Social Work (e-books)

E-book

Katarína Šiňanská, Lucia Tóthová, Tomáš Šeďo

Každý človek má potreby – od tých najzákladnejších, ako je jedlo a bezpečie, až po potrebu lásky, uznania a sebarealizácie, teda rozvoja svojho potenciálu. Tieto potreby boli zoradené do tzv. Maslowovej pyramídy, kde na seba nadväzujú podľa toho, ako veľmi sú pre náš život nevyhnutné. Ak máme uspokojené základné potreby, začneme túžiť po tých vyšších – napríklad po blízkych vzťahoch, spolupatričnosti, rešpekte a možnosti rozvíjať sa.

Ľudia so zdravotným znevýhodnením majú rovnaké potreby ako ktokoľvek iný. Rozdiel je často len v tom, že ich naplnenie je pre nich náročnejšie – nie preto, že by ich menej chceli, ale preto, že im v tom často bránia vonkajšie prekážky. Chýbajúca podpora, bariéry v prostredí, nedostatok informácií či predsudky spoločnosti spôsobujú, že sa na ich potreby zabúda. Niektoré potreby sa potom stávajú „neviditeľné“ – nie preto, že by neexistovali, ale preto, že ich okolie nevníma.

Sociálne potreby, ako je láska, priateľské vzťahy, pocit spolupatričnosti, možnosť komunikovať a byť súčasťou komunity, sú pre ľudí kľúčové. Ak nie sú naplnené, vznikajú pocity samoty, smútku, bezmocnosti či frustrácie. Z výskumov vieme, že osamelosť alebo pocit odmietnutia môže bolieť rovnako ako fyzická bolesť. O to dôležitejšie je vnímať, že každý z nás túži po tom istom – po prijatí, rešpekte, priateľstve, láske.

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E-publication

Lucia Tóthová

The monograph offers a comprehensive perspective on the theoretical, methodological, and empirical dimensions of participatory visual research within the field of social work. It is grounded in the understanding that social work plays a crucial role in amplifying the voices of vulnerable groups and promoting social justice, with particular attention paid to persons with disabilities who frequently encounter limited opportunities for participation as well as persistent social, communicative, and environmental barriers. The author analyses the concept of participation in alignment with the principle of “Nothing about us without us” and presents the PhotoVoice method as an interdisciplinary tool that integrates participatory action research, critical pedagogy, feminist epistemologies, and documentary photography. The method is understood not only as a research technique but also as a form of visual advocacy, enabling participants to articulate their experiences, needs, and perspectives in ways accessible to both professional audiences and the wider public. The monograph reflects on the development of PhotoVoice in international scholarship and highlights its potential to transcend traditional academic boundaries toward participatory and transformative practice in social work. The empirical section comprises three projects conducted by the author in the Slovak context, focusing on diverse groups of persons with disabilities and their families, who face specific social needs and everyday barriers. The findings demonstrate the potential of PhotoVoice to strengthen participation through accessible and meaningful visual tools. The monograph also addresses methodological, ethical, and terminological considerations and adopts an inclusive understanding of disability consistent with contemporary approaches in social work.

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E-book

Lucia Tóthová

Počet ľudí so zdravotným znevýhodnením neustále rastie, čo predstavuje výzvu aj pre oblasť sociálnej práce. Tá zohráva kľúčovú úlohu v podpore týchto osôb a hľadaní efektívnych spôsobov napĺňania ich potrieb.

Vysokoškolská učebnica vznikla v rámci riešenia projektu KEGA č. 018UPJŠ-4/2024 s názvom „PhotoVoice ako inovatívna metóda advokácie sociálnych potrieb ľudí so sluchovým postihnutím“. Je prvou časťou viacdielneho cyklu, ktorý sa venuje rôznym aspektom tejto problematiky. Učebnica analyzuje historické a teoretické východiská, terminológiu a modely zdravotného znevýhodnenia. Venuje sa špecifikám vybraných druhov zmyslového znevýhodnenia. Osobitná pozornosť sa upriamuje na sociálne potreby týchto osôb a advokácii v sociálnej práci, pričom zdôraznený je význam aktívneho zapojenia ľudí so zdravotným znevýhodnením do riešenia vlastných životných situácií.

Okrem poskytovania odborných poznatkov môže učebnica slúžiť aj ako podnet na hlbšiu reflexiu vlastného prístupu k ľuďom so zdravotným znevýhodnením a na rozvoj citlivého prístupu k ľuďom so zdravotným znevýhodnením. Navyše, učebnica obsahuje vybrané prvky tzv. jasnej tlače, čím podporuje jej prístupnosť.

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E-book

Eva Žiaková - Tomáš Šeďo (eds.)

Peer-reviewed collection of contributions from an online scientific conference (9^th year of Košické dni sociálnej práce) with international attendance held on the 26^th of November 2021.

The present peer-reviewed collection of contributions titled “Metanoia in social work theory and practice” is an output of the 9^th year of Košické dni sociálnej práce, an online conference with international attendance held on the 26^th of November 2021. As the name of the conference implies, the pivotal topic of submitted contributions is metanoia, which represents a change in life attitude. Various interesting and actual issues concerning diverse aspects of social work are discussed in the individual contributions.

The present collection comprises contributions oriented towards the issues of social pathology and its prevention, supervision, the importance of digital technologies in social work, research methods, self-care and so forth. The collection further contains several contributions devoted to the exceptionally actual issues of radicalism and extremism, which are widespread and serious occurrences in the present time. The contributions are highly original and beneficial from the point of view of theoretical conceptions and methodological procedures apart from offering quality empirical processing and interesting results.

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E-book

Lenka Pčolinská

The university textbook "Social Economics and Social Entrepreneurship" presents the issue of the social economy from a complex point of view and it is the first university textbook focused on the topic of social economy in Slovakia. Its aim is to contribute to the understanding of the concept of social economy, its development, basic conceptual apparatus, legislative anchoring and practical realities of social economics and social enterprises in Slovakia. The textbook discusses the basic legislative principles that need to be known when establishing a social enterprise.

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E-book

Dušan Šlosár

The monograph Social Institutions and Social Organizations analyzes the issues of society, spheres of society, models of social coexistence, social system, social institutions and social organizations that arise within individual social institutions. From social institutions, the monograph focuses on culture, religion, education, politics, health and economics.Individual social institutions are analyzed from several sociological perspectives, which allows the creation of a broader view of the analyzed issues.

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E-book

Františka Petriková - Vladimír Lichner - Eva Žiaková

The proposed methodological guide focuses on a self-care questionnaire for the target group of adolescents. The creation of this methodology was prompted by its absence in the conditions of the Slovak Republic. The methodological guide consists of both theoretical and empirical parts.

In the theoretical part, the authors present theoretical foundations for the proposed methodology—self-care among adolescents—and also provide theoretical definitions of components of self-care in this target group. The second, empirical part of the methodological guide is dedicated to validation methods used to verify the questionnaire. It also presents results examining differences or correlations in the presented issues.

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E-book

Magdaléna Hovanová

The university textbook offers a view of the family in social contexts. It deals with the basic characteristics of the family, the life cycle of the family from the choice of partner, through the arrival of children in the family to the end of the family. During its duration, the family performs various functions. A functional family is ideal for a harmonious relationship between partners and a suitable environment for raising children.

However, a number of factors enter the life of the family, which directly or indirectly affect the performance of these functions and can cause various disorders. It is here that the task of social work is to offer help to families to cope with their big and small problems. A specific feature of social work is the focus on the whole and a comprehensive assessment of the family, where it is necessary to take into account both the client's point of view and the aspect of the environment in which he lives and which constantly affects him. Therefore, the university textbook offers procedures for social work with the family, from the assessment of the life situation, through the plan of work with the family to social intervention.

The university textbook is intended for students of social work, who have the opportunity to practice complex issues within the assessment of the case through the enclosed case studies.

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E-book

Magdaléna Halachová - Vladimír Lichner - Katarína Šiňanská (eds.)

Proceedings of Contributions from the Scientific Conference Held on April 25, 2013, in Košice

The proceedings of contributions from the scientific conference were created as part of the national round of the Student Scientific and Professional Activities event in the field of study 3.1.14 Social Work, which took place on April 25, 2013, in Košice.

The central theme of the proceedings focuses on addressing various problem areas within social work as both an academic discipline and a practical activity. These contributions were prepared by students and young researchers under the guidance of experienced professionals. The topics covered in the proceedings include issues such as social services, field social work, school social work, and similar areas. Additionally, they highlight the dangers of socio-pathological phenomena such as truancy, drug addiction, poverty, bullying, and more.

The presented results clearly demonstrate the importance of social work and other helping professions in working with specific client groups.

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Soňa Lovašová - Katarína Šiňanská - Magdaléna Halachová  - Vladimír Lichner (eds.)

The central theme of the conference is violence in social work. Violence in social work appears in various forms, whether it involves working with clients who are victims of different types of violence or dealing with aggressive clients where the social worker themselves becomes the victim. Violence in society is rapidly increasing, and social work is a science that must necessarily adapt to society; this is its essence. Therefore, managing aggressive situations in any form is an important part of a social worker's personal skill set.

Unfortunately, protecting social workers from violence will gradually become a necessity, and in the future, we may not avoid training in self-defense and reducing aggression as part of professional preparation or lifelong education.

The aim of this collection is to present the issue of violence in social work from various perspectives to both the professional and lay public. We hope that this serious problem will receive increasing attention and that the individual contributions will help readers understand the extent of the problem of violence in social work.

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