Klaipėdos universitetas

The article seeks to reveal the importance of critical evaluation of authority of social workers. The problem of authority and different meanings attached to the role of a social worker are discussed and the practical and theoretical value of the research study is revealed. The article presents the theoretical explanations of the concept of authority and its ethical implications for social work practice at a children day care center. It also discusses the empirical findings of the qualitative case study conducted at the day care center X. The perceptions of its practitioners, what authority of a social worker means and consists of and how to gain it, are peresented. The article includes a detailed description of the specific context of the case study and indicates the selected research methods. The degree of reliability and validity of research study are also discussed. The empirical data of the case study is analyzed and discussed and conclusions are presented.

The purpose of the article is to present a discourse of public health ethics, as a social action, and research development. The following problematic questions have been framed to achieve the above purpose: what are the reasons for multiple meanings of public health concept? How is the concept of public in the context of pubic health understood? What are the possible approaches to the analysis of public health ethics? What are the major differences between public health ethics and healthcare ethics? The first part of the article makes an analysis of multiple meanings of the concept of public health. The second part addresses the concept of public in the context of public health. In the third part, there are analytical approaches to public health ethics reflected (professional ethics, applied ethics, representation ethics, critical ethics). The fourth part of the article focuses on differences between public health ethics and healthcare ethics. A summarising historical discourse on the development of public health ethics reveals the dynamics of theoretical approaches to the purpose of the article.

The 21st century is proclaimed to be the era of enhancement of quality of human life. Providing of social assistance plays an important role in the improvement of the quality of human life. In order to ensure the appropriate social assistance its providers have to be guided by ethical norms. Adherence to the principles of ethics is the basis of social assistance which makes it even more effective. The ability to behave ethically while providing social assistance is the main qualitative aspect of the service for its clients. This article highlights those ethical principles which are connected to respect, justice and protection.