Tiltai

The article examines the phenomenon of self-realisation among older adults in the context of social work, revealing how social workers perceive and support the search for meaning in life in their professional practice. The study was based on a qualitative narrative approach that made it possible to explore the experiences of social workers, processes of meaning-making, and principles of existential empowerment applied in working with elderly clients. The analysis showed that self-realisation in old age is a dynamic and multi-dimensional process, shaped by the interaction of internal (faith, values, reflection) and external (family relations, activity, community) factors. The role of the social worker takes on the meaning of existential companionship, helping individuals rediscover meaning, preserve dignity, and experience personal worth in everyday life. The results showed that the application of empowerment, dialogue and principles of meaningful participation in social work practice strengthens the continuity of identity, self-esteem and sense of life fulfilment among older adults.

In the article, a qualitative study aims to reveal the possibilities for applying mediation as a method to empower clients in making decisions in conflict situations in social work. Mediation initially emerged in Lithuanian society in the judicial sphere, but entirely new opportunities have begun to take shape in social work. The analysis of the participants’ reflective experiences reveals that social mediation is gradually becoming a competence or specialisation for social workers. Active listening to the client, their involvement in the mediation process, where equality and openness between the conflicting parties prevail, opens up opportunities for the client’s personal transformation process, aimed at empowering them to take responsibility for the process, seek solutions, and adhere to them. The analysis shows that mediation influences clients’ empowerment to make decisions in conflict situations in social work, and enables them to act in real life as well.

One of the most important aspects influencing the quality of life is education. The paper includes the research results from an analysis of how the level of education affects quality of life, and the development of different initiatives and values. An analysis of scientific literature is performed, with a more detailed analysis of data from Latvia, taking into account the level of household income and satisfaction with life. Research methods applied: analysis of scientific findings, analysis of time-series on several indicators of development related to different education indicators, and income indicators depending on educational level, with a calculation of income confidence interval with a probability of 0.95 for households with different educational levels. Data used in the research: data from databases of the Official Statistics Portal of the Republic of Latvia, Household Finance and Consumption Survey. The research results indicate that households in Latvia with a higher education have a significantly higher income than households with primary or no education.

The paper discusses different styles of leadership of the social work that have been empirically reconstructed and conceptualized. The consequences of such leadership styles for the professional activity of the social workers are analysed not only regarding the clients but also in the context of empowerment of the workers. Considerations are made concerning the influence of social work to the identity and the distribution.

The paper focuses on the currently rather intensive process of the social work professionalisation and proposes to place a greater emphasis on the human dimension, i.e. social worker’s personality as a guarantee of professional success. The occupational burnout syndrome is discussed as a negative subjective circumstance of the profession of social work. The principal traits of the occupational burnout syndrome are revealed, and the dimensions of the occupational burnout syndrome are identified and characterised. On the basis of the works of Lithuanian and foreign researchers on the said subject, the discourse of the occupational burnout syndrome in social work is presented, and the factors that influence the emergence of the phenomenon (both individual and job-related / organisational) in professional activity are discussed. The empirical research by means of the so far the most popular Maslach’s Burnout Inventory (MBI) reveals the effects of the occupational burnout on social worker’s personality, practical activity, and the status of the profession of social work in the society.