Fafo-paper 2003:1

Dagmar Kutsar, Avo Trumm

Provision of social assistance

The case of the two municipalities of Estonia

ISSN 0804-5135
2003 56 p

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The whole world is getting more and more complicated, uncovering new social problems and risks for survival for a mankind. As a response to these changes, the context of social work is also in a rapid change. But one fundamental element remains the same, namely that social work is located within some of the most complicated arenas of human experience, packed with social difficulties and impacting different individuals, households or social groups with different severity.

The current study is a part of the research project „Social policy and social exclusion in the Baltic countries“ which is carried out in co-operation between the University of Tartu and Fafo and evaluates administrative capacity of social assistance provision with special focus on a local municipality and social worker as the main implementation actors of social assistance. Empirical material of the study is collected from qualitative interviews with insiders of the system of social assistance – social workers and decision-markers from the local and central governments.

The authors conclude that decline of collective solidarity, devaluation of altruistic values, hegemony of individualistic pragmatism, weakened informal social control – forces social workers to take on new functions, ensuring social justice and moral order in the community, and being promoters of a new type social capital they contribute to social cohesion.

Contents

Introduction

Background to the study
Theoretical point of departure and social evidence
Social security
Social work – the forgotten sphere of activity in Estonia

The study
Problem context of the current study
Method
Participants in expert interviews
Participants in the focus groups
Information on the counties of Pärnu and Jõgeva

Analysis: social assistance in practice
Views of social workers
Characteristic changes of the social assistance system
Changing landscape of social assistance 29
Changing target groups of social assistance 31
Attitudes concerning social assistance vs. social justice
Who deserves social assistance? 34
Changing roles of social workers 35
How to deal with unregulated situations?
Social work in rural areas
Concluding focus: the powers of social workers
The expert view of social protection and social assistance provision
Development of the social assistance system
Governmental changes in priorities
Changing target groups
Attitudes concerning social assistance vs. social justice
Changing roles of social workers
Unregulated situations

Reconstruction of social assistance: an integrated model?

Conclusion

References
Appendix: Structure of the focus group interview