POSSIBILITIES OF "SOCIAL WORK" STUDENTS’ PRACTICAL TRAINING CONCERNING PROVIDING OF SOCIAL SERVICES FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE IN THE TERRITORIAL CENTERS

Анотація

Introduction. Among important challenges of modern professional training of specialists in the field of social work in the establishments of higher education is the focus on the practice-oriented implementation of educational tasks related to the acquisition of abilities, orientation skills in the information flow, coordinated work in the team, productive communication; readiness to confront various social threats and constant renewal and development of own knowledge and practical skills. Special attention in the training of such specialists should be paid to the formation of practical experience of social assistance, support, and providing of high-quality social services in the Territorial Centers for elderly people. The question of determining the real steps for the implementation of such training arises.

Purpose. The purpose of the paper is to provide theoretical substantiation and practical verification of the possibilities of students’ practical training for social services of elderly people in the Territorial center.

Methods. Analysis, systematization of theoretical material; survey, study of practical experience, use of experience gained in the process of students’ practice-oriented training, generalization of the obtained results.

Results. In the main part of the study the definition of the concept of a practice-oriented approach as a teaching and learning method is given, which allows students to combine studies at an establishment of higher education with practical work on providing services to elderly people. Students were put in conditions close to real. The work was carried out in three directions: theoretical, scientific-and-research, practical. While fulfilling theoretical tasks, students selected necessary information, studied theoretical sources according to the list provided by the teacher, prepared presentations and speeches on the explanation of the material, which they selected and worked out. While working in groups they defined the necessary practical skills for providing services to clients; principles, purpose, tasks, set of methods of work with such a group of clients. It should be noted that the scientific-and-research stage involved experimental work at the Territorial center of social services, which had the goal of identifying specific features of social services for elderly people and identifying ways that effectively influence the well-being of such people. The research was carried out by using methods of observation, familiarization and analysis of documents, interviews with employees of the territorial center, questioning and testing with elderly people, studying conditions of the Territorial center; individual and group socio-psychological counseling of elderly people. The practical direction was implemented in order to develop competencies and professional experience necessary for a social worker.

Conclusions. In the process of students’ practice-oriented training at classes in discipline "Methods of social work" a set of forms and methods of scientific, educational work on providing social services for elderly people in the Territorial center was used (study of normative documents, their application in practical situations, development of schemes and tables with the definition of basic principles of work, methods, requirements, exercises to fill in necessary documents, use of joint activities of the teacher, students and practical employee, carrying out scientific-and-research tasks in the study of the satisfaction of elderly people). The results of the study confirmed the effectiveness of the results of students’ practice-oriented training.