; orphans; refugees; immigrants and many others.

This is an incomplete socio-demographic characteristic of the object of social work in the modern Republic of Belarus. Not all groups of people in need of social assistance have been named. Each of these people is a unique personality, with a unique mindset, psyche, and a complex biography. This requires from a social worker exceptional tact, insight into a person’s fate, compassion, multifaceted knowledge, a variety of skills, the greatest patience and dedication.

Social work subject

Performs all functions of providing assistance to people in need subject of social work. The subject of social work includes all those people and organizations that conduct and manage social work. This includes the state as a whole, which implements social policy. These include charitable organizations, charitable societies such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society. These include various public organizations.

But the main subject of social work is, of course, not organizations, not associations, but People, social work professionally or on a voluntary basis.

Social worker– a specialist in the field of social work; This is a profession, specialty, set of specialties in the field of social work.

There are not many professional workers. In total, there are about 500 thousand professional workers in the world. These are specialists who have diplomas indicating that they have been officially awarded the specialty “social worker”. For example, in Russia, as a result of measures adopted in recent years Several tens of thousands of professional social workers have been trained. In the Republic of Belarus, training of professional social workers carried out at BSU (GUIST), BSPU named after M. Tank, Belarusian University of Culture and some other universities.

Large load volume social services those in need fall on the shoulders of unprofessional workers who do not have a special diploma and are engaged in social work due to the prevailing circumstances.

Currently there is no information about how many citizens of the Republic of Belarus are engaged in social work on a voluntary basis. According to average world statistics, there are 10-15 people per social worker.

Speaking about the subject of social work, it is important to keep in mind one more circumstance. Among them there are those who are mainly involved in organizing social work (they can be called organizers or managers), and there are those who directly provide social assistance.

Contents, functions, means and goals of social work.

3) prognostic, 4) organizational, 5) socio-psychological, 6) managerial, 7) provision of practical assistance.

The social worker begins his activity with an information function, which consists of collecting information about the object (age, health, living conditions, material wealth, mental characteristics, character, etc.). Based on the information collected about his future wards, the social worker makes a diagnosis: assesses the volume, types of work, mode of his activities, difficulties, forms, methods, plans physical and material costs, etc.

In parallel with the “diagnosis”, the social worker also builds a diagnosis of his activity: difficult - will it be easy for him to work, will he be able to provide effective assistance or not, somewhat quickly - will it take a long time to deal with the “patient”, etc. Depending on the nature of social assistance (providing, for example, social assistance to a lonely patient or relieving psychological stress), a work plan is constructed, its content and types of practical assistance are determined.

Social work is carried out through means. Under means understands all those objects, actions, etc., with the help of which the goals of the activity are achieved. The variety of social work functions also results from the variety of tools used. Their range is unlimited. This, for example, is the word, and the telephone, and psychiatry techniques, and personal charm, etc. It is important to keep in mind that the richer the arsenal of tools that a social worker has and knows well, the more successful his work is. At the same time, the choice and use of certain means depends entirely on the nature and characteristics of the object of social work. It’s one thing to be lying sick, another thing to be a person who is depressed. The set of funds in these cases is significantly noted.

Introduction

1 Objects of social work: history and reality

2 Subjects of social work: the degree of involvement of various subjects in the practice of social work

3 The nature of subject-object relations in social work

Conclusion

List of sources used

Introduction

Relevance of the problem . As an activity of helping people solve their problems, social work has a certain structure that includes elements such as object and subject. Social work is a multi-object and multi-subject activity.

The object of social work refers to those who need help. The object of social work is complex and specific. The objects of social work are an individual, a small group, or the population of a certain localized territory (in whole or in part). This is society in the unity and interaction of its social, economic, political and spiritual elements. This is a person in all the richness of his life manifestations - the highest value, the final criterion and goal social development. This is a combination of individual segments of the population and categories of citizens who, for various reasons, need targeted social support, social protection, social diagnostics and correction, as well as social adaptation and rehabilitation.

A subject is a cognizing and acting being that opposes the external world as an object of cognition or transformation. As a rule, individual workers of social services are considered as a subject of social work, with some degree of convention - social state and non-state (confessional, public organizations, commercial) institutions: institutions, institutions and bodies of federal government, as well as numerous entities Russian Federation, institutions and bodies municipal government and local government, as well as professional bodies, officials and employees of labor collectives Russian society. Their rights, powers and functional responsibilities in the field of social work are officially regulated by the state, legislation, orders and regulations of the executive branch.

Degree of development . Currently, a significant number of works are devoted to the problem of the object and subject of social work. The basis of our research is the work of V. Afanasyev, N. F. Basov, L. G. Guslyakova, I. P. Zainyshev, K. V. Kuzmin, I. Kurbatov, V. P. Melnik, P. I. Nishcheretny, P. D. Pavlenka, A. N. Panova, M. V. Romm, T. A. Romm, B. A. Sutyrina, S. V. Tetersky, L. V. Topchego, M. V. Firsov, E. I. Kholostovoy, P. Ya. Tsitkilov and many others. etc.

Object course work– social work.

Item work – the object and subject of social work.

Target – analysis of the specifics of objects and subjects of social work.

Tasks The research boils down to the following:

1. Describe the objects of social work: history and reality.

2. Consider the main subjects of social work and the degree of their involvement in the practice of social work.

3. Identify the nature of subject-object relations in social work.

Methods our work are the analysis method scientific literature, journal publications, documents; method of historical reconstruction, method of statistical analysis.

Scientific and practical significance of this course work is that the developments proposed in it can be used in the practical activities of a social worker.

1. Objects of social work: history and reality

A distinctive feature of social work objects is the presence of a difficult life situation:

– disability (health impairment with a persistent disorder of body functions, caused by diseases, consequences of injuries or defects, leading to limitation of life activities);

– inability to self-care due to old age, illness (limited mobility, inability to perform household and hygienic procedures);

– orphanhood (loss of parents due to death by persons under 18 years of age);

– neglect (failure of parents to fulfill their functions of supervision and upbringing of the child and the threat of a complete breakup of the child and family);

– poverty (lack of material resources 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 those without work and earnings (income) who are ready to start working);

– lack of a specific place of residence (actual lack of socially acceptable housing, lack of material opportunities, disruption of the human “microworld”, which manifests itself in wanderings, vagrancy, lack of certain occupations);

– conflicts and ill-treatment in the family (clashes between spouses, children and parents, caused by difficult to resolve contradictions, associated with confrontation and acute emotional experiences;

– physical, mental (emotional) and sexual (gender) violence;

– loneliness (a subjective state showing a split in the network of relationships and connections inner world personality) etc.

Even in Old Testament times, a tradition arose of special treatment of widows and orphans, whose oppression by other people was considered an action that violated the will of God and was therefore subject to severe punishment. Widows and orphans were then the personification of defenselessness in the face of the difficulties that people faced in their lives. The tradition of a special attitude towards them was supported by Christianity, which not only made appropriate decisions at its Ecumenical Councils (for example, in Chalcedon in 437), but also took practical actions aimed at improving their situation, i.e., engaged in charitable activities.

In addition to widows and orphans, the objects of such activities began to be considered beggars ( special treatment which in Russia is called poverty), the disabled, the elderly and other groups of people in need. A common feature representatives of all these groups, which are currently called socially vulnerable, is that - in comparison with other people - they are in the most difficult situation and are not able to do it themselves (i.e. without outside help) improve it.

S. M. Soloviev noted that, unlike the Germans and Lithuanians, who got rid of “superfluous, weak and crippled” relatives, the Slavs were merciful to the old and children. U Eastern Slavs family customs were adopted to support older people - “elders”. From legends we know about the guardianship of orphans (“primaks”, “worldly children”, “godovants”) and widows. There are still centuries-old traditions of social assistance, for example, “help” (“toloka”) - a custom according to which neighbors are invited to do a lot of urgent work, then the workers are generously treated. This kind of assistance is provided to widows and the infirm.

The Charter of Prince Vladimir I of 996 defined for the first time the main categories of those to be looked after: widows, the poor, wanderers and beggars. But the main thing in the Charter of Prince Vladimir I was “love of poverty”: feed the hungry, give drink to the suffering, etc. .

According to Stoglavy Cathedral, the main objects of charity were: lepers and the elderly; healthy beggars who nevertheless cannot work (orphans); healthy adult beggars and strays.

During the reign of Peter I, a revision of the main categories of eligible people took place; all changes were aimed at combating professional beggary. Main objects state system charity acts were: the old and crippled (disabled beggars); wretched and holy fools; orphans, illegitimate children, street children.

In the 18th century, a system of state social assistance was formed in Russia for the poor, orphans and the poor. From the second half of the 19th century centuries, those who, not being “decrepit and wretched”, began to be considered as an object of charity, including individuals and families in need of help “from poverty”: immigrants, workers who went to latrine trades and in search of outsiders earnings; unemployed and unprepared for work, debt arrears state taxes, as well as peasants who did not have the right to receive a bank loan.

At the beginning of the 20th century. new categories appear: victims of wars ( Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905, First world war); juvenile delinquents; workers and employees (in 1903 the Law “On remuneration of victims of accidents of workers and employees, as well as members of their families, in enterprises of the factory and mining industry” was issued, according to which in case of injury or temporary loss of working capacity due to for work-related injuries, pensions and one-time benefits were awarded).

At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The main objects of state and public charity are children, including orphans, disabled people, and students. By the beginning of the 20th century, a more or less clear system of objects of social work was emerging in Russia: orphans, sick children (blind, deaf-mute, crippled), widows, the poor, the homeless, students, military personnel, the wounded and the sick.

Thus, in the pre-revolutionary period in Russia, among the main objects of the social work system were various groups of the population, primarily its poorest strata.

After the revolution, one of the main categories social security became disabled people of the Second World War, workers, pensioners, disabled workers, neglected and street children. The Constitution of the USSR, adopted in 1936, enshrined among the most important rights of citizens the right to material support in old age, as well as in case of illness and loss of ability to work.

A distinctive property of a subject is the presence of a goal - an expected result. Regarding subject of social work, then it is also not homogeneous, but falls into three levels. Indeed, social workers directly work with clients, but they all belong to one or another organization specializing in providing assistance to those in need (or agencies), which base their activities on laws adopted by the state.

The main subject of social work is, of course, not organizations or associations, but people engaged in social work professionally or on a voluntary basis. There are not many professional workers. In Russia, as a result of measures taken in recent years, several tens of thousands of professional social workers have been trained. The main burden of providing social services to those in need falls on the shoulders of non-professional workers who do not have a special diploma and are engaged in social work due to the prevailing circumstances. There is no information about how many Russian citizens are engaged in social work on a voluntary basis.

Speaking about the subject of social work, it is important to keep in mind one more circumstance. Among them there are those who are mainly involved in organizing social work (they can be called organizers or managers), and there are those who directly provide social assistance. They can conditionally be called practical social workers.

The classification of social work subjects is as follows:

1. Organizations, institutions, social institutions society; these include: firstly, the state with its structures represented by the legislative, executive and judicial powers different levels. The Ministry of Health plays a special role in this structure and social development, as well as executive bodies of social work management at regional level(social protection bodies of territories, regions, republics, autonomous entities), cities, local administrations; secondly, various kinds social services: territorial centers for social assistance to families and children; social rehabilitation centers for minors; assistance centers for children left without parental care; rehabilitation centers for children and adolescents; centers psychological assistance to the population; emergency psychological assistance centers by telephone, etc.; thirdly, the administration 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-governmental charitable organizations in Russia are, in particular, the Moscow House of Mercy, the charitable foundations “Soprichastnost”, “Soul of Man”, “Metropol” (Moscow), Association for Refugees (St. Petersburg), “Altai-AIDS”, etc. Today in Russia, charitable activities are carried out in accordance with Federal law"ABOUT charitable activities and charitable organizations", which provides legal regulation this activity, guarantees support for its participants, creates legal basis for the development of activities 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 implementers, practical social workers providing direct assistance, support, providing social protection clients, representatives of the social work objects we have already considered. Social workers are special group, since they must have certain professional, spiritual and moral qualities. According to some estimates, there are about 500 thousand professional social workers in the world. Many certified specialists have appeared in Russia in recent years. There are much more uncertified but professionally engaged in social work specialists, especially in those countries (including Russia) in which a new profession, “social worker,” has been relatively recently introduced. 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).

4. Teachers, as well as those who contribute to the consolidation of knowledge, skills, abilities: heads of student practice, mentors, practical social workers and other workers, facilitating the internship of students (listeners) in various organizations, institutions, and social enterprises.

5. Social work researchers: academics 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. 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 play a major role in this process. In Russia, several research schools of social work have practically already been created: philosophical, sociological, psychological, etc. Their representatives, when developing the problems of social work, pay attention to special meaning its individual directions

Objects of social work arise and are formed objectively, under the influence of socio-economic conditions of life, but are formed by political and other social institutions, i.e. are an add-on.

An object is a part of objective reality that interacts with the subject.

Let's consider the content of the concept of an object of social work.

These are people who need help: old people; pensioners; disabled people; seriously ill; children; people who find themselves in difficult life situations; teenagers who find themselves in bad company, etc.

There are several tens of millions of them in Russia. It should be remembered that each of these tens of millions of people has their own individuality, their own way of thinking and a complex biography. This requires a social worker to have a sense of tact, compassion, patience, and the ability to understand the problem of another person.

Thus, the object of social work is all people. Scientists suggest the following classification social work objects:

1. The state of health does not allow one to solve life’s problems independently.

2. Service and work in extreme social conditions (war veterans, widows and mothers of military personnel).

3. Elderly, retirement age people.

4. Deviant behavior in his various forms and types (children with deviant behavior; children experiencing adult violence; persons returning from prison; use drugs or alcohol in the family).

5. Difficult, disadvantaged situation various categories families (orphans; large families; parents who have not reached the age of majority; conflict families).

6. Special situation of children (orphanhood, vagrancy, street children).

7. Vagrancy, homelessness (without a fixed place of residence).

8. Legal status of persons subjected to political repression.

Social work subjects are people and organizations that conduct and manage social work.

The main subjects of social work are people engaged in social work professionally and on a voluntary basis. There are not many professional workers; there are approximately 550 thousand of them in the world. These people have diplomas and are officially awarded the specialty “Social Worker”. The main workload is carried out by non-professional workers. In Sweden in three major cities 3.5 thousand professional workers and 46.5 thousand non-professional workers.

Among social workers, there are organizers or managers and practical social workers.

Therefore, the subjects of social work can be:

1. Organizations, institutions, social institutions, societies:

– a state with legislative, executive and judicial powers at different levels. This is the Ministry of Health and Social Development, as well as executive bodies of social work management (territories, regions, republics, cities);

– various social services: territorial centers for social assistance to families and children; social rehabilitation centers for minors; social shelters for children and teenagers; psychological help centers by telephone.

Public, charitable and other organizations and institutions:

- trade unions, branches of the Children's Fund, the Red Cross Society, private social services.

Non-state charitable organizations in Russia are: Moscow House of Mercy, charitable organizations "Complicity", "Soul of Man" (Moscow), Association for Refugees (St. Petersburg), etc. Charitable activities are carried out in accordance with the Federal Law "On Charitable Activities and Charitable organizations."

3. People engaged in practical social work professionally or on a voluntary basis.

There are about 500 thousand professional social workers in the world, and those engaged in social work on a voluntary basis are considered to be when one social worker serves 10-15 people.

4. Teachers, as well as those who help consolidate knowledge and skills in social work (practical workers where students do internships).

5. Social work researchers at university departments, laboratories, and graduate schools.

3.3. Functions of social work

diagnostic – making a social diagnosis; –

prognostic – forecasting and model development social behavior objects; –

preventive and preventive (or socio-therapeutic) organization of social, medical, legal assistance; –

human rights – the use of legal and legal norms to provide assistance, support and protection to the population; –

socio-pedagogical function – identifying people’s interests in various types of activities; –

socio-medical function - organization of work on disease prevention, nutritional culture, family planning, occupational therapy, healthy image life; –

social and domestic function - providing assistance to elderly people, disabled people, improving their living conditions and organizing a normal life; –

communicative function - organizing the exchange of information, including various authorities in the activities of social services; –

organizational function– direction of activity of social services to provide various types assistance and social services to the population.

The considered objects of social work can be and are, to one degree or another, subjects of social work. However, if we take into account that the objects of social work are those who need help, support, social protection, and the subjects are those who provide this help, support, and protection, then the list and characteristics of such subjects are different from the objects. In addition, it must be taken into account that social work should be considered taking into account all its types (components), and not just as practical activities for the social protection of people.

Based on this, we will designate the actual subjects of social work.

In this sense, as subjects of social work are people, institutions, organizations, social institutions called upon to solve certain tasks and problems facing the objects of social work.

Social work subjects can be classified according to for various reasons. Taking into account components(practical activity, science and educational process) the following subjects of social work are distinguished:

• 1) organizations, institutions, social institutions of society. These include:
  • a state with its own structures represented by the legislative, executive and judicial authorities at various levels. In this structure, a special role is played by the Ministry of Health and Social Development, as well as executive bodies of social work management at the regional level (social protection bodies of territories, regions, republics, autonomous entities), cities, local administrations;
  • various types of social services: territorial centers for social assistance to families and children; social rehabilitation centers for minors; assistance centers for children left without parental care; rehabilitation centers for children and adolescents; centers for psychological assistance to the population; emergency psychological assistance centers by telephone, etc.;
  • administrations 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 Society, private social services, IT organizations. d.

Examples of non-governmental charitable organizations in Russia include, in particular, the Moscow House of Mercy, charitable foundation“Belonging”, “Soul of Man”, “Metropol” (Moscow), Association for Refugees (St. Petersburg), “Altai-AIDS”, etc.

Currently, charitable activities in the country are carried out in accordance with the Federal Law of August 28, 1995 “On Charitable Activities and Charitable Organizations.” The law provides legal regulation of this activity, guarantees support for its participants, creates a legal basis for the development of the activities of charitable organizations, in particular, establishes tax benefits;

3) people engaged in practical social work professionally or on a voluntary basis. In fact, they are representatives of the two above-mentioned subjects of social work. At the same time, they can be divided into two groups - these are organizers-managers and implementers, practical social workers who provide direct assistance, support, and ensure social protection of clients.

According to some data, there are about 500 thousand professional social workers in the world (about 50 thousand in Russia). The number of uncertified specialists engaged in professional social work is much larger, especially in those countries (including Russia) in which the new profession of “social worker” has been relatively recently introduced.

There is no exact data on how many people are engaged in social work on a voluntary basis. It is generally accepted that 1 social worker serves 10-15 people.

Social workers are a special group of workers who must have certain professional and spiritual and moral qualities. This issue is discussed in the corresponding topic of the textbook;

4) teachers, as well as those who help consolidate knowledge, skills, and abilities. These include practice managers, mentors, practical social workers and other workers who facilitate internships for students in various organizations, institutions, and social enterprises.

At the same time, students can also act as subjects at all stages educational process (self-study literature, writing reports, coursework, theses etc., performing a number of jobs during internship starting from the 2nd year);

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

Several research schools of social work have already been created in Russia - these are philosophical, sociological, psychological, etc. Their representatives, when developing the problems of social work as a whole, pay special attention its individual directions.

The impact of social work and its effectiveness depend on the professionalism of social workers represented by various subjects, on the technologies used and their implementation.