Social work in higher education. The role and place of a social worker in education

The practice of social work in the field of higher education arose and developed as a response to the accumulated burden of problems in the functioning of higher education, and today it requires, along with practical actions, serious theoretical reflection. This is due, first of all, to the fact that, being a fundamentally significant organic part of the sphere of education as a whole, higher education is the most important social institution that provides upbringing, education and training. It is the basis of the socio-economic development of any state, and without its successful functioning, which involves constant improvement, the progress of society is impossible.

The current conditions of the protracted complex crisis of the life of our society, which has seriously affected the sphere of higher education and its individual elements, dictates its own rules for shaping the direction of social work in this area.

The situation associated with the process of democratization of the life of our society, with structural shifts in the economy, with the development of regional labor markets, actualizes the problem of reforming higher education and social work in the field of higher education in order to overcome existing and newly emerging difficulties and contradictions in the development of the higher education system.

Social work in the field of higher education depends entirely on the processes that the university itself is going through. The effectiveness of the results of social work in it depends on the degree of development of the higher education system. This is due to the fact that higher education today performs several roles in relation to the implementation of social work. Firstly, it acts as a basic environment for the implementation of social work, secondly, it is a source of social work as a type of activity, thirdly, it is the subject of social work as a science and the educational process, since many universities in Ukraine train specialists for social work. That is why it is fundamentally important to analyze the process of development of the modern system of higher education.

Let's consider the higher school of Ukraine as a fundamental basis for the formation of social work in the field of higher education. Let's analyze the potential, the possibilities of a modern university in the field of social work.

In this aspect, a number of main trends characteristic of the current stage of the evolution of higher education can be distinguished:

1) quantitative growth of higher educational institutions;
2) democratization of universities;
3) differentiation of the "internal university field";
4) transformation of socially significant functions of a modern university.

The listed trends are associated with the flow of ambiguous, contradictory processes, therefore they are rightly both constructive and radically opposite in nature. On the one hand, they give rise to new difficulties and problems of subjects of higher education, on the other hand, they contribute to the search for innovative approaches to the implementation of social work, expanding the range of social services that are adequate to emerging problems.

The reality of today is the quantitative growth of higher educational institutions, both state and commercial type: the fact that institutions have received the status of universities, an increase in the number of academies of various profiles has become popular. In addition, in modern higher education, in contrast to the Soviet period, the following levels are distinguished: incomplete higher education - 3 years; bachelor's degree - 4 years; specialist - 1 year; master's degree - 1-2 years. There are also budgetary and commercial forms of education.

The network of non-state universities today has become an important component of higher education, one of the reasons for the creation and development of which were the contradictions that arose in the early 1990s between the increased demand of the population for educational services and the impossibility of implementing it by the state. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were more than 200 non-state higher educational institutions in Ukraine. Currently, these figures have increased and are on the rise. This situation has ambiguous and even paradoxical consequences. On the one hand, today, in the context of reduced budget funding for state universities, the existence and development of non-state educational institutions is a way out of the existing contradictions. The increase in the number of higher educational institutions contributes to the expansion of the scope of educational services. But, on the other hand, the commercialization of higher education initially puts applicants from high-income families and families of medium and low incomes in unequal conditions, since tuition fees are not acceptable for all segments of society.

Thus, the trend of increasing the number of universities expands the range of educational services only for "solvent" applicants. For the rest, the development of the situation in a similar vein only reduces the degree of accessibility of higher education. A significant reduction in places for free education leads to a high degree of corruption in the structures of higher education, which aggravates the current situation in the educational services market and does not allow applicants who do not have "socially useful" connections to enroll in a budget form of education at a state university. This situation has led to the development of options for solving the problem of accessibility of higher education. One of these options was the Unified State Exam, introduced for school graduates.

In addition, we must not forget about the failed attempt to increase the number of higher educational institutions in our country in 1917-1918. When new universities sprang up everywhere in huge numbers. Individual counties submitted requests for the creation of dozens and even hundreds of universities at once. Created hastily, these educational institutions had nothing to do with real universities. Under the sign "university" one could find something like combines, where various general education and special courses (accounting, agronomy) were located. A similar situation can develop in the modern domestic education system. In the process of increasing quantitative indicators, universities are not immune from a decrease in the quality of education.

In addition, for the sake of new fashionable hobbies, the higher school, responding to the interested demand of applicants for obtaining such new specialties as a manager, marketer, image maker, sociologist, political scientist, philosopher or psychologist, advertising specialist, etc., prepares in large volumes specialists of the listed specialties without taking into account the real demand of the labor market for them. In this regard, the urgency of the problem of employment in accordance with the specialty received in a higher educational institution is growing among university graduates.

The consequence of the considered processes is an increase in the importance of developing innovative approaches to the organizational restructuring of the university.

Being an integral part of education as a social phenomenon, higher education, focused on the formation of personality, performs the most important functions of socialization and professionalization of a person. Currently, in addition to their main educational function, universities take on a number of other functions. Firstly, the function of social protection, since higher educational institutions today actually protect a certain part of young people from unemployment and conscription for military service, which is less and less respected by the majority. Secondly, the social value of higher education has increased, so it serves as an important channel of movement in society, a kind of social “elevator”, which increases not only social mobility, but also the social stratification of society. Thirdly, modern higher education is often not professionally specialized, but a condition for professional self-determination.

Competition in the market (global, state, regional), the reduction of state funding, the growing contradiction between expensive sciences, research, the need for mass education and regional problems - all this together contributes to the unfolding of the entrepreneurial model of the university. This "achievement" belongs to the category of "indisputable", in many respects it is forced, and is not characteristic of most universities.

The nature of social work in the field of higher education is also directly related to the process of differentiation of the "internal university field". Here, the central integral cumulative activity can be linked with generally accepted sociological patterns. For example, "from more homogeneous to more heterogeneous": for teachers - the professionalism of the teaching staff, the actual remuneration of their work, the university provides an opportunity for growth and implementation of their scientific ideas; for students - attitude to the educational process (attendance, individual schedule, violation of labor discipline), actually acquired knowledge, social activity; for managerial personnel - the spread of social myth-making about steady qualitative improvement; about a significant decrease in the real rights and opportunities of departments, a sharp differentiation in salary levels; about debatable relationships.

Because the current situation has an impact on the emergence of specific problems of the main subjects of higher education, which include faculty, students, graduate students and doctoral students, university staff - the development of social work in the field of higher education is particularly relevant and acts as one of the main factors that affect the success and efficiency of the processes of training and education of the future generation of intelligentsia.

Let us consider the mechanisms, subjects, means and methods of social work in the field of higher education on the example of universities in which it is already being carried out.

The teacher acts as a central figure in the educational process, as one of its main subjects. The pedagogical skill of the teaching staff largely determines the improvement of the quality of training of young specialists. The necessary characteristics of the activity of a teacher of a higher educational institution that contribute to the development of higher education are: the use of innovations and innovations in the content and forms of educational material, methods for monitoring students' knowledge, non-standard ways of attracting students to scientific work; high level of professionalism. These requirements can be met by a teacher only if there are appropriate conditions for the implementation of professional activities. In turn, measures to create favorable conditions for the life of teachers are the main tasks of social work in the field of higher education in relation to this category of citizens:

1. Ensuring a high level of organization and provision of the educational process, which consists in access to new, modern sources of information; in the provision of bibliographic and educational materials, in access to the use of modern information technologies in the educational process, to the possibility of professional growth of the teacher's personality, access to opportunities to take advanced training courses and, finally, in the level of stimulation of the teacher's activity, primarily the financial plan through the size wage payments. The most common type of teachers today are "poor but smart" (with the exception of the managerial elite of universities), forced to work in conditions of constant overload (additional rates, hourly pay, etc.).
2. Organization of life, leisure and recreation: housing, medical care, access to resources for psychological, emotional and physical recovery.
3. Providing the opportunity to self-actualize and realize their own potential through the publication of their own educational and methodological manuals, workshops, monographs.

It is clear that scientific and pedagogical growth, rest, health and conscientious fulfillment of one's duties in the conditions of the development of modern higher education are very problematic. Feeling humiliated and forgotten by the authorities, the teacher, knowing that he is necessary for the student, culture and future, makes compromises. But often forced to reduce the requirements for himself and for students.

The considered conditions for the effective activity of teachers are far from the same in relation to the entire teaching staff. Therefore, the problems and their significance for each individual teacher are different. In turn, this leads to the differentiation of this professional group and to the actualization of the individual, targeted orientation of social work in relation to teachers at the university.

The reasons for the differentiation of teachers by the nature of the problems are connected, firstly, with the financial problems of state universities, since teachers of commercial structures of higher education in this respect are in conditions much better than teachers of state higher educational institutions. Secondly, the sign of localization plays an important role in the existence of different conditions regarding the listed bases of differentiation between teachers of large metropolitan universities and teachers from among the employees of peripheral higher education. Thirdly, teachers can also be divided according to age. According to the concept of teaching, conservatives and innovators can be distinguished, but this is already the reason for the subjective nature of the differentiation of the teaching staff of higher education.

Another no less significant figure in the university, along with the teacher, is the object of study - students. With regard to this participant in the educational process in higher education, the situation is far from unambiguous. This is due to the fact that the modern conditions in which the professional development of today's student takes place have changed this social group, its main characteristics and distinctive features.

The traditional position regarding the definition of students, formulated by L. Ya. Rubina, is becoming less and less relevant: “By uniting young people of about the same age and the same level of education, students differ from other groups of students in a number of features: forms of organizing one's life, concentration in large university centers, "localization of the lifestyle within the walls" of the university, instudent group, inhostel, relative independence in the choice of methods of activity in school and extracurricular time.

In the aspect of the realities of today, the interpretation of the definition of students proposed by T. E. Petrova is adequate, which defines students as a relatively special and independent social group of a non-productive, socially active nature, and suggests, in the light of modern scientific approaches, to abandon the idea of students as a transitional, marginal, homogeneous, localized in time and space social group in favor of defining it as a heterogeneous, internally differentiated, sociocultural community with many inherent ways and styles of life.

Indeed, many characteristics and features of student life have changed today. This led to the realization that a unified approach to social work in relation to students cannot be effective, since differentiation, in general, of students as a social group leads to differentiation of student problems and their degree of relevance for each individual student. Therefore, as well as in relation to teachers, social work in the field of higher education in relation to students should be based, first of all, on an individual approach.

In order to analyze the nature of the problems that social work should be adequate to, it is necessary to consider the signs of differentiation of modern students:

- floor;
- age, course;
- nationality;
- place of residence (city, village, proximity to parents);
- housing conditions (dormitory, apartment, private house);
- university, specialty (technical, humanitarian; metropolitan, peripheral; commercial, state);
- form of education;
- employment;
- belonging to youth subcultures;
- learning motivation;
- social activity;
- academic performance; attitude towards research activities
- marital status, etc.

The listed bases of student differentiation determine the nature of the problems and their significance for a particular group of students.

In addition, the range of student problems can be viewed through the prism of various activities:

Types of student life

In this aspect, in each of the types of activity, the student faces certain problems, and since clear boundaries are very difficult to identify, and the types and spheres of the student's life are closely intertwined and overlap each other, overlap, therefore, relevant in the field of studying student problems is social field theory. Considering society as a multidimensional space, the theory of the social field places special emphasis on its characteristics, which can be objectively observed and changed.

A social agent, having a fixed position in space, can also occupy positions in several social fields. At the same time, a structured space of positions is presented under the social field, which determine the main properties of the field. Each field has its own logic, its own rules, its own properties, its own specific patterns.

The field of students' problems is part of the social space, organically enters it and represents an organizational formation, a certain complex, a complex construct. This structure contains nodes of problems with numerous factors, forces, the influence of which is multidirectional and heterogeneous, with connections between factors, nodes and the external environment, with the personality of the student as part of the society, who is in search of his "I" and at the same time in his individual field of problems.

The complexity of the problem situation for the student is that he needs to reflect on his state in different dynamic fields. The ability of young people to reflective activity is different. If it is low, then the student is not able to identify the problems he has. Conversely, a developed reflective ability leads to an abundance of problems. The event nature of the field determines its constant changes. Any changes irreversibly cause a chain reaction effect. The entire configuration will start to move and, possibly, will stop only when it finds some optimal state for itself. The transition to field theory means that society as a whole and students in particular should be studied not as a stable, static state, but as an endless process of change, not as a rigid fixed object, but as an endless stream of events. The complexity of the field of life problems of students is also connected with the fact that it is almost impossible to determine the options for its further development.

The study of the problems of subjects of higher education, the study of their natural causality make it possible to form targeted, more effective, in-demand social work in the field of higher education, allow both the student and the teacher to determine the most optimal subject of assistance, in each individual case, for each specific problem. The whole range of subjects of social work in the field of higher education can be represented as follows:

Link No. 1

Subjects of social work in higher education

Let us characterize each link of the subjects of social work in the field of higher education, presented in the diagram.

Link No. 1 represented by authorities at various levels: state, regional and local. The main task of the activity of this link of subjects of social work in the field of higher education is to create conditions for the implementation of social work.

Activity state, regional legislative and executive authorities is aimed at developing effective legal mechanisms that allow in practice to implement the model of social work in the field of higher education:

* creation of an effective regulatory framework in the field of social work in the field of higher education;
* creating conditions for the administration of the university to carry out social work in the area under consideration;
* the formation of state incentives for the activities of teachers through the solution of housing problems at the state level, improving the material well-being of teachers;
* formation of an incentive system at the state level for teaching students, for example, through ensuring the employment of university graduates;
* creation of conditions for the implementation of the activities of charitable, non-profit organizations in the field of social assistance and the provision of social services to subjects of higher education;
* stimulating the activities of sponsors and patrons in the field of organizing social assistance to higher education.

In addition, the activities of state and regional authorities to improve the well-being of the population throughout the country contribute to the strengthening of one of the most important subjects of assistance in the field of higher education - the family.

Administration of the university, faculty, departments and structural subdivisions of the university have the main task of activity in the field of social work to create favorable conditions for the functioning of subjects of higher education. This means that these authorities carry out activities to solve problems related to the organization of the educational process:

* Ensuring sufficient audience fund,
* providing modern facilities for teaching and learning,
* creating conditions for the professional growth of teachers,
* providing students with the necessary amount of source base for education (educational, methodological, statistical, reference and other literature, periodicals, modern sources of information - the Internet, information on electronic media, etc.),
* promoting the introduction of innovative teaching methods in universities,
* introduction to the structure of the university of the body dealing with issues of social protection.

Link number 2 represented by the subjects of assistance that participate in the implementation of social work "from the outside", with the exception of public organizations, the functioning of which is possible both within the university and outside it. Public organizations are called upon to implement social work through the provision of various types of social assistance. Trade union student organizations and public student organizations can serve as an example of such organizations. There are no fundamental differences in the approaches to the activities of trade union and public organizations of students, however, trade unions focus their activities on solving social issues of students, public associations direct their efforts towards supporting socially significant initiatives of student youth, creating conditions for comprehensive self-realization of students.

Student brigades are a special form of student social movement. The student brigade today is a special positive youth environment, the participants of which are focused on socially significant activities. Performing various social, educational, labor functions, members of student teams have a real opportunity to implement their own labor and social initiatives. In addition, activities in teams create real opportunities for students in self-improvement and self-development. For many young people, a student team is not only an opportunity to practice their professional activities, which is also important, but also to reveal the qualities of an organizational and managerial nature.

Teachers can act in the activities of such organizations as an organizer and curator (student public organizations), as an object of assistance (trade union organization of teachers; public organizations whose activity is to provide social assistance to teachers, in particular, teachers of the elderly, for example.

Another subject of assistance, which also applies to Ring number 2, is a family, close relatives.

First of all, it is necessary to point out the importance of the family as a whole for the subjects of higher education as individuals, as individuals. Particularly important is the moral, psychological, emotional basis of the personality, which is laid by means of socialization in the family. This largely determines the ideological position, perception, reaction of the individual to the difficulties and difficulties that arise. An illustration can be a reaction to the same problems that is different in content and emotional color in different students, or rather, students from different families. In one case, the disorder of life, for example, can cause panic and confusion, in the other - an optimistic attitude and readiness to overcome difficulties. This example is also a vivid indicator of the importance of the family in the process of preparing the student to some extent for independent living, instilling in him practical skills of self-service. Thus, the family indirectly influences not only the process of overcoming student problems, but also the nature of their occurrence, the degree of their significance.

The material possibilities of the parental family continue to have a direct impact on the solution of student problems throughout the entire learning process. The microclimate that develops in the parental family also largely influences both the student's progress and the solution of his personal, psychological problems. A prosperous complete family has a beneficial effect on the personality of the student and on his mutual relations with others. The translation of behavioral stereotypes formed in the parental family determines the student's position in the academic group, at the faculty, affects the perception of others, the formation of attitudes towards him.

The importance of the family in solving student problems increases when it comes to the fact that if there is an opportunity to apply to various authorities, there is no confidence in solving the problem. While the degree of confidence in the help from relatives, families is several times higher than the confidence in the satisfaction of needs from any other instance.

If we consider not the parental family, but the student family as the subject of assistance, then it acts not only as the subject of solving student problems, but also as an aggravating factor. The modern development of our society gives rise to additional problems for students who have their own families.

This fact confirms the thesis that the activity, first of all, of state structures and society as a whole, should be focused not only on the personality of the student, but also on the family itself, in this case, both on the parent and on the student itself. .

A similar situation develops with regard to the teaching staff, with the only difference being that for older teachers, their own family acts as a source of help, primarily psychological, emotional, material, and household.

Link number 3 presents social work through forms and types of mutual assistance. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the teaching staff, students act both as subjects and as objects of social work. Mutual assistance in this sense is considered as the presence of elements of social assistance in the systems: 1) student - student; 2) student - teacher; 3) teacher - teacher.

Mutual assistance is one of the most ancient elements of assistance in the university. At the same time, it should be noted the law of mutual assistance as a law of nature, which is the main condition for progressive development, that the motivation for mutual assistance is inherent, first of all, in the nature of the individual himself as a human being.

Therefore, being in conditions of constant interaction in the process of learning activities, students often solve common problems. As types of mutual assistance, one can indicate: mutual assistance funds created on the basis of faculties and academic groups; mutual assistance in everyday life (in student hostels); mutual assistance in the educational process (assistance in preparing notes, abstracts, tips at seminars, tests and exams, etc.)

Student assistance from faculty is most often manifested as volunteering to provide extracurricular services, conduct electives, or coordinate student volunteer organizations. In turn, the student also acts as a subject of assistance for the teacher. This is manifested when it comes to the possibility of realizing a teacher as a professional, when a student contributes to the teacher's self-improvement, when, in the presence of the effectiveness of activities with a student, the teacher experiences a "situation of professional success".

Mutual assistance among the teaching staff, similarly to the student environment, is manifested both at the professional level (exchange and transmission of pedagogical experience, assistance in obtaining new information), and at the everyday, emotional levels, as well as assistance in organizing leisure.

The most promising link in the subjects of social work in the field of higher education is Link number 4, which involves the activation of the individual's own forces, in our case, a student, a teacher in solving their own problems. Social work in the field of higher education should be aimed at creating conditions for the active position of social work subjects to use their own assistance resources and eliminate or reduce consumer attitudes towards the use of social assistance resources.

However, the process of organizing social work in this regard requires special approaches to creating favorable conditions for realizing one's own potential. An active life position of a student and a teacher in the implementation of social work is impossible if conditions are not created for this by appropriate Links No. 1, 2 subjects of social work. In the absence of a clear interaction between the subjects of social work in the field of higher education, the effectiveness of social assistance, support, provision will be minimized. Those. it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of social work in the field of higher education on the basis of a systematic, integrated and individual approach, both at the level of subjects of social work and at the level of technology.

A systematic approach is especially relevant in the integration of subjects of social work in the goals and objectives of the activity. An integrated approach is expressed mainly in the fact that the processes of diagnostics, identification of the causality of problems, the preparation of assistance programs, the process of providing direct assistance, the analysis of performance results, forecasting the further development of the problem situation and the process of monitoring after overcoming the crisis are carried out effectively, step by step. And these processes should be aimed at solving the problem of the client in a complex, to prevent the possibility of relapse. An individual approach contributes to the implementation of targeted social assistance, allows the forms and methods of social work to best meet the problems of each client individually.

Thus, we note the following provisions:

1. The relevance of social work in the system of higher education is due to the high importance of this area for the life of society as a whole.
2. The development of social work in the field of higher education is directly dependent on the processes taking place within higher education.
3. At present, the higher school of Ukraine acts as a basic environment for the implementation of social work, is the source of social work as a type of activity and the subject of social work as a science.
4. The main directions of social work are formed according to the problems and needs of subjects of higher education, which are differentiated by groups: faculty, students, university staff.
5. Social work in relation to teachers should be aimed at creating favorable conditions for life: ensuring a high level of organization and ensuring the educational process; organization of life, leisure and recreation; providing an opportunity to self-actualize and realize their own professional potential.
6. Social work in relation to students should be built taking into account the current changes in this social group and is aimed at solving problems, the study of which is possible only with the help of the theory of the social field, related to the specifics of the nature of various types of activity.
7. The subjects of social work in the field of modern higher education are: Link No. 1 - state authorities, local authorities, administration of the university, faculty, departments, structural divisions of the university; Link number 2 - public organizations, patrons, sponsors, close relatives, friends; Link number 3 - faculty, students; Link number 4 - the individual himself (student, teacher).
8. Social work in the field of higher education should be carried out on the basis of a comprehensive, systemic and individual approach.

Questions and tasks

1. Describe the field of education as an object of social work.
2. Describe the social groups interacting in the field of education and their social problems.
3. Identify the features of social problems associated with the specifics of the field of education.
4. Expand the content of social work technologies with preschoolers and younger students.
5. Demonstrate the variety of social work technologies in high school.
6. Describe the technologies of social work in vocational education.
7. Describe the students of secondary specialized educational institutions and university students as an object of social work.
8. Show the features of social work technologies in special educational institutions.
9. Identify goals and objectives, technologies in social work with families of pupils and students.
10. What are the essence and direction of technology in working with teachers and university lecturers.
11. Describe the trends in the development of the modern system of higher education.
12. Highlight the main problems of social work objects in higher education.
13. List the subjects of social work in the field of higher education, describe the directions of their activities.
14. What approaches in the implementation of social work in the field of higher education are the most significant? Justify your answer.
15. Highlight the positive and negative trends in the development of higher education and determine their impact on the implementation of social work in the higher education system:

16. On the example of your university, highlight the forms and types of mutual assistance in the field of higher education. Compare the experience of organizing social work in higher education at your university and other universities.
17. Develop a project for a comprehensive social assistance service (for students or teachers, or for both) in the conditions of your university.

Social workers provide comprehensive assistance to people, interacting mainly with vulnerable categories of citizens. They work with refugees, orphans, pensioners, helping them to get social, legal and material support. The profession is suitable for those who have no interest in school subjects (see choosing a profession for interest in school subjects).

Short description

The profession is very ancient, several hundred years ago such specialists were called philanthropists, missionaries. Part of the social duties were assigned to the monks and nuns, who provided shelter, food and a minimum level of education to the poor people. Today, everything has changed, and this work is carried out by authorized representatives of social services, who are assigned to each person or family in need of state assistance and support. Mostly the specialist leads the following groups of citizens:

pensioners and people with disabilities;
children and adolescents suffering from congenital and acquired diseases, family violence and other problems;
women who are victims of any kind of violence;
dependent citizens;
people who lost their homes, were injured, lost loved ones during disasters;
large families and others.

The social worker is in direct contact with the population, checking the conditions in which children are kept, how the funds allocated by the state for a newborn are distributed. They carry products to sick people and pensioners, provide emotional support to citizens suffering from addictions (alcohol, drugs, gambling, and others). The work is not easy and dangerous, because a specialist never knows what awaits him behind the closed door of an apartment. Social workers do not receive very high salaries, traditionally this profession is chosen by women who are more prone to compassion than men.

Features of the profession

A social worker must love people. This is the first requirement that is tacitly put forward to specialists. The duties of such an employee include the following list of mandatory work:

analysis of the entrusted site, selection of people in need of social assistance and protection (temporarily or permanently);
work with complaints and appeals of the population, verification of information, decision-making on each individual application;
provision of all types of social services, informing citizens about their rights and obligations;
assistance in obtaining legal and other types of advice;
home delivery of food, drinking water, medicines, and other goods. A social worker can keep order in the house of people to whom he is attached, cook or heat food, deliver prepared food from relatives or from special canteens, pay bills;
assistance in processing applications and petitions for social assistance, preferential vouchers, services;
communication with socially unprotected citizens and their relatives;
provision of additional services: first aid, psychological support and others;
maintaining accounting and reporting documentation.

A social worker must have minimal knowledge of medicine, be an excellent psychologist, because his work combines the main features of these professions. The segment is characterized by high staff turnover, so employees are always needed. The specialist interacts with representatives of law and order, volunteer organizations, various groups of teachers and doctors.

Pros and cons of the profession

pros

The huge social significance of the profession, because every day such specialists perform complex and important work that improves the quality of life of many people.
Official employment and a solid number of vacancies.
Specialists are in demand in every large and small city in Russia.
You can get a job without higher education.
Stable learning and development.
A large number of budget places in universities, the opportunity to get an education at full-time, part-time or part-time faculty.
The work will be an ideal solution for the humanities.

Minuses

Low paying job.
Constant contact with different segments of the population, whose representatives are not always friendly, honest.
Interaction with sick, dependent people can lead to infection with infectious and other types of diseases.
Labor is underestimated in the CIS countries.
The specialist spends a lot of time on his feet, is forced to perform a large amount of work.
The schedule may be irregular.
Social workers are often confronted with egregious cases of human cruelty, which can have a devastating effect on morale.

Important Personal Qualities

Emotional stability and calmness are two of the most important qualities that must be present in the character of a good social worker. This specialist must have an excellent speech, inspire trust and respect, be able to listen and understand people. Other qualities are also important:

philanthropy;
tolerance;
resourcefulness;
self-control;
propensity to work in a team;
heightened sense of justice;
parity;
involvement in social processes.

In the character of a specialist there should be no pride, as well as greed, disgust.

Social worker training

You can master this difficult profession both at the university and at the college. Entering a university, it is worth choosing the direction of training "Social work", passing exams in the Russian language, history and social science, the training period is 5-6 years. It is also recommended to consider the following programs:

"Social work with youth";
"Social work in the system of social protection".

After the 9th or 11th grade, you can apply to college by choosing the faculty of social work. The term of study is 2-3 years, which depends on the basic training of the applicant and the chosen educational institution. Some colleges allow you to get admission based on your GPA without taking any exams.

Verity Educational Center

A wide range of various training programs that help improve the skills of people working in the field of social assistance. Classes are provided for both individual employees and entire teams. You can get knowledge in person or remotely. The programs include innovative development methods for children, rules for interacting with teenagers, labor protection and no less topical issues.

Colleges of Social Workers

St. Petersburg GBOU SPO "Polytechnic College of Urban Economy".
College for the training of social workers ("College No. 16"), Moscow.
Economic-Technological College of KIBT.

Higher education Social workers

Russian State Social University.
Moscow Pedagogical State University.
Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry A. I. Evdokimova.
First Moscow State Medical University. I. M. Sechenov.
Moscow Socio-Economic Institute.
Russian New University.
Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University.
St. Petersburg State University.
St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design.
Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University.
Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University. V. P. Astafieva.
Yelets State University I. A. Bunina.
Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics.
Tula State Pedagogical University. L. N. Tolstoy.

Place of work

Social workers can find a vacancy in government agencies (social inspector), development and correctional centers, employment services. Often these specialists are involved in volunteer activities, they can cooperate with the Red Cross and other public charitable organizations.

Social worker salary

Salary as of 03/14/2019

Russia 20000—50000 ₽

Moscow 30000—100000 ₽

Professional knowledge

Basic knowledge of psychology, medicine, social pedagogy, correctional work, conflict resolution.
Types and rules for the provision of social services.
Basic ethical standards of social work.
The rights and obligations of citizens who are provided with social protection and assistance.
Fundamentals of volunteering.
Methods of development of different age groups of children.
Ways to restore psychological balance.
Fundamentals of planning activities, programs for bookkeeping and accounting, databases.

The role and place of a social worker in the field of education should be determined depending on the specifics of educational institutions.

The activity of a social work specialist in institutions of the preschool education system depends, on the one hand, on the age characteristics of preschool children, and on the other hand, on scientific ideas about the necessary conditions that contribute to the successful inclusion of a child of 3-7 years old in the education system. Therefore, the social worker's concern is the needs of preschoolers and the capabilities of their parents, especially in cases where the child's behavior and his learning and playing activities create a problem for peers and educators, or he suffers material and social deprivation. In such situations, the social worker becomes a participant in the campaign to develop measures to prevent and eliminate the symptoms of trouble in the fate of the child, takes on the role of an intermediary and communicator between the educational institution and the family, the child and parents, the child and caregivers. This is especially important if the child is often ill or does not attend preschool without explanation, neglected, if it is known that he is subjected to abuse in the family.

When the problem goes beyond the competence of the educational institution, the social worker has the right (and must) apply to the appropriate authorized social authorities.

During the period of inclusion of a child in the system of preschool education, his developmental deviations - physical, emotional, cognitive - are most often detected for the first time. In such cases, the social worker must organize assistance to his ward, involving appropriate specialists - medical workers, a psychologist, a social pedagogue, a policeman, and thus eliminate the symptoms of trouble in a timely manner. This is perhaps the only truly effective way to reduce the number of "risk" children who, at the age of 3-7, have a number of prerequisites for receiving a diagnosis of "social maladjustment" in the near future.

The social worker should not ignore the category of children that pediatricians call "unorganized", i.e. children who do not attend preschool institutions. In accordance with Art. 18 of the Law of the Russian Federation of July 10, 1992 No. 3266-1 "On Education" (hereinafter - the Law on Education), parents are the first teachers. They are obliged to lay the foundations for the physical, moral and intellectual development of the child's personality in early childhood. The social worker must be aware of the extent of the educational potential of the family and organize work with parents in a timely manner.

Despite the fact that the activities of a social work specialist in preschool educational institutions are predominantly organizational and preventive in nature (identifying children with symptoms of social distress, finding out the causes of distress, organizing a system of targeted social assistance to children), its importance cannot be overestimated: an effectively organized system of social assistance to children in institutions of preschool education is a condition for reducing the number of cases of unfavorable development of students in a mass general education school. Social work in schools provides students with a successful social development when they receive primary general (grades 1-4), basic general (grades 1-9) and secondary (complete) general education (grades 10-11). Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the requirement of compulsory general education in relation to a particular student remains in force until he reaches the age of 18, if the corresponding education was not received by the student earlier (Article 19 of the Law on Education).

As in the case of work in preschool institutions, a social worker working at a subsequent educational level is guided by the current legislation, strives to meet the needs of students and, at the same time, takes into account the possibilities of their families. Under these conditions, he turns into a politician and strategist in the organization of social assistance, helping needy children and improving the family environment. In his field of vision are the dynamics of school attendance by students, academic performance, material and social situation of students at risk, primarily from low-income families, as well as their relationships with peers, teachers and parents. Teachers are not required to seek to address the causes of poverty, deviant or delinquent behavior in their students, or other symptoms of their social disadvantage. A social worker, visiting the families of students, knowing the situation of the child in school and class, his needs and troubles, encourages parents to make the most of the educational opportunities of the school, for example: the opportunity to establish interpersonal relationships in the family with the help of a school psychologist; take part in a public action organized by a social worker; use the possibilities of additional education if the child shows special abilities for any type of activity; receive financial assistance, etc.

Of particular difficulty for a social worker may be cases where a student belongs to the category of socially maladjusted children, and his family has a low educational potential, i.e. rudeness, immoral behavior, mental illness, unsanitary conditions, etc. flourish in it. In such situations, neither the child nor the social worker can count on the support of the family, and one cannot do without the involvement of specialists (social teacher, class teacher, psychologist, juvenile inspector, narcologist, etc.).

The duties of a social worker who performs his functions in the conditions of a mass general education school also include taking care of children who are permanently or temporarily excluded from school; assistance and support to parents when transferring a child to another educational institution, the education system in which is more consistent with its characteristics, in particular in cases where a gifted child is brought up in a family that is low-income due to large families, illness of parents, absence of one of the parents etc.; protection of the rights of children who are representatives of national minorities, refugees or migrants; identifying children who are illegally employed at work during school hours, and resolving the issue of their education; support for children receiving education outside of school; stopping cases of child abuse; assistance to children (in the exercise of their rights in the field of education) and parents (in the use of social privileges provided to schoolchildren); organization of social studies of students during extracurricular time, i.e. training in effective methods for solving everyday problems, as well as various mass events - charity fairs, auctions, charity events, etc.

The process of professional functioning of a social work specialist consists of several stages: studying the living conditions of students - issuing social passports - forming a system of targeted social assistance to schoolchildren who need it and coordinating the efforts of social specialists involved in solving the problems of children at risk.

It should be noted that such activities in Russia are carried out mainly only in innovative schools, where the child is a key figure in the educational process and parents take an active part in the affairs of the educational institution.

Social work has its own specifics in the system of primary and secondary vocational education. The social worker must take into account the age characteristics of his clients (as a rule, these are teenagers and young people aged 15-19 years); understand and accept their interests and values; support the desire for independence, search and finding yourself in the world of work and, most importantly, should organize assistance in such a way that students have the opportunity to find socially acceptable ways to earn pocket money and pay for leisure, so that they know their rights and obligations and are able to to enjoy those social privileges that correspond to their position. At the same time, work with the family of a student of a special school, vocational school, technical school is still considered as indirect assistance to a teenager. Drawing up a social passport for each student of an educational institution, studying the everyday problems of adolescents, orientation in the situation on the labor market, an established system of professional interaction with specialists in a number of social spheres - these are the necessary conditions for providing targeted social assistance to young people receiving primary or secondary vocational education.

Social work in universities - one of the possible areas of professional functioning of social workers in the field of education.

As a rule, university students from low-income families try to "earn extra money" in their free time, and those from well-to-do families try to get additional education. Both of them need support. The socio-psychological center organized at the university, which maintains links with other educational institutions, enterprises and social organizations, can provide significant assistance to young people who want to get rid of poverty and earn money on their own. The socio-psychological center can accept orders from enterprises and institutions to conduct any research, perform certain types of work, offer students a number of vacant positions and jobs in this university, etc.

In order to help students living in dormitories, experiencing deprivation, humiliation and many other inconveniences, unable to exercise their rights and benefits, the social worker forms a support group of senior students. In addition, he provides assistance to student families.

Universities also train young people with disabilities who find it difficult to find their place in the world of work, orphans, children from large families, students with children, and many other categories of socially vulnerable youth. Assistance in the form of one-time cash payments or clothing humanitarian support is not a way out. Significant assistance can be provided by a social worker who informs the student about where, to whom, how he can turn to change his unenviable position by offering his services.

The social worker should inquire about the possibilities of his clients when filling out a social passport for each of them.

Special attention deserves students who demonstrate outstanding academic success, but do not have the means to continue their education, who are forced to earn a living by transferring to correspondence or evening departments, narrowing their opportunities, as they are not able to pay, for example, a foreign language course , computer literacy, etc. They need the support of a social worker and the assistance that he can provide in accordance with applicable law.

The experience of various countries, such as England and Germany, allows us to speak about the existence of two options for organizing social work in education. In some cases, social work specialists are full-time employees of an educational institution, in others they work in social services that provide services to specific educational institutions. In schools, they work with students who are deviant or have learning difficulties; carry out preventive work, offer students to engage in some kind of activity in their free time, study their living conditions, work with their families. This option is practiced in England. In Germany, preference is given to the first option: it is customary to include social workers in the staff of an educational institution.

Social workers play a special role in working with deviant teenagers. The most severe problem was the spread of such forms of deviation as drug addiction and substance abuse, alcoholism, delinquency, unmotivated aggression, etc.

During the period of growing up, adolescents often face both objective difficulties and subjective experiences. The reasons may be conflicts in the family, disagreements with friends, misunderstanding of teachers, communication problems, etc. The result of this is the search for means and ways to improve the state of mind. Therefore, the selection of effective technologies in social work with children and adolescents exhibiting deviant behavior in the field of education will be impossible without an analysis of the causes of various forms of deviance.

Social work in this direction can be divided into two areas: corrective and preventive. As in all other cases, their implementation is based on social diagnostics. Diagnosis of deviant behavior requires special knowledge and skills, so a social worker needs to rely not only on his own capabilities, but also on the practice of special social institutions: social rehabilitation centers for working with minors, psychological and pedagogical centers, etc.

The purpose of preventive technologies is to provide socio-psychological assistance to adolescents at risk, to identify neglect, and to prevent recurrence of criminal behavior. For preventive work, it is important to use not only the educational process, but also extracurricular work - individual and group. The organization of correctional technologies requires specialists in social work to have special training in the field of correctional social pedagogy, cultural and leisure activities.

The formation of youth as a socially active category of the population is carried out through a system of state and social institutions. An important role in this system is played by the university, which has its own social functions. It is both an institution and a mechanism for obtaining the skills and abilities of socially significant activities, acquiring and testing knowledge, professional growth and human communication, creates the necessary conditions for self-realization and assertion of the personality of a young person.

In the domestic pedagogy of the Soviet period, the process of educating young students was actively studied (G.D. Averyanova. P.R. Bandura, N.I. Boldyrev, A.S. Byk, O.I. Volzhina, B.Z. Vulfov, A.G. Davidyuk , ZD Dzhantakova, E.I. Zveznova, R.M. Kapralova, V.I. Kozhokar, L.V. Kuznetsova, A.F. Nikitin, I.N. Russu, Ya.V. Sokolov, V.L. Sukhomlinsky, A.M. Shalenov, T.A. Shingerei, N.I. Shchukin, D.S. Yakovleva, etc.). But only a few works addressed specific issues of educating students.

An analysis of the results of research conducted by modern domestic specialists in a number of Russian universities made it possible to formulate a number of fundamental conceptual foundations for the organization of the educational process.

1. Education as a purposeful process of socialization of the individual is an integral part of a single educational process.

2. The essence of the modern understanding of education is based on a personal and cultural basis: all-round assistance to the full development of the personality in the uniqueness of its appearance through familiarization with the culture of social life in all its manifestations: moral, civil, professional, family, etc.

3. Education is an interactive process in which the achievement of positive results is ensured by the efforts of both sides, both teachers and students.

4. The educational process must be provided by professionally trained personnel.

5. The educational process should be built on the basis of taking into account the trends and characteristics of the personal manifestations of student youth, as well as the characteristics of the microenvironment that is personally significant for them.

However, when organizing the educational process with students of the specialty "Social work", it is necessary to specify the specifics of the process. Future specialists, in addition to a number of universal human qualities, should have a high level of development of personal and professional qualities, moral guidelines and values. In addition, the moral and moral ideals and attitudes of specialists are realized in working with clients, so they must be clearly formulated and stable.

Taking into account the specifics of educational work, the author has developed an author's model of the educational process, which includes the following characteristics.

1. The stage of students' adaptation to the peculiarities of the specialty "Social work" (information and evaluation). Students are informed about the profession, the “portrait” of a social work specialist.

2. The stage of personal comprehension and acceptance of ideas and concepts of work (comparatively actualizing). At this stage, there is a rethinking of personal priorities in the formation of a system of ideas and values in the minds of future specialists.

3. The stage of purposeful inclusion of the function of understanding the need for personal growth, organization of educational work with juniors and peers (practical and prognostic).

As a practical basis for the implementation of this model, at the beginning of 2005, a laboratory of social technologies was opened on the basis of the Department of Social Pedagogy of the Volga State University.

Among the main tasks of the laboratory activities are:

Formation of a stable personal and professional interest in practical activities in the specialty;

· strengthening the positive image of the specialty "Social work" in the minds of students;

· equipping students with skills of practical work in social institutions of the regional level;

· increasing the level of creative activity and independence of students in the choice of forms and methods of work;

· on the basis of practical experience, education in students of a conscious attitude to the choice of further specialization and problem areas of work.

The cooperation of the university with children's and youth associations, organizations and institutions of social services for the population is carried out on the basis of voluntariness and initiative of both parties (both organizations and students) within the framework of contracts. At Volgograd State University, agreements have been signed with many subjects of social policy in the Volgograd region, including social rehabilitation centers for minors (29 in the Volgograd region) "Family" (34 in the Volgograd region), public organizations "For Saving the Children of Russia", "Marina".

In the implementation of the educational process in the 2004/05 academic year, teachers of the Department of Social Pedagogy of the Volga State University (3 people), students of the specialty "Social Work" 3rd year (56 people), 4th year (13 people), specialists from social institutions and organizations (more than 100 people).

In the process of correcting the work of the laboratory, analyzing the structure of the model of the educational process, the leading functions of educational work with students were determined:

Scientific and methodological function is aimed at:

1. For a comprehensive regulatory and technological support of the educational process through targeted work on
creation of a regulatory framework, as well as a bank of educational work technologies, their systematization and implementation in higher educational institutions.

2. Scientific development of programs for sociological and psychological diagnostics, allowing qualified monitoring of the personal state of student youth and the socio-cultural environment of its interaction.

3. Development of criteria for the effectiveness of the educational work of the university as a kind of educational standards aimed at a real assessment of the state of educational work in a particular university and a comparative analysis of its effectiveness within the region.

· The practical and prognostic function determines the directions of interaction of the university with organizations and institutions of the region, which can also act as subjects in the system of educational work (clubs, leisure centers, institutions of social services for the population).

· Information function, including the promotion of conceptual ideas, current trends and technologies of educational work with students through conferences, seminars, round tables, as well as the preparation and publication of scientific publications and guidelines on the problems of education in higher education.

As the main conclusions, it can be determined that the main conditions for the effective implementation of educational work and the youth environment of the university are:

· expanding the participation of young people in the development of university life, youth communities, and society;

expansion of the rights of young citizens, activation of initiative in the adoption
decisions;

· providing support for information support, greater visibility and accountability in matters of personal and professional self-determination.

19. Organizational aspects of social education.

The main organizational basis for the modernization of education in general and social education in particular are the new state educational standards of higher professional education. They define the foundation for quality assessment, the basic requirements for the content and implementation of educational programs. Since the mid 90s. in Russia, the development and implementation of new standards began, their adaptation to the national and regional conditions of various territories of the country. Moreover, this work is carried out in the context of the formation of multilevel education, which fully applies to social education in all its components. Thus, organizational and substantive work are interrelated.

The interdependence of the transformation of the content and organization of social education became particularly pronounced in the 1990s. in Russia in connection with the massive development of innovative educational institutions and educational practices, the evolution of the polysubjectivity of education. New forms of organization of education, as a rule, are based on innovative programs, new teaching technologies, which, of course, differentiate social education on a large scale in terms of content. This does not always have a favorable effect on the quality of knowledge, meets the basic standards, their national and regional modification.

In organizational terms, the introduction of national-regional components of standards is also organically linked to the increased diversity of the content of education, especially in the disciplines of the socio-humanitarian cycle. In this sense, the content of social education today, while maintaining the basic requirements, is most strongly differentiated by region. It objectively develops in the context of the formation of concepts and programs of national education, the development of national schools. In this sense, the formation of national-regional components and, in general, the concept of regional-specific social education is especially difficult and important.

Another organizational basis for the development of social education in the country is the existence of specialized institutions that perform the relevant educational functions. In this sense, the development of social education in Russia today relies on a system of specialized secondary and higher educational institutions, as well as institutions of primary vocational education that train personnel for institutions of the social sphere and management, specialists in the field of social sciences.

It is also fundamentally important that in the structure of a number of universities the number of faculties and departments that train personnel for social institutions that train social workers, sociologists, psychologists, social educators, valeologists, managers, and civil servants has increased. By the mid-90s, more than 60 faculties and departments were already functioning in the country's universities, where social workers, social teachers, and valeologists were trained on a state budget basis. The number of faculties and departments of psychology, economics and law also increased on a large scale.

These new organizational structures of social education in terms of content at the first stages of their development most often experienced and are experiencing serious difficulties. This is especially true for those of them that were opened in some technical universities that do not have qualified teachers of this profile. If this situation persists for a long period, they may not pass certification and will be closed.

It is obvious, however, that even in conditions of poor staffing, scientific and methodological literature, new departments of universities of a socio-humanitarian profile, of course, play a positive role, because they lay traditions, the foundations for the development of social education in the regions of the country. The experience of recent years shows that this work is carried out most successfully in classical universities, pedagogical and medical universities.

In organizational terms, social education in Russia in the last decade is also characterized by the fact that a large number of departments and educational laboratories, centers designed to provide general (non-professional) social education have appeared here. This is mainly done by the departments of philosophy, cultural studies, sociology, political science, psychology, history, fundamentals of law, social and economic statistics, fundamentals of economics and self-government. Solving the problems of improving the general culture of future specialists in various fields, increasing their culture of social thinking and self-organization, management activities, humanization of education, these departments form the organizational basis of general (non-professional) social education.

In organizational terms, one cannot fail to note a significant increase in the number of subjects of social education outside the traditional forms of its implementation. This is due to the intrusion into the sphere of educational activities of various firms, the media, public organizations, societies, associations and individuals, other states, which significantly expands the range of traditional educational institutions, creates a fundamentally new situation in the country.

In Russian education, there is now a situation where the state has largely lost control over educational processes in society, and the educational space of Russia as a sovereign state has been largely destroyed. The country implements educational programs of a number of totalitarian sects that are alien to the culture of the peoples of Russia, educational projects of other states, which also do not always take into account the interests of our state and people and are not controlled by state educational authorities.

It is impossible not to say about low-grade entertainment programs. In this regard, radio, television, the press, and book publishing turned out to be completely uncontrolled. The national-state policy in this area is so weak and ineffective that it is simply pointless to talk about any of its influence. It in no way manages social education and upbringing, which is dangerous with the most serious destructive consequences both for the state and for the population, especially that which forms the basis of the country's socio-cultural development.

Thus, the content and organization of social education in modern Russia are undergoing a contradictory process of renewal and overcoming the crisis, creating something new and preserving the best traditions of the old experience, and searching for optimal technologies.

Social education is actively involved in the formation of a new culture, social life, being its integral part.