Socialno delo on-line archive

Socialno delo, Volume 54 (2015), Issue 3-4



60th Anniversary of Social Work Studies in Slovenia

ARTICLES

Srečo Dragoš
Teleology of social rights - 137, (Abstract) (Full text)
Darja Zaviršek
Social work students 60 years after the establishment of the first school for social workers in Slovenia : intersectional perspective of poverty and gender - 153, (Abstract) (Full text)
Bojana Mesec
Ten years of Bologna process at the Faculty of Social Work - 169, (Abstract) (Full text)
Gabi Čačinovič Vogrinčič
Co-creating of help in social work: theoretical concepts and production of new knowledge in practice research - 179, (Abstract) (Full text)
Tadeja Kodele, Nina Mešl
- 189, (Abstract) (Full text)
Romana Zidar, Vesna Leskošek
Food poverty between community and corporations - 205, (Abstract) (Full text)

RESEARCH REPORT

Dino Černivec
Students\' self-evaluation of their qualifications at the Faculty of Social Work - 221, (Abstract) (Full text)

REPORTS

Bojana Mesec
Quality of higher education and the Facutly of Social Work - 233, (Abstract) (Full text)
Marko Mesec
Practical study at the Faculty of Social Work - 239, (Abstract) (Full text)
Borut Petrović Jesenovec
Erasmus mobility at the Faculty of Social Work: in-coming students as an indicator of quality - 249, (Abstract) (Full text)




Abstracts

 
Srečo Dragoš
Teleology of social rights

(Full text)

In relation to the effectiveness and the efficiency of the Faculty of Social Work, the article focuses on two critical terms in the external environment of the faculty. These terms remain ignored in regular analyses of quality, prepared yearly by all members of the University of Ljubljana. The first aspect is the availability of financial and human resources. According to this criterion, the Faculty of Social Work is a highly efficient institution. But according to the second criterion, the impact of the faculty on social policy, the faculty has failed. The reasons for this critical assessment are analysed. They’re related to adverse trends in creating state regulation in the field of social security and its users. A policy of the neosocial is being strengthened, which is characterized by redefining the objectives of the welfare state, as was established after the second world war in the European countries. In this process, there is a teleological conveying of the meaning of social rights. The article deals with the economic doctrine of neoliberalism, which is the form of this process (penetration of economics into the social field) rather that its cause.



Keywords: social work, social policy, welfare state, poverty, inequality, utilitarism

Srečo Dragoš, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Facutly of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. Contact: sreco.dragos@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Darja Zaviršek
Social work students 60 years after the establishment of the first school for social workers in Slovenia : intersectional perspective of poverty and gender

(Full text)

The author compares the position of social work students 60 years ago, when the formal education for social workers was established in Slovenia, and their position now. Using an intersectional analysis of poverty and gender as well as a mixed methodology (qualitative approach to a questionnaire, discursive analysis of visual and written material), it shows that, parallel to increasing unemployment, decreasing income, increasing of cost of living and lowering of social transfers, the pauperisation of students of the Faculty of Social has also been increasing. These circumstances affect the choice of study and study quality as well as personal expectations related to the period after the studies. Choices made by students in such a situation increasingly reveal retraditionalisation of society, as ways of thinking are concerned. The article analyses a case of repatriarchalisation of society and sexualisation of female students and at the same time looks at a form of rebellion of female activists who are challenging economical, social and gender hegemonies.



Keywords: economic crisis, absentism, retraditionalisation, comparative analysis

Professor Darja Zaviršek, PhD in sociology, is the Chair of the Department of Social Justice and Inclusion at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. She is the president of the Eastern European Sub-regional Association of the Schools of Social Work of the IASSW. She is a honorary professor at the University of Applied Sciences Alice Salomon Berlin. Contact: darja.zavirsek@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Bojana Mesec
Ten years of Bologna process at the Faculty of Social Work

(Full text)

In June 1999, the ministries of higher education from 29 European countries met in Bologna to sign an important agreement, known as the Declaration of Bologna. It initiated an important and irreversible process of harmonising various European systems of higher education: the so called Bologna Process. Its main objective is the formation of a European Area of Higher Education and the promotion of the European system of higher education on a worldwide scale in order to increase its international competitiveness. The aim was to achieve harmonization of the European university systems. In 2004, the Faculty of Social Work decided to join the process and developed new programmes on all three levels (undergraduate, master and doctoral). The process was long and difficult but also fruitful and focused. New programmes incorporated the science of social work, employment goals, social practice and students’ wishes. In 2015, we now have a modern study of social work, but we know that the process is far from finished. It is only the beginning of a long journey if we want to reach the high goals from the Declaration of Bologna.



Keywords: acreditation, study quality, reform, University of Ljubljana

Bojana Mesec is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. She teaches organisation and management in social work. In her long academic career she has contributed to development and establishment of the first cycle Bologna programme entitled Social Work. Contact: bojana.mesec@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Gabi Čačinovič Vogrinčič
Co-creating of help in social work: theoretical concepts and production of new knowledge in practice research

(Full text)

An important, although still neglected topic in the science of social work is the development of the concept of help, creating of a theory for practice. The focus is on specific topics in processes of help and support: how do we do social work, how we create and maintain processes of help? What specific concepts, methods, tools and skills social work has created? What changes in the roles of professionals and users create helping processes? The key concept of the emerging theory of help and support is encapsulated in the word co-creation, a word that shows the importance of the new language in social work. Social work theory and practice is developing a new, autonomous and specific professional language, able to describe actions in helping processes, based on co-creating a helping relationship, on strength perspective and on the ethics of participation. Nordic social work intensively researches the creation of a needed new knowledge for social work science. The result is a new knowledge production for theory and practice in practice itself. New meanings and learning processes are co-created in practice. Social work science is defined as a new knowledge production.



Keywords: working relationship, language, support, theory, practice

Gabi Čačinovič Vogrinčič is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. She is a clinical psychologue, PhD of psychological sciences and a family therapist. During all her professional life (she\'s now retired), she has researched specificities of the process of help, that she defines as a co-creation of solutions. She developed many original seminal concepts, such as a working relationship, an original working project of help, a respectful and responsible ally. Contact: gabi.cacinovic@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Tadeja Kodele, Nina Mešl


(Full text)

Practical learning is an important support for future social workers as they integrate theoretical knowledge with practical work. For students, the Master programme “Social work with families” means an additional year of their education. It contributed to reflection on how to implement practice for the students who have already finished undergraduate study of social work. How to assure such a context of practical learning, that will help students get knowledge about their work and that they will be able to find words to describe users what they are doing to ensure their participation in working process? Practical learning for students, which was designed in the project »Helping families in community: co-creation of desired changes for reducing social exclusion and strengthening health«, enabled students to use concepts of social work in practice, with the intensive support of mentors, and to lead the conversation with family competently. They realized that the theory is useful in practice and that it is an important support for social work with families. Practical learning increased reflexive use of knowledge in practice.



Keywords: student practice, social work, family, circular process, learning

Tadeja Kodele is Master of Science, with education in social work. She is employed at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, as an assistant lecturer and researcher. Her areas of research and teaching are: social work with youth and social work with families. Contact: tadeja.kodele@fsd-uni-lj.si. Nina Mešl, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. Her areas of research and teaching are: processes of support and help in social work, with special interest in social work with families. Contact: nina.mesl@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Romana Zidar, Vesna Leskošek
Food poverty between community and corporations

(Full text)

Discourses about food and poverty are being created that directly influence our understanding of causes, consequences and ways of solving the problem of poverty. The article deals with two issues relevant for social work: the discourse about what to do with food surplus, and the discourse about food self-sufficiency in relation to our attitude towards the poor (the unemployed, precarious workers, the retired, the employed poor etc.). It is shown that instruments of public social policies are being replaced by food surplus distribution through the ecology rhetoric. This hides inequalities, encourages invasion of business practices on the field of social security, and divides people on the basis of consuming practices to consumers and non-consumers. The authors show that those who are more well-off can much easier affort to be food self-sufficient. Food production via gardening doesn't have very pronounced economic benefits (compared with buying cheap food in supermarkets), but has an important social, collective aspects. Gardening can also be understood as an ideological space where like-minded people meet. This can have some negative sides as well, as community gardens can become places with no physical borders, but with visible systems of exclusion and control.



Keywords: food, self-sufficiency, surplus, income, consumerism, community social work

Romana Zidar, MA, is an Assistant at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. Contact: romana.zidar@fsd.uni-lj.si. Vesna Leskošek, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. Contact: vesna.leskosek@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Dino Černivec
Students\' self-evaluation of their qualifications at the Faculty of Social Work

(Full text)

Nowadays the future of students at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, is uncertain. The main problem is the Act on Balancing Public Finances, which prohibits the employment in the public sector, where social workers are usually employed. Another problem is the internship in the field of social care, the last tender for which, was in April 2013. The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities now intends to shorten or even cancel internships so it is particularly important that students gain more work experience and competences during their study. As part of my graduation thesis, I did a survey within the 60th anniversary of education for social work in Slovenia. The aims of the research are to determine how satisfied students are with the acquired knowledge during their study at the Faculty of Social Work, how qualified they feel for work in the field of social care, what their extracurricular activities are, what they intend to do after graduating, considering they know that it is difficult to get employed, and which work experience they gained during their study practice.



Keywords: studies, education, competences, Bologna process

Dino Černivec graduated at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. He is currently a student of the master study programme Social Work with Families at the same faculty. He is active in the regulation of internship in social care. He was one of the organizers of an international congress of social work students. Contact: dino.cernivec@gmail.com.


 
Bojana Mesec
Quality of higher education and the Facutly of Social Work

(Full text)

The report deals with providing and following the quality of work and study at the Faculty of Social Work. It answers questions such as: how the quality of higher education is understood at the faculty, what was the quality of work before the development of Bologna curricular reform, and how the renovelation of the faculty looked like. The author describes the influence of guidelines and strategies of the University of Ljubljana on transformation of social work programmes at the faculty.



Keywords: acreditation, study, history, curricular reform

Bojana Mesec, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, deals with the study fields of organisation and management in social work. She contributed to development and introdution of social work Bologna programme on the undergradate level. Contact: bojana.mesec@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Marko Mesec
Practical study at the Faculty of Social Work

(Full text)

Practicum is the most important part of training for social work students. Here users, students, mentors and teachers of social work meet. The key role in practicum is performed by students, whose motivation and self-initiative are the preconditions for their successful work. The Centre for Practical Studies has been operating at the Faculty of Social Work since 2007. Its task is to provide support to learning process, integration of teaching contents, support to mentors and students, and co-ordination of practical placement. Its aims are to form competent graduates of social work and to contribute to the development of the profession.



Keywords: practicum, development, co-operation, methods, competences, mentor

Marko Mesec is a higher education lecturer at the Faculty of Social Work, the Head of the Centre for Practical Studies, a co-ordinator of practical placement and a mentor for students. Contact: marko.mesec@fsd.uni-lj.si.


 
Borut Petrović Jesenovec
Erasmus mobility at the Faculty of Social Work: in-coming students as an indicator of quality

(Full text)

Although the Faculty of Social Work is the smallest faculty of the University of Ljubljana, it ranks, if we consider mobility numbers, higher then many other, much bigger faculties. The number of in-coming students, for example, has been increasing for at least six years. The report tries to elaborate on some of the reasons why the Faculty of Social Work is doing so well, despite unfavourable conditions.



Keywords: exchange, internationalisation, strategy

Borut Petrović Jesenovec is an Erasmus coordinator at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. Contact: office@fsd.uni-lj.si.