Social work, Vol. 50 (2011), Issue 2
ARTICLES
Cooperation between parents and school: Establishing a collaborative work relationship in school - 81, (Abstract)
Role and importance of attachment in child development in surrogate families - 103, (Abstract)
Standards and selected elements of quality of work life in hotel industry - 113, (Abstract)
ABSTRACTS
Abstracts
Ines Kvaternik, Klavdija Kustec
Cooperation between parents and school: Establishing a collaborative work relationship in school
The article deals with cooperation and the role of parents in individual original work projects of aid which are carried out in the project "The successful integration of children and youth with special needs in raising and education in the period 2008–2011: Background for further development and the implementation of teaching concepts of work problems in elementary school". Analysis of the process of cooperation and involvement of parents shows how to establish work relationship and collaboration in school and in particular how parents are involved in that relationship. This leads to a new paradigm in the process of education, which primarily requires redefining the dominant roles in the school, which ensures that the process of education, especially school work, takes place mainly in school, in the class. The process increases the role of children and parents.
Keywords: parental involvement in school, the role of parents in school, individual original work of the aid project, co-creation model, learning in the classroom
Ines Kvaternik, PhD, is an assistant lecturer at the Faculty of social work, University of Ljubljana. Contact: Topniška 31, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, tel.: +386 1 280 92 66, email: ines.kvaternik@fsd.uni-lj.si.
Klavdija Kustec, MA, is an assistant lecturer at the Faculty of social work, University of Ljubljana. Contact: Topniška 31, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, tel.: +386 1 300 62 33, email: klavdija.kustec@fsd.uni-lj.si.
Heikki Suhonen
Older problem drinkers: A challenge for social work in the future
Problem drinking of older people is a challenge for social work in general and for gerontological social work in particular, because traditionally both ageing and problem drinking have been dominated by approaches of medicalization. Many other orientations and methods of social work are useful with older problem drinkers, too. Social workers should operate by using approaches of both social work of substance abusers and gerontological social work. In the society where medicalization dominates, approaches to problem drinking, treatment of older alcohol and substance abusers is seen too often only from the viewpoint of diseases, risks and limitations. Ageing itself victimises people. Social work offers possibilities to advocate and empower older problem drinkers in the society. In social work with older people, ethical problems are confronted too, because these clients have already a long life behind them and fewer years left. This article is a short view to frame older people’s problem drinking and to open larger discussion about the details of this problematic, especially in the frame of traditional social work with alcohol abusers and gerontological social work, too.
Keywords: alcohol problems, ageing, older people, demographical changes, gerontological social work
Heikki Suhonen is a lecturer of social work at the University of Turku, Finland, at the Department of social policy and social work. He has published many articles and researches about problem drinking and its treatment. In last years, he deals especially with problem drinking of older people. Contact: heiksuh@utu.fi.
Katarina Kompan Erzar, Tatjana Rožič, Barbara Simonič
Role and importance of attachment in child development in surrogate families
Work experiences with foster and adoptive families are presented. Foster care and adoption both from the viewpoint of the child, as well as of adults, are evaluated. Distress of children (because of trauma or developmental deficits) often opens old and unhealed wounds in adoptive or foster parents from their own childhood. The same wounds are namely those which in these adults facilitate compassion for abandoned children. At the same time, they can mean bitterness for parents and for children, if they outburst from difficult relationships between them. It is the coincidence of helplessness of guardians and foster parents on the one side, and growing up of foster or adopted children on the other side, which will decide, whether or not these children could finally form secure attachment bonds and heal their attachment injury caused by their biological parents. Otherwise they could forever remain without a "real" family. Parents, who decide for such a noble gesture, and children, who "risk" once again to trust adults, deserve the most careful and effective support and monitoring, which makes it possible to enjoy more fully a secure attachment and belonging, given by a family. From the perspective of attachment theory, attention is drawn to a few key points in the process, where from an "alternative" a "real" family will develop.
Keywords: foster care, adoption, surrogate family, attachment
Assistant professor Katarina Kompan Erzar, PhD, is professional director of the Franciscan Family Institute, a therapist and supervisor and also a lecturer at the Faculty of Theology. She is the author of several books, her primary research activities are focused on family developmental cycles and neurobiological development of the child in the family.
Contact: lia-katarina.kompan@guest.arnes.si, tel. 01 200 67 60.
Assistant Tatjana Rožič is graduated social worker and specialist of Marital and Family Therapy. She is employed at the Franciscan Family Institute, where she works as a therapist, supervisor and assistant in training programme Marital and Family Therapy. Contact: tatjana.rozic@guest.arnes.si, tel. 01 200 67 60.
Assistant professor Barbara Simonič, PhD, is graduated theologian and specialist of Marital and Family Therapy. She is a therapist and supervisor on Franciscan Family Institute and a lecturer at Faculty of Theology (programme Marriage and Family Studies).
Contact: barbara.simonic1@guest.arnes.si, tel. 01 200 67 60.
Metod Šuligoj
Standards and selected elements of quality of work life in hotel industry
In theoretical part of this research, working conditions that affect the quality of work life (QWL) in general and in the context of hotel operations in particular are identified. The research shows that bureaucracy does not have only a positive impact on the work of employees. The concept of bureaucracy is characterized by existence of standards (bureaucratic organizations have standards). Empirical part highlights a short list of elements of QWL in hotel industry, such as autonomous decision-making, solving conflicts with guests, innovation and control. Using bivariate analysis, the author tries to find out whether the QWL of employees in bureaucratic organizations is worse than in non-bureaucratic ones. The results do not suggest that bureaucracy negatively affects the working life of employees in hotel industry, because there is no statistically significant difference between organizations with standards and those without them. Moreover, considering selected indicators, QWL in the Slovenian hotel industry cannot be evaluated as bad.
Keywords: hotel industry, standards, work conditions, quality of work life, employees, managers
Metod Šuligoj, PhD, is a teaching assistant and lecturer (venia legendi et examinandi) at the Faculty of Tourism Studies Portorož – Turistica, University of Primorska. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Tourism Studies Portorož – Turistica, University of Primorska in 1999 and later in 2003 at Faculty of Organizational Science, University of Maribor. He started his professional career in the company HIT, d.d. Nova Gorica, where he was promoted to hotel manager and later to project manager. He obtained his PhD degree at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana in 2009. His main research interests include quality in hospitality industry, management in hotel industry and human resources in hospitality industry. In addition to research and teaching activities, he is also an accommodation assessor and EFQM Excellence Assessor in Slovenia. Contact: metod.suligoj@turistica.si.