Field social work

Goal:
To train participants for effective work with marginalized groups in socially excluded locations.

Graduate profile:
Graduates of the course will be familiar with elementary approaches to and methods of social work, methods and environment of field social work and sociological and psychological starting points for field social work. They will acquire new communication skills and will be ready for effective solution of conflicts and disputes in practice using alternative approaches. They will be able to act as mediators between the majority population and minorities in local conditions.

Total scope:
72 hours (3 x 3 days, 3 days = 24 hours) with three three-day required sessions.

Curriculum:
The training course comprises three three-day sessions related to each other.
1. Session: Basics of Social Work
2. Session: Communication skills and cross-culture communication in field social work
3. Session: Supervision in social work

SESSION 1: BASICS OF SOCIAL WORK (24 HOURS)

1. Basics of social work
2. Methods and levels of social work
3. Phases of social work
4. Field social work

SESSION 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND CROSS-CULTURE COMMUNICATION IN FIELD SOCIAL WORK CONDITIONS (24 HOURS)

1. Effective communication
2. Training in assertive communication
3. Feedback to the participants based on questionnaires and tests
4. Cross-culture communication

  • Terminology
  • Types of conflict of cultures
  • Prevention and resolution of ethnic conflict
  • Roma history and traditions (depending on specialties of participants)

SESSION 3: SUPERVISION IN SOCIAL WORK (24 HOURS)

Supervision in social work
The core of this session is to try the balint group technique as one of supervision techniques and alternatively to compare it to other approches (such as action learning of Reg Revans etc.). Included will be a demonstration to the participants of individual supervision.

  • Forms and goals of supervision
  • Competency of the supervisor, positions of the supervisor and supervised, supervision contract
  • Balint groups

Basics of legal background in field social work
Presentations and discussion with case studies

  • Social assistance, legislation on employment
  • Legislation on family
  • The system of state and local administration
  • Legislation on access to information