Challenges to Social Work Profession After the Economic Crisis in the Republic of Serbia

Suzana Mihajlović Babić, Milena Despotović, Marina Đaković

Abstract


The global economic crisis, which also affected the Western Balkans countries since 2008, in theRepublic of Serbia has resulted in an increase of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion rates. These changes caused the increase of social protection system users, especially those belonging to thegroup of materially vulnerable.The Center for Social Work represents the basic social service or institution of the social protectionsystem in the Republic of Serbia, within which the benefits and social services are provided to vulnerablepopulation. The overall aim of this research is to obtain deeper knowledge of factors that disrupt socialworkers tosecure these rights in the centers for social work.In the descriptive part of the research, using qualitative analysis we examined the scientific, expert and evidence documents on the subject of the research. Analysisof documents content in the first part of the paper has indicated the discrepancy between the normative acts and the practice of the social service functioning. Exploratory part of the research included application of a specially constructed questionnaire addressed to the centers for social work in order to collect information on the material and non-materia lconditions of work of social workers. The questionnaire was answered by 75 social workers, the resultsof the survey pointed out the necessity of improving the position of professional workers in social protection in the Republic of Serbia with the aim of more effective and more efficient provision of social rights.

Keywords


social service; social protection system; social work profession; challenges, economic crisis

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References


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