| Abstract [eng] |
Due to a variety of new social problems, many socially vulnerable families with various psychological and material problems are unable to adapt to the new living conditions. Families who have children at risk are identified in the law as being at high risk, often social exclusion. Such families need competent and professional support. A new reform of the rights of the child is being implemented in Lithuania, which is developing and consolidating new ways and means of working with families. One of them is case management. The approved description of the case management procedure changes the work with a family, the positions of case managers are created, complex services are provided to families, the implementation of which requires inter-institutional cooperation. Scientific and methodological sources analyzing social work emphasize that in order to effectively solve social problems and provide social assistance to the client, inter-institutional cooperation is mandatory for client groups. The cooperation between different institutions and specialists in different fields becomes especially important when the client's situation is complex or the problem to be solved is extremely difficult, and the efforts of one organization that provides social support are not enough. The problem of organizing inter-institutional cooperation is relevant in the context of social work, especially in the field of child welfare, where the implementation of children's rights, child welfare and child's living conditions directly depend on family living conditions. Coordinated work between several institutions is necessary to ensure the welfare of a child. The benefits of inter-institutional cooperation are also based on the fact that the aim is to involve the client in the social assistance process and to become an active participant in it, and not only a passive recipient of assistance. The survey revealed that a family surviving a crisis faces many problems, such as: alcoholism, violence, poverty, lack of social skills, negative life experiences, health problems, conviction. Children in families have behavioural, health, addiction problems, and arguably low self-esteem. The case manager has the appropriate functional competencies. Competencies can be based on values, skills and knowledge in social work. The case manager plays the key roles: the ones of social worker, negotiator, psychologist, and controller. The research has shown that there is a great deal of bureaucracy in the work of case managers, a high burden of responsibility, and a lack of services that are critical to providing effective support for families. Case managers expect more effective and closer cooperation between professionals, although they say that the inter-institutional process is quite smooth, families are effectively empowered, which brings success at work. Inter-institutional co-operation is easiest between educational institutions, law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, the Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service, and most difficult with health institutions, as most often the institution does not have a social worker and invited doctors often do not have the opportunity to attend meetings. Inter-institutional cooperation takes place by bringing together various organizations that are focused on the welfare of children; all institutions and organizations are empowered to achieve common goals. Cooperation provides more services and there is an attempt to avoid their fragmentation. |
