CLASSIFICATION OF SOCIAL WORK METHODS (NORMATIVE AND LEGAL ASPECT)

Abstract

The article highlights the results of research of Ukrainian and foreign scientific and practice-oriented approaches to the classification of social work methods. The need to develop a practice-oriented classification of social work methods based on the regulatory and legal support for the activities of social sphere organizations (state standards for the provision of social services, the Law of Ukraine «On Social Services», professional standards of social workers and social work specialists) is identified. It is noted that in the evolution of the concept of «social work method» certain patterns are observed that reflect the conditionality of their use. The main features that form the basis of the classification in accordance with the definition of Social Work as a professional activity and its purpose are characterized. Social work methods are defined as methods of orderly activity of social workers and social work specialists based on a personally oriented approach aimed at meeting the personal needs of vulnerable groups of the population and individuals/families who are in difficult life circumstances. Emphasis is placed on the correlation and coherence of the system of basic social services, applied technologies of social work and methods of social work. The classification of social work methods within the framework of regulatory and legal support for the activities of social sphere organizations represents two groups of methods: interdisciplinary (organizational, organizational and legal, administrative: methods of personnel management of social sphere organizations and methods of the clientele system, recipients of social services; methods of research in social work; socio-pedagogical; informational and explanatory; psychological methods of social work); disciplinary (professional) methods of social work (individual, group, collective, mass social work, social methods).The classification of social work methods can be considered as a system of elements that are closely interconnected, influence each other, are characterized by integrity, orderliness, flexibility, correspondence of time and place of application, and hierarchy. The integrity of the system of methods creates conditions for the stability and sustainability of practice-oriented social work, the inclusion of new elements in it that correspond to certain factors of the functioning of social services, the expansion of opportunities for the manifestation of creativity, flexibility of the professional activities of social workers and social work specialists in implementing a personally oriented, individual, personalized approach to the personality of the client, recipient of social services.