Professional features of a social worker. Professiogram of a social work specialist Type and class of profession

The professiogram of a social worker is a set of characteristics that make up the portrait of a social worker in terms of his possession of certain knowledge, skills and abilities.

In addition to the Qualification Directory for the positions of managers, specialists and employees, approved by the Decree of the State Committee of the USSR of April 23, 1991, qualification requirements are determined.

• 1. Specialist in social work of the highest category - higher education, a certificate of a specialist in social work and work experience in the position of a specialist in social work of category I for at least 3 years.
• 2. Specialist in social work of the 1st category - higher education, a certificate in social work and work experience in the position of a specialist in social work of the 2nd category for at least 3 years.
• 3. Specialist in social work of category II - higher education, a certificate of a specialist in social work and work experience in the position of a specialist in social work for at least 3 years.
• 4. Social work specialist - higher education without presenting requirements for work experience and the presence of a certificate of a social work specialist or secondary specialized education, the presence of a certificate of a social work specialist and work experience in educational, medical

institutions or bodies of social protection for at least 5 years.

• 5. A social work specialist should know:
  • - features of the psychology of the individual and certain categories of the population;
  • - national and regional features of life and family education, folk traditions;
  • – theory and practice of social protection of the population;
  • - laws, regulations at the federal, regional and local levels, other regulatory legal acts in the field of social protection of the population;
  • - the work of bodies and institutions of social services;
  • – domestic and foreign experience of practical social work.

A component of the professiogram of a social work specialist is his professional competence.

The professional competence of a social worker can be divided into two types:

• 1) managerial competence includes theoretical knowledge and practical skills (social experience) of an employee, necessary both for working with specific clients and for organizing social protection of human rights. The basis of this type of competence is the knowledge of the scientific foundations of the organization of the relevant state structures. This also includes knowledge of the technology of social work, the basics of the theory of management organization, in particular, the work of a leader, ethics, psychology of leadership, culture of speech, etc.;
• 2) psychological and pedagogical competence is formed by knowledge of psychology and pedagogy. The psychological competence of a social worker should be of a sufficiently high level, since in the course of his activity he has to solve general psychological, differential psychological, socio-psychological, audio-psychological and other problems.

A social worker should be of a sufficiently high level to perform the following professional tasks:

• – cognitive(organize work with a person in such a way that, based on insight into the essence of problems, bring their solution to its logical end);
• – design(to be able to design, select, analyze the main points in working with a client, help him comprehend further actions);
• – constructive(to be able to logically correctly build business relations with a person, helping him, and at the same time not to scatter his strength, but to choose the right decisions and ways to achieve the goal);
• – communicative(to be able to establish pedagogically expedient relationships with people that cause them an intellectual and emotional response and faith in a social worker as a person interested in their problems);
• – organizational(the ability to include people - disabled people, pensioners, schoolchildren, members of large families, etc. in various activities that help not only survive, but also live normally, feel equal in a team, help others in self-improvement).

Thus, professionalism as a high standard of professional activity is expressed, first of all, in stability and effectiveness and is associated with an individual style of activity. An analysis of studies on this issue made it possible to identify certain groups of indicators of the professionalism of the individual and the activities of a social worker.

objective indicators - how a person meets the requirements of the profession, his contribution to social practice. In social work, the objective criterion should be the solution and resolution of the client's problems, the provision of assistance, the rehabilitation of various categories of the population; professional knowledge and skills that contribute to the implementation of an intermediary mission between the client and government agencies, allowing you to be an organizer, coordinator, technologist of the client's social protection, be able to predict and influence social policy in society, the region.

subjective indicators - how much the profession meets the requirements of the individual, his inclinations, how satisfied the person is with professional activity. In the work of a social worker, a subjective indicator of professionalism can be a stable professional and humanistic orientation, an understanding of the significance of the profession, its value orientations, a set of necessary professionally important personality traits, a positive attitude towards oneself as a professional, and the absence of personal deformations.

Thus, a professional social worker is characterized by a sufficiently high labor efficiency combined with an inner desire to remain in the profession.

Performance indicators- whether the person achieves the desired results in work. In modern social practice, two main types of assessments of the activities of working specialists can be distinguished: direct (or assessments of the results of work) and indirect (assessments of the employee's performance by qualities). In the second case, we are talking about factors that characterize the social worker himself and are related to the results of his activities by functional dependence. In the role of such factors, qualifications, professional skills, business qualities of a social worker are considered. However, in the presence of a clear ultimate goal of the activity and the absence of adequate quantitative methods for analyzing the impact of a social worker on the client's activities, a direct assessment of the effectiveness of the work of a social worker is not possible.

In general, the criteria for the effectiveness of the activities of a social worker can be:

• a) analysis of the state of customer problems and the results of their solution;
• b) the dynamics of clients' involvement in various types of social activities;
• c) dynamics in relation to children, adolescents, youth, older generation to basic social values;
• d) the results of the involvement of the adult population in activities to improve conditions in society;
• e) assessment of the socio-psychological situation, the microclimate in society;
• f) the level of professional growth of a social worker as a specialist.

Procedural indicators - whether a person uses modern social methods, techniques, technologies to achieve his results in work.

Regulatory and ethical indicators- whether the social worker has mastered the norms, standards, principles, standard of the profession; whether he knows in practice to follow the standards of the profession at the level of skill; whether he knows how to respect the honor and dignity of the profession, to realize its significance in society.

Cash basis indicators- whether the specialist today achieves a sufficiently high level of professionalism of the individual and activity. The current level of professional development is the results that he is currently receiving in his work. Together with him, these are personal resources that he uses to achieve the result - knowledge, skills, personality traits.

Prognostic Indicators– whether a person has and is looking for growth prospects, what is the zone of his immediate personal and professional development.

Indicators of professional learning - whether a person strives for education, improving his level and professional qualifications; whether he is ready to study the theoretical and methodological aspects of social work, to exchange experience with colleagues.

Indicators of social activity and competitiveness of the profession in society- whether the specialist is able to interest society in the results of his work, to draw attention to the urgent needs of the profession.

Technological indicators make it possible to characterize the personality of a professional and his activity to a greater extent as a personal-technological indicator of the activity of social work specialists. These include: possession of practical control and self-control of the effectiveness of the process of social assistance, correction, rehabilitation of a person.

Innovative indicators– innovation, individuality, creativity in the application of various technologies in professional activities. According to their innovative potential, innovations are divided into modifying (the use of mechanisms, methods and techniques that develop, improve and update the technology of social assistance, correction, rehabilitation of a person, a group of persons, etc.), combinatorial (meaning the individual-personal position of a social worker in development and application in practice of various methods and techniques that are most effective in a given situation) and radical (rejection of entrenched views, positions, methods of action in favor of those that meet the requirements of the time and the specific situation).

• 1) meets the requirements of the profession (personal and professional potential), makes a certain contribution to social policy and social practice, carrying out its activities for social adaptation, assistance, correction, rehabilitation of an individual and various categories of the population;
• 2) is personally disposed towards the profession, having a personal motivational readiness, professionally necessary qualities, competence, as well as a positive attitude towards himself as a professional who strives for the effectiveness of his work;
• 3) achieves the results desired by society today in terms of social assistance, support, adaptation and rehabilitation of people;
• 4) uses modern, optimally effective methods, techniques, technologies for the purpose of social protection of a person;
• 5) fulfills the norms, standards, standards of the profession, means its importance in society;
• 6) introduces an individual creative, innovative component into professional activity, consciously developing his personal and professional individuality;
• 7) is aware of the prospect and area of ​​his closest professional education, advanced training, self-education, study of domestic and foreign experience;
• 8) already today reaches the required level of professional and personal qualities, knowledge and skills;
• 9) is socially active, raises and discusses questions about practice, attitude to the profession, its status; looking for reserves to solve professional, social problems.

The most general classification of social work principles relating to the personality of the social worker and the nature of his relationship with the client is as follows.

Principles relating to the personality of the social worker:

• 1. A social worker should be a social practitioner. This principle directs the social worker, on the one hand, to do only what he is allowed by law, realizing the skills and abilities acquired in the learning process, and on the other hand, to fix the content, goals and objectives of social practice as a phenomenon of society, the presence of professional activities of a certain group. specialists.
• 2. The social worker must use himself consciously. A basic element of social work practice is the ability of workers to build and maintain effective relationships to help the community.
• 3. The social worker must maintain professional objectivity. Unlike the client's environment, the professional brings a new dimension to the relationship with clients, to clarifying their difficulties, while maintaining emotional neutrality.
• 4. The social worker must respect human difference (diversity). The activity of a social worker is focused on people from different strata of society, representing a variety of national and ethnic formations, cultures, with any physical or mental disabilities (diseases), people of different sexual preferences and ages. Human diversity is expressed in the behavior of people, their interaction with the family, collective and society. Accounting for these diverse perceptions of life, tolerance towards them determine the effectiveness of practical social work.
• 5. The social worker must seek personal and professional growth.
• 6. The social worker must consciously apply specific knowledge and skills in a specific situation. He is also obliged to comprehend his own findings made in practical work. At all levels of practice, an experienced specialist relies in a particular situation on existing knowledge, resorting to additional theoretical and empirical information.
• 7. A social worker must deal with the whole personality, biological, psychological, social and spiritual state of a person.
• 8. A social worker must conduct business with a client with dignity. It is necessary to perceive the client as a person who is valued simply because of his human nature (philanthropy), and to avoid judgments based on personal or currently dominant social values. The state of nonjudgment on the part of the professional assistant helps the client to focus on their own merits, minimizing the fear of being perceived negatively or inaccurately. Serving clients with dignity helps social workers avoid imposing their own biases or standards.
• 9. The social worker must individualize the client. The constant commitment to a detailed disclosure of the properties of a person, family or community requires a conscious effort and careful analysis from the social worker. Individualization allows the social worker to form an opinion about where and how to start interacting with the client, emphasizing respect for his characteristics as a person.
• 10. The social worker must provide the client with a modern vision of problems. The success of providing professional assistance largely depends on the modern understanding and application of different approaches to existing problems. By injecting a sense of optimism and offering up-to-date creative ways of looking at situations, the social worker helps the client.
• 11. The social worker must be based on knowledge of the client's capabilities. The professional specialization of a social worker is formed on the basis of studying various specific human needs: physical, psychological, social. But to determine these needs, it is necessary to know to what extent he is able to withstand environmental influences. Because change in social functioning must be largely self-motivated, the social worker must help clients discover and use their strengths effectively.
• 12. The social worker should involve the client in the maximum solution of their problems. The client needs help to get out of a stressful situation and restore personal and social balance, he must be involved in correctional activities as an active participant based on studying his living conditions and determining the nature of the assistance needed. It is possible to effectively change the situation when those who need to change themselves clearly understand this need and they have the desire and ability to act.

The tasks that a social worker can set for clients in order to teach them to skillfully control the factors that affect their lives are defined as follows:

• - the client should perceive the social worker as a temporary agent helping in solving one or more problems;
• - the client considers the social worker as a specialist whose knowledge and skills he can use in his own interests;
• - the client sees the social worker as an equal employee or partner in solving emerging problem situations;
• - the social worker helps the client to perceive the socio-political structure as a multi-polar, multi-layered one, which gives the client opportunities for interaction.
• 13. The social worker should contribute to the maximum self-determination of the client. He directs the process of providing assistance, not the client himself. It helps clients explore alternatives and their possible value, but does not dictate the final choice of options.

As applied to the client, this principle implies that:

• - the client has the right and opportunity to be free to choose the means and ways to solve their problems;
• - the right of freedom is limited by the client's abilities, law and authority, as well as generally accepted by society, agency (other organization) rules and instructions;
• – this right should also apply to people with mental, physical and other disabilities. The social worker is called upon to help them use this right in their lives. The social worker should take responsibility for making decisions for clients only in exceptional cases and only after a thorough analysis of the situation, bearing in mind the need to return this opportunity to the client.
• 14. The social worker should help the client to acquire the skills of self-management of emerging situations. What the client achieves as a result of his interaction with the social worker should be used by him to solve difficult life situations in the present and future. Therefore, an important aspect of preparing the client for the future life is teaching him how to find and use the necessary tools and helpers in the reality around him.
• 15. The social worker must work confidentially with the client. All social workers need to be aware of the degree of confidentiality of information and the conditions for working with it.

Generally, there are two types of confidentiality:

• – absolute– the information can be disclosed by the client and will never be disseminated further by the social worker. The social worker is under the protection and control of certain state bodies, legislative acts that give him the legal right of privileged communication with the client, independent decision-making on actions with the information received;
• – relative - the social worker may promise to act responsibly within the professional code of ethics, existing laws, and agency programs.
• 16. The social worker must remain true to the philosophy of normalization. Often objects of social work have significant mental and physical limitations. As a result of these shortcomings, they are to some extent subject to discrimination and social exclusion. The philosophy of normalization (bringing back to normal) is able to minimize isolation and integrate mentally handicapped people into the social environment with the guarantee that their life will be as similar to the life of normal people as possible.
• 17. The social worker must constantly evaluate the progress of the process of changing people. The practice of social work involves working with changing people in changing situations. Therefore, aid targets should be specific and reviewed regularly to determine their importance and relevance. The process of change must be constantly monitored and evaluated. This should be done by both the social worker and the client. To this end, the social worker and the client systematically collect and record indicators of change for further adjustment of activities. If the desired result is not achieved, then the social worker is obliged to use a different approach or choose a different plan of action. Continuous evaluation of progress should be an integral part of social work.

The practice of social work is based on a value system, which most significantly affects the nature of the specialist's decision on how to deal with the client. The system of value orientations of a specialist, of course, is influenced by the value orientations and the client, as well as the values ​​of the profession itself and society as a whole.

Values ​​are not ideals. Professional help is always focused on pragmatic goals. Values, which are an integral part of the professional actions of a specialist, become, as it were, a set of criteria in decision-making.

From what positions should a specialist approach if the client is deprived of the quality of self-criticism? How can I help him so that he sees the unconstructiveness of his position "I am always and in everything right"? Given the life credo of a specialist, which includes truthfulness, respect for the honor and dignity of the client, how can one make sure that one does not simultaneously humiliate the client and tell him the truth about his impression, about his shortcomings that prevent him from taking a constructive position? The value orientations of a specialist will help answer these questions, moreover, as “working” values.

Working values ​​enable the specialist to decide how to act in specific cases. Without working value orientations, a specialist will work, as it were, "without a rudder and sails."

The values ​​that guide the relationship between the client and the specialist can be grouped according to the principles of social work. Among them, the most important, in our opinion, are efficiency, or practicality, competence, respect, sincerity and responsibility. Let's consider them in more detail.

• Cm.: Firsov M. V., Studenova E. G. Theory of social work. M., 2009. S. 386-390.

Professiogram - this is a description of the production, technical, socio-economic conditions of labor activity and psychophysiological requirements imposed by the profession on a person. reflects: requirements for the job duties of the employee; workplace requirements; possible ways of further professional route of the employee; options for vocational training, retraining, advanced training, etc., that is, everything about a specific position in relation to the specifics of a given company. Personal qualities can be divided into 3 groups. Qualities first group which reflect mental processes (perception, memory, imagination, thinking). Mental conditions (fatigue, apathy, stress, anxiety, depression). Attention as a state of consciousness, emotional and volitional manifestations (restraint, perseverance, consistency, impulsiveness) must meet the requirements for the professional activity of a social worker. To the second group qualities include such qualities as self-control, self-criticism, self-assessment of one's actions, as well as stress-resistant qualities - physical fitness, self-hypnosis, the ability to manage one's emotions. To the third group include: sociability, empathy, attractiveness, eloquence and others. The qualities shown by a social worker in relation to clients. Main duties social worker are his duties towards the client: a) a social worker should not use relationships with clients in their own interests; b) a social worker should not practice, promote or take part in any form of discrimination based on nationality, sexual relations, age, religion, marital status, political orientation, mental or physical disabilities, privileges, personal characteristics; in) the social worker must avoid connections and relationships that are detrimental to his clients; G) a social worker should not have sexual relations with clients under any circumstances; e) the social worker must inform clients about the risks, rights, opportunities, obligations associated with the social service for them; e) the social worker should follow the advice and advice of colleagues and mentors if they, in his opinion, serve the interests of the case; the social worker must terminate work with the client and professional relationship with him when such work and relationship is no longer necessary and no longer serves the needs and interests of this person or the whole family, etc.

Problems of interaction between theory and practice of social work.

The practice of social work is the final link in the organization and provision of social services to the population. Practice is a collective category, it includes the activities of many components of the institution of social work: individual specialists, institutions, centers, governing bodies. Being the link on which all the efforts of various components are focused - the regulatory framework, scientific and methodological developments, administrative and managerial decisions, the practice of social work poses additional tasks to combine the results of the activities of all these components in a single real practical action. Practice is an application of theoretical ideas, a way of objectifying them. For its part, it provides the theory with empirical material for analysis and generalizations. The practice of social work is a way to implement various theories of social work and, at the same time, refers to the theory with the requirement to analyze the most problematic points and contradictions of social life and find ways to resolve them. The interaction of theory and practice, their unity determines the effectiveness of all social work. It is important to ensure the unity of theory and practice in practice, to find the optimal forms of their interaction.

Social work places high demands on the personal qualities of a social worker. The professional activity of a social worker is multifaceted. There are the following areas of its activity:

1) a social worker studies the personal characteristics of his clients, the conditions in which they live. This allows the so-called "social diagnosis" to be carried out;

2) a social worker predicts the behavior of clients, events that may occur;

3) a social worker conducts activities of various kinds (psychological, legal, etc.) so that clients can avoid unwanted social, psychological, and other problems;

4) a social worker provides various kinds of counseling, promotes social adaptation and rehabilitation of clients;

5) a social worker, identifying the interests of clients in various types of activities, provides them with psychological, pedagogical and organizational assistance in realizing their interests;

6) the social worker contributes to the provision of material assistance to various categories of clients;

7) a social worker participates in the organization of social protection services for the population, involving various institutions and organizations in this.

In accordance with the areas of activity, special requirements are imposed on the social worker by the profession. They find expression in the so-called professiogram of a social worker.

The professiogram of a social worker is understood as a set of psychological, sociocultural, moral qualities, professional knowledge and skills that characterize him as a specialist in his field.

E. Yarskaya-Smirnova includes the following requirements for a social worker:

Be professionally trained;

Be an erudite person in the field of culture, politics, economic and social development of society;

To be able to foresee the consequences of their actions, firmly implement the values ​​of their profession;

Have communication skills, for example, be able to properly communicate with difficult teenagers, the disabled, the elderly;

To have professional tact, to keep professional secrecy, to be delicate in matters affecting the intimate aspects of the client's life;

Be able to make decisions in difficult situations;

Possess emotional stability, be ready to fulfill professional duty in any conditions, without losing benevolence and composure.

The requirements listed above for a social worker indicate the importance of his personal qualities in his professional activity. A personality has diverse psychological, socio-psychological, religious, aesthetic, moral and other spiritual qualities, and each of the listed groups of qualities can be considered as the basis for constructing a relatively independent personality typology.

In this sense, we can talk about the moral type of a person and try to identify the professional and ethical requirements for the professional profile of a social worker.

On the basis of moral assessments, individuals are divided into good and evil, merciful and cruel, honest and deceitful, responsible and irresponsible, conscientious and unscrupulous, principled and unprincipled, etc.

Of course, these oppositions are useful not only in everyday communication, but are important for the initial and most superficial approach to determining the necessary moral qualities of social workers. In view of the peculiarities of this "helping" profession, its humanistic essence, only qualities that have a positive significance (kind, merciful, honest, responsible, etc.) can not contradict the value system of social work.

All this suggests that not every person is suitable for social work. This must be taken into account when choosing the profession of a social worker. A study of the professional orientation of young people indicates that the choice of the profession of a social worker is often dictated by considerations that are not related to moral criteria. The professional choice can also be influenced by random factors caused, for example, by the division of professions into "important" and "not important", "promising" and "not promising" in the mass consciousness. This, of course, has a negative meaning, since people who do not have moral qualities appropriate for this type of activity can come into the profession.

Despite their importance, not all moral qualities are equal in order to consider them as personality-forming for a social worker. Therefore, the moral typology of a person, built on the opposition of "positive-negative" qualities, from the point of view of moral assessment, is insufficient. How to determine the specific moral qualities necessary for social work? E.I. Kholostova among the important personal qualities of social workers identifies the following moral qualities:

Humanistic orientation of the personality;

Personal and social responsibility;

Kindness and justice;

Self-esteem and respect for the dignity of others;

Willingness to understand others and come to their aid.

The position of G.P. Medvedeva to associate the moral behavior of a social worker with the "moral and spiritual" qualities of his personality. These are such qualities as honesty, conscience, objectivity, justice, tact, attentiveness and observation, tolerance, endurance and self-control, kindness, love for people, self-criticism, adequacy of self-esteem, patience, sociability, optimism, willpower, empathy, desire for self-improvement , creative thinking.

Of course, some of these qualities are not moral. Together they characterize the requirements for the spiritual development of the individual, arising from the characteristics of the profession of a social worker. However, it must be taken into account that the moral development of a person is associated with some psychophysiological processes occurring in him.

Biological and moral factors of personality development interact according to the principle of direct and feedback. So, attention, as a mental process, emotional and volitional manifestations (restraint, perseverance, etc.), mental states (apathy, stress, depression, etc.) can either facilitate or hinder the implementation of a moral program of behavior.

Cases are widely known when moral actions were carried out only by the efforts of the will. Moral consciousness, in turn, determines the direction of the will, being a powerful factor in self-regulation (self-education) of a person. The presence of direct and feedback is characteristic not only for the psychophysical and moral development of the individual. A similar connection exists between the intellectual and moral development of man.

The intellectual development of a person is not identical to moral, but the moral qualities of a person are formed due to the assimilation of moral values ​​by it.

C social work specialist

Type and class of profession

The profession of a social worker belongs to the “Person-to-Person” type, it is focused on communication and interaction with people. This requires the ability to establish and maintain business contacts, understand people and understand human relationships, be active, sociability and contact, have developed speech abilities and verbal thinking, and have emotional stability.
An additional type of profession: "Man-Nature", since it is associated with the care and care of living people, with the prevention and treatment of diseases. This requires a high level of development of observation, mindfulness, physical endurance, inclination and interest in working with people who need help and care.
The profession of a social worker belongs to the performing class, it is associated with the execution of decisions, work according to a given model, compliance with existing rules and regulations, following instructions. It requires organization, diligence, the ability to deal with specific cases.

Profession presentation

A social worker is a merciful, kind profession that officially appeared in Russia only 20 years ago. The country's transition to a market economy was most difficult for the vulnerable sections of the population to cope with: lonely, weak old people, single mothers and fathers, the disabled, the seriously ill, and children deprived of parental care. Representatives of a new profession, social workers, came to their aid.
Of course, they had historical predecessors (trustees, nurses, patronage nurses, Timurovites, etc.). Since ancient times, it was customary in Russia to take care of the poor and infirm. Usually lonely old people, disabled people, homeless children were taken care of by monasteries, where all the suffering could count on shelter, care and food. Respectful, caring attitude towards the elderly is an important criterion for the level of development of human society.
A social worker is a qualified specialist who works in the public sphere, is related to people's lives and their relationships in society. This is a doctor, a priest, a psychologist rolled into one. Many of the older people today are lonely, helpless and poor. Giving them emotional support is the most important thing. They need not only medical care, medicines, but sometimes elementary care and solving everyday issues. It is difficult to find a more noble profession, people work in it by vocation, random people do not stay here. In Western countries, the profession of a social worker is one of the three most respected in society, along with the professions of a doctor and a lawyer. The main duty of an employee of the social protection authorities is to help those who are not able to take care of themselves.
There are different specialties in this profession: social work, organization of sign language communication, organization of work with youth.
Advantages of the profession: availability of obtaining a profession; the opportunity to do good deeds every day; high social importance.
Limitations of the profession: low wages; not suitable for people who are squeamish, do not have patience and do not know how to sympathize.

The activities of a social worker include the provision of material and domestic assistance and moral and legal support to disabled people, lonely elderly people, mothers of many children, orphans, people suffering from serious illnesses, alcoholics and drug addicts, distressed citizens who are in a state of depression due to environmental disasters, interethnic conflicts and wars, the loss of loved ones.
A social worker most often serves persons assigned to him in need of assistance, from 8 to 16 people. He visits the wards at the place of residence, provides them with moral support, provides each with food and medicine at his request according to a pre-compiled and agreed list, pays for utilities, receives pensions and benefits accrued in the name of the ward. The social worker provides assistance around the house: he cleans and redecorates the apartment, prepares food if necessary, and feeds the ward. In the event of illness, the ward provides him with emergency first-aid medical care. Calls a doctor at home, accompanies to an appointment at the clinic. In case of hospitalization of the ward visits him in the hospital. At the request of the ward, he writes letters, makes phone calls to relatives, and also solves other issues that lonely, elderly and sick people face.

Requirements for the knowledge and skills of a specialist

For the successful development of the profession of a social worker, general awareness of social, humanitarian and moral issues is necessary, basic knowledge of history, the Russian language, and social science is useful.
A qualified social worker should know:

• foundations of ethics, psychology;
• fundamentals of medicine;
• fundamentals of economics;
• legal norms.

A qualified social worker should be able to:

• establish emotional contact with the wards;
• show care, provide them with moral support;
• perform household chores around the house (make purchases, cook, wash);
• provide first aid if necessary.

Requirements for the individual characteristics of a specialist

To be successful as a social worker, you must have the following professionally important qualities:

• practical logical thinking of a subject-effective warehouse;
• optimism;
• decency;
• punctuality;
• compassion;
• a pronounced sense of responsibility;
• a pronounced propensity to work in the service sector;
• propensity for service work;
• lexical abilities;
• activity and physical mobility;
• high emotional stability.

Working conditions

The social worker has an active, mobile work, numerous contacts, visits to the wards at home and various authorities and shops.
The main means of labor of a social worker: hand tools, "golden hands" and "kind heart".
The social worker fulfills clear, well-defined goals, solves standard, typical tasks.
The social worker performs the tasks set by others, according to the set standards, rules, algorithms.
Of the special working conditions, it should be noted the moral responsibility for the wards and the high psycho-emotional load in intensive contact with representatives of disadvantaged strata of society.

Basic education

Basic knowledge of the profession of a social worker can be obtained in institutions of higher professional education.

Ways to get a profession

People with pronounced altruism, skillful hands and a leading interest in helping and supporting those who need it most of all come to the profession of a social worker. You can start your career in this profession with an ordinary position in the center of social protection, then get a specialized education.
You can increase the level of your knowledge at seminars, at advanced training courses.

Fields of application of the profession

Social workers have ample opportunities for employment, their services are in demand in many organizations:

• in federal and municipal authorities;
• in the bodies of social protection of the population (centers of social services;
• in the centers of employment of the population, social assistance to families and children;
• in state institutions in the system of internal affairs and justice bodies;
• in educational institutions;
• in rehabilitation centers of various profiles;
• in public and private insurance and pension organizations and funds;
• in organizations and institutions for youth affairs;
• in the centers of education and career guidance;
• in the houses of children's creativity;
• in church parishes.

Career prospects

Specialization and development of adjacent areas.
Over time, you can improve your skills, learn new specialties within the profession or related professions: nurse, boarding school teacher, teacher. In the case of choosing this direction of career development, it is recommended to master the skills of influence, teaching, to additionally get acquainted with the content of such professions as: teacher, master of industrial training, psychologist.
Management career development.
A social worker with a higher basic education and a desire to develop as a manager and manager can eventually become a leader, head a social service department in the social assistance system. In the case of choosing the administrative direction of career development, it is recommended to develop managerial skills, additionally master such professions as a manager.

Entrepreneurial development

Over time, it is possible to open a non-state charitable foundation, attract funds from private investors. In this case, it is recommended to additionally master the profession of an entrepreneur.

The professiogram is a set of requirements imposed by the profession on the personality, abilities, skills and capabilities of a specialist. The professiogram determines the psychological structure of professional activity, its main components and the connections between them. The psychological structure of activity, in turn, is determined by the general nature of the activity, its content and the tasks facing the specialist. A social worker is aimed at solving a whole range of various tasks, such as:

adaptation of clients to society, the formation of their active life position in solving their problems;

· creation of conditions for self-assertion of representatives of vulnerable social groups;

diagnostics of social and personal problems;

social prevention;

social assistance and social security for those in need;

· counseling;

social rehabilitation and therapy;

social supervision and guardianship;

social design;

mediation between clients and various organizations;

Innovative activity in the field of social work, etc.

The social worker takes care of creating conditions for the manifestation of the abilities of clients, increasing the degree of their self-control and self-organization. The implementation of social work is carried out at the direct and indirect levels. The immediate level is the level of personal contacts between a specialist and a client. The mediated level is associated with the solution of common social problems within society.

Among the variety of professional functions that determine the success of a social worker, the following functions can be distinguished: communicative, psychological, organizational and pedagogical.

Communicative function determines all processes of professional communication. The social worker is responsible for establishing contact with the client, choosing the optimal interaction strategy, timely informing and developing a common sense of information. He himself models communication and manages it. The implementation of the communicative function involves the ability of a person to communicate with various people in victimogenic circumstances. At the same time, the social worker can deal with the client's problems in the context of leisure activities, which include various ways of structuring time, such as entertainment and rituals. Therefore, the range of professional communication skills is quite wide. One of the most difficult problems that a social worker must solve when communicating with a client is the duality of his communicative position. On the one hand, he controls communication and, in a certain sense, occupies a dominant position, on the other hand, he himself is aimed at dialogic, subject-subject relations. This contradiction of communicative activity is the key one. Its decision depends on the professionalism and personal qualities of the social worker.

Pedagogical function associated with the educational and training aspect of the activities of a specialist, who often acts as a consultant or expert. He teaches users the social skills of expedient behavior in various life situations, provides legal education to his clients, introduces them to various regulations aimed at providing assistance, etc. Many clients perceive social workers not only as representatives of certain services, but also as assistants, mentors, advisers, able to find and suggest the right solution in a difficult social situation.

organizational function associated with the creation and management of social services in various institutions and localities (in regions, settlements at the place of residence). A social worker identifies the interests of people and promotes the organization of leisure activities, involving various institutions (state and public) and their representatives in cooperation. This activity is aimed at preventing and overcoming social problems. In addition, the social worker provides direct and indirect support to members of the marginalized segments of the population. Indirect support is due to the development and implementation of various social projects that affect the improvement of the quality of life of people.

Psychological function is realized in the diagnostic, prognostic, psychotherapeutic activities of a social worker who seeks to actualize the creative forces of a person in the fight against deforming social conditions of life. The diagnostic foundations of social work are associated with the identification of the origins, prerequisites for the emergence and formation of various personal deformations and behaviors leading to social maladaptation. At the prognostic level, conditions are identified that contribute to the formation of successfully functioning, productive members of society, overcoming social and psychological difficulties. The psychotherapeutic level involves solving the problem: how can the efforts of a social worker contribute to overcoming the negative influences of the environment and the previous social experience of clients? At the same time, the most important thing is to encourage the client's own social activity.

Modern psychological science connects the active position of a person in relation to the outside world with the development of such an integral characteristic of a person as internality. Internality is the ability and ability of a person to take responsibility for what happens to him and control various aspects of his own life. In situations that are significant for themselves, people in one case localize control on their own activities, and in the other on external circumstances. In this regard, two opposite types of personality are distinguished: with an internal and external locus of control. Internals show greater independence, weakly succumb to pressure from others, are able to act productively in conditions of loneliness, and are more active in searching for the necessary information to get out of a difficult social situation. Externals exhibit opposite characteristics. When interacting with other people, externals choose passive social roles, trying to adapt to the behavior of more socially active subjects. Most people in need of social assistance are externals.

Overcoming the difficulties of social life and successful social adaptation is possible only on the basis of a person's internal position. The transition from an external to an internal position is ensured by the formation of volitional regulation of behavior. Volitional regulation is understood as the intentional regulation of an impulse to act, consciously accepted by necessity (external or internal) and performed by a person according to his own decision (V.A. Ivannikov). All volitional actions are carried out on the basis of awareness and premeditation based on their necessity (socially given or accepted for one's own motives). Such actions are realized through an additionally created motivation for them. As a leading mechanism of volitional regulation, one can use change in the meaning of human activity and behavior in a difficult or extreme situation, when maximum mobilization of forces is required to overcome difficulties. Meaning is usually perceived and experienced as the meaning of something for a person, an emotionally experienced attitude towards something, more or less clearly realized. If you change or create an additional meaning of an action, when it is performed not only for the sake of the motive for which the action was taken to be carried out, but also for the sake of the person’s personal values ​​or other motives involved in a given action, then the formation of motives for volitional action will be carried out.

How can a social worker change the meaning of a situation for a person in order to awaken his internality?

First of all, through a reassessment of the significance of a motive or an object of need. This can be done with the help of other people's assessments and opinions, through various external symbols that remind of the consequences of the chosen actions, through comparing the attractive and negative sides of the object of need and deliberately reducing the attractiveness of one side while increasing the attractiveness of the other side.

Secondly, through a change in the role, position of a person. So, for example, involving the needy themselves in social work can positively influence the formation of the internal characteristics of the individual.

Thirdly through anticipation and experience of the consequences of an action or refusal to carry it out. An individual can imagine the consequences of his action, and these ideas in a certain way affect the meaning of the action.

Fourth, changing the meaning of a given action can be achieved by combining two meanings in one action, one of which is given by a life or extreme situation, and the other is created through the connection of the action with a new real motive, updated from the outside. A new action in the form of an old one can be given by another person. For example, within the framework of an old action, a new goal is set that corresponds to a new motive. An additional meaning of a given action is also created through the setting of more specific goals when performing a certain amount of activity or when working in a certain amount of time.

The implementation of the psychological function of social work very often involves solving the problems of the client's sense formation, however, the level of professionalism of a social worker may not always correspond to the solution of such a complex task. The psychological function plays a special role in the professional activity of a social worker. It permeates all areas of its activity and largely determines the effectiveness of its result.

All functions of social work are interconnected and interdependent. Moreover, they are integrated with each other and their selection is expedient only from the point of view of analysis and study of the characteristics of activity. In the real practice of social work of a specialist, they form a single whole. Encouraging clients to social activity, to overcome difficulties based on the realization of their creative potential and achieve new goals, the social worker himself must strive for self-actualization in professional activities and beyond, since not a single professional problem can be solved at the level of already existing action algorithms. and standard projects.

TEST QUESTIONS

1. What is the essence of the ambivalence of a person as a subject and object of socialization and social assistance?

2. How can a social worker use knowledge of the patterns of human social development in his practice?

3. Why is psychotherapeutic research actively used in the theory and practice of social work? Give a brief description of the main psychotherapeutic theories relevant to the social worker.

4. Expand the concept of social work facilitation.

5. What are the features of the psychological position of a social worker?

LITERATURE

1. Aleshina Yu.E. Family and individual psychological counseling. - M.: RIC of the Consortium "Social Health of Russia", 1994. - 172 p.

2. Asmolov A.G. Psychology of personality: Principles of general psychological analysis. Textbook. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1990. - 387 p.

3. Antsyferova L.I. The ability of the individual to overcome the deformations of his development // Psychological journal. - 1999. - T. 20. - No. 1.

4. behavioral therapy. - Novosibirsk: Publishing House of NGU, 1996. - 67 p.

5. Bratus B.S. personality anomalies. - M.: Thought, 1988. - 301 p.