| Abstract [eng] |
The Master’s thesis analyses the peculiarities of social services organization, evaluation in Lithuania as well as the principles of social services provision in Lithuania and Ukraine. The problem of the work is specified with the help of the following questions: what is the need for the provision of alternative social services and possibilities to provide them for people with disability in the social services centre; how alternative social services could contribute to satisfying the needs and improving the life quality of people with disability; how alternative social services for disabled people at the social services centre could promote the professionalization of social work. Object of the research – the need of alternative social services for people with disability in the social services centre. The aim of the research – to analyse the alternative services for people with disability in the social services centre as an assumption for social work professionalization. Research methods. Theoretical analysis, a structured interview, content analysis. Six social workers from Lithuania working in the social services centre and 20 people having a physical disability (also from Lithuania) who use the services of the social services centre have been interviewed. There have also been interviewed two social workers and one person having a physical disability from Ukraine. The investigated in Lithuania have been provided with open type questions. Questions had a rigid structure. The questionnaire for the respondents in Ukraine has been sent via e-mail. The research was performed in March – May 2015. The main conclusions of the qualitative research. The theoretical analysis of scientific literary sources has revealed the need for a bigger variety of social services. The Lithuanian and Ukrainian laws quite strictly define the concept, aims and types of social services, determine the management, granting and provision of social services. However, these social services are insufficient. As the number of people having physical disabilities increases, the need for new, unanticipated social services is emerging. The results of the interviews with social workers and clients from Lithuania and Ukraine have revealed the need for alternative social services. Speaking about alternative social services the greatest attention is paid on the services orientated towards the individual needs, the ones which develop person’s social relations and reduce social exclusion. Having performed the structured research it became clear that Lithuanian and Ukrainian social workers and clients from Lithuania speaking about the significance of alternative social services to the life quality of people with disability emphasize the significance of empowerment which means the development of social and political participation of the social services’ recipient, reduction of social exclusion which may be realised through the provision of alternative social services. Lithuanian and Ukrainian social workers list the following important factors which would contribute to improving the quality of social services – cooperation with partners, human resources, economic aspects (for instance, “to increase salaries”), participation in training courses. Social workers from Ukraine have also mentioned the participation in public activity. People having a physical disability speaking about the social services’ improvement in the social services centre have mentioned several clear factors which, in their opinion, would improve the quality of social services: development of human resources (for example, “to recruit new specialists”), increasing financing, volunteering. There has also been expressed an idea that the quality of social services is good. |
