Challenges of Networking for Social Work
Journal Title: KultŁ«ra ir visuomenė. SocialiniŁ³ tyrimŁ³ Ł¾urnalas - Year 2012, Vol 3, Issue 1
Abstract
During last few decades world has irreversibly changed and moved towards globalization, therefore, exploitation of the old-fashioned organizational design methods in social service organizations became ineffective and self-destructive. It means that it is necessary to look for new ways to construct and develop the relations of social worker to clients and institutions that correspond to the conditions of current and future social environment. Networking is a process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other people and institutions in different environments. Networks of social workers, clients, people related to them and institutions begin with an independent cooperation with multilateral obligations and develop long-term relationships based on trust. A social web usually consists of various institutions, including private or governmental organizations of social services, schools, church, clients, families, clubs etc. where they meet to share and exchange informational, financial, material resources and services. The article discusses the following features of the social work network: holistic, chaotic, heterogeneous, central, diffusive, cooperative, credibility, domestic, and smallness. The issues of social network critical mass formation, centre formation, relationships among network elements formation and their coordination are also analyzed. The article argues that, in the analysis of social networks, the criteria of networks borders, size, density, complication, strength of its relations, network rank and level of centrality might be used. The contextual analysis of social networking development reveals the shortcomings of hierarchical social service organizations in contemporary social work. Networking can help social workers to act in adaptive, organic manner to exploit opportunities for cooperation and synergy in social service organizations.
Authors and Affiliations
Sonata Staniulienė
Keywords
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