The Sustainability of Public Social Services: A Qualitative Study

Ángela María Ortega-Galán,Rocío Ortiz-Amo,María Dolores Ruiz-Fernández,Elena Andina-Díaz

doi:10.3390/su12093860

Ángela María Ortega-Galán, Rocío Ortiz-Amo + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093860

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Abstract

The 2008 global economic crisis heightened social inequality and drastically reduced equal opportunities for many people. It had negative consequences for social regulation in many European countries, which have dismantled their public social policies. The objective of the study was to describe social workers’ perceptions of their lived experiences in different areas of the public social services system. A qualitative study was developed, based on a hermeneutic approach. Six in-depth interviews and two focus groups were conducted with 20 social workers employed by community social services and the Andalusian public health service (Spain). The professionals agreed that the public social services system has been eroded, that the lack of resources has consequences for workers and the general public alike, and that the public authorities and the administration are responsible for this situation. Social services have become distributors of scarce resources rather than a social protection system that empowers and accompanies the most vulnerable. The system must provide the necessary resources and structures so that they can escape the situation of poverty, exclusion and social injustice.

Highlights

Since the global economic crisis in 2008, social inequality has increased and equality of opportunity for many people has dramatically decreased [1,2]
The study population consisted of 20 professionals—11 professionals working in Community Social Services and nine professionals working in the Andalusian Health Service—with a mean age of 46.35 (SD = 7.36) years and with a mean of 24.16 (SD = 7.87) years of work experience
The results obtained have shed light on how social workers feel about the current state of the social services

Summary

Introduction

Since the global economic crisis in 2008, social inequality has increased and equality of opportunity for many people has dramatically decreased [1,2]. The problems generated by these measures cause welfare states to face high rates of poverty and inequality [12,13,14]. A recent study showed that half of the member states of the European Union face challenges of economic growth, inequality and poverty [15]. This is the case of southern European countries, whose social capital has decreased, entailing a rise in unemployment following the economic decline. They have suffered other social problems derived from austerity policies [16,17]

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