Processes of exclusion and inclusion in context of international social work

Cooperation and exchange of practical experiences at the field of international social work becomes not only an element of the development of theory and practice of social work against exclusion, but also an element of the policy of integration and cohesion, as well as programs of inclusion in many countries. Reflecting processes of exclusion in interdisciplinary context, there are undertaken different activities base on sociological theories, theories of social work and important normative procedures for new democracy. The presented paper analyses social exclusion and inclusion in sociological prospective, theories and practices for different groups of excluded, and issues related to international social work focused on problems of migration.

Assistant families – “dead record” in the Act on Family Support and Foster Care or real help for family custody

Poland, following the example of other European countries, has made significant changes to the system of child and family care. New solutions in the foster care system were introduced in the form of assistance families in order to support and temporarily replace foster carers. Information on the assistance family was collected by means of internet research, mainly through thematic forums, chat rooms and social networking sites. However, it was extended during surveys in selected districts of the Lubelskie and Świętokrzyskie Voivodships. The respondents’ opinions on the support families were not unequivocal, there were supporters and opponents of this idea, both among employees of social welfare institutions and interested substitute caregivers. 

Between social work and social rehabilitation. Conditions of social work with ex-prisoners in Poland

People leaving penitentiary institutions, being at particular risk of social marginalization, are one of the target groups of social policy in the countries of the European Union. Social work with this social category, however, runs at the intersection of social policy and criminal policy, between which a distinct “fracture” has been observed in Poland for years. Collaboration of penitentiary units with social assistance institutions is usually of a small range, and the support offered to former prisoners in the return to society is “blurred” between systems (justice, penitentiary, social welfare) and their institutions. As one of the consequences, the social rehabilitation system does not benefit from social work’s achievements. 

The aim of the article is to outline the systemic context of Polish social work with people leaving penitentiary institutions and to draw attention to the possibility of using social work more widely than presently, in order to limit social marginalization of this social category and – from the point of view of criminal and penal policy – to reduce criminal recidivism.

Intuition, empathy, mentalization – non-standardized skills of a social worker 

Social workers today have at their disposal modern tools (computer programs, computer equipment, smartphones), they have much faster access to information, document patterns, and good practices.

Social work is changing, the competences of social workers are changing. The social work itself as a practical activity is developed thanks to the development of social work as a scientific field. The educational process, currently at the academic level, places emphasis on building relationships between science and practice. The knowledge, skills and competences of graduates are to be the answer of the didactic process to the needs of the social welfare system. The ubiquitous standards are designed to unify both systems, to objectify their principles. In its essence, social work escapes the standards, empowering clients and social workers themselves, incorporating elements that escape standardization and objectification.

About these three elements is this article – the intuition of a social worker, empathy and mentalization.

Social worker initiatives taken against the elderly in the living environment. On the example of selected social projects

The content of the article focuses on the issues of the elderly and the role of a social worker in the local environment. The aim of the article is to show the initiatives taken by social workers taking into account the problems and needs of older people. The source material has become social projects implemented by social workers who raise their qualifications and apply for second degree specialization. The research method is the analysis of existing data, in this case social projects. Social projects were implemented in 2017–2018. The article presents only selected projects, and thus also the problems of seniors. Social workers through projects prove how much can be done for older people thanks to the ingenuity, willingness and integration of social service forces in a given local community. At the same time, they show what problems elderly people are facing and what challenges they face in society. 

In permanently introducing this new section to our periodical, we wish to call the reader’s attention to a unique approach we are consciously taking. In a desire to identify impending foci in our field, we have invited the youngest of our colleagues – MA and PhD candidates in social work – to act as our reviewers. Furthermore, considering the vast multitude of scholarly articles published annually, we have asked our students to primarily focus on this segment which is more likely to reflect the most recent findings. That said, we have not set a strict date range in the hope that our reviewers will freely discover or recover studies which might have been overlooked heretofore.

Adriana Bożek-Ociepa, Farber K., Armaline W.(2009). Democracy, improvisation and schooling reform. Zarządzanie Publiczne. 4(4): 43-51.

Izabela Glińska, Ameri, F., Vazifeshenas, N., & Haghparast, A. (2017). The Impact of Audio Book on the Elderly Mental Health. Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, 8(5):361-370

Marta Kamińska, Healy, K. (2014). Social Work Theories in Context. Creating Frameworks for Practice. 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Liliana Zarychta, Bente Puntervold B. (2014). Social work in a multicultural society: New challenges and needs for competence, International Social Work 1-13, DOI: 10.177/0020872814550114.