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In their study authors are seeking answer to the question whether social work research in Hungary can be characterised by scientifical and/or practical orientation and accordingly what its role in is maintaining the gap in the profession between theory and practice. The paper examines Hungarian social work research in a quasi-systematic review, for which theoretical backgrounds are views regarding social work practice research and social work knowledges, explored in previous papers of the same authors. The empirical base of the review is an analysis of the essays published in the two-volume collection ’Tudományos gondolkodás és kutatás szerepe a szociális munkában’ (translate as ’Role of scientifical thinking and research in social work’) being an adequate representation of recent Hungarian research on social work.  The review indicates that Hungarian research on social work can be placed on a continuum ranging from theoretical to practical approach, although research involving practitioner-researchers, or examining and developing the practical knowledge are not typical features of it.

The topic of the article is status in the present of the Hungarian personal care social services, the problem map of the care system and the range of possible and necessary measures. The author identifies nine problem areas in the social field, within he identifies further phenomena. Based on these, he identifies twenty measures, that are necessary to prevent the crises of the social welfare system and to development of the area.

Within the framework of educational activities in the Social Services Leadership Knowledge Center of the Semmelweis University, this research is based on our work dealing with the organizational and managerial issues of social services. This study describes how current leaders think about an optimally functioning social system including desired operational frameworks, characteristics, and properties. Based on the value choices and critical remarks made by the heads of social institutions participating in the leadership training, we describe the operating characteristics of the Hungarian social system. We present theoretical frameworks, which support the interpretation of the current situation and future-oriented vision of leaders in the field of social services. With no research and previous data in this field, our study is the first to present shared conceptual and value frameworks for those working as managers in the Hungarian social services. To interpret our results, findings of previous surveys in other service areas might be helpful, which, due to the specifics of the social services sector, represent only a limited opportunity to capture innovation in the field. We also present the characteristics of the “good social leader” using data from free-text questions.

Ma Magyarországon normatív alapon senki nem kap segélyt, csak az önkormányzatok adnak ötletszerűen annak, aki nagyon kér. Holott a segélyt egyéni kérelemhez kötni Európában ma már súlyosan meghaladott álláspont. Ehelyett egyre terjed a társadalmi alapjövedelem gondolata, amit viszont idehaza elvetnek. Van ebben valami végzetes – íme a ma 90. születésnapját ünneplő Ferge Zsuzsa gondolatai, akivel nem csak a jelenről, hanem a múltról is beszélgettünk, a kezdetekről, Solt Ottiliáról, a szociális képzés hazai megteremtéséről.
Forrás: Népszava

What principles have I found to exist over my six decades of social work that are central to the profession and are still applicable in today’s complex world?  What has guided social work in its quest to address the myriad, ever changing and most difficult problems facing our societies irrespective of the continent or country?  In my professional journey these practice guides can be synthesized into 13 basic principles that can serve as a strong foundation and are still highly useful today. In my over 55 years as a professional social worker, studying the individuals and writers who were seminal to the profession to those who emerged during the mid-20^th century, certain principles emerged.  These principles arose from both practice and academic areas and have provided grounding and guidance that has led to the successful delivery of social work irrespective of the decade or location.

Social worker identity development is a key to helpers’ effectiveness. Institutions of higher education have their own systems to assess knowledge and skills. Measuring attitudes, and emerging autonomy and responsibility remains a challenge, though the developmental level of these latter components are fundamental to the motivations and reflectivity of the practitioner.  Identity Structure Analysis is a method to explore the main elements of professional identity, identity formation and dynamics. Our sample included 57 social work practitioners. Our results indicate that a degree in social work, research and critical thinking were considered of secondary importance as compared to continuous professional development opportunities.  Self-awareness trainings and clinical supervision were identified as key training resources. Based on our results, curriculum development should include considerations on professional identity development. Continuing professional education, trainings, mentoring, and clinical supervision are essential resources for social worker practitioners during their career.

In our study, we would like to present the challenges of recent years and the different innovative training methods in the social work BA training program at the University of Eötvös Loránd. The study puts the focus to the practical elements of the social work training program, analyse the skills development subjects and the practice field work. It is important to note that the first and second waves of COVID–19 pandemic have brought several challenges to organize and realize the social work training program, so the study will reflect them as well.

Rethinking the relation of theory and practice is in the focus nowadays regarding social studies. Define the ideal rate of practice in study programs is not easy, just as to determine those competencies and knowledge that able to reply to the differing needs of the labor market. The need-to-know basis which defines directly the tools of a practicing social worker is changing steadily by the societal- and economic transformation. Accordingly to this phenomenon, raise awareness relating to the learning process, innovative tools for both informal and formal (extra-)curricular trainings have become important features of education. In this learning environment, students are able to focus on better knowledge, understanding, and traceability of their individual growth.  Moreover, innovative methods create an opportunity to develop values, attitudes, and professionalism. Organizing and implementing research-camps, where students can deepen their knowledge of social research methods, is perfectly fits this approach. We have to see that learning is not an activity we can define precisely, rather something complex, strongly determined by the situation, as different people learn differently, indeed, the same person has different ways to get the knowledge in different situations. This is particularly true for research-camps where the specific learning environment has catalyzing role in transforming procedural knowledge. One advantage of procedural knowledge is that it can involve more senses, such as hands-on experience, practice at solving problems, understanding of the limitations of a specific solution, etc. Camping is an outstanding and effective stage in social learning as well. Experience as usable knowledge in subsequent situations may remain by reflecting on solving problems and experiences. (Gruber & Garabás, 2018) In the practice of the Department of Community and Social Studies (University of Pécs) students participate in research planning and implementing from the setting of targets through data collection and processing till publishing results. Studied phenomenons, processes, and correlations are often the proofs of the complexity of society for those with significantly different socio-economic backgrounds. The community-shaping effect is another crucial aspect in the integration of research-camps into our curriculum. The decreasing number of full-time students and the fact that most of them are employees (self-supporters) affect the quantity and the quality of community activities. Research-camps, besides deepening and exploiting knowledge, create opportunities for collaboration and savoring mutual experiences.

The Jewish Theological Seminary, founded in 1877, aimed to combine modern scholarship with Jewish religious traditions. However, the golden age of the Institution and its world fame followed the cruel destruction of the Holocaust. Then, for forty years, the communist dictatorship made life difficult in the Jewish community. Despite the persecutions, the Jewish Holocaust survivors, along with the second and third generations, quickly revived the traditions from the 1990s and the Jewish community became an active, organized community again. One sign of this is that the Rabbinical Seminary has become a university, the Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies. Part of this process is that training for social workers began in 1995. The study is a historical outline of the institution that has been operating continuously in Budapest for 150 years. How and why was it created? How do they find their place and what answers do they give to social problems today? It reviews the professional values ​​and principles of social worker training and tries to reflect the special Jewish features of the University.

Recenzió – Fábián, Gergely (szerk.); Hegyesi, Gábor (szerk.); Budai, István (szerk.); Héderné, Berta Edina (szerk.); Kozma, Judit (szerk.); Szöllősi, Gábor (szerk.); Talyigás, Katalin (szerk.): A szociális munka elmélete és gyakorlata. 7. kötet: Tudományos gondolkodás és kutatás a szociális munkában. Budapest, Magyarország: MTA Szociológiai Bizottsága Szociális Munka Albizottság (2020), 539 p. ISBN: 9789638302557

This review takes a closer look at the Women and housing: Housing solutions responding to the special needs of women study written by Fanni Dés and Zsuzsanna Pósfai. The authors ask how the housing crisis in Hungary affects women and what solutions can mitigate these effects. In the review, we summarize this study and discuss additional research areas worth analyzing. We identify the three most important contributions of the study. First, the authors connect the housing crisis with the oppression of women and by doing so, they can address the housing crisis within its social and economic context. Second, due to their qualitative methodology, the authors throw light upon the human face of the housing crisis and the vulnerability of women in it. Finally, by providing a guide to institutions and local governments, the study helps mitigate the effects of the housing crisis on women.

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In this paper I review the power relations relevant to social work and social workers. At the birth of the profession, an enlightened absolutist political power structure created great freedom and creative opportunities for social workers to contribute to alleviating social crisis. Social work was willing and able to meet these needs. The above-mentioned power orientation created a particular professional manner of operation by applying improvised solutions, by „dispatching” of clients to other public services, by the brokering of information and resources. In this set-up, the importance of power of clients, especially over social workers were marginalised. All this has contributed to a serious crisis in the sphere of social work when political power has become more confrontational and has sought to resolve social issues by force.