Programme evaluation – Case work with families and children in Riga

Abstract

Since 2003, the professional social work has been acknowledged as a professional occupation. In compliance with the Social Service and Social Assistance Law (further – Law), local municipalities are responsible for carrying out individual work with families and children, where there are negative preconditions for the development of a child. The city of Riga is the capital of Latvia and the largest municipality with the broadest spectrum of experience in providing social assistance and social services. Riga can boast with the two-levelled organisation of social work: direct social work with a client is carried out at Riga Social Office; however, social assistance and its programme administration is the responsibility of Welfare Department of Riga. Data show that especially during the period of economic crisis and after-crisis period the number of clients of social workers – families – has markedly increased. If back in 2008, up to 3063 families needed social assistance and social services; in 2011, the number of families in need of such assistance had already reached 3216. This indicates the steady growth of social work in Riga. In 2011, social services and social assistance to 3216 families was provided with the help of 66 social workers. The total number of people served reached 11,947 persons; the number included 7.565 adults and 4.868 children.1 These families frequently suffer from depression, alcoholism, drug addiction; they are exposed to potential risks of poverty and family violence, as well as may develop criminal cases. Those families where any of the above mentioned risks are present suffer from dysfunctional familial relationships. One of the services provided to such families is individual case work. The service helps families with children to define, solve or lessen social problems by developing the resources of the involved individuals and by employing various systems of assistance. The number of social service workers in Riga Social Office is rather unchangeable; however, clients with problems of multiple and complicated nature increase. Evaluation is a crucial part of every professional activity. It is not a rare case that in Latvia the evaluation of the provided service means formally defining what has been done, for example, the number of consultations provided during face to face meetings and over the phone, the number of visitations, the number of the produced informative letters, the number of the services provided or the number of cases per social worker a year. The aim of the study is to evaluate the quality of the case work system in providing social assistance. The research involved the unity of all the activities undertaken by a social worker when focusing on case work. Quality assessment criteria were defined for the sake of carrying out the research.