| Abstract [eng] |
Occupational risk is interpreted differently across various sources. In this thesis, occupational risk is understood as the threat of experiencing physical and/or psychological harm due to certain aspects of the job. Although the profession of social work is universally recognised as risky, there are no studies examining the occupational risk experienced by social workers working with youth exhibiting delinquent behaviour. The aim of this study is to reveal the experiences of social workers regarding occupational risk, its expression, management methods when working with youth of complex behaviour, and to provide recommendations for effective occupational risk management in the field of youth delinquency. For data analysis, expert interview content analysis was applied according to the Meuser and Nagel methodology. The study revealed that social workers in this field face the likelihood of experiencing psychological harm. Stress at work is caused by the undervaluation of this profession, uncooperative parents, social workers from other institutions, high workloads, lack of emotional support measures and material resources, unsatisfactory autonomy needs, difficulty in ensuring the employees’ legal rights, constant pressure at work, encountering dilemma situations, limitations of ones‘ authority, thefts experienced at work, the duty to ensure the safety of youth exhibiting delinquent behaviour. The data indicate that employees face the risk of experiencing physical harm at work. This risk is induced by the specifics of the job, performing some functions in public places, the abundance of violent situations caused by youth, and the duty to manage them. Occupational risk is reduced by separating personal life from work, creating informal, close relationships with youth, smooth collaboration with other specialists, understanding the meaningfulness of one's work activities, moral preparedness to face aggressive behaviour and manipulations, knowledge of measures for creating positive group dynamics, techniques for managing physical aggression, self-awareness—knowing one's strong value stances, professional boundaries, suitable work methods. The study revealed that resilience to occupational risk is increased by certain character traits of the worker—emotional strength, empathy, rationality, authenticity, creativity, patience, attentiveness, reflectiveness, communicability, positivity, and initiative. The study showed that organisationally approved algorithms, opportunities for qualification enhancement, access to psychological consultations help reduce the occupation risk. |
