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Factors affecting the development of social work and its professionalisation process: the case of Greece
Author(s) -
Koukouli Sofia,
Papadaki Eleni,
Philalithis Anastas
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2007.00530.x
Subject(s) - european union , politics , immigration , population , work (physics) , social work , process (computing) , control (management) , social protection , state (computer science) , economic growth , political science , social rights , sociology , economics , economic policy , law , management , engineering , demography , mechanical engineering , algorithm , computer science , operating system
This article discusses some of the factors that have shaped the development of social work in Greece and analyses its present level of professionalisation. There were four main factors: (i) the familialist‐statist social care model in which social work operates in Greece; (ii) reluctant state support related to a complex set of specific political, social and economic conditions; (iii) the pressure of new needs in recent years as a result of the aging population, family changes and increasing numbers of immigrants; and (iv) the European Union's financial support and regulatory role in various social policy sectors. The present status of the profession indicates a satisfactory protection of professional rights, a slow but steady improvement in the educational process, but also limited occupational control.