Klaipėdos universitetas

A social worker’s individual work with the client, empowerment and leadership as the professionalisation of social work are analysed in the research article. This area of social work activity has become especially relevant in recent years, due to the new functions that have been taken over: the empowerment of clients who come out of prison. The article emphasises the change in the relationship between the social worker and the client, as well as the need for diverse methods of social work and the search for innovative solutions. The social worker’s activity in the community, and the change of attitudes while presenting a positive image of the client to achieve greater social participation, are reviewed in the article. The results of the qualitative study are presented with the content analysis method. The aim of the study was to bring to light the most essential competencies for social workers which allow them to achieve the greatest social participation results for people coming out of prison. In total, nine social workers who work directly with clients after prison took part in the qualitative study. The findings of the research revealed that social workers are in need of broadening their competencies. The most important qualities mentioned by social workers in competencies were: empathy, communication, and motivation. They tend to be the most essential factors determining social workers’ possibilities to construct the social support and better integration of clients into society. The study also revealed that social workers need continuous improvement, participation in training, and the use of various methods and programmes, in order to implement their new functions effectively.