Utilising Action Research to Enhance Critical Social Work Practice: Ukraine's Experience of Introducing Community Paralegals

Kateryna Yeroshenko

doi:10.22178/pos.51-3

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the course development process during which the perception of paralegal’s role in local communities of Ukraine was shaped. Based on action research and critical social work paradigm the study demonstrates the role of training participants in constructing new knowledge, and how the understanding of paralegals concept in Ukraine had changed under their influence. The findings from a few cycles of action research reveal that there are fewer limitations to be a paralegal in Ukraine, as it was presupposed, paralegals role has shifted from only service brokerage and providing information, to conflict-solving, and providing new initiatives in local communities, moreover, the educational program for paralegals was changed in terms of their requests and according to their regional specifics.

Highlights

The idea of paralegals is not new for a set of countries in different parts of the world: Philippines, Moldova, South Africa, China, the USA [1, 4, 9, 10]
Based on action research and critical social work paradigm the study demonstrates the role of training participants in constructing new knowledge, and how the understanding of paralegals concept in Ukraine had changed under their influence
The findings from a few cycles of action research reveal that there are fewer limitations to be a paralegal in Ukraine, as it was presupposed, paralegals role has shifted from only service brokerage and providing information, to conflict-solving, and providing new initiatives in local communities, the educational program for paralegals was changed in terms of their requests and according to their regional specifics

Summary

Introduction

The idea of paralegals is not new for a set of countries in different parts of the world: Philippines, Moldova, South Africa, China, the USA [1, 4, 9, 10]. There wasn’t any paralegals’ experience in Ukraine till 2016 when the International Renaissance Foundation decided to implement paralegals work in local communities. In regional centers of Ukraine and large cities, the level of access to professional social workers or lawyers is quite high, educational institutions produce new specialists each year. People do not trust lawyers and think they are too expensive, so people either solve their problems in non-lawful ways or just don’t solve problems. This attitude and resources distribution causes other ways to seek legal assistance and social support. They are community volunteers who communicate in a clear language, have authority and trust in their communities, understand difficulties and problems, they are actively involved in community life [11]

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