Wednesday from 12.00 to 13.00. Please send an email to make an appointment. 

She has been working at the Faculty of Social Work since 2003. Her teaching and research interests include the welfare state, social inequalities, poverty, gender, violence and child protection. She has been a full professor since 2018. In recent years, her research has focused particularly on poverty in old age and on food poverty. 

At the University of Ljubljana (UL), she led the team for the preparation of the Gender Equality Plan and now leads the team for the GEP implementation. As a UL representative, she participates in the Equality and Diversity group of the GUILD network and in the EUTOPIA project, where she is a member of the Working Group on Inclusive Practices in the University Space.   

She is Chair of the Expert Council of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Solidarity for the Future. At the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, she is also a member of two working groups on changes to social work centres and changes to the Family Code.   

In addition, she is active in the Association of Social Workers of Slovenia and in associations in the field of violence against women and children. She is actively involved in various groups working in the field of human rights and social justice.   

At international level, she is a member of:

• CESPASWON: Central European Network for Social Work and Social Policy, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Maja Gerovska Mitev from the University of Cyril and Methodius in Macedonia.
• ESWRA - European Resech in Social Work Association

Ongoing projects: 

2022-2024: Project leader for the basic research project Everyday life and life course of older people living in poverty, ARIS J5-4587.    

2020-2024: Applying Sustainability Transition Research in Social Work Tackling Major Societal Challenge of Social Inclusion - ASTRA. H2020 Marie Skłodowska Curie - MSCA ETN, no. 955518. She leads a working group on mobility and education and mentors a young researcher.   

She is a member of the Social Psychology and Sociology of Everyday Life research group at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana.   

Selected past projects:  

2020-2021: Social work in the time of Covid-19 (unfunded research). The results have been presented in six international journals and scientific monographs, in a special issue of the journal Social Work and at many scientific and professional events in Slovenia and abroad.  

2019-2021: Support networks for young people in psychosocial distress.

CRP - ARIS V5-1910.    2017-2018: Establishing Interdisciplinary life-long learning programme in child protection (UNICEF).

Selected bibliography published in English:

Articles in Journals:

MEŠL, Nina, LESKOŠEK, Vesna, RAPE ŽIBERNA, Tamara, KODELE, Tadeja. Social work during COVID-19 in Slovenia: absent, invisible or ignored?. The British journal of social work. 2023, vol. 53, iss. 2, pp. 737–754. DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcac149

MATTHIES, Aila-Leena, HERMANS, Koen, LESKOŠEK, Vesna. Applying transdisciplinary sustainability transitions research in international social work doctoral training. Social work education. 2022, vol. 41, no. 7, str. 1541-1559.  DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2022.2105316.

KODELE, Tadeja, LESKOŠEK, Vesna, MEŠL, Nina. Children's experience with protection procedures in Slovenia. Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo. okt.-dec. 2019, vol. 70, iss. 4, pp. 311-322.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna. Poverty of older women in Slovenia. Revija za socijalnu politiku. 2019, vol. 26, iss. 2, pp. 227-240. DOI: 10.3935/rsp.v26i2.1586. 

BAJT, Veronika, LESKOŠEK, Vesna, FRELIH, Mojca. Chains of trust: fear and informal care work in Slovenia. Anthropological notebooks. 2018, vol 24, no. 1, pp. 69-83.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna, MATTHIES, Aila-Leena. Internationalisation of social work doctoral studies : experiences and perspectives in the changing context of European higher education. European journal of social work: the forum for the social professions. 2017, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 596-607. DOI: 10.1080/13691457.2016.1185705.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna, LUČOVNIK, Miha, PAVŠE, Lucija, PREMRU-SRŠEN, Tanja, KRAJNC, Megie, VERDENIK, Ivan, GLOBEVNIK VELIKONJA, Vislava. The role of health services in encouraging disclosure of violence against women. Slovenian journal of public health. 2017, vol. 56, iss. 4, pp. 220-226.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna. Violence against woman in Slovenia: lessons to be learned from the victims of domestic violence. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Soziale Arbeit. 2015, no. 1, pp. 55-70.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna. The health condition of female victims of violence. Zdravstveno varstvo: Slovenian journal of public health. 2013, vol. 52, iss. 2, no. 148-156.

Chapters in books:

LESKOŠEK, Vesna. The history of the struggle for the right to abortion. In: KRALJ, Ana (ed.), et al. Abortion and reproductive rights in Slovenia: a case of resistance. Abingdon; New York: Routledge, 2024. pp. 11-38. 

FIORENTINO, Vera, LESKOŠEK, Vesna, SARANIEMI, Sanna, ROMAKKANIEMI, Marjo, HARRIKARI, Timo. Development of digital social work in the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia and Finland. In: HARRIKARI, Timo (ed.), et al. Social work during COVID-19 : glocal perspectives and implications for the future of social work. London; New York: Routledge, 2023. pp. 46-61.

KODELE, Tadeja, LESKOŠEK, Vesna, RAPE ŽIBERNA, Tamara, MEŠL, Nina. Social workers’ response to COVID-19 in Slovenia : the interconnectedness of macro, mezzo, and micro levels of practice. In: HARRIKARI, Timo (ed.), et al. Social work during COVID-19: glocal perspectives and implications for the future of social work. London; New York: Routledge, 2023. pp. 17-30.

MEJAK, Vesna, LESKOŠEK, Vesna. The right to have a child: an institutional response to the motherhood of drug users in Slovenia. In: KURONEN, Marjo (ed.), VIROKANNAS, Elina (ed.), SALOVAARA, Ulla (ed.). Women, vulnerabilities and welfare service systems. London; New York: Routledge, cop. 2021. pp. 69-83.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna, ZIDAR, Romana. Redistributing waste food to reduce poverty in Slovenia. In: LAMBIE-MUMFORD, Hannah (ed.), SILVASTI, Tiina (ed.). The rise of food charity in Europe. Bristol; Chicago: Policy Press, 2020. pp. 135-164.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna, ZIDAR, Romana. Food poverty between charity and the human right to food : the case of urban gardens in Slovenia. In: MATTHIES, Aila-Leena (ed.), NÄRHI, Kati (ed.). The ecosocial transition of societies: the contribution of social work and social policy. London; New York: Routledge, 2017. pp. 251-268.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna. From welfare fraud to welfare as fraud. In: HARRIKARI, Timo (ed.), RAUHALA, Pirkko-Liisa (ed.), VIROKANNAS, Elina (ed.). Social change and social work : the changing societal conditions of social work in time and place. Farnham; Burlington: Ashgate, 2014. pp. 49-65.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna. The role of feminism in protecting social rights. In: KAŠIĆ, Biljana (ed.), et al. Feminist critical interventions: thinking heritage, decolonising, crossings. Ljubljana; Zagreb; Belgrade: Red Athena University Press; Zagreb: Centre for Women's Studies, 2013. pp. 115-120.

Books:

KRALJ, Ana, RENER, Tanja, LESKOŠEK, Vesna, MENCIN ČEPLAK, Metka, ULE, Mirjana, KURDIJA, Slavko. Abortion and reproductive rights in Slovenia : a case of resistance. Abingdon; New York: Routledge, 2024.  DOI: 10.4324/9781003434139.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna (ed.). Teaching gender in social work: teaching with gender: European women's studies in international and interdisciplinary classrooms. Utrect: Athena3 Advanced Thematic Network in Women's Studies in Europe: Stockholm University, 2009.

LESKOŠEK, Vesna (ed.). Theories and methods of social work: exploring different perspectives. Ljubljana: Faculty of Social Work, 2009.