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Abstract
The article deals with the development of social welfare and social services in Lithuania by describing cultural contexts and disclosing evaluations of social service providers and recipients and needs of social service delivery. The authors of the article discuss the changing role of the state, pose a question as to what the institutions and the actors are and to what extent should they participate in the creation of social welfare. One of the aims of this paper is to describe the development of the welfare mix in Lithuania, by showing that welfare is inevitably woven into the historical, economic, political and social context; the distinctive cultural configuration of the welfare mix in social services delivery in Lithuania is revealed. Empirical research (survey of social services recipients and providers) presented in the article discloses that actors of social services delivery experience tension and ambiguity between the demand of neoliberal policy to choose and be responsible and the expectation that the state will participate in the social service market. At the same time social services recipients and providers express a need for different actors to take an active part in the welfare system.
Straipsnyje diskutuojama socialinės gerovės ir socialinių paslaugų raida Lietuvoje. Aptariamas kultūrinis kontekstas ir socialinių paslaugų teikėjų ir gavėjų poreikiai vertinant socialinių paslaugų teikimą. Straipsnio autoriai nagrinėja besikeičiantį valstybės vaidmenį, keldami klausimą, kokios institucijos ir dalyviai bei kokiu lygmeniu turi dalyvauti kuriant socialinę gerovę. Vienas iš šio straipsnio tikslų yra aprašyti mišriojo gerovės modelio raidą Lietuvoje, parodant, kaip gerovės sistema yra įpinta į istorinį, ekonominį, politinį ir socialinį kontekstus. Atitinkamai buvo atskleista savita kultūrinė mišriosios gerovės konfigūracija teikiant socialines paslaugas Lietuvoje. Straipsnyje pristatytas empirinis tyrimas (socialinių paslaugų gavėjų ir teikėjų apklausa) atskleidė, kad socialinių paslaugų teikimo institucijos ir dalyviai patiria įtampą ir dviprasmiškumą tarp neoliberalios politikos reikalavimo rinktis bei būti atsakingu ir tarp lūkescių, kad valstybė bus aktyvi socialinių paslaugų rinkoje. Tuo pačiu, socialinių paslaugų gavėjai ir teikėjai išreiškia lūkescius, jog įvairūs socialinių paslaugų rinkos dalyviai (NVO, privačios organizacijos ir kt.) prisiims aktyvų vaidmenį kuriant socialinę gerovę.
Funding
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Research Council of Lithuania [grant number MIP-021/2011].
Notes on contributors
Dr. Natalija Mažeikienė is a Professor at the Department of Social Work and Vice-Rector for Development, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). She has participated in numerous international and national research projects on gender studies, citizenship education and social participation and empowerment. Her research interests focus on philosophy and theory of education and social work, critical theory and feminist approach.
Dr. Jonas Ruškus is a Professor at the Department of Social Work and Dean at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). He is a member of the Committee on Rights of People with Disabilities of the United Nations. He has worked as a supervisor in numerous national research projects in the field of social participation of people with disabilities, including education, social policy, quality of social services and monitoring of national educational system.
Dr. Rasa Naujanienė is an Associate Professor and Head of Department of Social Work at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). She is an editor of the journal Social Work. Experience and Methods and has worked on several social work education and practice research projects. Her main research interest is gerontological social work practice.