Socialno delo, Vol. 39 (2000), Part 2
ARTICLES
Social Impact of Political Conflicts (between the Catholic Church and the State) - 71, (Abstract)
Multi-medical Provision and Multi-media Industry as Fundamental Developmental Industries of the 21st Century - 119, (Abstract)
Education of Children in a School with Adapted Programmes: Interviews with Parents and Teachers - 129, (Abstract)
ABSTRACTS
Abstracts
Srečo Dragoš
Social Impact of Political Conflicts (between the Catholic Church and the State)
In the field of civic aid one of the biggest organised supplier is the (Roman) Catholic Church. It is therefore worthwhile to explore the relation between the Church?s strategy towards its surroundings and its social (charity) function. Can potentially clericalist attitude of the official Church hierarchy politically load Church charity? The answer depends on the solution of the conflicts between the Church and the State authorities, and particularly on the understanding and concretisation of Clause 7 of the Slovene Constitution which postulates the division between religious and secular affairs. The paper elaborates on three aspects of understandings that division, namely, the point of view of biblical issues (the allegorical or theological aspect), the point of view of social regulation (the sociological aspect), and the regard to historical solutions (the historical aspect). The present strategy of the Catholic Church in Slovenia is analysed and compared with opinion polls. The conclusions are useful for further solutions of the said problems and can have a significant impact upon the field of social work.
Keywords: Catholicism, clericalism, charity, social work, division between the Church and the State, strategies.
Dr. Srečo Dragoš is a lecturer of sociology at the University of Ljubljana School of Social Work.
Lea Šugman Bohinc
Cybernetics of Change and Stability
The author introduces the concept of difference or change and complements it with the concept of stability. Next, she defines the changes of the first and the second order by positioning them into the conceptual language of the second-order cybernetics and, within that frame, of the cybernetics of psychosocial help. Further, she describes the usual strategies people use to trigger first-order changes, and then the strategies of reframing to effect the second- and higher-order changes. For the purpose of greater explicitness of the practical value of the concepts presented she summarises general views and strategies of the cybernetics of change and stability, i. e., of co-creating a convenient context for the development and stabilisation of changes in the direction of the desirable outcome of the problem. Finally, the author presents the law of requisite variety as one of the most profound cybernetic epistemological premises of a successful and efficient psychosocial help.
Keywords: first- and second-order change, strategies, second-order cybernetics, psychosocial help.
Psychologist Lea Šugman Bohinc, M. A., is an assistant lecturer of psychology and cybernetics of psychosocial help at the University of Ljubljana School of Social Work.
Janez Balkovec
The Financial Aspect of Organising Personal Social Security
Elementary social security is no longer the exclusive concern of the state but becomes more and more the business of individuals or families. Social security is closely associated with personal property. We must provide for our security in case our working capability fails, protect our family members, acquire a habitation, school our children, pay the rent, keep up our standard, have financial security and invest whatever capital we may have. Financial services offer a variety of programmes we use without knowing in detail what they are. ?Home management? is becoming a complex and demanding task. There are many traps in financial commitments, so that one?s living and material situations need to be profoundly analysed before a personal social-financial plan can be constructed. Individuals and families need to be informed how to control their financial life cycle. Lack of this control may, as a consequence, push one on the edge of survival.
Keywords: social security, personal insurance, saving.
Janez Balkovec, M. A., is an independent counsellor on property.
Bogomil Ferfila
Multi-medical Provision and Multi-media Industry as Fundamental Developmental Industries of the 21st Century
Japan is one of the fastest ageing societies in the world today and is very much aware of it. In the nineties, payments for social security were still relatively low; however, a rapid growth is anticipated and they want to prepare themselves well for it. The growing share of aged population inevitably causes not only higher expenses for pensions and social security but also higher expenses for medical care. The Japanese want to prepare themselves now to the demographic situation of the Japanese population that will only arise in a few decades. Europe (and Slovenia) has already met with this situation. The main advantage of privatisation, i. e., the transfer of social functions to the private sector (the government can still collect the money and pay to the private sector for the provision of services, or the consumers can pay directly to the providers), is the reduction of cost. The result may be lower quality, but this can be regulated with prescribed standards and control.
Keywords: Japan, population ageing, deregulation, privatisation, social enterprise.
Dr. Bogomil Ferfila is a professor at the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences, where he teaches courses in Comparative Politics, Area Studies and Public Economics.
Ivanka Žibert
Education of Children in a School with Adapted Programmes: Interviews with Parents and Teachers
The paper presents opinions, views, experiences and proposals of the parents of the children with mental disability at the Primary School Ana Gale in Sevnica, as well as of the schoolteachers. Expressed needs of the former and the ideas of the latter are identified, in particular in their cross-section, that is, where views and proposals of the one group concerns the other. On these grounds, a simpler course of developing quality work with these children is indicated.
Keywords: mental disability, education, integration, interview, communication.
Ivanka Žibert is a social worker at the Primary school Ana Gale Sevnica (a school with adapted programmes).