Sociological analysis of the functioning of early assistance services for children under 3 years in the Krasnoyarsk Krai

Abstract

The purpose of the study is a comprehensive sociological analysis of the functioning of early intervention services for children under 3 years of age in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The tasks of the analysis include: 1) studying the structure of the early intervention service as a social organization, the functions of its elements, systemic connections and relationships between them; 2) studying the satisfaction of representatives of client families with the work of early intervention services; 3) studying the subjective perceptions of employees of early intervention services and representative’s client families about the content and meaning of the services. The authors used the methods of a sociological survey, in-depth interviews, participant observation. Based on a number of indicators, the authors concluded that early intervention services were predominantly highly effective. The article shows the problem area of the functioning of early intervention services, which lies in the difference in understanding the goals and results of working with children on the part of client families and early intervention service specialists. Specialists see as the main goal the development of functional skills by children that contribute to socialization and independence, and then the improvement, the acquisition of educational, cognitive skills. Parents often prioritize learning skills when setting class goals. This difference may reduce parental satisfaction with the results of early intervention and the effectiveness of classes. The authors revealed the dependence of the level of involvement of parents in work with children together with specialists from early intervention services on the length of service and the age of the child. The more experience and the older the child, the less parents are involved in working with children. The authors proposed a social typology of representatives of client families on the grounds of their involvement in work with children and their attitude to the results of work with a child.