DEFINING THE CONTEXT OF INTERVENTION WITHIN THE CASEWORK INTERVENTION: ANALYSIS OF PRACTICE IN MALLORCA

To be able to facilitate a real change, the social work project, has to be tailored on the specific problematic situation and inscribed in a proper relational context between user and social worker. The paper want to discuss... [ view full abstract ]

To be able to facilitate a real change, the social work project, has to be tailored on the specific problematic situation and inscribed in a proper relational context between user and social worker.
The paper want to discuss how professionals in Mallorca face this task, analysing data from a research undertaken interviewing social workers engaged in projects oriented to individual or family care. The interviewees (N 84), chosen with an intentional non- probabilistic sample, cover 73,4% of the total of social workers working in this context.
Two elements were classified: the importance recognised by social workers to the definition of the relational context and the achievement of a clear definition as a premise for structuring an effective intervention project.
The relationship between these two variables has been analyzed through the linear correlation coefficient and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient . Finally, the test of compliance ‘z’ between proportions, has been developed.
The results highlight the discrepancy between the intervention criteria that are considered important and their realization.
The data reveal that the entire process of defining the context of the intervention, is characterised by a weak understanding of the problems that are present in the situation, with a lack of criteria to evaluate meanings, strengths, proven solutions and systems involved.
The analysis of the users problems carried out in the social work practice is not enough grounded in professional knowledge and techniques and this doesn’t allow a clear definition of the context of intervention and therefore makes difficult to design an effective project.