Social Assistance Institutions Research Articles

FORENSIC MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ELDER ABUSE

The issue of elder abuse and neglect is an important public health problem that requires urgent attention from social assistance institutions, health systems, political institutions and citizens, can create devastating individual and social consequences, and is not unfortunately adequately reported. Elder abuse can cause serious consequences on both mental and physical health, such as injury, death, anxiety, depression, substance addiction, and suicide. 
 Necessary precautions should be taken to prevent elder abuse. First of all, it is very important to raise awareness of elder abuse and to raise awareness of the entire society on this issue.

Social workers as disaster responders during the COVID-19 pandemic: Polish experience

This article aims to present the experiences of 284 social workers as disaster responders during the Covid-19 pandemic—the study conducted among social workers from public social assistance institutions in the Greater Poland Province, Poland.During the pandemic, the vast majority of social workers carried out administrative activities consisting of qualifying people to receive social assistance benefits. The activities that were undertaken the least frequently during the pandemic were: initiating new forms of assistance, developing social welfare programs acting as an advocate for the rights and interests of clients. Respondents observed changes in the functioning of social assistance institutions during the pandemic on several levels: guarantying access to personal protective equipment, changes in the way of working, lack of protecting the mental health of workers. The respondents were asked to rate on cooperation with the environment to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. Cooperation with institutions such as police, non-governmental organizations, informal groups, and the Wielkopolska Province Office in Poznan was rated the highest. The results of the present study demonstrate that social workers are essential disaster responders to the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of polish social workers did not lose touch with the local environment and, risking their own health, undertook activities for people and families in need.

The impact of the pandemic generated by coronavirus on employees in social services for seniors from Romania

Since 2020, senior social services staff have been working under new circumstances resulting from the global spread of COVID-19. The pandemic and the restrictions put in place to control it have affected every area of our lives. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the perception of employees on social services for the elderly in Romania and is based on the indicators: the degree of involvement of employees in social services for seniors, the resilience capacity of employees in social services for seniors and the impact of the pandemic on employees in social services for seniors. In order to assess the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on social services for seniors, the employees of the service providers were invited to participate in a quantitative research based on the sociological survey based on the questionnaire with the most honest answers to each question. The design of the questionnaire was based on previous research, and adaptations were made where necessary. According to the centralization of the data obtained, the personnel employed in social assistance institutions providing social services to elderly people in our country confirm that access to protective equipment and risk management recommendations have been improved. .

Local self government in the era of COVID-19 pandemic

The article highlights the role of the Polish local authorities in counteracting the COVID-19 pandemic as well as minimising its impact. As a local level decentralised public administration, self-government becomes responsible for meeting the local communities needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the activities of local authorities were focused mainly on supporting: 1. health system; 2. local entrepreneurs; 3. social assistance institutions; 4. the most vulnerable citizens (the elderly, the sick, the handicapped, isolated or quarantined individuals). The main problem faced by local authorities was the need to increase the aid expenditure and the reduction of their revenue sources (especially their own revenue) at the same time. Despite all difficulties, local authorities have an understandable role to play in combating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

HAK EKONOMI DAN SOSIAL PADA LANSIA DI INDONESIA

The increasing number of years of population growth in Indonesia is also accompanied by an increase in the number of elderly people or commonly referred to as elderly. Some of the factors that make the elderly population limited are mobility which makes it difficult for the elderly to be productive, unable to meet their needs and need help from others. The elderly cannot be separated from 3 things, namely poverty, neglect and protection. These three things are the main problems that every elderly will find the role of the community such as the existence of social assistance institutions and the formation of legislation and various social welfare programs that have begun to be seen being implemented in the community. However, the implementation is not always right on target, one of which is often found in the problem of social assistance, there are still many in some areas in Indonesia, especially remote areas where the elderly population lives alone without any family paying attention so that their social economic needs are limited. Therefore, the fulfillment of social economic rights for the elderly is very necessary considering that the elderly are a vulnerable group whose human rights must be protected.

Pengaruh PKH dan BPNT terhadap Kemiskinan dengan Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Sebagai Variabel Moderasi

This research is motivated by the number of poverty in Pucakwangi which is still quite high and deserves to receive Social Assistance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Family Hope Program (PKH), and the Non-Cash Assistance Program on poverty in Pucakwangi District with economic growth as a moderating variable. This research is a quantitative research with secondary data from related institutions such as BPS, Social Service, and Social Assistance Institutions. The data used is Time series data from 2018-2020. The population of this study is the entire Pucakwangi community receiving the Social Assistance Program for PKH and BPNT from 20 villages. By taking samples by means of purposive sampling from 20 audited villages multiplied quarterly to get a sample of 80. The analytical tool used is Eviews. The results showed that the Family Hope Program had a significant negative effect on poverty. The non-cash assistance program has a negative and significant effect on poverty. The hopeful family program which moderated economic growth had no significant negative effect. The Non-Cash Food Assistance Program moderated by economic growth has an insignificant negative effect.

Self-assessment and coping with stress in the area of competence on the example of future social workers

The issue of self-assessment is primarily discussed in the context of human behaviour, learning, and self-esteem. It seems important to include self-assessment in building individual competences and coping with stress. Nowadays we have more and more resources, but we also experience a greater number of stressful stimuli, which is a consequence of, among others occupational burnout. Is the self-assessment associated with the perceived stress? Is the self-assessment related to the style of coping with stress? The purpose of this article is to determine the intensity of the relationship between self-assessment and stress, and styles of coping with stress. The study was conducted in a group of 210 students specialising in social work, employed in social assistance institutions or intending to take up a job as a social worker.

Guarantee of the social rights of children with chronic conditions: reinventing care towards civil rights.

To analyze the experiences of families in the exercise of the rights of children with chronic conditions in public health, education and social assistance institutions. ethnographic multiple case study, with qualitative approach, following the theoretical approach of Boaventura Santos. Experiences of the families of these children in a city were studied through interviews with family members, managers and professionals from social institutions (35), participant observations in social spaces (13) and creation of eco-maps (3). Critical Discourse Analysis was performed. the offer of services is lower than the demand, and exclusion processes persist. Given the hegemony of neoliberal and normality ideologies, meetings between family members and professionals revealed obstacles to civil rights; however, when these ideologies were challenged, the realization of their rights was enhanced. the care to promote civil rights requires family members, managers and professionals to develop subjectivities that overcome neoliberal and normality ideologies, recognizing these children as subjects of law.

Social assistance institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences of Polish social workers

This article aims to present the results of a quantitative study (which used the Computer-Assisted Web Interview [CAWI] technique) conducted among social workers from social assistance institutions in the Wielkopolska region – the second-largest first-level administrative unit in Poland in terms of area. The aim of the research was to diagnose and describe the main changes in the functioning of institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.

Local government, social policy and social assistance: development paths since 1989/1990

The paper discusses the first and second local government reform in Poland. The article describes the essence of social assistance institutions: social assistance centers, county family assistance centers and regional social policy centers. The article ends with consideration of the place of social assistance in local government social policy.

Attitudes towards Gender Equality of Government Institution´s Workers in Southeastern Mexico

The objective of this research was to analyze if there are differences between the Institutions of Social and Public Security Assistance and between men and women who work for the government of the State of Campeche, southeastern Mexico. This article uses a quantitative methodology; For this, the Questionnaire "Attitudes towards Gender Equality" (CAIG) was applied, which was prepared by Amelia Sola, Isabel Martínez Bellonch and José Luis Meliá (2003), validated in a Mexican sample by Olga Marfil Herrera (2006) with an alpha of Cronbach's .885.
 The sample was composed of 212 people, 79 women and 133 men, six factors were evaluated. The Student's t-test revealed that there are significant differences; the Social Assistance Institutions present greater egalitarian attitudes as does the group of women. Meanwhile, the percentiles show these egalitarian attitudes at a medium level. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to compare groups revealed regarding religion, there are significant differences between the Christian, the Catholic and the people who claim to have no religious beliefs; Catholics are those who present a more favorable attitude towards gender equality.

Social assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic – first comments related to practice

The purpose of the article is to draw attention to the challenges and threats faced by social assistance institutions in the face of the second month of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, with particular emphasis on disturbing phenomena and behaviours involving employees of these institutions. The text, on the one hand, supported by examples derived from personal experiences and reports of the social workers themselves, on the other, by the author's observations and reflections, can serve as a warning against hasty, chaotic actions undermining the morale and reputation of the social assistance system. In the current particularly difficult time for all, it should pass the test in responsible management, coherent cooperation, developing effective solutions and missionary character – serving the ones in need.

Correlates of Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Level Testing Among a Socially-Disadvantaged Population in Poland.

As part of cardiovascular disease prevention, the performance of BMI determination, blood pressure measurement, biochemical tests, as well as a lifestyle-related risk assessment are recommended. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlates of blood pressure and cholesterol level testing among a socially-disadvantaged population in Poland. This cross-sectional study was performed between 2015 and 2016 among 1710 beneficiaries of government welfare assistance. Face-to-face interviews conducted by trained staff at each participant’s place of residence allowed for completion of questionnaires that covered socio-demographic, health and lifestyle-related information. Sixty-five percent of the participants declared a blood pressure and 27% of them cholesterol level testing at least once within the year proceeding the study. A higher chance of having blood pressure testing was observed among the women (OR = 1.5; p = 0.002) and people with high blood pressure (OR = 3.9; p < 0.001). The women (OR = 1.4; p = 0.04) and older people (OR = 1.9; p = 0.02; OR = 2.6; p < 0.001, OR = 2.7; p = 0.002, for the following age groups: 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 years respectively), the respondents who declared health problems such as heart attack (OR = 3.0; p = 0.04), high blood pressure (OR = 2.3; p < 0.001) and type 2 diabetes (OR = 3.3; p = 0.004) and those with a family history of chronic diseases (OR = 1.5; p = 0.03) had a higher chance of cholesterol level checking. Higher healthy lifestyle index, indicating that the study participants have followed almost all of the studied lifestyle-related recommendations, was a significant correlate of cholesterol level testing (OR = 1.7; p = 0.006). Actions that promote lifestyle changes, blood pressure, and cholesterol level testing should take into account the needs of the disadvantaged population and should especially target men, people with existing chronic diseases, and those with unfavorable lifestyle characteristics. With respect to the socially-disadvantaged population, the social assistance institutions and outpatient clinics are the best places to conduct activities promoting a healthy lifestyle. The most commonly applied strategies to promote lifestyle changes can cover risk assessment, increasing awareness, emotional support and encouragement, as well as a referral to specialists.

WORKING WITH A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY IN THE SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SYSTEM IN POLAND

Dysfunctional families are families that fail to fulfill the protective and educational function of their children. They are conflicted, affected by addictions, unadapted to life, inefficient in education. The situation of these families is a challenge for the Polish social assistance system. As part of social work with these families, a number of different methods are used, among others empowerment, interdisciplinary work model, work with family assistants, psychological therapies, school for parents, Family Group Conference and day support facilities. The work methods used involve family members based on their resources and aim to ensure that families use their strengths and acquire appropriate care and upbringing skills, achieve balance and gain greater independence in functioning, and regain control over their own lives.&#x0D; Сhanges that take place in social life cause weakening of social ties and the role of the family as a basic environment of human upbringing. Many Polish families are unable to perform the protective, educational, economic, preventative functions of their members, including children. Particularly disadvantaged families - affected by addictions, illnesses, disorders, unadapted to life and ineffective in education - pose a serious threat to the development of children, but also a great challenge for the social assistance system. For many years, social assistance institutions have usually been a source of financial resources to support these families. The current development of the family support system tends to develop effective methods of working with families, these pedagogical tools can be used by social workers and family assistants. Their essence is to influence the restoration of relationships between family members, the improvement of relations and communication, the desire for family reintegration. To this end, actions are taken based on the developed procedures based on the resources inherent in the family to make changes in the functioning of the family system through the forces of its members. The effectiveness of social work with disadvantaged families is enhanced by interdisciplinary activities that involve the use of the knowledge, experience and professional skills of various institutions and non-governmental organizations. Nowadays, the best way to work with such a family is to involve the so-called human factor, which embodies the professionalism and effectiveness of the assistance provided. A crisis family is increasingly perceived as an entity responsible for their own destiny. Working with the family using the above mentioned methods takes into account not only the deficiency of its functioning, but above all its strengths and potentials, which allows it to gradually regain balance, stability and take control of their life.

On the necessity of activities of Public Relations in social work

In the article, the author undertakes to point out the most problematic places in the functioning of social assis-tance institutions in relation to the image they create. He indicates the need to introduce thinking and changes in the field of Public Relations activities that could help social welfare institutions strengthen their image, better cope with crisis situations. The author shows why such issues as internal communication, visual identification, responsibility for image or cooperation with local institutions and the local community can be a way to better functioning and more effective and more satisfying work.

Problem ponoszenia kosztów związanych ze starzeniem się społeczeństwa – analiza na przykładzie domów pomocy społecznej w gminie miejskiej Szczecin

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Selected aspects of securing the needs of dependent elderly persons by the social assistance sector from the perspective of law, society and economics, are presented in the article.The purpose of the article is to evaluate the sources of funding full-time long-term care services for the benefit of dependent elderly persons in Szczecin.Materials and methods: The analysis was based on statistical and financial data concerning the costs of maintenance in nursing homes in Szczecin provided for the benefit of dependent persons aged over 65.Results: Currently, the main costs of securing full-time care service needs fulfilled by social assistance institutions are borne by the city, which covers more than half of the expenses connected with care. One third of the cost is covered by the seniors themselves, while the involvement of families in payments does not exceed 5%.Conclusions: A reduction in the number of working age persons, increases in the number of elderly persons, an increasing demand for long-term care facilities, rising average annual costs of maintenance in nursing homes and the very low participation of families in those costs all result in the need to allocate greater amounts of funds in city budgets for providing care for dependent persons aged over 65.

The Informational Basis of Emerging Social Assistance in Low and Middle-Income Countries

The paper examines the informational basis of emerging social assistance institutions in low- and middle-income countries. The recent expansion of social assistance presents a challenge to researchers concerned with the development of welfare institutions there. Diversity in practice, the absence of data, and incipient conceptual frameworks are significant obstacles to comparative analysis. This paper proposes an informational basis for social assistance in low- and middle-income countries capable of guiding the construction of a comparative database.

Justice-based social assistance.

What are the main objectives of social protection institutions in developing countries? What should be their scope and reach? What is the source of their legitimacy? Finding appropriate answers to these questions is essential to understanding, and shaping, the emergence of welfare institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Most available answers rely on instrumental arguments. Few make reference to normative principles. This article draws on three concepts from Rawls – social justice as regulating cooperation, the social minimum, and the need for a freestanding political notion of social justice – to develop a coherent argument for grounding social assistance on social justice. In line with this argument, it identifies some parameters for a justice-based social assistance. This article then discusses, with examples, the tensions existing between a social justice-based social minimum and ‘real’ social assistance institutions emerging in developing countries.

Дома инвалидов как средство социальной защиты населения в первые послевоенные годы

In the given article on the basis of archival sources and published literature the author cosiders the functioning of social assistance institutions, their role in organizing assistance in the rehabilitation of disabled people in the early post-war years. Nursing homes provided the people in need with some vital facilities: home, food, clothes, medicine. The need for treatment and psychological support involved having the staff of qualified professionals, but due to very low salaries and rather harsh working conditions many institutions were not staffed with fully qualified general medical workers let alone doctors. The lack of qualified personnel resulted in the poor level of educational work. Nursing homes tried to solve the problems of irregular supply of food and food shortages by means of farming on the premises, but that, too, proved ineffective through lack of farming equipment. The food grown by the disabled, besides its apparent use in the homes’ dining-rooms, was partly given to the government. Moreover, despite the limited abilities, the charges worked in workshops. The study of material and household problems leads to the conclusion that the housing stock of the institutions in the early post-war years was in an extremely decrepit condition. In spite of limited investment it was not uncommon that the funds were not applied efficiently

Hogares, alimentación y salarios: La encuesta higiénico-económica del Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición

Entre 1936 y 1937, un conjunto de “Investigadoras Sociales” egresadas del Museo Social Argentino y entrenadas por técnicos del Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición registró durante 31 días los datos de 600 familias de distintos barrios de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. El relevamiento abordó la composición familiar, su salud, el trabajo de sus integrantes, el presupuesto familiar, la vivienda y muy especialmente el consumo de alimentos. Diversas instituciones de asistencia social tanto públicas como privadas facilitaron el acceso a las familias entrevistadas y colaboraron en el seguimiento de la encuesta. Sus resultados fueron sistematizados por el personal del instituto, difundidos en su Boletín y presentados ante foros de expertos internacionales en diversos problemas sociales. Este trabajo se propone analizar este registro detallado de la situación social -que toma al núcleo familiar como su principal unidad de análisis y reflexión-, e inscribirlo en una serie de iniciativas que, tanto a nivel local como trasnacional, promovían la producción de conocimiento sobre los hogares de las clases trabajadoras, sus presupuestos familiares y sus hábitos de consumo en relación con el salario. Asimismo, entendemos que las categorías y técnicas puestas en juego en estos modos de registro contribuyeron, no sin resistencias, a la delimitación del hogar como espacio de intervención por parte del Estado.