‘My work is exciting’ – social workers in Estonia compared to Norway

Abstract

The article discusses the relationship between social policy and social work, focussing on how municipal social workers in Estonia and Norway describe their work situation as implementers of social policy. It is based on a series of individual and group interviews. Estonia is the main case, and Norway is included for comparative reasons. The relationship between aims and reality, external conditions and development of the profession are important subjects. Social workers represent a link between users and the various social policy institutions. Estonian and Norwegian social workers experience a gap between needs and resources. Representatives from both countries referred to the growing workload and complained about low status. At the same time they describe a positive development. A common feeling of having limited resources when confronted with the needs of the users is combined with a feeling that social work is challenging and exciting. In both countries networks and cooperation across professional borders are important. The authors conclude that social workers are important actors in implementing changes at the local level, but they seem to be more concerned about the daily encounter with the individual user than with the policy framework.

Artiklis kajastatakse sotsiaalpoliitika ja sotsiaaltöö omavahelist suhet, kusjuures fookuses on kohalike omavalitsuste sotsiaaltöötajate roll sotsiaalpoliitika elluviijatena nii Eestis kui Norras. Empiiriline materjal pärineb mitmest individuaal -ja fookusgrupiintervjuudest. P[otilde]hiteemaks on olukord Eestis ja Norra on lisatud v[otilde]rdluseks. Eesmärkide ja tegelikkuse vahekord, välised tingimused ja professiooni areng on sotsiaaltöös olulised subjektid. Sotsiaaltöötajad on lüliks klientide ja erinevate sotsiaalpoliitiliste institutsioonide vahel. Eesti ja Norra sotsiaaltöötajad kogevad suurt l[otilde]het tegelike ressursside ja vajaduste vahel. M[otilde]lema maa esindajad kurtsid eriala madala staatuse ning pidevalt kasvava töökoormuse üle. Samaaegselt kirjeldasid respondendid ka positiivset arengut. Vaatamata sellele, et igapäevatöö pakub piiratud ressursse klientide probleemide lahendamiseks, leiavad sotsiaaltöötajad, et töö on p[otilde]nev ja pakub rohkelt väljakutseid. M[otilde]lema maa esindajad toonitasid koostööv[otilde]rgustike vajalikkust nii oma eriala inimeste vahel kui ka teiste erialade esindajatega. Autorite arvates on sotsiaaltöötajad väga olulised viimaks ellu muutusi kohalikul tasandil, ent sotsiaaltöötajad ise leiavad, et igapäevane klienditöö on olulisem kui sotsiaalpoliitikaga tegelemine kohalikul tasandil.

Artikkelen diskuterer relasjonen mellom sosialpolitikk og sosialt arbeid, med et fokus på hvordan kommunalt ansatte sosialarbeidere i Estland og Norge beskriver sin arbeidssituasjon i forhold til gjennomf⊘ring av vedtatt sosialpolitikk. Den baserer seg på en serie med individuelle intervjuer og gruppeintervjuer. Estland er det viktigste kasuset. Norge er tatt med for å etablere et grunnlag for sammenligning. Forholdet mellom mål og virkelighet, eksterne hensyn og utviklingen av profesjonen er viktige temaer. Sosialarbeiderne representerer et mellomledd mellom brukerne og forskjellige sosialpolitiske institusjoner. Estiske og norske sosialarbeidere opplever at det er et sprik mellom behov og ressurser. Representanter fra begge land snakker om ⊘kt arbeidsmengde og klager over lav status. Samtidig beskriver de en positiv utvikling. En felles opplevelse av å ha begrensede ressurser i m⊘tet med brukernes behov, kombineres med en opplevelse av at sosialt arbeid er utfordrende og spennende. I begge land er behovet for nettverk og tverrfaglig samarbeid viktig. Forfatterne konkluderer med at sosialarbeidere er viktige for gjennomf⊘ringen av sosialpolitiske endringer lokalt. Men de ser ut til å være mer opptatt av det daglige m⊘te med den individuelle brukeren enn med det sosialpolitiske rammeverket.

Keywords:

• Estonia
• Norway
• professional development
• social policy
• social work

V[otilde]tmes[otilde]nad:

• Eesti
• Norra
• professionaalne areng
• sotsiaalpoliitika
• sotsiaaltöö

N⊘kkelord:

• Estland
• Norge
• profesjonsutvikling
• sosialpolitikk
• sosialt arbeid

Notes

1. The University of Tartu and Fafo have been cooperating closely since the beginning of the 1990s. Several national studies of living conditions were carried out in 1994 and 1999. The living conditions studies are called NORBALT I (Gr⊘gaard 1996, Dietz 1996, Aasland et al. 1997, Aasland and Cesnuityte 1997) and NORBALT II (Aasland and Tyldum 2000, Kutsar 2002).

2. Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers [Norwegian name: Fellesorganisasjonen for Barnevernpedagoger, Sosionomer og Vernepleiere (FO)].

3. Social policy is undergoing change in both countries. During the writing process of this article we have therefore communicated with some of the informants to ensure that our analyses are still valid (see e.g. Loza et al. 2006).

4. Our understanding of social work as a professional activity is in line with the definition of social work presented by The International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (see IFSW 2000).

5. A new chapter was added to the Social Service Act in 2007. This chapter considers implementation of a new kind of grant. The aim is to support inclusion of the user into the labour market. It gives new opportunities for supporting capacity development measures, but does not change the basic principles of the law.

6. The Norwegian government issued their proposal for a ‘new work and welfare administration’ in March 2005 (ASD 2005). This reform is under implementation and the process will be finished in 2010.

7. This is based on experiences in a social security office in the mid-1970s.

8. The Estonian Association of Social Workers was established in 2004.