Social work concept essence and content. YL

Since the late 1980s, significant political, economic and social changes have taken place in Russia. The former systems of social security, education, health care and culture are falling into decay, all former forms of life arrangement are being transformed, the system of values ​​characteristic of the outgoing societies* is disintegrating. In moral and psychological terms, the content of such processes is an atmosphere of intolerance and confrontation, disrespect for the law, the growth of crime and violence. Perhaps the state of anomie, never before described by M. Weber, i.e. normlessness, the crisis of moral and ethical standards, the collapse of the old values, which have not yet been replaced by new ones, did not manifest itself so sharply. Social development takes place in deformed forms, ousting, if not the majority, then a significant part of the population from active economic life, turning millions of people into the poor, the marginalized. Both theoretically and practically, transformations of systems of this magnitude, including economics, politics, social relations, the mentality of society, require the discovery of the underlying causes of negative phenomena, scientific analysis of ongoing processes, a balanced definition of ways and means to overcome them.
A superficial approach to the possible transformations of the socio-political response at the level of " common sense”, when they see only one side of the problem, one aspect of the phenomenon of reality, not taking into account the entire complexity of their systemic connections, dependencies and mediations, not modeling the forecasts of the consequences of this or that intervention, unfortunately, once showed their deplorable results, when at best the result of such an impact was the achievement, along with the set goal, also of undesirable side results, and in the worst case, obtaining results that were false to the intended goal.
The complex interweaving of various aspects of reality determines the polycausality of the social problems of society.
This, in turn, predetermines the multiplicity of social technologies and methods that are designed to solve these problems. The nature and state of various parameters of the social sphere, the level of its development depend on many circumstances, and an attempt to reduce everything to a few chosen factors, “convenient” for one reason or another, can lead to serious miscalculations in the development and implementation of social programs. Among these circumstances, it should be noted:
- the state of the productive forces, their potential and actual knowledge intensity, the ability to perceive and use the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution,
— socio-economic model of society,
- social stratification of society and the level of realization of the interests of various groups in the political structure,
- the maturity of the spiritual culture of society. The mechanism through which changes in society should be carried out is the social policy of the state, through which the objective possibilities of the economic, political and spiritual potential of society are realized.
The experience of social policy carried out under Soviet power, as well as the outcome of the first years of radical economic reforms, are currently compelling the development of social policy concepts that resolutely reject the "gross" approach, the provision of universal, targeted assistance. The reason for this is not only the economic difficulties of the state, which is not able to provide “solid” social support, but also a change in the approach to a person in society, an increase in the role of individual responsibility and initiative. as a priority social support identified those low-income and socially vulnerable segments of the population who actually faced the threat of economic and social degradation - the disabled, pensioners, families with many children, the unemployed, refugees, etc. Social programs are now more specifically oriented towards the development of self-help and self-reliance, specific consideration of the specific interests and needs of these groups of the population, and the personal nature of assistance. This approach receives legal support in Russian Federation and its subjects, reflected in federal laws, decrees of the President of the Russian Federation and other regulations.
One of the leading forms of socio-political, organizational and managerial response to the current crisis situation, a tool for implementing social policy is professional social work. Its content can be considered the provision of assistance to people who find themselves in a difficult life situation, through diagnosing their problems, information, advisory activities, direct in-kind, financial, social and household assistance, pedagogical and psychological support, stimulating the own forces of those in need, orienting them to active participation in resolving their own problems.
The essence of social work is to assist in the implementation of the social rights of both individuals and groups of various nature. And since social rights cover all aspects and facets that ensure the social functioning of the individual, the nature of the problems that social work deals with is very extensive and diverse; moreover, it can be stated that in the specific social situation with which Social worker, intersect different kinds and types of social problems.
Firstly, social work deals not only with individual, but also with group clients - families, work and neighborhood groups, youth or professional groups, associations of people with similar difficulties. Therefore, in every action of a social worker, in any technology or methodology used by him, there must necessarily be a combination of individual and group methods. Solving the problems of parent-child or intermarital relations, communication difficulties of employees of any enterprise, interpersonal or intergroup conflicts is impossible without changing the personality of the people involved in the conflict. Also, personal changes of those who asked for help are impossible without restructuring. social connections their immediate social environment.
In this regard, the analysis of the problems of social work reveals at the first stage, their personal, group, family, etc. grounds. In principle, the pyramid of cause-and-effect relationships and mediations can include all levels, from the individual scale to the universal human or planetary scale - it is undeniable that one of the causes of hunger and poverty are global climate causes, limited natural resources - however, keeping these circumstances in mind , the social worker, when analyzing the situation of the client, choosing specific technologies to help him, should first of all involve in consideration the problems and causes of the operational level, which he is able to influence and which are able to stabilize or improve the social situation of the client.
Much in social work depends on the type of society and the nature of the exercise of power. Social work, by definition, belongs to a democratic society and a welfare state. However, neither democracy nor sociality are stable constants - their actualization is a process that is carried out with many fluctuations and failures. A political declaration or even a legal fixation of democratic norms by no means always coincides with their implementation. The sensitivity of the authorities to the needs and opinions of the population directly affects the social activity of people. The unsuccessful structure of power structures, which once met the needs of the time, and then hopelessly outdated, can make the implementation of social policy ineffective, even if its prerequisites were quite successful. Finally, the personal factor in power and administration significantly affects the content and forms of activity of the relevant bodies and institutions, and the perception of this activity by the population.
An important role in modern reality is played by social environmental problems, and their significance is determined not only by negative consequences uncontrolled, extensive development of technogenic processes by technogenic disasters, pollution of nature and lower standards environment. The scale of even everyday, non-catastrophic anthropogenic impacts on various systems of our planet today are such that they exceed the Earth's ability to heal itself. Any act human activity inevitably entails thermal pollution of the atmosphere, even if it is based on the most modern technology. At the same time, it is impossible to stop development, curtail the man-made impact on nature. The socio-ecological content to some extent permeates all social technologies and methods, and the degree of its severity depends not only on the specific conditions for their implementation, but also on the level of development of the general human and ecological culture of the actors.
Of great importance for the development of social policy is the range of socio-economic problems, and this significance is multifaceted. First, the level of funds that society and the state are able to allocate to address certain social issues depends, not least, on the state of the economy, the stability of the national economic mechanism. Secondly, a considerable number of problems in society are of a nature bordering between purely economic and purely social. Finally, the resolution of a number of economic problems in society is impossible without the resolution of social problems: the difficult course of reforms in Russia is not least due to the fact that the majority of the population lost their social and property status during them, their situation worsened. At the same time, without the growth of education, physical and social health, social competence and political literacy of the population, it is impossible to develop new, high-tech activities, to implement promising social technologies.
The significance of the problems of social stratification in society is peculiar. On the one hand, an increasingly partial, taking into account more and more specific, private, separate grounds for distinguishing social strata and groups, the system of society is an attribute of a democratic and social development. Only in such a system does it become possible to present, if not all, then at least the maximum possible number of interests and preferences. Society finds the possibility of institutionalizing and recognizing the views of a minority within the framework of a subculture, no longer striving to fit all individuals into one ranking.
On the other hand, social differentiation, when it endows some groups in society with wealth, power and information, and isolates the other part of the population from these most important sources of social resources, pushing them not only to the brink of poverty, but sometimes even beyond the brink of physiological survival, and the reasons for this differentiation is neither objectively nor subjectively justified - such a situation in society cannot serve as a guarantee of social stability. In modern society, with its predominantly non-violent ways of social management and regulation, social differences can exist only on the basis of social consent, only if they are recognized as acceptable by the majority of the population. The sharp simplification of the social structure, in which a small layer (6-10% of the population) of the super-rich is opposed by the rest of the mass - the poor, the poor and the poor, the "washout" of the middle class - all this makes the social system vulnerable.
Behavioral problems constitute a specific set of social problems. When an analysis of the deviant behavior of individuals or groups is carried out, the categories of alcoholics and drug addicts, criminals, prostitutes, etc. are usually distinguished. But the question of deviation is not limited to these types. In order to define a deviation, it is necessary first of all to specify the concept of a norm, that general social moral-behavioral, value-regulating core, from which the carriers of deviant behavior "deviate". In the process of such an analysis, it turns out that the problem of the norm is extremely complex, historically changeable and socially specific. Indeed, can the use of alcoholic beverages if, according to estimates, such behavior is characteristic of at least 90% of the adult population of our country? And attempts to distinguish between use and abuse may be simply the result of hypocrisy, the desire to morally justify a socially recognized form of drug addiction. Deviant behavior, and the social worker should keep this in mind when analyzing the situation, can be either a manifestation of asociality or even antisociality, or a variant of exploratory, heuristic behavior, which tomorrow may become the norm for the majority.
As the information revolution unfolds in the world, all greater value acquire social problems of access to information, communication life support. The opinion that information is power, and one of the most effective, began to take shape at the beginning of the 20th century, with the advent of technical means mass communication. The theoretical analysis of the mechanisms of crowd behavior (G. Lebon) coincided with the artistic comprehension of this process (“How the Earth was recognized as flat by voting”): in a period when information networks or television were not even in the project, and from all mass media there were only gramophone records and a very primitive radio, insightful thinkers saw their enormous role in influencing the masses and the enormous danger of manipulating people.
Leaving aside political technologies that are impossible without the use of the media, we note that in the social sphere information processes are also of great importance. It is not for nothing that large-scale (within entire countries) social projects aimed at stabilizing the socio-economic situation in some states, previously known for extreme instability, included the mandatory alignment social inequality and ensuring the widest possible access to information (both to receive it and to disseminate one's own opinions, views, points of view) to the widest possible strata of the population. Access to information and information technology, among other things, it is like a pass to the 21st century, that milestone, without overcoming which, one cannot hope to be included in modern, progressive, innovation processes to achieve a high status in the society of the future.
The problems of symbolization and modeling of the world belong to the field of socio-cultural development and, at first glance, do not directly affect the sphere of social work. However, in reality, this is the area of ​​understanding the world, its value analysis and development. Even the verbal formulation of ideas and images is not indifferent to human well-being and activity - compare the terms “dismissal from work” and “release from work”. Giving a name to some phenomenon, we thereby endow it with certain representations that affect our perception of the content. Long (and not yet completed) disputes about the name of the profession of social work demonstrated in each proposed term (socionome, social engineer, social worker, etc.) different aspects of this activity.
The symbolization of the world also consists in the creation of ideal structures, most often unwritten, but, nevertheless, actively influencing real processes. Thus, the "mystical power of law" exists independently of existing codes and regulations: it can be combined even with the "customary law" of early state formations, and may be absent under the most masterfully designed system of legislation. The “image of personality” changes historically and ethnically, while along with many specific individuals, there is a characteristic of each time and people perfect performance about what a person is. Finally, a difficult to formulate, but powerful system of values, which turns a collection of individuals into a society, and a society of a certain type, and singles out in this society separate groups whose members share a commitment to a certain system of values, in some way different from the general one - this also applies to the world symbolization of reality. Note that this sphere of activity characterizes the rational, intellectual and mental side of human activity.

As a result of mastering the topic, the student must:

know

• the basics of social work for its study as a social activity, including its directions, levels, forms and methods;
• general scientific and special research methods in social work;

be able to

• use socio-pedagogical, medical-social and socio-psychological and other methods in the practice of social work;
• choose methods that correspond to the goals and objectives of the study;

own

Research methods of the problem field of the theory of psychosocial, structural and complex-oriented social work.

The activity essence of social work

Understanding the essence and content of social work as a type of activity is one of the main areas of social knowledge. Therefore, we should first turn to the analysis of the basic concept of "activity".

Under activities philosophy understands the activity of a living organism, aimed at satisfying its needs and regulated by a conscious goal. The end result of the activity is the achieved goal (an ideal image of the intended result), which can be a real object created by a person, certain knowledge, skills, creative results.

The stimulus for action is motive, giving the activity a certain specificity in relation to the choice of means and ways to achieve the goal. Motives can be a variety of needs, interests, attitudes, habits, emotional states. The variety of human activity gives rise to a variety of motives. Depending on the motives, people have different attitudes towards their activities. The purpose of an activity is not equivalent to its motive, although sometimes the motive and purpose coincide.

There are several approaches to determining the structure of activity.

According to first of these, activity includes actions, operations, psychophysiological functions.

Action is a process aimed at achieving a goal. Subject actions - these are actions aimed at changing the state or properties of objects in the external world. Mental actions - various actions of a person performed in the inner plane of consciousness. Mental activity is divided into perceptual, through which a holistic image of the perception of objects or phenomena is formed; mnemonic, which is part of the activity of memorizing, retaining and recalling any material; mental, with the help of which the solution of mental problems occurs, and imaginative (from image- image), i.e. imagination in the creative process.

According to second approach, activity includes: the object and subject of activity, the means of activity, its purpose and result.

Activity object It is what or to whom the activity itself is directed. Subject of activity - the one who implements it. Means of activity - that by means of which it is carried out. Purpose of activity - what it is for. Result of activity - the resulting product, process, phenomenon, etc.

Any activity includes internal and external components. By its origin, internal (mental, psychic) ​​activity is derived from external (objective) activity. Initially, objective actions are performed, and only then, as experience accumulates, a person acquires the ability to perform the same actions in the mind, ultimately directed outward, to transform objective reality, and undergo the reverse transformation themselves (the so-called phenomenon of exteriorization).

The next level of the activity structure is operations. Each action consists of a system of movements or operations subordinated to a specific goal. Operations characterize the partial side of the performance of actions, they are little realized or not realized at all. Operations can arise as a result of adaptation, direct imitation, or by automating actions.

Allocate various structural elements activities- Skills, skills, habits.

Skills are ways successful implementation actions corresponding to the goals and conditions of activity. Skills are always based on knowledge.

Skills - fully automated action components formed during the exercises. Skills and abilities, as methods of action, are always included in specific activities. They can be divided into educational, sports, hygiene, etc.

There are three main stages in the formation of a skill: analytical, synthetic and automation.

Skills and abilities acquired by a person influence the formation of new skills and abilities. This influence can be either positive (transfer) or negative (interference).

A skill can be formed in many ways: through a simple display; through explanation; through a combination of demonstration and explanation.

Habits - it is a component of action based on a need. They can be consciously controlled to a certain extent, but they are not always reasonable and useful (bad habits).

The simplest, most affordable activity is the game.

The most important human activity is work, which ensures not only the existence of human society, but is also a condition for its continuous development.

There are two main types of work: subject-practical and abstract-theoretical. The former is often referred to as the physical and the latter as the mental. Each type of work can as reproductive (reproducing), so productive, creative nature.

A more complex activity is teaching. The teaching is aimed at the assimilation of scientific knowledge and the acquisition of educational skills and abilities. Teaching may have passive and active character.

As noted above, in Russia social work is defined by most researchers as a practical activity. These are "helping people make decisions that will help them go through life happily and productively", "helping people who want to help themselves but need additional assistance", "helping to recognize and understand the existence of many human differences in culture, family life and education", "helping to provide the client with the human contact that he desperately needs", "improving the client's adaptation to life in the world around him", "helping individuals or groups to understand their own problems and solve them", "facilitate communication between client and social systems, and developing the client's ability to deal with situations or stress on their own."

The most frequently used word in all these definitions is the word "help". This is what determines the content of the activities of most social institutions and social services in Russia.

Definition of social work, understood as professional activity to assist individuals, groups or communities to enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and to create social conditions corresponding to their goals is the most versatile.

It deals primarily with the development of human resources. The solution to this problem lies precisely in the plane of practical social work, the content of which lies in the professional application of values, principles and techniques in order to assist people in obtaining real services, to provide advice and psychotherapy to individuals, families, groups, to provide or improve social and health services. , participation in related legislative processes. The practice of social work requires knowledge about human development and behavior, social and cultural institutions, and their interaction.

From an action point of view, social work is defined as an activity related to and included in the interaction between people and institutions of society. It affects the ability and readiness of a person to carry out life tasks, to realize the aspirations and values ​​of life.

Main goals social work are:

• 1) strengthening and developing the abilities of people in solving problems and overcoming them;
• 2) assistance effective work systems but providing people with resources and services;
• 3) establishing connections between people and systems that will provide them with resources, services and opportunities.

To understand the essence of social work, and at the same time its functions in the system of social relations, it is necessary to identify the factors that determine its specificity as a type of activity. The definition of the specifics of social work is connected with the concept of the social as a special space of thinking and reality. In the very general view concept social defined as an area or sphere of reality defined by human interactions. There are four main meanings:

• 1) social like supernatural, superorganic the existence of a person who has risen in his development to the level of spiritual life;
• 2) social as a synonym public (i.e. a way of joint activity or organization of human relations);
• 3) social like societal, those. serving to designate the totality of relations between people as representatives of various groups and communities, carried out within the entire society or within its spheres of life;
• 4) social like collective and normative concept, denoting the sphere of state (or non-state) provision of working and living conditions for people, as well as regulation of relations between them regarding the satisfaction of needs in protecting the rights to a decent life.

Social work is a generalized, generic concept for all types of state and non-state activities that contribute to the creation of conditions that ensure the free life of people and the provision of assistance or assistance to a person or group experiencing problems in developing or restoring their sociality. Based on this, it can be assumed that the specifics of social work as a type of activity are determined by several factors.

First of all, social work is a part of social reality, social being.

social being is a complex concept denoting a body of artificial, secondary nature and real life-supporting activity. As V. V. Ilyin notes, social existence is multidimensional, internally stratified and breaks up into three interconnected continuums of man-made reality: micro-, macro- and megareals of human existence.

microreal- this is the level of being of an acting person, group, institution, organization, service. Includes also personal and group levels.

Macroreal includes camp and regional levels. Standing level - this is historically and objectively determined national-state differentiation of the population. Regional level - it is an association of nearby national-state formations, homogeneous in geographical, national-cultural and socio-political parameters, it is a symbiosis of chorological (territory, water area) and cultural features.

Megareal– planetary sociality, world level, geocommunity as a whole.

The category of social being helps to get away from the naive-contemplative concept, expands the horizons of knowledge, protects against the absolutization of existing knowledge. Man knows only a small part of the world around him. Being is not only the world of objects and phenomena perceived with the help of the senses. It is much richer and more complex than its picture created by a person at any stage of cognitive activity. Reality is understood as only a certain givenness of being, reconstructed on the basis of sources in its phenomenological diversity.

The Reality of Social Work at the ontological level, it is part of social life and has specific differences from any other reality: physical, biological, spiritual. This is a special kind of existence. On the one hand, restoring, correcting and supporting, and on the other hand, managing the development of oneself and others.

The reality of social work is a set of phenomena (attention, social support, social services, assistance, social assistance) that are factors in the economic and psychological stability of a person, his development, formation and activity. The basis and condition for the existence and functioning of the reality of social work is the existence of social policy and state-legal acts that regulate social relations between a person and society. This includes the professional activities of social work specialists in social institutions and services of various profiles, different departmental subordination and forms of ownership. The choice of a strategy for social work with an individual is determined by his resource capabilities, abilities, and the presence of intrinsic motivation.

The focus of social work as a type of activity is to identify the ability and inner need of a person to carry out social functioning. The resources of the individual are the engine of his life, a means that works for one hundred self-development. Social conditions and circumstances are the necessary prerequisites and spatio-temporal context for the self-realization of a person as a subject of society.

Specific features of social work as a type of social and creative activity are ideas about it as a process of spiritual-practical, creative, subject-object-subject interaction that affects the change in social ties and relationships, leading both to a real change in the position of a person in society, and to change the conditions of its functioning. Social work appears as a specific system that includes the idea and its practical implementation, as well as such components as subject, object, goal, means, process and result.

Object of social work is a binary system, which includes "a person in a problem", a natural-bodily, asocial, deviant, maladjusted creature, with impaired functions, and "factors of social work" as a set of forms and methods of activity of social institutions, social services and organizations, professionals social work. Their interaction determines the likelihood of a new state or new socially significant qualities in a person, a change in his abilities and readiness in social functioning.

concept "man in trouble" reflects not only the state social interaction a person with the world as a person and individuality in a specific situation and in a certain space, the state of his inability and lack of need for social functioning, but also the absence in society of social, legal and economic conditions for the realization of his sociality.

The concept of "problem" reflects various parameters:

• 1) the degree of a person’s lack of freedom in choosing the means and methods of interaction with the world around him (abilities and opportunities);
• 2) crisis nature interpersonal relationships(dialogue, communication, agreement or conflict);
• 3) disharmony in the ratio of personal interests in the implementation of social functioning and state-public, embedded in social standards his life activity (motivation, need or its absence);
• 4) the lack of ways to meet the needs of a person in social work.

The concept of "a person in a problem" determines, on the one hand, the level of a person's internal inability and unwillingness to carry out social interaction with the world, and on the other hand, it characterizes the lack of external opportunities of the social environment to unlock a person's potential.

The following problematic situations may occur:

• a) a person has lost abilities and is not ready to function in society, but under certain conditions he is capable and he has a need for active interaction in the system of social relations;
• b) a person's abilities and needs of social functioning are violated and cannot be restored (deep old age, disability, incurable disease, etc.);
• c) a person has abilities and he has a need for social functioning, but there are no external opportunities to carry it out (there are no jobs, etc.);
• d) a person has a broken motivation to show their abilities in creative, socially and individually significant activities (deliberate unemployment, dependency, crime, etc.).

The concept of "a person in a problem" incorporates everything that does not fit into the concept of the social as progressive, exemplary, necessary for a person in his development. It reflects the violation of the processes of adaptation, socialization and development of a person as a person and individuality in a specific historical situation and in a certain socio-cultural and social space, highlights the levels of human being in the space of social work (levels of materialized and individual-personal (subject-psychic) ​​activity).

The societal and individual-personal (subject-psychic) ​​levels of social work determine the binarity (dual nature) of the subject area of ​​social work:

"Social Work Factors"- this is a system of forms and methods of activity of social services and organizations that can change the position of a "person in a problem", his social status, social relations and connections, the level of development and the nature of his interaction with the world. "A person in a problem" as an object of activity and "factors of social work" (forms and methods of social services, social assistance institutions and social services) are considered as complete system. Their interaction causes a probabilistic change in the state of "a person in a problem": the manifestation of new socially significant qualities, a change in his abilities and needs for social functioning and the emergence of new means, forms and methods of social work.

The systemic vision of a "man in a problem" determines the patterns of his development and functioning as an "element" that lives the life of the entire system. The problem of the relationship between the objective and the subjective cannot be solved without taking into account the biological, psychological and other processes that determine the life of a person and his behavior.

Subject field of social work as a specific type of activity are determined by those signs that make up its reality. Since, as part of the reality of social work, phenomena are singled out, the essential features of which have not yet been properly studied, therefore, the concepts corresponding to them cannot be defined strictly logically.

Social work is determined by the type of activity that reveals the nature of interaction with the world of the "person in problem" and determines the means of restoring, correcting or developing disturbed social interaction.

Its subject area is that social reality, in which not only the state of social interaction of a “person in problem” with the world around him is revealed, but also the development and implementation of forms, methods and means of assistance, attention, support, socialization, adaptation and rehabilitation of a person is carried out.

concept "the reality of social work" identifies the essential features of social work that characterize the conditions and mechanisms for updating the resources of the "person in problem", and determines the strategy of the interaction process (help, assistance or development).

Being "a person in a problem", from the point of view of philosophical anthropology, humanistic psychology and personality-oriented pedagogy, allows us to single out an intrapersonal subsystem as a specific sphere of "the reality of social work", characterized as the self-existence of a "person in a problem" as an intrinsically valuable unique being. His inner life, his work on self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-development is a special kind of space of social work, and, consequently, its specific subject area.

The subject of influence in the process of social work is the person himself in relation to himself. This means that "the person in trouble" is the subject of social work. This means that in the process of social work, a person also becomes the subject of social interaction. This is the so-called interpersonal (interpersonal) level of a person. Its conceptualization is carried out thanks to various philosophical currents, such as existentialism, personalism, Christian anthropology, philosophical anthropology, etc.

Man is endowed with the possibility of choosing his possibilities, his future, he constantly redefines himself in the act of his radical solution of the question of the world and his own way of existing in it. According to M. K. Mamardashvili, the object or subject of research is always only a "possible person", who, the only one of all living beings, is in a state of "rebirth". And this "rebirth" happens only to the extent that he succeeds by his own efforts to place himself in his thought, in his aspirations, to place himself in some strong magnetic field, associated with the ultimate symbols of religion and philosophy. However, in his opinion, science has no access to this symbolic reality.

The presence of a societal subsystem of the reality of social work is due to the vision of a "person in problem" as an asocial, deviant being, in need of social assistance, support, assistance in social functioning, which is carried out by the formed institutionalized and non-institutionalized environment of social work. The individual-personal subsystem of the reality of social work is determined on the basis of identifying a person as an intrinsically valuable being in the space of social work, the strategy of activity with which is defined as the unfolding of his internal potential.

Thus, the subject field of social work as a type of activity is the entire area of ​​reality that arises and will be created in the process of interaction between "social work factors" and "a person in trouble."

This approach to understanding social work makes it possible to create conditions for preventing the crisis of human social functioning in the most adequate ways. This makes it possible to overcome a highly specialized approach to understanding social work as a social service for the "risk group" population and use its capabilities in the activity space and practical action aimed at supporting and restoring the absolute value and integrity of a person as a subject of social interaction.

The main characteristic of the reality of social work is an ongoing process, understood as a subject-object, subject-subject interaction. This, on the one hand, is the purposeful activity of professionals to provide assistance, and on the other hand, the process of actualizing all the potentials and interests of the "person in trouble".

Summarizing the above, we define social work as a kind of social and creative activity that ensures the sustainable life of a "person in trouble" by providing him with assistance and applying methods and means for mastering heuristic methods of activity by a person and forming his abilities and need for independent life and self-sufficiency.

Other factors also determine the specifics of social work. Social work is activity system. On the one hand, it includes a whole range of institutions and social services designed to meet human needs, overcome manifestations of contradictions, social and natural risks and problems. On the other hand, social work professionals who carry out practical activities with a "person in trouble" aimed at identifying the level of his abilities and inner need to overcome obstacles to free life and, on this basis, providing him with assistance or assistance in developing or restoring his creative potential.

Social work is a multi-level and structurally conditioned unity of interaction between a purposeful system (state, organizations and social services, professionals) and self-organizing systems (person, family, community). And since the concept of a system of social work is organically connected with the concept of the integrity of the elements of its subsystems, connections, relationships, structure, then, in turn, the concept of the structure of social work correlates with the concepts of system and organization.

Separate levels of the system determine certain aspects of its behavior, and the integral functioning is the result of the interaction of all its sides and levels.

The peculiarity of the activity of social work as a system is also determined by its content, which is aimed at solving social problems of a person, ensuring the relative stability of his connections and relations within the framework of social organization society by creating the necessary conditions.

Social work as a system is characterized not only by the presence of connections and relations between its constituent elements (a certain organization), but also by an inseparable unity with the environment, in relations with which the system manifests its integrity. Social work as a system is in constant development and formation, its structure is changing. In this regard, when studying the structure of social work, methods of typology, structural-functional and system analysis, which make it possible to consider the object under study as a system.

The range of phenomena associated with the organization of assistance, support and assistance, guiding and controlling influences both on individual person, and on groups, communities in their interests and the interests of society, characterizes the system of social work as a societal one. In it, social work is carried out as a process of practical implementation of not only the ideas of humanism in relation to "the person in the problem", but also specific measures of the state's social policy. In societal terms, social work is seen as a combination of its levels, forms, types, nature, means and methods. There are four analytical sections: subjective, objective, process and result. The societal level of social work is supported by a number of subsystems. These are its realities that are outside its structure: labor, family, interpersonal, national, interfaith relations, etc. The peculiarity of the societal subsystems of the reality of social work is that they can be both a factor stimulating the solution of a person's social problems, and a factor preventing or delaying their solution.

The individual-personal space of social work includes a system of different-sized and different-content mutual influences and interactions of subjects of social work who are carriers of a certain sociocultural experience. The core of this space is the participants in the process of social work: "a person in a problem", professional workers systems of social institutions, management of social work in the region, district, city.

The non-institutionalized level of being of social work is realized through the level of microsocial environment. The participants in the process of social work here are not only professionals, but also individuals (parents, neighbors, friends, work or study colleagues, teachers, doctors, psychologists, informal leaders of groups and associations, clergymen, etc.), - everyone, who can and wants to help a person.

The scope of influencing influences in the process of social work is much wider. This is the information environment created by the media, and the ecological environment, and the technosphere, architectural development and all social environments in which human life takes place. The area of ​​phenomena associated with the purposeful management of the influence of the environment on the solution of human social problems is the subject of research in social pedagogy and social psychology.

The structure and functions of social work are organically linked with the principle of historicism, socio-economic determinism, etc. The main structural components of social work as a type of activity are its levels, forms and types. Their selection is directly related to the interaction of the subject and the object, they are a manifestation of this interaction, reflecting its quantitative and qualitative characteristics. The levels, forms and types of social work reflect the nature of the impact of the social subject on the object with the help of actions of an adequate order.

As a structural entity, social work acts as a multi-level process, which is determined by its place in the general structure of the state. In the literature, there are different approaches to the definition of such a system of characteristics. For example, E. I. Kholostova notes on this occasion that “social work, considered as a type of activity, is characterized by certain levels at which it is carried out and on which all functions, forms and methods depend. However, in the understanding of these terms, there is still no uniformity". R. Barker in this list includes individual social work, group work, community organization, administrative, research, social policy, planning, clinical practice and general practice at micro and macro levels. Swedish researchers G. Bernler and L. Jonsson single out individual, family, group, social (work with society at the macro level, social administration and planning). “Social work, as evidenced by the experience of many countries,” notes E.V. Khanzhin, “is carried out at various levels: individually, in the family, in a team and settlements, at the local (municipal) national and international levels".

Determining the levels of social work, it is necessary to proceed from what features form the basis of the typology of social work as an activity. In accordance with this provision, societal and personal-individual levels are distinguished, but at the same time it is necessary to single out the levels of diagnostics, practical action and interaction, as well as the state, municipal, public and private levels.

At the level of social creation, three levels of social work are distinguished: historical, concrete historical and everyday. The historical level covers the entire period of development of social work as a social institution, the forms and methods of this activity inherent in specific historical stages in the development of society; the daily level determines the socio-practical activities of social institutions and social services.

Taking into account the stage-time specifics of the forms of activity of social institutions and social services, specific historical forms of their activity are distinguished, since they differ in content, degree of organization, based on the socio-economic conditions of a particular period. historical development, the state of public consciousness and the corresponding legal framework for such activities.

Specific historical forms of activity to provide assistance or assistance to a person reflect the content of the activity of the subject of social work in certain specific historical conditions (charity, philanthropy, patronage, social services, social security, social insurance, guardianship and guardianship, etc.) .

Social work as an activity is not only a means of helping "a person in a problem", it is a process that takes place in a system of certain social and legal conditions that have a significant impact on him.

The specificity of social work as a type of activity is determined by its subject. The question of the subject of social work has not yet found a common understanding among researchers and is debatable. So, E. I. Kholostova distinguishes five types of subjects of social work: a person, a family or a group of people who need or may potentially need real help or assistance in overcoming difficulties, people who carry it out and who teach this activity, its researchers , administrative structures of social management. This position divides the subjects into those who act, teach and manage social work, and those who need help.

S. V. Tetersky singles out four groups of subjects, without considering the "person in the problem" as a subject:

• 1) social workers, social educators providing social assistance;
• 2) faculty teaching others social work;
• 3) researchers who record the state of development of social work, predict its development, systematize, generalize the accumulated material;
• 4) administrative and managerial personnel who form and implement social policy in the country.

Social work is a type of social subject-object-subject interaction. Therefore, it is necessary to consider both those who implement it (the state, social services, professional social workers) and the one to whom it is directed (“the person in problem”) as subjects. The person, to whom the activity of specialists is directed, is an object, but an object of a special kind, which in the process of interaction not only can, but must become its subject, i.e. to acquire the ability for goal-setting activity and for changing one's life situation.

The inclusion of managerial personnel, as well as teachers and students in the composition of the subjects of social work, seems to be incorrect, since this blurs not only the concept of "social work specialist", but also the very essence of professional social work.

The specificity of social work as a type of activity is seen in the special nature of the relationship between the subject and the object, when the object is simultaneously the subject of itself, and the activities of professionals are aimed primarily at facilitating the process of self-actualization and self-realization of the potential of the "person in problem" as an object-subject.

The specificity of social work as an activity is also determined by its complexity, caused by its collective and individual nature. It is wrong to absolutize both individual and collective activity in social work. These are two interrelated aspects of the same process.

The activity of a particular person, a social work specialist, is manifested through the actions of social institutions and social services, through the implementation of the goals set. The link between individual and collective activity in social work is goal-setting, organization, striving for a positive result.

In social work there is a whole gamut of interconnections between the collective and the individual. Creative actions of the team social institution manifest themselves in various types of social interaction. On the other hand, collective actions directly influence the formation of the personality of a social work specialist. Based on this, it stands out social activity with the individual and the group.

Types of social work are divided into object and subject-process. The first group is the most numerous. The range of these types is very wide and is determined by the nature of social problems that can lie in the planes of the material and spiritual, labor and economic, military, domestic, educational, medical, etc. spaces. A strict distinction between the types (forms) of social activity is possible only from the point of view of logical analysis, since in reality they are closely interconnected, intertwined, and penetrate each other. Types of social work with an individual are considered as developing or restoring resources.

Basic types of social work are:

• socio-diagnostic;
• rehabilitation (professional, social, labor);
• correctional;
• socio-psychological;
• socio-pedagogical;
• socio-medical;
• psychological and social;
• social and household;
• consulting;
• intermediary.

To process types social work includes professional, volunteer (volunteer), organizational, managerial, etc. They have both independent general sphere and object-species statuses. There are also professional and social rehabilitation, social and psychological correction, social household and social material assistance, assistance provided by volunteers and carried out by professionals, the activities of professionals in the management of social services, etc. Together, all three groups provide a broad panorama of types (areas) of social work.

Summarizing what has been said, we emphasize that the totality of the considered issues that characterize the process of development and formation of social work as a type of activity ultimately reveals the dynamics of the correspondence of its content to the needs of a person and society, determines the direction of its development in Russian society as a social institution.

It is necessary to establish real political and economic freedoms in the country and create social conditions for the development of human sociality, as his ability and need for active interaction with the world around him, ensuring his life, create conditions for expanding methods and forms of assistance, support and assistance to him, when he needs it. Social work as a species practical activities should promote and help solve issues not only of his survival, salvation. Considering the fact that a person is not reduced only to social characteristics, it should contribute to the resurrection of the meaning of life, the ideals of a person. By doing this, social work should contribute to the formation of a healthy socio-psychological climate and security in society, because a sense of security determines the measure of people's activity, removes fear for their lives and the lives of children in some, and helps others to establish their "need" for others. This provides rich factual material regarding the structure and self-awareness of society, shows the level of its capabilities in solving social problems of a person in general and in critical points his existence in particular.

Introduction

Many people need help right now when it's so difficult.

Difficult for various reasons. As a result of the reforms, many found themselves below that social line when the question of daily bread became a priority.

Problems of treatment, education of children, and their rest arose with no less acuteness. We can separately raise the issue of unemployment, since for more than a year now in our country, and throughout the world, the financial crisis continues to grow, no one is immune from unemployment. From this stem criminality, moral decline, permissiveness, this causes great anxiety and fear, for oneself, for the fate of relatives and for the further prosperity of the Motherland.

Not everyone has the strength to fight. Many have lost confidence, hope for better change. But someone has to help these people.

It is important to know where you can turn with your problems. In such situations, "social work" comes to the rescue, here they can support a person in difficult times, both materially - to provide payments, benefits, benefits, and spiritually - "to set on the right path."

The relevance of the topic "the essence of social work, its object and subject" is now very high, and is due to the following circumstances:

– firstly, the increase in the pace of the social movement of assistance to the population in modern conditions. This is due to the growth of such strata of society as the disabled, pensioners, the poor, orphans, etc.

- secondly, the need to identify problems in the social sphere.

Therefore, it is necessary first to understand what is the object and subject of social work, not only as a science, but also as an activity, and how academic discipline in order to subsequently identify problems, prevent their aggravation and take measures to stabilize the situation. Many people do not know, or have a vague idea, what is “social work”, who are these social services and workers, what are their goals, who do they help, and in general what is their help?

Analysis of the problem of social work involves obtaining an answer to the questions: Who protects? Whom does it protect? That is, it is important to find out what is the subject of social work, and what is its object.

Object of study term paper, is the essence of social work itself, its subject and object.

The purpose of the course work is to study and analyze the essence of social work, consideration of social work as a form of practical activity, as an academic discipline and from the point of view of an independent science. It is necessary to reveal the very concept of social work, and its most important components.

Achieving this goal involves setting and solving the following tasks:

- to define the term "social work", to reveal this concept from the point of view of an independent science;

– consider social work as a form of practical activity, specifying its aspects;

- to identify what is the strategy, meaning and purpose of social work as an academic discipline;

- to establish which key categories form the content of social work;

- answer the question of what social protection, social support, social services and social security are, to identify how they differ;

- to characterize the object of social work, what directions arise in it, and how they can be classified;

- consider the client as an object of social work;

- characterize the family from the point of view of the object of social work;

- to define the subject of social work, to establish how the subject can change, depending on whether social work is considered as a science, as a discipline or as an activity.

1. The essence of social work

1.1 The concept of social work as an independent science

For several years now, a new type of professional activity has been dynamically developing in the Russian Federation, which at the same time is a specialty in the system of higher education - social work. The formation of social work as a special institution and a special profession is caused not only by the increased demands of the population for social support, but also by a change in the content of these requests, their individualization, conditionality to deeper personal needs, more indirect conditions for their satisfaction. This activity can be both professional and voluntary, however, with all the importance of the volunteer movement, as the institution of social work develops, both the degree of staff training and the depth of specialization of its institutions will inevitably increase.

Social work can be defined as “a kind of social activity aimed at optimizing the implementation of the subjective role of people in all spheres of society in the process of joint satisfaction of needs, maintaining life support and active existence of the individual” .

First of all, social work should be considered as an independent science, which determines its place in the system of sciences. Like any science, social work has its own subject, object, categorical apparatus. The object of the study is the process of connections, interactions, ways and means of regulating the behavior of social groups and individuals in society. The subject of social work as an independent science is the patterns that determine the nature and direction of the development of social processes in society.

The development of a scientific categorical apparatus is one of the priority tasks in the field of research in the theory of social work. The system of categories should include concepts that reflect: firstly, the specifics of the organization of social work in various areas of social practice (for example, social work in education, social work in the army, etc.); with different clients (social work with disabled people, social work with families, social work with risk groups); in different social situations(social work in extreme situations, social work in conditions of environmental trouble, etc.). Secondly, different aspects of the organization of professional and non-professional social work (the economics of social work, management, psychosocial technologies, etc.). Undoubtedly, with the development of theory and empirical research in this area, the system of its categories will be enriched and expanded.

Interdisciplinary connections in the study of the problems of man, society and the nature of their interaction are realized through complex studies. The relationship of social work theory with other theories is based on traditional systems approach models. The identification of the interaction of social work with other sciences showed its interdisciplinary nature, as well as its difference from such related fields of knowledge as sociology, psychology, etc.

The system of social work, in whatever aspect it is considered, is always an open system that is most closely intertwined with other social systems: economics, politics, law, culture, ethics, ecology, consumer services, etc. Understanding, seeing the connections of the social work system with other systems and the system of society as a whole raises social work to a high level of social culture, makes society truly humane, puts a person at the center of social life, makes people people in the highest sense of the word.

The idea of ​​social work as a system has a conceptual, methodological significance for the daily management of social work. Knowing it as a system saves the organizers from a one-sided approach, exaggerating the role of some of its individual aspects, allows you to anticipate and correct possible distortions, errors in social services in a timely manner, raise the culture and efficiency of social work.

Social Work – Universal social institution: its carriers provide assistance to all individuals regardless of social status, nationality, religion, race, gender, age and other circumstances. The only criterion in this matter is the need for help and the inability to cope with life's difficulties on one's own. Although among those involved in social work, there are many people who belong to one or another confession, however, the institution of social work itself has a secular character, being an attribute of civil society. Because of this, in addition to very influential moral imperatives, the activities of a social worker are also regulated by state legislation.

Thus, summing up, we can say that since social work has its own subject, object and categorical apparatus, it should first of all be considered as an independent science.

1.2 Social work as a practical activity

Social work is a professional activity aimed at assisting people, social groups in overcoming personal and social difficulties through support, protection, correction and rehabilitation.

Unlike other forms of social assistance, social work is a two-way interaction. A social worker, a social therapist, a specialist of another profile must necessarily rely on the resources of the client himself, organize and encourage him to solve his own problem.

The term "social work" is closely related to the functioning of a market economy, since the achievement of its effectiveness is accompanied by social stratification. If a network of social support is not created, then problems in the social sphere become aggravated, social tension arises. In developed market economies, institutions of social support for people have been created for decades and are operating quite successfully. Profession "social worker" is among the most common, and social structures are both public and private. In our country, the most urgent problem in the field of social work is its recognition as the most important activity, confirming the degree of social security of the individual, observance of the first human rights, the level of humanization of society. Social work refers to one of the many activities. There are economic, political, legal, cultural, technical, scientific and other activities. And there is social work - a special kind of activity.

In this regard, its various aspects should be noted.

1. Social work is an activity carried out by professionally trained specialists and their voluntary assistants, aimed at providing individual assistance to a person, family or group of people who find themselves in a difficult life situation, through information, diagnosis, counseling, direct in-kind and financial assistance, care and maintenance of the sick and lonely, pedagogical and psychological support, orienting those in need of help to their own activity to overcome difficult situations and help them do so.

2. Social work is a professional activity aimed at activating the potential own capabilities personality in solving complex life problems.

3. Social work is a professional activity that is primarily preventive in nature.

4. Social work is a professional activity, ultimately aimed at harmonizing social relations in society.

Sh. Ramon and T. Shanin, English scientists, define social work as the organization of a personal service to help a person. It is based on altruism and aims to make it easier for people in personal and family crisis. everyday life and also, if possible, radically solve their problems. Social work is an important link between the people who need help and the state apparatus, as well as legislation.

The main objectives of social work include the following:

- increasing the degree of independence of clients, their ability to control their lives and more effectively resolve emerging problems;

– creation of conditions in which clients can show their capabilities to the maximum extent and get everything that they are entitled to by law;

- adaptation or readaptation of people in society;

- creation of conditions under which a person, despite physical injury, mental breakdown or life crisis, can live, maintaining self-esteem and self-respect on the part of others;

- and as the ultimate goal - to achieve such a result when the need for the help of a social worker "disappears" from the client.

Any social activity has such components as purpose, means, conditions.

The purpose of social work as an activity is to optimize the mechanisms of social functioning of an individual or a social group. However, it should be borne in mind that there are various reasons for the emergence of different types and forms of social work. One of these grounds can be the spheres of social practice, and in this case we can talk about social work in education, healthcare, leisure, etc.; another reason may be the socio-psychological characteristics of clients - young people, social risk groups, persons prone to suicide, etc.; the third is the nature of the problems faced by social workers. You can find other reasons. In all these cases, there will be a specification of the goals of social work (for example, from prevention to correction). The conditions for each type of social work will also be specified, including different levels and areas (from federal to local): political, economic, socio-psychological and ethno-national.

Funds in this case can be seen as social institutions, methods of carrying out social work.

In this regard, the typology of social services is of particular importance in order to organize practical social work. The classification of various types and forms of work may be based on different principles (this is to some extent due to the presence of different approaches to understanding the essence and nature of social work as an activity), but they all ultimately boil down to the following: working with a problem client; work with other services, institutions, organizations.

Within these two forms, in turn, there is a classification of different types. So, in the first case, one can speak, on the one hand, about the nature of the client's problem (divorce, job loss, death of a loved one, disability etc.): on the other hand, about the characteristics of the client, since both an individual and a group can act as a client, including society as a large social group.

In the second case, on the one hand, we are talking about the field of activity, in the process of which there are problems of interaction with other services, institutions, associations (for example, the field of education, healthcare, everyday life, etc.); on the other hand, the status of these organizations (state, collective, public, charitable, private, etc.). Social work is a mechanism that must translate potentially proclaimed rights into actually realizable ones. The meaning of social work is to compensate for certain social damages, equalize the opportunities for various individuals, families, groups in the use of their social rights. The purpose of social work as an activity is to optimize the mechanisms of social functioning of an individual or a social group.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the meaning of social work is the activity of helping individuals, families, groups in the realization of their social rights and in compensating for physical, mental, intellectual, social and other shortcomings that impede full social functioning. Like any professional activity, it is carried out by social work specialists.

1.3 Social work in the system of discipline

In 1991, a profession that was fundamentally new for our country was introduced in the Russian Federation - a social worker. Specialists in this field are trained in courses, schools, lyceums, secondary specialized educational institutions and universities. The network of higher educational institutions that have begun training and retraining social work specialists is steadily expanding. The profile orientation of the university predetermines the specialization of their graduates. Today, most universities train specialists in organizing social work with the population, specialists in working with various groups (the unemployed, youth, children, the elderly, etc.). Some universities train specialists in the field of social and medical assistance to the population and in other areas. In our country, the training of social workers with a medical profile has already begun: bachelors with a specialization in "Social and medical services to the population." It is noteworthy that this profession is chosen by people of a humane warehouse, whose compassion and sensitivity are necessary for future work. They study, clearly realizing that this work does not promise them super profits and wealth. Bachelors of Social Medicine will provide social and medical assistance to the population, i.e. they are organizers-consultants, managers of social and medical protection of pensioners, the unemployed, chronically ill people, single people, large families, orphans, the disabled, people addicted to alcohol and drugs, as well as all those who are in an economic, social or medical crisis character and whose access to medicine has become limited.

By the decision of the board of the Committee for Family Affairs and Demographic Policy under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR and the State Committee of the RSFSR for Science and Higher Education (from 13–05.91), the organization of training specialists in social work in the universities of the Russian Federation was introduced.

The purpose of training social workers is to promote the development and improvement of the quality of teaching throughout the world, training and instilling skills in practical social work, providing social services and the development of social development policies.

Social work, having arisen as a social phenomenon and then turned into a certain social institution, becomes an object of knowledge, manifested at different levels - from everyday to scientific and theoretical. At present, two main aspects are most clearly observed in the trend of knowledge development (at different levels of its manifestation) in the field of social work. The first is connected with the emotional-psychological explanation of the behavior of the individual and groups, the development, first of all, of the psychodynamic model of the practice of social work; the second - with the growing influence of social work of sociological theories and the development of sociologically oriented models of social work practice.

By the beginning of the 90s of the 20th century, several models of the theoretical justification of social work emerged in the scientific literature. They reflected not only the results of scientific research and research by major scientists from different schools on the problems of social support for a person in modern society, but also its evolution, changes in the very content and forms of social activity.

Applying in practice theories of behavior and social systems, social work is carried out in the area where people interact with the factors around them. In social work, the fundamental principles are the principles of human rights and social justice (as defined by the International Federation of Social Workers in July 2000 in Montreal, Canada).

The strategy of social work is to study a person, his value, world, individuality and universality. In practice, most social work models focus on the technological aspects of care delivery. The effectiveness of social work depends on understanding the essence of human life, its changes under the influence of economic, socio-psychological factors. The formation of the human world is a complex process of cognition, consolidation, creative development of the worldview, ideological, moral attitudes of society, the process of assimilation of social qualities, knowledge and skills created by society, on the basis of which one's own vision and assessment of things is developed.

The degree of social protection of the population and its individual strata makes it possible to judge the progressiveness of the social system, the level of economic development of the country and the well-being of the people. That is why social work today is such an important matter from which no one can remain aloof.

That social work can be considered as an independent science, which determines its place in the system of sciences, as a form of practical activity, and finally, it is considered as an academic discipline. Social activity is based on various humanitarian and democratic ideals.

So, we can say that social work as a discipline appeared in our country relatively recently, but despite this, it is gaining significant momentum aimed at increasing the number of social workers and improving their skills.

In ordinary consciousness, as well as in a number of normative acts, these concepts are often used as identical. However, the definition of their specifics makes it possible to most accurately identify the content of social work, the goals and objectives of this type of social activity.

1.4.1 Social protection

The phenomenon of social protection can be considered in a broad and narrow sense. In the first case, social protection is the activity of the state and society to protect all citizens from social dangers, to prevent disruption of the life of various categories of the population, social protection protects those who are in the most vulnerable position. In the second case, social protection is the creation of conditions that prevent the emergence of a difficult life situation or its complications among clients of social services.

The main way to implement social protection is social guarantees- obligations of the state in relation to certain categories of the population. The effect of guarantees involves compensating for low social status by increasing legal status. Social guarantees are built taking into account certain features that give the right to privileged use of public resources. Thus, obtaining one or another legal status (refugee, unemployed, disabled, orphan) provides a number of additional opportunities. In this case, there is a special legal status. A special legal status gives social guarantees from the state if the individual meets certain parameters and passes the procedures prescribed by law. An example is additional guarantees for orphans and children left without parental care.

According to the Federal Law "On additional guarantees for orphans and children left without parental care" (1996), this category of persons has additional guarantees in the areas of healthcare, education, housing, etc. For a number of categories, there are guarantees for receiving social assistance. In Russia, the right of citizens to social protection is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The purpose of the social protection system is to provide support and assistance to needy groups of the population and individual citizens with the help of regulatory, economic, socio-psychological, organizational and technical means and levers. Basic principles of social protection, humanity, social justice, targeting, comprehensiveness, ensuring the rights and freedoms of the individual .

1.4.2 Social support

This is a security in cash or in kind, in the form of services or benefits provided subject to social guarantees, legally established by the state; a set of social services, medical and social, socio-economic, social, social, psychological, socio-pedagogical and other support for a person from state and non-state structures during his crisis, in difficult life situations. It performs the function of providing poverty assistance to certain groups of the population in extreme conditions, has the character of periodic and lump-sum cash supplements to pensions and benefits, natural distributions and services in order to neutralize critical life situations, adverse economic conditions. Social support (assistance) is carried out at the expense of local authorities, enterprises (organizations), extra-budgetary and charitable funds in order to provide targeted, differentiated assistance to those in need.

When clarifying the meaning of the category social support more attention should be paid to the interactive side of the relationship between the subject and the object of assistance. The problem of the object becomes the pivot on which social support is held as the activity of a specific social worker with a specific client. Social support is aimed at helping the client to see his own meaning in interaction with a social service representative, to build his own line of behavior, which is recognized by the client as significant and necessary for him.

1.4.3 social services

Social services - the activities of social services and individual specialists in social support, the provision of social, social, medical, psychological, pedagogical, social and legal services, the implementation of social adaptation and rehabilitation of citizens in difficult situations. In a number federal laws social service it is proposed to understand as an activity to meet the needs of various categories in social services - useful actions. In this case, the subjects of social work use human and organizational (public) resources.

Social services are provided in the form of:

1) providing material assistance ( cash, foodstuffs, sanitation and hygiene products, child care products, clothing, footwear and other essentials, fuel, special vehicles, technical means for the rehabilitation of the disabled and persons in need of permanent or temporary non-stationary care;

3) provision of social services in stationary institutions citizens who have partially or completely lost the ability to self-service and need constant care, and ensuring the creation of living conditions appropriate to their age and state of health, carrying out activities of a medical, psychological, social nature, nutrition and care, as well as organizing feasible labor activity, recreation and leisure;

4) providing temporary shelter in a specialized institution to orphans and those left without parental care, neglected minors and those who find themselves in a difficult life situation, citizens without a fixed place of residence and certain occupations, citizens who have suffered from physical or mental violence, natural disasters, as a result of armed and interethnic conflicts;

5) organization of day stay in social service institutions for elderly citizens and disabled people who have retained the ability to self-service and active movement, minors in difficult life situations, with the provision of social, social, medical and other assistance;

6) advisory assistance on issues of social and social and medical support for life, psychological and pedagogical assistance and social and legal protection;

7) assistance in professional, social, psychological rehabilitation of disabled persons, persons m with disabilities, juvenile delinquents.

Social services are provided free of charge and for a fee. Free services can be received by: citizens who are not capable of self-care due to old age, illness, disability, who do not have relatives who can provide assistance and care - if the average per capita income of these citizens is below the subsistence level established for the region in which they live ; persons who are in a difficult life situation and due to unemployment, natural disasters, catastrophes, suffered as a result of armed and interethnic conflicts; minor children in difficult life situations.

Institutions and enterprises of social services, their activities are determined and regulated by the Federal Law "On the basics of social services for the population in the Russian Federation" dated December 10, 1995 No. 195-FZ . These include various general and specialized centers, shelters, boarding schools and etc.

Social services are provided on the basis of a citizen's request, legal representative, public authority and local self-government or public association.

1.4.4 Social Security

Social Security should be interpreted as social assistance, which involves the direct transfer of material social resources to clients of social services in the form of various kinds of open and hidden payments.

Open payments are: pension- monthly state cash payment, which is provided to citizens in order to compensate them for their lost earnings (income), and allowance(for unemployment; temporary disability: in case of illness, injury, when caring for a sick family member, quarantine and in some other cases; for pregnancy and childbirth, mothers with many children and single mothers, for children in low-income families, for children of military personnel military service etc.).

The pension option for compensating for lost earnings arises: in connection with the termination of public service (upon reaching the length of service established by law); when entering an old-age (disability) labor pension; in order to compensate for harm caused to the health of citizens during military service; as a result of radiation or man-made disasters; in case of disability or loss of a breadwinner, upon reaching the legal age; in order to provide disabled citizens with a means of subsistence.

A hidden form of social security is privileges- providing disadvantaged categories of the population with benefits in paying for certain services provided by the state, municipality, their institutions or other organizations, exemption from obligations for mandatory payments levied by central and local authorities from individuals and legal entities to budgets of various levels.

Thus, we can conclude that the main components of social work are: social protection, social support, social services and social security. All this is a system of principles, methods, legally established by the state of social guarantees, activities and institutions that ensure the provision of optimal conditions life, satisfaction of needs, maintenance of life support and active existence of the individual, various social categories and groups; a set of measures, actions, means of the state and society directed against risk situations in normal life citizens; a set of state measures of a socio-economic and legal nature to ensure a state-guaranteed minimum level of material support for socially vulnerable segments of the population during the period of economic transformation and the associated decrease in their standard of living.

2. Object of social work

2.1 Definition of the object of social work

Social coexistence and interaction should be based on the principles of social equality and partnership, fair distribution of material wealth, reliable guarantees for the creative self-affirmation of all subjects of society. Such an understanding of sociality is the most important criterion for the implementation of social work.

The object of social work, on the one hand, is determined by the goals and objectives of practical social work, and on the other hand, it determines the boundaries and content of the theory and practice of social work. There are many definitions of the object of social work, they are largely similar in that in modern conditions social work goes beyond the boundaries of practical social assistance and is increasingly becoming fundamental theoretical knowledge about a person in the system of social relations and interactions, about ways to improve his social life and social well-being. The object of social work is, first of all, a person in the system of social ties and relations, to whom social action. This is a client of social assistance, social adaptation and rehabilitation, social diagnostics and prevention, social expertise and social therapy.

Also, we can say that the object of social work (in the broadest sense) are all people. This is explained by the fact that the vital activity of all strata and groups of the population depends on those conditions that are largely determined by the level of development of society, the state of the social sphere, the content of social policy, and the possibilities for its implementation.

At whatever level - individual or group - human problems arise, the object of assistance from social workers (or simply the object of social work) are people who set certain goals for themselves, but are not able to realize them themselves, experiencing, because of this, a feeling of life dissatisfaction. Behind every human problem lies many personal, i.e. unmet needs of a whole group of people. No matter how specific, for example, the personal problems of certain unemployed people, differing by sex, age, marital status, level of education or specialty, each of them is a manifestation of a social problem called unemployment. Therefore, we can say that the objects of social work are various groups of people who experience difficulties in solving problems that arise in their lives.

It should be said that the object of study of the theory of social work is social relations, and due to its versatility, a number of areas can be distinguished in it:

1. Individual, family, organizational problems. Starting with the individual (loneliness, social isolation) and ending with various organizational problems (growth of refugees, homeless people).

2. Socio - environmental problems - environmental protection.

3. Socio - economic problems. During the new economic reforms in Russia, 90% of the population was below the poverty line.

4. Problems of social stratification. Social stratification, inequality in society, leading to the division of society into "higher" and "lower" classes, economic exploitation.

5. Problems of behavioral functioning of individuals, groups, communities - aspects of diviant behavior, social relations; drug addiction, alcohol, etc.

6. Problems of symbolization and modeling of the world and people in it. They can be expressed in inadequate images, low self-esteem, lack of honor and morality, and hence in alienation, social prejudice, and anti-human values.

7. Problems of power structures, social tension and stability in society depend on their actions, programs, social activity of the population depends on their regime: totality, democracy or authoritarianism.

There are quite a lot of objects, and it is possible to classify them taking into account the priority basis for this classification

- a health condition that does not allow one to decide independently life problems

– service and work in extreme social conditions

– elderly, retirement age people.

– deviant behavior in its various forms and types

– difficult, unfavorable situation of various categories of families

– special situation of children (orphanhood, vagrancy, etc.)

– vagrancy, homelessness.

– prenatal and postnatal condition

– legal (and therefore social) status of persons subjected to political repression and subsequently rehabilitated.

2.2 Client as an object of social work

The formation of professional social work in our country was accompanied by the development of the conceptual apparatus of the sciences that study social work and describe its practice. Among other controversial definitions, the question of how to call the person who is being helped is discussed. In medicine, such a person is called a "patient", that is, someone who is looking for help. However, this term describes only one, suffering, side in the position of a person in need of assistance. He, of course, has suffered damage, suffering, is in a state of difficulty in life, but to the extent that his intellectual, physical, mental and moral resources allow him, he must himself take part in resolving his problem. If an individual retains at least partial self-consciousness, then he has the right to cooperate with a social worker, to be an active agent in the transformation of his own life circumstances. In this regard, the opinion was established that persons who are provided with the assistance of a social worker should be called clients. The client can be individual or group. More precisely, its characteristics are determined by the level of organization of work.

Considering a client of a social service as an object of knowledge on the part of a social worker implies a specially organized reflection in the mind of a specialist of the key characteristics of the individual's life situation and his characteristics that have a significant impact on the process of helping interaction.

Carrying out cognitive activity, the specialist is guided by a number of general requirements. Firstly, the knowledge of the client is built on the basis of the theoretical and methodological concept of social work, which is followed by a professional. The chosen concept provides answers to questions about the causes of a difficult life situation, ways of social protection and assistance, determines the key aspects of the study of individuals, families, communities experiencing problems in the process of social functioning.

Secondly, the social worker selects adequate diagnostic methods. The diagnostics used in practical social work differs from the diagnostics of scientific research in its main function. In the first case, the study methods are designed to highlight the parameters of the client's life situation, while scientific research is aimed at determining significant relationships between the impact of the subject of social work and the positive dynamics of overcoming the client's problems. In the practice of social work, as well as in scientific research, questionnaire methods, observation, and the study of documents are used.

Thirdly, the generalization of the obtained data is aimed at clarifying the source of the client's suffering. At the same time, the problem stated by the individual is consistently checked and a social diagnosis is made. The social diagnosis outlines the circle of lost, preserved and potential internal resources. Lost resources should be considered those properties that cannot be restored quickly enough. Preserved resources are essential, since reliance on them will make it possible to compensate for partially lost ones. Potential resources are those that can be developed at the relative cost of the client and the social worker.

To assess the possibilities of attracting external official resources, the social worker examines regulations(laws, ordinances, regulations, etc.). Then the type of difficult life situation is qualified, the amount of assistance and procedures for registering the status of a client are determined. Essential for a social worker is the possibility of using informal resources - family, relatives, neighborhood, private individuals.

A separate area of ​​cognition by a social worker of a client is the study of the characteristics of an individual as a participant in a helping interaction. In this sense, of interest is a typology that includes three groups of clients: "aggressors", "polite", "dumb". The former implement an “attacking” style (demand, threaten, actively show dissatisfaction), the latter carry out a “thankful” manner of communication, and the third behave with restraint.

2.3 Family as an object of social work

In the family, to a large extent, all healthy prerequisites are born and germinate. Who and how will live and work in the future depends on the social well-being of a modern family, how it raises children and what qualities it instills in them. Therefore, the family is in the center of attention of the social worker and constitutes one of the most important areas of his activity.

Family is complicated social system, which has the features of a social institution and a small social group. As a social institution of society, the family is a set of social norms, patterns of behavior that regulate relationships between spouses, parents and children, and other relatives. Unemployment, low subsistence level, non-payment of wages, inflation, growing tension in social relations, deterioration of service, destruction of old and unformed new values ​​- these are the social problems of the modern family.

The family as a small group is a community of people based on marriage, consanguinity, satisfaction of individual human needs. It is distinguished by a single economic space, an interdependent way of life, emotional and moral ties, relationships of care, guardianship, support, and protection. In order to get a holistic view of the family, it is necessary to take into account the entire palette of family relationships.

The family as a small social group is characterized by the presence of a number of social goals that change in different life cycles; partial difference in the interests, needs and attitudes of family members; mediation of joint activity. Consequently, the well-being and longevity of the family depend on the extent to which spouses and other family members are able and willing to take care of each other.

The integral characteristics of a family, which largely determine its potentials, are considered to be: psychological health, functional and role coherence, social and role adequacy, emotional satisfaction, adaptability in microsocial relations, striving for family longevity.

An important role in the family is given to communication, in real life, relationships between people develop in different ways, the existence of different variants of families is possible. The most common is nuclear a family consisting of parents and dependent children, or a married couple. Such a family can be complete or incomplete , formed as a result of divorce, widowhood, the birth of a child out of wedlock. If the family structure includes other relatives in addition to spouses and children, then it is called extended . Families may differ in the presence or absence of children and their number. It is customary to talk about the childless, one-children, many-children or small children families.

An analysis of sources containing information about the family makes it possible to present its inherent functions in the form of a table 1.

Table 1: Family Functions in Various Activity Environments

Another important characteristic of a family is its life cycle, i.e. the sequence of changing stages of its functioning from the beginning to the termination of marriage. Usually there are three phases: before the birth of a child, before the separation of adult children from their parents, the gradual disintegration of the marriage. For a specialist, the main thing is to understand that on the way from the start of family relationships to their finish, illnesses, separations, quarrels, conflicts, divorces and many other difficulties are possible that family members are not able to solve on their own. The social worker is called upon to alleviate the tension in the relationship between them, to smooth out the difficulties that manifest themselves in a crisis, to help develop self-help and self-regulation skills.

Thus, given that the family is one of the oldest institutions of socialization of new generations, which performs the function of ensuring the safety and security of any person, but in modern conditions is experiencing serious problems, it can be reasonably considered that the role of a social worker in maintaining and strengthening social potential this phenomenon of society is increasing.

The reform of society sharply exacerbated the problem of families in need of social protection. Among her objects are families of single mothers; conscripts with children; families with disabled children; large families; with young children under the age of three; student families; families of the unemployed with underage children, etc.

Over the past three years, there has been an increase in families of all categories in need of material support. The growth of low-income families among large and incomplete families is especially noticeable. The reasons for the crisis situation of families can be conditionally divided into economic and social. Economic ones - such as job loss, non-payment of wages and benefits, low wages - are the most typical. Among social causes, such as alcoholism, parasitism, illegal behavior of one or both spouses are more common. As a rule, this is accompanied by a low cultural level, lack of spirituality, irresponsibility towards children. A child growing up in such a family is often unbalanced, psychologically depressed. Very often, children from such families are difficult children, young offenders are recruited from among them.

The state seeks to provide possible assistance in the maintenance and upbringing of children. However, centralized funds are not enough and they are not always used rationally. The activities of local authorities are very important, they are looking for an opportunity to provide assistance to families at the expense of internal resources.

Family conflicts and domestic violence, emotional discord, drunkenness and many other problems are all social work concerns.

The task of social work with families is to teach families self-help and mutual help.

Thus, summing up, it can be noted that the object of research in social work is the process of connections, interactions, ways and means of regulating the behavior of social groups and individuals in society. The most important objects of social work are people, i.e. the individual, and the family is the primary unit of society. And also, it should be noted that when providing assistance, the social worker must know what this assistance is aimed at, what he wants to achieve in the course of his activity, what is his goal and how he imagines the ideal result of his work.

3. The subject of social work

Any science as an independent field of knowledge (social work in this sense is no exception) has its own subject of study.

At present, it is generally accepted to understand the subject of any science as the result of choosing an objectively existing process (phenomenon) in order to study it from a certain point of view. There are known differences between the subject and object of science. The subject of science is a real-life reality (natural and social). It has many aspects and properties, each of which can be the subject of independent study.

The definition of the subject of science depends on many factors: on the level of knowledge achieved in this field, the development of social practice, etc.

The subject of social work as a science are the laws and principles of development of social processes, their dynamics under the influence of various factors in the protection of civil rights and freedoms of the individual in society.

But you can consider the subject of social work in its practical activities and in fact, this social situation. Social situation - a specific state of the problem of a particular client of social work, individual or group, with all the richness of its connections and mediations related to the resolution of this problem.

A social worker should make every effort in his work, because the purpose of his activity in a social situation is to improve the client's social situation, prevent its deterioration, or at least alleviate the client's subjective experience of his situation. After all, one can be aware that in the conditions of a decline in production and mass unemployment, it is not so easy to help individuals find a new job. But it is quite possible to provide them with socio-psychological support, to get rid of negative personal reactions to unemployment.

For example, members of the voluntary association "Wives of Alcoholics", recognizing that they are not able to rid their husbands of harmful alcohol addiction, consider the goal of their participation in the work of the association to be to learn to be happy in the conditions of a spouse's drunkenness.

The concept of a social situation serves as a methodological tool that allows one to isolate those connections and interactions that are directly related to the social problem of a given client and the impact on which may affect its resolution. It would be easiest to say right away that mankind has not been able to cope with alcoholism throughout the long history of its development, and on this basis to abandon the search for ways to help a particular drinking client and his family. It is possible, inadequately exploiting the dialectical principle of the universal connection of phenomena, to begin an analysis of the life of this particular alcoholic with global problems and expect a level of resources to resolve them that is, of course, not available today. The concept of the social situation, without denying the universal, global connections of the individual with the world, allows us to single out in its specific conditions, first of all, what directly affects the resolution of his problem, what is within the influence and scope of social work. An analysis of these closest connections will reveal the psychological, family, group, medical and other reasons that push the individual to drunkenness, help find support in his personality to create a stable motivation for a cure.

It should be recognized that not only a social worker, the entire institution of social work, the entire social system of a given state, and even all of humanity as a whole cannot influence a number of reasons, conditions and circumstances that complicate the client’s situation. For example, it is impossible today to completely eliminate the causes of congenital or acquired disability or to make up for those defects that cause the limitation of the capabilities of individuals. Such achievements of civilization as the development of health care, the emergence of new types of genetic prognosis and prenatal diagnosis, the improvement of medical care, the improvement of working and living conditions eliminate some causes of disability, but they are replaced by others, largely caused by the same achievements of civilization, so the total number disability is on the rise. Unable to eliminate the cause, the social worker can only help the individual achieve the maximum level of integration into society possible under his real life circumstances and health.

Probably, poverty is an inevitable companion of modern society, since its causes are caused not only by shortcomings in the health of the individual, character, intellect and psyche, but also by a general shortage of resources on a global scale. The social worker is not able to eliminate poverty, he can act to eliminate the most egregious consequences of poverty so that it does not become hereditary for the family of this client: to assist in providing good nutrition; help to get an education and, at the same time, the chances for a successful social start for the children of the poor, whose parents cannot provide them with such opportunities as are provided to children from wealthy or wealthy families; guarantee medical care especially women and children. There are many such social problems that social workers must constantly resolve in their activities, but cannot solve them completely and completely.

It is impossible to finally resolve the social problems of disability, poverty, racial or national intolerance, but it is necessary to resolve them again and again for each next individual or family who finds themselves in difficulty because of these problems. Therefore, when providing social assistance to a client, the social worker deals primarily with his social situation.

As one deepens into the social situation, the subject of science, its new aspects, are revealed more and more, there is a change in ideas about the content of the most important sections of social work as a science.

Categories are an indispensable means of research and systematization of scientific knowledge. The identification of the main elements of the categorical apparatus allows us to reveal the logic of the development of social work, the regular transformation of the system of its concepts.

In a categorical form, the experience of research and practical activities in social work is condensed, the fundamental levels of understanding and understanding of its features, relationships, and mutual influences are expressed.

Structuring the concepts and categories of social work, they can be divided into groups:

1) categories that are not specific to the theory of social work, since the phenomena and processes they designate are also studied by other sciences through the prism of their subject and methods (“social relations”, “social activity”, “socialization”, etc.);

2) categories related to the theory of social work primarily, but also used by other branches of knowledge (“psychosocial work”, “social rehabilitation”, “family conflict”, etc.);

3) categories that are specific, proper categories of social work (“social worker”, “social service”, “targeted social assistance, etc.).

Summing up, it can be noted that the subject of social work, as a science, is the laws of social work that determine the nature and direction of the development of social processes in society. And from the side of practical activity, the subject of social work is a social situation.

Conclusion

Social activity in Russia, as in other countries, serves noble purposes - to ensure the satisfaction of the needs of the population, especially its socially vulnerable strata, to create a more favorable atmosphere for worthy support of their capabilities. Social work plays a huge role in helping a person, family or group of people. Despite the fact that social work in our country is a very young industry state institute, more and more people are involved in this type of professional activity, which at the same time is a specialty in the system higher education. Because social work is an integral part of a democratic state.

The purpose of the course work was to study and analyze the essence of social work, to consider social work as a form of practical activity, as an academic discipline and from the point of view of an independent science. The study also studied the object and subject of social work. Analysis of the results allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1) The study showed that social work is a specific type of professional activity, the provision of state and non-state assistance to a person in order to ensure the cultural, social and material standard of his life. Social work can be viewed from several angles: as an independent science, as an activity, and as an academic discipline. Depending on this, its object and subject are distinguished.

2) Social work as a science has its own subject, object, and categorical apparatus. From the point of view of professional activity, social work has several aspects that predetermine by whom the actions should be performed, what they should be and to whom they should be directed. As for social work as a discipline, we can say that in our country it appeared relatively recently, but despite this, it is gaining significant momentum aimed at increasing the number of social workers and improving their skills.

3) In the course of the work, it was revealed that the main key categories of social work are: social protection, social support, social services, social security. Social protection is a system of principles, methods, legally established by the state of social guarantees, activities and institutions that ensure the provision of optimal living conditions. Social support - provision in cash or in kind, in the form of services or benefits provided subject to social guarantees legally established by the state. Social services - the activities of social services and individual specialists in social support, the provision of social, social, medical, psychological, pedagogical, social and legal services. Social Security should be interpreted as social assistance, which involves the direct transfer of material resources to clients of social services in the form of various open and hidden payments.

4) It has been established that the object of social work is, first of all, a person in the system of social ties and relations, to whom social action is directed, who experiences difficulties that arise in life. The most important objects of social work are people, i.e. the individual, and the family is the primary unit of society.

5) The subject of the same social work as a science are the laws and principles of development of social processes, their dynamics under the influence of various factors in the protection of civil rights and freedoms of the individual in society. And also, the subject of social work as an activity is the social situation. . It was found that the social situation is a specific state of the problem of a particular client of social work, individual or group, with all the richness of its connections and mediations related to the resolution of this problem.

The theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that its results, main conclusions and generalizations contribute to a deeper understanding of the content of the essence of social work, its subject and object.

List of sources used

2 Social work: Dictionary - reference book / Ed. IN AND. Filonenko. Comp.: E.A. Agapov, V.I. Akopov, V.D. Alperovich. - M .: "Contour", 1998. - 480 p.

3 Dictionary - reference book on social work / Ed. Dr. ist. Sciences prof. E.I. Single. - M.: Jurist, 1997. - 424 p.

4 Social work / Under the general. ed. prof. IN AND. Kurbatov. Tutorial. 4th ed. - Rostov n / a: "Phoenix", 2005. - 480 p.

5 Technology of social work: Textbook under the total. ed. prof. E.I. Single. - M.: INFRA-M, 2002. - 400 p.

6 Fundamentals of social work: Textbook for students. higher textbook institutions / N.F. Basov, M.V. Basova, O.N. Bessonova; ed. N.F. Basov. 3rd ed., rev. - M .: "Academy", 2007. - 288 p.

7 Social work / ed. Prof. IN AND. Kurbatov. Series "Textbooks, teaching aids". - Rostov n / a: "Phoenix", 1999. - 576 p.

8 Social work: theory and practice: Textbook / Ed. ed. d.h.s., prof. A.S. Sorvin. – M.: INFRA-M, 2002. – 427 p.

From the end of the 80s. significant political, economic and social changes are taking place in Russia. The former systems of social security, education, health care and culture are falling into decay, all former forms of life arrangement are being transformed, the system of values ​​characteristic of the outgoing society is disintegrating. In moral and psychological terms, the content of such processes is an atmosphere of intolerance and confrontation, disrespect for the law, the growth of crime and violence. Perhaps the state of anomie, never before described by E. Durkheim, i.e. normlessness, the crisis of moral and ethical norms, the collapse of the old values, which have not yet been replaced by new ones, did not manifest itself so sharply. Social development takes deformed forms, ousting, if not the majority, then a significant part of the population from active economic life, turning millions of people into the poor, the marginalized. Both theoretically and practically, the transformation of systems of such a scale, including the economy, politics, social relations, the mentality of society, requires revealing the underlying causes of negative phenomena, scientific analysis of ongoing processes, and a balanced determination of ways and means to overcome them.

A superficial approach to possible transformations, a socio-political response at the level of "common sense", when they consider only one side of the problem, one aspect of the phenomenon of reality, without taking into account the entire complexity of their systemic connections, dependencies and mediations, without modeling forecasts of the consequences of one or another interventions, unfortunately, have repeatedly demonstrated, at best, achieving (along with the set goal) also undesirable, side effects, and in the worst case, obtaining results that are opposite to the intended goal.

The complex interweaving of various aspects of reality determines the polycausality of the social problems of society. This, in turn, predetermines the multiplicity of social technologies and methods that are designed to solve these problems. The nature and state of various parameters of the social sphere, the level of its development depend on many circumstances, and an attempt to reduce everything to a few chosen factors, “convenient” for one reason or another, can lead to serious miscalculations in the development and implementation of social programs. Among the circumstances mentioned, it should be noted:

The state of the productive forces, their potential and actual science intensity, the ability to perceive and use the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution;

Socio-economic model of society;

Social stratification of society and the level of realization of the interests of various groups in the political structure;

The maturity of the spiritual culture of society.

The mechanism through which changes in society should be carried out is the social policy of the state, which determines the realization of the objective possibilities of the economic, political and spiritual potential of society.

The experience of social policy pursued under the Soviet regime, as well as the results of the first years of radical economic reforms, are now compelling the development of social policy concepts that resolutely reject the "gross" approach, the provision of universal, targeted assistance. The reason for this is not only the economic difficulties of the state, which is unable to provide “solid” social support, but also a change in the approach to a person in society, an increase in the role of individual responsibility and initiative. The priority objects of social support are the low-income and socially vulnerable segments of the population who are faced with a real threat of economic and social degradation - the disabled, pensioners, families with many children, the unemployed, refugees, etc. Social programs now focus more specifically on the development of self-help and self-sufficiency, specific consideration of the specific interests and needs of these population groups, and the personal nature of assistance. This approach receives legal support in the Russian Federation and its subjects in the form of federal laws, decrees of the President of the Russian Federation and other regulations.

One of the leading forms of socio-political, organizational and managerial response to the current crisis situation, a tool for implementing social policy is professional social work. Its content can be considered the provision of assistance to people who find themselves in a difficult life situation, by identifying their problems, information, advisory activities, direct in-kind, financial, social and household assistance, pedagogical and psychological support, stimulating the own forces of those in need, orienting them to active participation in resolving their own problem situations.

The essence of social work is to assist individuals and various groups in exercising their social rights. Since social rights are very multifaceted and ensure the social functioning of the individual, the problems that social work seeks to solve are very extensive and varied; moreover, in a particular social situation, different kinds and types of social problems intersect.

First of all, the object of social work is not only individuals, but also their groups - families, labor and neighborhood groups, youth or professional groups, associations of persons experiencing similar difficulties. Therefore, every action of a social worker, every technology or technique used by him must necessarily combine individual and group methods: resolving the problems of relations between children and parents or intermarital relations, communication difficulties of employees of any enterprise, interpersonal or intergroup conflicts is impossible without changing the personality of the people involved in conflict. Personal changes of those who asked for help are also impossible without restructuring the social ties of their immediate social environment.

In this regard, the analysis of the problems of social work at the first stage reveals their personal, group, family, etc. grounds. In principle, the pyramid of cause-and-effect relationships and mediations can include all levels - from the individual to the universal or planetary scale (it is undeniable, for example, that one of the causes of hunger and poverty are global climatic causes, limited natural resources), however, given this, the social worker, when analyzing the situation of the client, choosing specific technologies for helping him, should first of all consider the problems and causes of an operational nature, which he is able to influence and which are able to stabilize or improve the social situation of the client.

Much in social work depends on the type of society and the nature of the exercise of power. Social work, by definition, is characteristic of a democratic society and a welfare state. However, neither democracy nor sociality are stable constants. A political declaration or even a legal fixation of democratic norms by no means always coincides with their implementation. The sensitivity of the authorities to the needs and opinions of the population directly affects the social activity of people. Unsuccessful power structures, once appropriate to the needs of the times, and then hopelessly outdated, can make social policy ineffective, even if its prerequisites were quite successful. Finally, the personal factor in power and administration significantly affects the content and forms of activity of the relevant bodies and institutions, and the perception of this activity by the population.

An important role in modern reality is played by socio-environmental problems, and their significance is determined not only by the negative consequences of the uncontrolled, extensive development of technogenic processes - by technogenic disasters, environmental pollution and lower environmental standards. The scale of even everyday, non-catastrophic anthropogenic impact on various systems of our planet today exceeds the Earth's ability to self-repair. Any act of human activity, even if it is based on the most modern technology, inevitably entails thermal pollution of the atmosphere. At the same time, it is impossible to stop the man-made impact on nature. The socio-ecological content is to some extent inherent in all social technologies and methods, and the degree of its severity depends not only on the specific conditions for their implementation, but also on the level of development of the universal human and ecological culture of people.

The nature of socio-economic problems is of great importance for the development of social policy, and this significance is multifaceted. First, the quantity financial resources, which society and the state are able to allocate for the solution of certain social issues, depends not least on the state of the economy. Secondly, a considerable number of problems in society are of a nature bordering between purely economic and purely social. Thirdly, the resolution of a number of economic problems in society is impossible without the resolution of social problems: the difficulty of reforms in Russia is not least due to the fact that the majority of the population lost their social and property status during these reforms, i.e. their situation worsened. At the same time, without the growth of education, physical and social health, social competence and political literacy of the population, it is impossible to develop new, high-tech activities, to implement promising social technologies.

The significance of the problems of social stratification in society is peculiar. On the one hand, an increasingly partial system of society, taking into account more and more specific, private, separate grounds for distinguishing social strata and groups, is an attribute of democratic and social development. Only in such a system does it become possible to present, if not all, then at least the maximum number of interests and preferences. Society finds the possibility of institutionalizing and recognizing the views of a minority within the framework of a subculture, no longer striving to fit all individuals into one ranking. On the other hand, social differentiation, which endows some groups of society with wealth, power and information and pushes another part of the population away from these most important sources of social resources, not only to the brink of poverty, but sometimes even beyond the brink of physiological survival (moreover, the reasons for such differentiation are neither objectively nor subjectively not justified), cannot serve as a guarantee of social stability. In modern society, with its predominantly non-violent ways of social management and regulation, social differences can only exist on. the basis of social consent, when they are recognized as acceptable by the majority of the population, The sharp simplification of the social structure, in which a small layer (6-10% of the population) of the super-rich is opposed by the rest of the mass - the poor, the poor and the poor - makes the social system vulnerable.

Behavioral problems constitute a specific set of social problems. When analyzing the deviant behavior of individuals or groups, it is customary to single out the categories of alcoholics, drug addicts, criminals, prostitutes, and so on. But the concept of deviation is somewhat broader. To define a deviation, it is necessary first of all to specify the concept of a norm, that general social moral-behavioral, value-regulating core, from which the carriers of deviant behavior "deviate". In the process of such an analysis, it turns out that the problem of determining the norm is extremely complex, historically changeable and socially specific. Deviant behavior (and a social worker should keep this in mind when analyzing a situation) can be either a manifestation of asociality or even antisociality, or a variant of search, heuristic behavior, which in the near future may become the norm for the majority.

As the information revolution develops in the world, the social problems of access to information and communication support for life are becoming increasingly important. The opinion that information is power, and one of the most effective, began to form at the beginning of the 20th century, with the advent of technical media (media). The theoretical analysis of the mechanisms of crowd behavior (carried out by G. Lebon) coincided with the artistic understanding of this process1; in a period when only phonograph records and a very primitive radio were the means of mass communication, astute thinkers already foresaw the enormous impact of the media on the masses and their great danger due to the ability to manipulate people.

Leaving aside political technologies that are impossible without the use of the media, we note that in the social sphere, information processes are also of great importance. It is not for nothing that large-scale (within entire countries) social projects aimed at stabilizing the socio-economic situation in some states, previously known for extreme instability, necessarily included equalizing social inequality and ensuring the widest possible access to information (both to receive it and disseminate it). own opinions and views) of the widest possible strata of the population. Access to information and information technologies, among other things, is like a pass into the 21st century, this is the milestone, without overcoming which, one cannot hope to be included in modern, progressive, innovative processes, to achieve a high status in the society of the future.

The problems of symbolization and modeling of the world belong to the field of socio-cultural development and, at first glance, do not directly affect the sphere of social work. However, in reality, this is the area of ​​understanding the world, its value analysis and development. Even the verbal formulation of ideas and images can have a certain impact on the well-being and activity of a person (compare the terms ^ dismissal from work and release from work). Giving a name to some phenomenon, we thereby endow it with certain ideas that affect our perception of the content. Long (and still unfinished) disputes about the name of the profession of social work emphasized in each proposed term (socionom, social engineer, social worker, etc.) various aspects of this activity. The symbolization of the world also consists in the creation of ideal structures, most often unwritten, but, nevertheless, actively influencing real processes.

Thus, the "mystical power of the law" exists independently of existing codes and regulations: it can be combined even with the "customary law" of early state formations and may be absent under the most masterfully designed system of legislation. The “image of a person” changes historically and ethnically, while along with a multitude of specific individuals, there is an ideal idea of ​​what a person is, characteristic of every time and people. Finally, a system of values ​​that is difficult to formulate, but powerful, which turns a set of individuals into a society, and a society of a certain type, and singles out separate groups in this society, whose members share a commitment to a certain system of values, which in some way differs from the general one - this also applies to the world. symbolization of reality. Note that this sphere of activity characterizes the rational, intellectual and mental side of human activity.

Introduction

Many people need help right now when it's so difficult.

Difficult for various reasons. As a result of the reforms, many found themselves below that social line when the question of daily bread became a priority.

Problems of treatment, education of children, and their rest arose with no less acuteness. We can separately raise the issue of unemployment, since for more than a year now in our country, and throughout the world, the financial crisis continues to grow, no one is immune from unemployment. From this stem criminality, moral decline, permissiveness, this causes great anxiety and fear, for oneself, for the fate of relatives and for the further prosperity of the Motherland.

Not everyone has the strength to fight. Many have lost confidence, hope for better changes. But someone has to help these people.

It is important to know where you can turn with your problems. In such situations, "social work" comes to the rescue, here they can support a person in difficult times, both materially - to provide payments, benefits, benefits, and spiritually - "to set on the right path."

The relevance of the topic "the essence of social work, its object and subject" is now very high, and is due to the following circumstances:

– firstly, the increase in the pace of the social movement of assistance to the population in modern conditions. This is due to the growth of such strata of society as the disabled, pensioners, the poor, orphans, etc.

- secondly, the need to identify problems in the social sphere.

Therefore, it is necessary first to understand what is the object and subject of social work, not only as a science, but also as an activity, and as an academic discipline, in order to subsequently identify problems, prevent their aggravation and take measures to stabilize the situation. Many people do not know, or have a vague idea, what is “social work”, who are these social services and workers, what are their goals, who do they help, and in general what is their help?

Analysis of the problem of social work involves obtaining an answer to the questions: Who protects? Whom does it protect? That is, it is important to find out what is the subject of social work, and what is its object.

The object of study of the course work is the essence of social work itself, its subject and object.

The purpose of the course work is to study and analyze the essence of social work, consideration of social work as a form of practical activity, as an academic discipline and from the point of view of an independent science. It is necessary to reveal the very concept of social work, and its most important components.

Achieving this goal involves setting and solving the following tasks:

- to define the term "social work", to reveal this concept from the point of view of an independent science;

– consider social work as a form of practical activity, specifying its aspects;

- to identify what is the strategy, meaning and purpose of social work as an academic discipline;

- to establish which key categories form the content of social work;

- answer the question of what social protection, social support, social services and social security are, to identify how they differ;

- to characterize the object of social work, what directions arise in it, and how they can be classified;

- consider the client as an object of social work;

- characterize the family from the point of view of the object of social work;

- to define the subject of social work, to establish how the subject can change, depending on whether social work is considered as a science, as a discipline or as an activity.

1 . Essence of social work

1.1 The concept of social work as an independent science

For several years now, a new type of professional activity has been dynamically developing in the Russian Federation, which at the same time is a specialty in the system of higher education - social work. The formation of social work as a special institution and a special profession is caused not only by the increased demands of the population for social support, but also by a change in the content of these requests, their individualization, conditionality to deeper personal needs, more indirect conditions for their satisfaction. This activity can be both professional and voluntary, however, with all the importance of the volunteer movement, as the institution of social work develops, both the degree of staff training and the depth of specialization of its institutions will inevitably increase.

Social work can be defined as “a kind of social activity aimed at optimizing the implementation of the subjective role of people in all spheres of society in the process of joint satisfaction of needs, maintaining life support and active existence of the individual” .

First of all, social work should be considered as an independent science, which determines its place in the system of sciences. Like any science, social work has its own subject, object, categorical apparatus. The object of the study is the process of connections, interactions, ways and means of regulating the behavior of social groups and individuals in society. The subject of social work as an independent science is the patterns that determine the nature and direction of the development of social processes in society.

The development of a scientific categorical apparatus is one of the priority tasks in the field of research in the theory of social work. The system of categories should include concepts that reflect: firstly, the specifics of the organization of social work in various areas of social practice (for example, social work in education, social work in the army, etc.); with different clients (social work with disabled people, social work with families, social work with risk groups); in different social situations (social work in extreme situations, social work in conditions of environmental trouble, etc.). Secondly, different aspects of the organization of professional and non-professional social work (the economics of social work, management, psychosocial technologies, etc.). Undoubtedly, with the development of theory and empirical research in this area, the system of its categories will be enriched and expanded.

Interdisciplinary connections in the study of the problems of man, society and the nature of their interaction are realized through complex studies. The relationship of social work theory with other theories is based on traditional systems approach models. The identification of the interaction of social work with other sciences showed its interdisciplinary nature, as well as its difference from such related fields of knowledge as sociology, psychology, etc.

The system of social work, in whatever aspect it is considered, is always an open system that is most closely intertwined with other social systems: economics, politics, law, culture, ethics, ecology, consumer services, etc. Understanding, seeing the connections of the social work system with other systems and the system of society as a whole raises social work to a high level of social culture, makes society truly humane, puts a person at the center of social life, makes people people in the highest sense of the word.

The idea of ​​social work as a system has a conceptual, methodological significance for the daily management of social work. Knowing it as a system saves the organizers from a one-sided approach, exaggerating the role of some of its individual aspects, allows you to anticipate and correct possible distortions, errors in social services in a timely manner, raise the culture and efficiency of social work.

Social work is a universal social institution: its bearers provide assistance to all individuals regardless of social status, nationality, religion, race, gender, age and other circumstances. The only criterion in this matter is the need for help and the inability to cope with life's difficulties on one's own. Although among those involved in social work, there are many people who belong to one or another confession, however, the institution of social work itself has a secular character, being an attribute of civil society. Because of this, in addition to very influential moral imperatives, the activities of a social worker are also regulated by state legislation.

Thus, summing up, we can say that since social work has its own subject, object and categorical apparatus, it should first of all be considered as an independent science.

1.2 Social work as a practical activity

Social work is a professional activity aimed at assisting people, social groups in overcoming personal and social difficulties through support, protection, correction and rehabilitation.

Unlike other forms of social assistance, social work is a two-way interaction. A social worker, a social therapist, a specialist of another profile must necessarily rely on the resources of the client himself, organize and encourage him to solve his own problem.

The term "social work" is closely related to the functioning of a market economy, since the achievement of its effectiveness is accompanied by social stratification. If a network of social support is not created, then problems in the social sphere become aggravated, social tension arises. In developed market economies, institutions of social support for people have been created for decades and are operating quite successfully. Profession "social worker" is among the most common here, and social structures have both a public and a private basis. In our country, the most urgent problem in the field of social work is its recognition as the most important activity, confirming the degree of social security of the individual, observance of the first human rights, the level of humanization of society. Social work refers to one of the many activities. There are economic, political, legal, cultural, technical, scientific and other activities. And there is social work - a special kind of activity.

In this regard, its various aspects should be noted.

Social work is an activity carried out by professionally trained specialists and their voluntary assistants, aimed at providing individual assistance to a person, family or group of people who find themselves in a difficult life situation, through information, diagnosis, counseling, direct in-kind and financial assistance, care and maintenance. sick and lonely, pedagogical and psychological support, orienting those in need of help to their own activity in overcoming difficult situations and contributing to them in this.

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