Jana Havlíková, Olga Hubíková
Jana Havlíková works at the Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs, where she has
long been dealing with the issue of social work performance in various environments of the social
protection system.
Olga Hubíková is a researcher at the Research Institute of Labour and Social Affairs and is
mainly engaged in research in the field of social work, social services, and long-term care.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This paper explores the impact of critical public resource scarcity on the performance of municipal social work in the Czech Republic. THEORETICAL BASE: Employing Osborne’s Model of Human Service Production, we examined how limited access to resources hampers social workers’ abilities to provide comprehensive support, leading to the reliance on provisional strategies and personal networks. METHODS: We used insights from three qualitative and one quantitative research projects. The qualitative methodological approach included semi-structured interviews with social workers and their managers across various municipalities, as well as content analysis of the records kept by social workers. OUTCOMES: The findings highlight a shift towards provisional goals and improvised procedures in everyday practice as a consequence of the severe lack of external resources essential for achieving desired social work outcomes. Without addressing the underlying lack of resources, the responsibility for achieving the desired outcomes of social work with clients is placed solely on the social worker and perceived to be purely a product of their skills, knowledge, and experience. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: Our research highlights the systemic nature of the aforementioned problems. In this study, our research begs the broader recognition of the influence of public resource availability on social work practice; and suggests that policy and research in the field of social work need to more adequately address these constraints.
Keywords
municipal social work, social work goals, lack of public resources, Osborne’s Model
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