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Perceptions of families with children and the social professionals working with them on services promoting the well-being and social mobility of families
3-28Views:70In our study, we investigate how families with children living in a disadvantaged sub-region of Northern Hungary, in areas of different settlement size and in settlements belonging to the Budapest agglomeration, perceive the available educational,
education, childcare, health and social services, whether they have any information about them, and what professionals working with families with children think about the education, childcare, health and social services and services available to them.
the professional content and quality of the services provided, and whether
the extent to which they can contribute to the well-being and social mobility of families. Our research included a population questionnaire survey and interviews with professionals and families with children. Our results indicate that children's abilities
the lack of services to develop their abilities, develop their talents and promote their well-being, the
existing education, health and social services with very limited capacity and therefore low quality, and limited access to cultural and recreational opportunities
mobility opportunities for children growing up in disadvantaged families are severely limited. Child welfare social work tools are scarce and social interventions are based on fire-fighting. -
Self-contained child protection – possible ways to open up
178-194Views:151The aim of the research, based on a qualitative methodology, is to gain an understanding of
whether external/affiliated services are provided in child protection system targeting parents or
children and young people with child protection problems. The aim is to examine the extent of a
service focused and innovative approaches in child protection, where is the place and what is the
role of civil services. The study, which based on 15 expert interviews, argues that child protection
is currently characterised by many dysfunctions, as a self-contained and isolated sub-system of
social policy, which not only fails to deliver the basic objectives of child protection in practice, but
in many cases hides structural deficiencies and systemic anomalies. There is a need to explore
new ways of child protection, including the use of volunteering, the services of civil organizations
and broad partnerships. -
Participatory research of social issues: practical experience from a research project on homelessness
40-61Views:85This article is an account of our practical research and cooperation experience from a
participatory research project on homelessness and psychosocial disability carried out in a
Hungarian university context, by a student and two experts by experience in a researcher role.
We argue for the involvement of disadvantaged people using social services in research related
to disadvantaged people and social services, highlighting the advantages and challenges of this
kind of research based on our experience. Finally, we formulate practical recommendations that
migh be useful for beginners – like we used to be – in participatory research in this field. -
Central European Innovative Practices Supporting Active Ageing
48-63Views:75The study presents through international examples of how the security and quality of life of elderly and disabled people can be enhanced. 12 partners in eight Central European countries carried out pilot activities within the framework of the HELPS project. The aim of this international project is to contribute to the decrease of the social exclusion of elderly, and to elaborate practises through which seniors would not be constraint to institutional care, and can live in their homes on a longer term. The study presents the outcomes of these pilots and the ensuing primary experiences. The presented innovative solutions offer possibilities in various fields (housing, services, career, practises, information of relatives) for the home care of elderly and people living with disabilities. Prior to the elaboration and put into practice of the development ideas and plans, the partners evaluated the health care system and related services offered to elderly and disabled people in their homeland. The analyses revealed those shortage areas, where further developments would increase the possibility to keep and care for the target group in their homes.
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’If a worker’s hostel – let it be good’: The status of worker’s hostels in state and corporate social policy in Szabolcs-Szatmár county in the 1970s
43-61Views:66The presentation of the commuter’s ’second home’ is inevitable in connection with the research of commuting as one of the most defining social phenomena of the Kádár era. This is particularly justified in Szabolcs-Szatmár county, which area was closely connencted to the phenomenon of short-distance commuting. One of the main goals of the intertwining state and corporate social policy implemented in the era, especially from the first half of the 1960’s, was undoubtedly to ensure satisfactory living conditions and cultural services provided by workers’ hostels. While from the beginning of the 1970’s, the county’s political leadership, one of the companies employing the most commuters, the Szabolcs County State Construction Company, prioritized the matter of workers’ hostels, which had been operated since the beginning of the fifties, from the end of the sixties. The company’s efforts were mainly shown in connection with the creation of suitable hygienic conditions and the provision of cultural opportunities. However, despite the significant financial outlay, a lasting result was not achieved, as a result of which the corporate goals set in previous decades were also prioritized in the 1980’s.
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On the margin of child protection: Negative life events impact on the adolescents and youth health behavior
80-108Views:131The paper studies how negative life events affect risk behaviour of children and young people. Calculations on the database of the ‘Hungarian youth 2012’ research suggest that negative life events are strong predictors of different types of risk behaviour like alcohol, drug abuse and suicide. According to the data people who have experienced several and more serious negative life events, more likely refuse and turn away from the norms of the adult society than those whose life proves to be less stressful. To place these results into child protection context, the study calls attention to the fact that the Hungarian child protection system does not treat each group in the fragmented society equally, although, on the basis of the incidence of threat it should. Another important message of this paper is to highlight that in addition to scientific values large-scale sociological research studies have professional and practical values as well. To support it, from the questions of the well-known Holmes-Rahe scale the authors re-developed an exploration scale (Reduced Life Events Scale). The application of the Reduced Life Event Scale (or the original Holmes-Rahe scale) allows experts to focus more on the studied issues in the process of planning services, prevention and case work. The tool might propose solutions to use the insufficient resources in a more targeted way.
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The role of a children group for the participant, underprivileged children in the family care system 1995–2005
113-135Views:41The aim of this paper is to analyse the methods and effects of a children group, which existed
from 1995 till 2005. The relevance of this group is, that the beginning of this period preludes the
constitution of the Hungarian child protection law. After the transmission period the emerging
social service system provided (or at least tried) supports and services. Those families whose
children were involved in this child group were dealing with unemployment, poverty, lack of
proper housing, abuse, deviance and addictions. The significance of this group that the given
service was easily ductile to the needs of the children and families. -
Legitimacy and tax morale in fiscal contract: The role of collective services and government communication in shaping taxpayers’ moral considerations
140-156Views:47The purpose of this paper, building on the so-called fiscal contract theory, published by Margaret Levi (1988, 1998) and Jeffrey F. Timmons (2005), is to investigate the nature of the relationship between the so-called tax morale and government legitimacy. More specifically, it discusses the important theories and empirical researches to highlight on the significance of the role of the government in influencing citizens’ moral considerations during taxpaying. According to the fiscal contract theory, there is an unspoken agreement between taxpayers and the government to oblige the government to maintain services reflecting on collective needs and to oblige citizens to comply with the law, i.e. to pay their taxes. Thus, taxpaying is voluntary, but conditional. This paper relies on this theory when it argues that fiscal contract is rooted in citizens’ responsibility for their community, inducing their tax morale. In other words, this bilateral agreement suggests, that tax morale, what is rooted in citizens’ responsibility, is a significant factor of taxpaying motivations.
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How do the Spanish families face to crisis? The types and consequences of coping strategies
156-170.Views:49The impact of the crisis in Spain helped to harden the difficulties of a large number of households
in Spain. Even though these conditions had a widespread impact, it has been more acute in
families that prior to the crisis were dealing with difficult situations. The main objective of this
paper is to identify strategies the households developed in order to face these difficulties. The
results have been selected from a qualitative analysis of 34 excluded household´s life stories. From
this analysis two interesting results were obtained: On the one hand, households have developed
prevention and survival strategies. On the other hand, the study identifies the consequences of
the strategies and their impact in terms of household´s social integration. With all the results,
the paper invites to reflect on the limits of survival strategies. -
Youth NGOs at home and abroad
216-231Views:27NGOs are now considered by social researchers to be a full member of society, and are increasingly visible in public awareness, media and vocabulary, which shows their growing influence and importance.
Their numbers are constantly growing, and their services and activities are expanding. However, in addition to the wide range of tasks and services, there are common features of NGOs that make them a completely separate sector. Their mission is to serve the public and the community, without profit-making being their primary objective (Bányai 1997).
The non-profit sector includes those organisations in society which operate as private institutions but in fact serve community purposes (Simon 1998).Since the range of activities of NGOs is very broad and it is difficult to draw conclusions from the whole, the focus of this short study is on youth NGOs.
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Beyond „Green finance” – Sustainability aspects of capital markets
123-137Views:50
The accumulation of capital constitutes an enormous obstacle to the sustainability transition.
The role of the capital throughout the whole evolutionary process of civilization is undoubtedly impressive, as it has continuously delivered innovations in our everyday lives. Nevertheless, as
we argue in our study, a dominant part of capital accumulation has not fulfilled this function
in monetary and material terms as well recently; or performs at a low efficiency concerning the
ecological damage generated. Sustainability calls thus for an investment environment in the
near future that allows for the social benefits of capital accumulation through the expansion
of the material services delivered, limiting the accumulation of material stocks, resulting in
significant adverse environmental impacts remarkably in the same time. We will introduce
and compare the gains of savings and capital accumulation considering the monetary and the
material dimensions of our socio-economic system, unveiling the relevance of the capital market
in sustainability transition in this way, beyond green finance.
