SOCIAL WORK WITH MARGINALIZED GROUPS: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING

Abstract

Ukraine has declared itself a social state, and therefore, has been gradually stabilizing the level of social protection of vulnerable population groups in the sphere of material provision. However, the problem of marginalization and social exclusion still remains largely unresolved. The report identifies approaches to the organization of social work with marginalized groups and outlines the concept of marginalization as a process of social declassation of individuals. The major theoretical assumptions underlying this social research are the theory of social problems, the theory of change, motivation, social inclusion and exclusion. The study argues that the process of internal changes is characterized by the impact of the change in the social status of persons belonging to the crisis-driven categories, difficulties in their self-identification. The research establishes the basic procedure for social work, which is the study of the state of the equilibrium of an individual's life (the “unchanging” circumstances), and transformation of a personality through the influences onto the standards of the group he \ she fits in, which should reduce the resistance in the course of change. Social tension is defined as an external barrier to change, which can be overcome by the creation of the positive image of marginalized groups (positive marginalization) and social inclusion of people from crisis-bound categories into different environments. The paper looks at the necessity to reinforce personal self-help skills, to form settings that contribute to the development and search for the resources necessary to adapt to new conditions. The author stresses the importance of social service institutions and of the growth of competence of their specialists. The concluding part suggests some support leverages in the fields of macro-, meso- and micro-levels of social work with marginalized populations, and directions for their implementation at the organizational level: filing a request; securing a complex institutional support; forming initiatives within the marginalized group; identifying individual motives and shaping settings that will contribute to internal transformation and social change in a community / group.