Publication details
Politická praxe – výzva pro české vzdělavatele v sociální práci
| Title in English | Policy Practice – A Challenge for Czech Social Work Educators |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Socialni Prace – Sociálna práca |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | Elektronická verze textu |
| Keywords | policy advocacy; macropractice; political engagement; reform paradigm |
| Attached files | |
| Description | OBJECTIVES: Political practice is an integral part of social work as a specific helping profession, but in the Czech context this field seems less established. The aim of the study is to answer the questions: whether social workers consider political practice as part of their profession, whether they are involved in influencing systemic change, and if not, for what reasons. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: The question of political practice is viewed in terms of a global definition of social work and theories close to the reform paradigm. METHODS: The study design relies on a quantitative strategy. For its purposes, an exploratory method was chosen and data collection was carried out through a questionnaire that was available to respondents electronically (CAWI method). A total of 689 valid questionnaires were obtained. RESULTS: The most significant finding is that up to 65% of social workers have not been involved in influencing systemic change in the last five years and up to 40% of them cited lack of knowledge and skills on how to get involved as the main reason. The research findings are discussed in the context of OECD data on Czechs' sense of internal and external political efficacy. These give room for some optimism about political practice in Czech social work. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK: The findings allow to formulate several challenges for social work education. The most important recommendation for educators is to develop students' professional competencies that enable them to actively engage in political practice. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) |
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