Sarka Doricakova
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the article is to understand the mechanisms of the formation and supply of pseudo-social field services for a target group of seniors in the Czech Republic. THEORETICAL BASE: The theoretical background concerns socio-demographic changes in society, an aging population and modernization theory. The legal base of the dissertation is the Social Services Act No. 108/2006 Coll. METHODS: Data were collected using the technique of semi-structured interviews. The qualitative method of grounded theory was used to analyse the collected data. OUTCOMES: The results of the qualitative research study showed that the main reason for the use of pseudo-social field-based services for seniors, which the family members reported, was in particular their current availability. The use of unregistered services was also influenced by a current lack of capacity and/or a complete absence of registered social services for people in a difficult social situation. Another part of the research showed that the main reason for the non-registration of pseudo-social service providers is the high level of bureaucratic burden associated with legal registration. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: The fundamental issue that we find in the use of pseudo-social services is that the social worker’s position as a guarantor of service quality is absent, thus the performance of social work is absent.
Keywords
social services, aging population, market, pseudo-social services, unregistered services, social services act
Issue
p. 91 – 111