Professional competences of social workers: changing priorities in the conditions of war

Abstract

The problem of providing personnel with the appropriate competence of social services in the conditions of martial law remains relevant for Ukraine. It is predicted that under the influence of the general labor shortage caused by the war, the problem of shortage of specialists in the field of social work may arise. The author of the article emphasizes that, as of now, the distribution of specialists in the field of social work is uneven across the regions of Ukraine and has not reached a critical state, but requires special attention of scientists and practitioners. In recent years, the list and formation of competencies of social workers has been the focus of attention of scientists in the context of professional and educational standards. The realities of wartime changed the conditions and practices of social work, accordingly shifting the emphasis in the required competencies. The purpose of the article is to analyze the trends and factors affecting the required competences of social workers, thereby intensifying the scientific discussion on reformatting professional and educational standards. The author considers competence as a characteristic that determines the specialist's ability to solve professional tasks, using knowledge, life and professional experience, relying on one's own values and abilities. The competencies of a social worker are considered in the context of modern practices of social services in Ukraine. The author identifies the main trends in the change in the composition of social workers: the appearance of employees physically injured as a result of hostilities (killed, missing, injured); an increase in the share of employees who migrated abroad or moved within the country; increase in the number of employees with disabilities of various nature. In the author's opinion, changes in the requirements for the competence of a social worker are influenced by the demand of the labor market, so he examines the proposals that are relevant in the Kharkiv region. Considering the professional skills in demand, the author concludes that employers are paying more attention to «soft skills», although the requirements for a diploma, work experience, language and computer skills remain unchanged. The conditions of the war actualized the requirements for the ability to work under pressure, in difficult conditions, to analyze risks and threats. Employers now consider stress resistance to be an equally important advantage. Summarizing, the author notes that the professional standard after the war will need adjustment and suggests focusing on the European standard