Projects / Programmes
Social work as the bearer of the processes of social justice and inclusion in Slovenia - theoretical, methodological and methodical perspectives and historical development
January 1, 2018
- December 31, 2027
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.07.00 |
Social sciences |
Criminology and social work |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S214 |
Social sciences |
Social changes, theory of social work |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
Social work; welfare state; migrants and refugees; long-term care; deinstitutionalization; survivors of violence; Roma people, new forms of violence; qualitative methodology.
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
April 19, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
56 |
269 |
232 |
4.14 |
| Scopus |
63 |
529 |
469 |
7.44 |
Researchers (10)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
53497 |
Tanja Buda |
Criminology and social work |
Junior researcher |
2019 - 2024 |
25 |
| 2. |
08531 |
PhD Srečo Dragoš |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2018 - 2024 |
846 |
| 3. |
04575 |
PhD Vitold Flaker |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2018 - 2024 |
760 |
| 4. |
35394 |
PhD Gašper Krstulović |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2018 |
50 |
| 5. |
25842 |
PhD Jana Mali |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2018 - 2024 |
795 |
| 6. |
55878 |
Anže Štrancar |
Criminology and social work |
Junior researcher |
2021 - 2024 |
24 |
| 7. |
16069 |
PhD Mojca Urek |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2018 - 2024 |
563 |
| 8. |
27997 |
PhD Petra Videmšek |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2018 - 2024 |
313 |
| 9. |
00317 |
PhD Darja Zaviršek |
Criminology and social work |
Head |
2018 - 2024 |
1,144 |
| 10. |
23048 |
PhD Jelka Zorn |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2018 - 2024 |
265 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Economic subordination of social policy, and social work with it, has reinforced destructive processes such as: de-professionalization, bureaucratization, colonization and marginalization of social work. Main victims of these trends are social services users, but also the development of the profession. The proposed research programme focuses on three areas, in which coincide: increase of social problems, inappropriate systemic solutions and lack of research.
In the first area, long-term care, we are developing new concepts of services – restructuring of the large institutions and developing of community services (deinstitutionalisation) with greater individualisation of the services and their funding. New definition and typology of care will de-monopolise medical model and create opportunities for new syntheses and integration of health and social care professions.
In the second area of research we focus on migrations and refugees and we will develop a model of three-tier integration (material assistance + psychosocial care + social networking). Such a model could at least partially defer the hazard of refugees and migrants remaining an entirely marginalized and deprived group. Long-term, hard to measure, but very important effect may be ‘civilizing’ of the Slovene society. Slovenia, in the time of dissolution of Yugoslavia, accepted approximately 3.5 % of refugees in proportion to its population, in spite of being in a deep economic crisis and unemployment and the outcome of the war in the Balkans was still unpredictable, and this did not affect the standard of living of any social strata. Today, the attitude is quite an opposite one. There are almost no refuges in Slovenia, but the state is second most restrictive in Europe – in absolute, as well as in relative numbers (rate of the approved asylum applications is only 0,002 % in relation to the whole population), the xenophobia is increasing and professional work with refugees is entirely relegated to the humanitarian organisations.
Third part of the research plan focuses on the theories and newest phenomena of violence and types of marginalization of people with disabilities, women and children. Historically, this is about old, acute, but neglected topics (in social work as well). Up to now there were no systematic studies of violence in most marginalized social and ethnic groups (people with severe psychical and mental disabilities, among the Roma women and children). Without this knowledge it is more likely that social services in contact with these groups will be in effect repressive and not to the benefit of the victims.
The research work will be carried out in the framework of comparative, historic and critical perspectives and will be using methodology mix, with an emphasis on qualitative methods, and will apply methods, such as: questioners, interviews, focus groups, visual research, discourse analysis of media and social work documentation.
Significance for science
The research programme will contribute to the development of social work in particular, but also to social sciences in general. With transversal set theories of operation contributes to the development of interdisciplinarity and development of social science disciplines that are traditionally associated with social work. It will also contribute to other disciplines that deal with human distress (health). Main contribution to development of science is the formation of the modern theory of social work that will be able to respond to new social issues and human distress in a changing society. General contribution of research to social sciences will be just the perspective; based on a multidisciplinary account of the various aspects of human existence that leads to behaviour and performance on several registers of social organisation and at the same time creates integrated responses to human distress. Precisely holistic approach, transversal action and pragmatism are epistemological characteristics of social work and its paradigmatic advantage.
As one of the starting points of the research will be the critical theory of social policy, the effort of programme group will contribute to new articulations of social policy, relationship between social policy and social work and will productively contribute to solutions of conceptual problems and, perhaps, to actual changes in social policy and social work, since economic subordination of social policy also shapes the image of social work, undermines the doctrine of social work (equal opportunities of the users of social work, fights against exclusion of people and socially just and cohesive society). The consequences of subversion of social policies hinder the development of the profession and science of social work. It is necessary to overcome the lack of research in this field, and with new scientific findings, reinforce the professionalisation, its marginalisation and return social work to its primary doctrine.
The development of science and breakthrough in the formation of new theories and concepts enable innovative epistemological and at the same time praxeological concept of a transversal action and effects of social work. Topics that we will examine closely and more systematically (long-term care, integration of migrants, violence and marginalization), are not only topical, but go beyond the narrow limits of disciplines and demand transversal action. Social work as a science of doing, deals with human existence in all these areas. It is actively engaged on various registers of social organisations and is, therefore in different ways responding to the social distress and to the hardship of an individual. Transversally it combines: private and public, formal and informal, planned and spontaneous response, resources and means of help, support and functioning.
1. Long-term care – is, in conjunction with the processes of deinstitutionalisation, a paradigmatic challenge for social work and for working with people in general. Thus, long-term care as well as deinstitutionalisation, can be seen as an investment in more productive understanding of human distress, in the development of patterns that go beyond merely assistance and care. They facilitate the development of new methods and techniques of working with people. In a changing social system, they present an opportunity to define a new science of social work, since the existing theoretical concepts are an inadequate response to changing social conditions and to changing needs of the people. Both allow development of new tools needed to analyse processes in social work, in particular, of needs assessment and performance of procedures, as well as construction of the general and specific syntaxes of social work. These are also interdisciplinary arenas; long-term care also a synthesis or integration of social and health care into a field of its own.
2. Migrants and refugees - contemporary migrations are social work science an opportun
Significance for the country
Insights and knowledge provided by the research programme will have a direct impact on the socio-economic and cultural development of Slovenia, since the critical reflection of social relationships and new schemes of action create a new social reality. Presentation of current social processes in general, and in relation to the concrete forms of assistance and support in long-term care, in migrant flows and in violence, reveals processes of marginalisation that impede the development of society and hinder its cultural progress. Research project offers opportunities to foster solidarity and social cohesion. With concrete results displays the results of investments in different relations, the strengthening of informal ways of solidarity at the local and personal level, in different ways to recruitment and job evaluation.
Social work has traditionally good links with the institutions that shape social policy (ministries) and governmental, non-governmental organisations that are in direct contact with people. With new scientific findings social work impacts on their performance at the national level (adoption of strategic documents, legislation), and on the performance of actual care (development of new approaches, new methods and crystallisation work methods). Possibilities for implementation of the results in practice are as follows:
- effects on the preparation of legislation on long-term care, which is among the priority tasks of present Government coalition agreement for the term 2014 - 2018;
- long-term care and deinstitutionalisation are the investment in new jobs, education and increasing the quality of labour, the creation of new technologies and paradigms of care and working with people in general;
- strengthening community-based care and user perspective will have an effect of introducing new methods of residential care and will also contribute to a more dynamic and a new market patterns in the real estate;
- planning and implementation of the direct funding of social services providing tailor-made, personalised services;
- demonstration of the material assistance to migrants; therapeutic help in reducing stress and resolving trauma; methods of forming new social networks in the immigrant environment;
- the review of (in)compatibility of the alien or international protection legislation, as well as legislation sustaining the welfare state;
- the demonstration of the potential for sustainable community alternatives, for strengthening the voice and personal perspective of people with various handicaps (through advocacy practices and the use of narrative approaches in social work) in accordance with the objectives adopted in the United Nations Convention on the rights of people with disabilities, which Slovenia signed and ratified in 2008;
- informing the general public about the social processes of deinstitutionalisation, migration, violence against women and children and marginalized social groups.
The members of the programme group will disseminate their achievements in Slovenia, and therefore contribute to the socio-economic and cultural development of Slovenia by:
- publication in the daily press and alternative media, and thus popularising the work of the research group;
- organisation of round tables, discussions, conferences, by which the achievements will be implemented in practice and the multiplied;
- application and implementation of scientific findings to work methods and ways of helping in the organisations working in the area helping people in distress.
The research will therefore contribute most to the public administration (in the broad sense of the world). The results of the research work will directly contribute to the establishment of a new system of long-term care, shift of institutional care to the community, as well as to other changes in social care system (reorganization of the centres for social work). The work of this group will certainly contribute to a better system and organizational s
Most important scientific results
Interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Interim report
