Strategies to Improve Labour Market Integration of Young People: Policy Coordination in Youth Guarantee Introduction and Implementation

Author(s): Lyuba D. Spasova / Language(s): English Issue: Special/2017

Following van Berkel’s distinction between substantial and procedural reforms, the article analyses the governance changes in the strategies for improving labour market integration of young people – changes involving vertical and horizontal coordination in the context of the introduction and implementation of the Youth Guarantee initiative in Bulgaria.The empirical analysis is based on critical revision of secondary country-based literature, official documents, existing national policy/programme evaluations and statistics, and expert interviews with key officials from agencies involved in the implementation of the Youth Guarantee in Bulgaria. The article outlines the main changes in vertical and horizontal coordination and further suggests possibilities for development and recommendations for policies.

XX a. 3-iojo dešimtmečio socialinė apsauga Lietuvoje: nuo iššūkio iki struktūros

Author(s): Norbertas Černiauskas,Dalia Bukelevičiūtė / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 2/2017

The article analyses the challenges faced by the state of Lithuania in the sphere of social security in the 1920s. It was sought to resolve the key problems that emerged in the aftermath of World War I, to handle the situation and to adjust to the modernizing forms of social security as well as to ensure social welfare for citizens. It is revealed how the Lithuanian Government, public figures and politicians understood social issues, what major social problems were identified and what solutions were applied. The article also discusses the scope of social support, the fields and priorities of support as well as the formation of social policy guidelines.

Конференция „Регионалното развитие и факторите за успех: образование, икономика и социална политика в регионите“ (25. 10. 2019, София)

Author(s): Rumiana Jeleva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2019

“It’s in their blood”. The securitization of Roma Westward Migration in Europe

Author(s): Ionuț-Marian Anghel / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

If recent debates have centered around the irregularization and border securitization against non-EU migrants in the EU (Jansen et al., 2015), especially in the context of the “refugee crisis”, less attention is paid to the irregularization of migration of EU citizens, such as Europe’s Roma minorities (van Baar, 2014a; van Baar, 2015). The paper aims to critically interrogate the processes of securitization, irregularization, criminalization and nomadization of recent Roma westward migration in Europe. By discussing the cases of France and Italy’s “securitization packages”, I will show that the “excessive mobility” of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Roma is not the result of their alleged nomadic lifestyle but rather the outcome of policies of expulsion and “voluntary return schemes” put in place by Western governments. These policies reinforce the status of “third-country nationals” for the CEE Roma (although they are citizens of EU member states) and deepens the socio-political exclusion at a time when the European Commission (EC) and member states have put in place social inclusion policies that should have enhanced their European citizenship.

International context of configuring integrated social policies: terminological clarifications and measurement possibilities

Author(s): Elena Zamfir / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2019

This paper focuses on the multiple influencing of the individual and societal wel-being by both economic and non-economic social factors which stimulated the development of some composite-aggregate indicators centered on the specifics of social justice and the quality of life. Harmonizing the psycho-sociological, economic, and political theories regarding quality of life with a new, wide statistical database (synthetic, global indicators) opens actual opportunities for correlating sectoral social policies at global level, right at the time of their design. So, specific indicators were developed for social justice, equal opportunities, and inclusion, etc. in the framework of some database accessible in real time to all member countries of the EU. In fact, the presence of synthetic/output and aggregated social indicators (social inclusion, social justice, happiness, etc.) measures the impact of the social policies on the individual/societal wel-being, and as regards life satisfaction of the individuals within a community (Precupeţu and Voicu M. 2005, Zamfir E. and Magino 2013). These indicators can measure not only the current state, the simple static presentation of the situation in the living conditions of the population, but also its dynamics over time, as continuous process of changes and improvements brought to the quality of life. Maslow’s pyramid of needs, the general systems’ theory, sociologic and anthropologic functionalist and structuralist theories, as well as the modern life satisfaction theories become explanatory theoretic milestones for supporting interactive and balanced policies. Moreover, only by the mutual determination and inter-conditioning relationship of the sectoral policies supported by multiple social indicators, the general changes over time might be evaluated for the quality of life.

Some provisions of the legislation upon the designing of pensions domain in Romania: years 2000, 2010, 2019

Author(s): Ioan Mărginean / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 4/2019

This article reviews the regulations of the pension laws in Romania over the postcommunist period. It aims to analyze the implications of these regulations and the changes that occured over time. The pension law of 2000 was passed rather late, the one in 2010 can be considered less necessary, while the most recent of 2019 includes a major modification by equalising pensions for women and men with the same work record.

Current challenges and future potentials of social economy in Croatia

Author(s): Zdenko Babić,Danijel Baturina / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

The social economy sector in Croatia has been neglected for a long time and has not been recognized as a space for sustainable jobs and the development of a more inclusive and cohesive society, as is the case in many Eastern and Central European countries. On the other hand, social entrepreneurship is a relatively new phenomenon established in this century. The aim of this paper is to assess the trends and challenges of social economy development in Croatia as the newest, last EU member state. On the basis of a secondary data analysis, the paper scrutinizes trends in social economy development. Social entrepreneurship is analysed as a part of the social economy that is strengthening, as well as the economic activity of associations that tends to turn into a social economy or a solidarity economy. The paper will also give an overview of the instances of the institutional context of the development of cooperatives and social enterprises, such as the recent legislative and policy changes, as well as the institutional framework with some insights into recommendations how to promote the development of the social economy sector in Croatia.

Social agency and symbolic structure. The case of social work practice in Poland

Author(s): Andrzej Niesporek,Tomasz Warczok / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Changes in Poland, being a result of transformation of economic system open the necessity of formation new social policy and new social assistance system, including professional social work. Professional character of social workers job is being constructed not only by law or institutional regulations, but through everyday activities undertaken by social workers. One of the consequences of these practices is the strategy of informal evaluation and classification of welfare clients. To understand the social workers daily professional practice is important to identify strategies, arguments and language codes lying behind them. We try to interpret this kind of social workers’ activity refer to different theoretical perspectives.

Rewizytując problem ubóstwa (odwołując się do tuzina głosów: jedenastu Amerykańskich i jednego Polskiego)

Author(s): Krzysztof Frysztacki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2019

The goal of these paper it is to show diversified approaches to the key social problem of poverty. In particular approaches presented in selected American publications have been presented. Additionally one characteristic Polish source has been used. In general it is specific picture of the debate devoted to the research based and applied issues. The very term “revisiting” seems to be fully justified.

Prawa mieszkańców domów pomocy społecznej a problematyka uzależnień oraz współuzależnienia od alkoholu

Author(s): Łukasz Kołodziej / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2019

The liberal approach of the Polish society to people who consume alcohol changes dramatically when someone turns out to be addicted to alcohol. In relation to alcohol dependent patients moral rigidity along with judgmental attitude dominates. Alcoholism is not the only type of addiction. In relation to people addicted to drugs, the negative attitude in society is also expressed. Health harm and social problems, driven by alcohol and drug addiction, have been profoundly accumulated in the long term care social welfare facilities. Based on the Polish Constitution and relevant laws employees of social welfare homes are obliged to respect the rights of residents. Nonetheless, the Polish Ombudsman (the Commissioner for Human Rights) revealed numerous examples of violations of the residents’ rights. This phenomenon is particularly intensified in the case of addicted residents of long term care social welfare facilities. In addition, alcohol and drug addiction nursing facilities drives antisocial behaviours towards non-addicted vulnerable residents. Nevertheless, the rights of non-addicted residents to be protected from harm resulting from alcohol and drug addiction of other residents have been profoundly neglected. The aim of the paper is therefore to comprehensively describe the problem of addiction in social welfare homes, give the most striking examples of breaking the rights of residents and suggest some solutions aimed at better protection of the rights of both addicted and non-dependent residents of social welfare homes in Poland.

Godność osoby jako wartość w pracy socjalnej – wyzwania dla kształcenia

Author(s): Tadeusz Kamiński / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2019

Social work is a specific profession that has a clear axiological aspect. It is based on the humanitarian and democratic ideals and human dignity is considered a core value in social work. It is in human dignity that the remaining values of social work are rooted. Their catalogues could be found in manuals of social work and above all in ethical codes adopted by associations of social workers in different countries. In the first part of the article; the author deals with some difficulties associated with the term “human dignity”. The term is widely accepted, but is it really understood? And although existing ethics codes of social workers do not define the concept of dignity, they use it to express the conviction of exceptional and unique value of each human being. The answer to the question what human dignity is, is all the more important because axiological dimension of social work a significant element of social workers education is. Therefore, the second part of the article discusses the problem of how to prepare social workers to solve the ethical dilemmas. It’s not just about presenting the theoretical knowledge of values or studying ethical codes. Analysing the results of research on the professional ethos of social workers is also not enough. Future social workers should experience the core values of social work in direct contact with people living in conditions that contradict human dignity, for example: in homeless shelters, hospices or sometimes in prisons. In addition, a visiting place where people commemorate humiliation (such as former concentration camps) can also help raise awareness of the value of human dignity. The author suggests that even literature and films are well suited to the axiological education of future social workers.

Streetworker w kontakcie z dzieckiem – warunki i narzędzia pracy – kilka uwag teoretyczno-praktycznych

Author(s): Marta Kamińska,Katarzyna Ornacka,Dominika Beszłej / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2020

Young people are the most vulnerable group because of their sensitivity and vulnerability to injury. Children have great potential for development and are able to succeed in their future lives, both private and professional, if they have the opportunity to grow up in the right environment and follow a good example. Although the work of a streetworker is non-institutional, like any profession or group, streetworkers are guided by a set of guidelines, norms and rules regarding their behaviour, attitudes, getting in contact with the child and their family, relationships with other streetworkers, etc. They also use a set of tools that serve them to work effectively on the street. These elements play a fundamental role in working with young people. In this paper we will highlight the most important of them. They may become a source of reflection for future streetworkers.

Achieving Patient-Centered Care with Shared Decision-Making among Colorectal Cancer Patients in Israel

Author(s): Olga Lipovetski,Daniela Cojocaru / Language(s): English Issue: 70/2020

The Colorectal cancer (CRC) disease is one of the most common cancer disease in Israel. The course of chronic illness or disability can have a major influence on individuals’ experience. The concept of patient-centeredness as an attribute of high-quality healthcare, gained national prominence and is now widely recognized as a central aspect of healthcare, paving the pathway to improve quality of life and care among cancer patients. Focus on PCC has led to the development of the shared decision-making (SDM) model, in which patients and physicians share information and values, and patients play an active role in making healthcare decisions. This study strives to generate fresh interest in furthering this important approach in Israel and sheds light on the integration of caregiver-chronic patients’ perspectives regarding the decision-making processes, and the barriers and the facilitators to its implementation in chronic practice in Israel. This work is based on a two-phase mixed type research methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative means. The results of our study revealed that, in general, cancer patients desire for more involvement in their care. However, many patients are not experiencing their desired role in clinical decision-making. The possible reasons for this include structural constraints, patients and physicians’ attitudes, and lack of training programs for communication skills. Our results confirm that there is a need to increase participation in the decision-making process for cancer patients. Health care organizations should strive for SDM, applying strategies for facilitating this process in chronic care

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Psychiatric Population with Comorbid Alcoholism

Author(s): Ana Miruna DRAGOI,Antonia Ioana TRIFU,Simona TRIFU / Language(s): English Issue: 70/2020

The population of Romania ranks 3rd in the world in terms of alcohol consumption, with particularities depending on the environment of origin, cultural level, addiction versus abuse, consumption within the wide limits of normality versus hospitalization in psychiatry. The paper refers to patients consuming alcohol whose main diagnosis is schizophrenia. The cross-sectional study consisted of 88 male subjects with dual pathology, aged between 23 and 80 years. The instruments used in the study were PANSS for psychotic impairment, MAST for measuring alcoholism and for cognitive functioning, Cognitive error questionnaire. The design of the research was observational, transversal. We performed a multiple regression analysis in which the predictor variable was cognitive functioning and the criterion variables were psychotic impairment and alcohol level. We also performed an analysis of ANCOVA variance, having as covariates: age, level of education, the need for antidepressant in treatment, number of hospitalizations, the manner of hospitalization and the environment of origin. The results indicate that alcoholism and general psychopathology (G scale) are predictors for cognitive functioning. A stronger predictor is the level of education, while age and AP are poor predictors. PANSS_P subscale, PANSS_N subscale, AD, hospitalization mode, number of hospitalizations, average are not predictors for cognitive functioning. The cognitive functioning of these patients is caused by alcohol rather than schizophrenia. Patients with a high level of previous education have a richer cognitive reserve that can protect their judgment from cognitive errors and can preserve better their cognitive functioning.

What matters is what you do: The rediscovery of skills in probation practice

Author(s): Peter Raynor,Maurice Vanstone / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2018

This article discusses the recent emergence of practice skills or ‘core correctional practices’ as a focus for research and staff development in probation work. Starting with the gradual discovery of an empirical approach to practitioners’ use of skills, the article reviews recent research on the nature and impact of skills in effective practice and argues the case for their development as a key strategy for improving probation services, provided that management systems adapt to recognise and encourage them.

Estimating the parameter of inequality aversion on the basis of a parametric distribution of incomes

Author(s): Stanisław Maciej Kot / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2020

Research background: In applied welfare economics, the constant relative inequality aversion function is routinely used as the model of a social decisionmaker’s or a society’s preferences over income distributions. This function is entirely determined by the parameter, ε, of inequality aversion. However, there is no authoritative answer to the question of what the range of ε an analyst should select for empirical work. Purpose of the article: The aim of this paper is elaborating the method of deriving ε from a parametric distribution of disposable incomes. Methods: We assume that households’ disposable incomes obey the generalised beta distribution of the second kind GB2(a,b,p,q). We have proved that, under this assumption, the social welfare function exists if and only if ε belongs to (0,ap+1) interval. The midpoint εmid of this interval specifies the inequality aversion of the median social-decisionmaker. Findings & Value added: The maximum likelihood estimator of εmid has been developed. Inequality aversion for Poland 1998–2015 has been estimated. If inequality is calculated on the basis of disposable incomes, the standard inequality–development relationship might be complemented by inequality aversion. The “augmented” inequality–development relationship reveals new phenomena; for instance, the stage of economic development might matter when assessing the impact of inequality aversion on income inequality.

СОЦІАЛЬНА ОБУМОВЛЕНІСТЬ ВСТАНОВЛЕННЯ КРИМІНАЛЬНОЇ ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНОСТІ ЗА ПРИХОВУВАННЯ ЗЛОЧИНУ (СТ. 396 ККУ)

Author(s): T. M. Hud / Language(s): Ukrainian Issue: 42/2020

The article is dedicated to examining an issue of the welfare conditionality of establishing the criminal liability for the unpromised concealment of an offence. The author has indicated socio-psychological, criminological, and normative factors of the welfare conditionality. This has enables to make a conclusion about the expediency of criminal liability for the unpromised concealment of an offence because its social danger manifests itself in counteracting the quick, full, and comprehensive pre-trial investigation, the timely detection and criminal prosecution of persons convicted of offences. The aforementioned factors foster the decrease of legal protection of citizens, the appearance of the sense of impunity, and impede the timely compensation of a property damage and moral injury inflicted by an offence.

Between the State and the Kin in Latvia: One-Person Household Social Security from Social Antropological Perspective

Author(s): Kristīne Rolle,Agita Lūse / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

One-person household is the dominant type of household in today’s Latvia. Research on kinship in contemporary Europe suggests that weak kinship ties are characteristic of institutionally strong countries where individuals once incapacitated due to illness, disability, or old age can reckon on some social security. Kinship ties are not particularly strong in Latvia, nor does its social security system compensate for their weakness: the statistical data show that of all household types, one-person households are the most exposed to the risk of poverty, especially those of people over 64 years of age. The aim of the article is to provide a socio-anthropological insight into the ways in which the policies implemented by various political regimes in Latvia over the last one hundred years have promoted the formation of an economically independent individual, thus directly and indirectly weakening family and kinship ties. Drawing on our ethnographic data, we explore instances when the state welfare system failed to provide an individual with social security and inquire into the degree the family and kinship ties in such circumstances are likely to be re-established. The fieldwork findings suggest that the person whose next of kin needs additional assistance or care, faces a dilemma: either to provide support to the vulnerable relative while compromising his/her own economic stability, or to delegate care obligations to the state. However, our data also show: while the country’s social assistance system at times falls short of meeting the necessities of one or another vulnerable group, its social insurance system nevertheless has significantly shaped the sense of moral obligation in intergenerational relationships. Tasks of the article are (1) to survey recent theoretical approaches and research findings on interaction between kinship and the state, (2) to outline the consequences for Latvians’ family and kinship ties of the policies implemented by consecutive political regimes over the previous century, and (3) to analyse the role of family and kinship in contemporary Latvia drawing on own ethnographic data as well as statistics and studies on kinship and paying a particular attention to the issue of social security of one-person households.

Analysis Models of Pupil Class Collectives Focused on Efficiency of the Educational Process

Author(s): Oana Mariana Ciuchi / Language(s): English Issue: 71/2020

The paper presents four models, references for analysis, and approaches of the most important social micro-groups in an educational unit, i.e. the groups of pupils’ classes. The micro-research carried out, consisting in the application of a questionnaire with closed and open questions applied on a group of 711 teachers in Romanian pre-university education, identifies the socio-psychological and socio-pedagogical model as the most effective models for approaching the pupil class and the pandemic period that everyone went through as the determining cause of some changes of approach of the social actors of the Romanian pre-university education system. In order to increase the efficiency of the educational process, it is recommended to digitize it by increasing connectivity in schools, the digital literacy of pupils, the training and development of digital skills among teachers, according to the priorities set by the European Commission for the next period.

Promoting Oral Health through Education and Prevention Programs

Author(s): Mihaela Adomnicai,Angela Codruta PODARIU,Ruxandra Sava,Andrada Christine Serafin,Mioara Raluca COSOROABA,Sergiu Alexandru TOFAN,Alina Doina Tanase,Alina Doina TANASE / Language(s): English Issue: 71/2020

Health education is a key element in health promotion and requires strong planning based on theories of medical behavior. The study was conducted over a period of three years, January 2015 - December 2017, by means of an 11 items questionnaire anonymous applied to dentists or medical staff. Seven questions were multiple choice to allow a broader discussion of the results and the rest were one answer. The time of dental practitioners is limited, so their view of the duration of a possible dental health program is essential. Hours per week volunteered, vary from one doctor to another: from 1-3 hours or less to 3-5 hours or as needed. Assessing the willingness to engage (82%) and the time allocated to the dentists surveyed (44% between 1 and 3 hours per week and 51% over 3 hours per week), we can say that we have human resources for implementing an oral health project. The workforce in the field of oral health would like to be involved in such a program and believes that it could benefit from such a program and the construction of appropriate working mechanisms, especially designed for different regions, rural areas and diverse demographic of social categories.