The Influence of Local Support Systems on Enfranchisement of The Community Method in Social Work

Background:In local communities in Poland, introduction of innovative social work solutions which are directed towards solving particular problem cases and move beyond the current standard of social work in welfare centres, is a complex process fraught with many obstacles. It is only rarely a part of social issues management in local communities. This paper is concerned with qualitative research focused on the factors contributing to the effectiveness of initiatives utilizing the OLC (Organizing Local Community, Organizowanie Społeczności Lokalnej) method, which commenced in 2010-2014, under point 5.4 of the systemic project Human Capital Operational Program (Program Operacyjny Kapitał Ludzki) named “Creating and developing the standards of social help and integration - Standards in help” (Tworzenie i rozwijanie standardów pomocy i integracji społecznej - Standardy w pomocy). Research aims:The aim of this paper is to identify and determine factors that influence, whether positively or negatively, the spread and establishment of innovative methods of working with communities experiencing social problems in social welfare centres. It focuses on factors associated both with internal social welfare centre management, with social issues management, and with the bodies created to solve them within a given local community. Methodology:the research was conducted using the case study method in three localities and was supposed to appraise the subsequent fates of three social welfare centres in which new activities have been initiated under the systemic project, as well as the fates of social workers employed in them for organising local communities. Key findings:Thanks to the research conducted and data gathered, we managed to highlight a number of contexts and circumstances which exert heavy influence over the functioning of social welfare centres as well as over the effectiveness of methods of working with communities experiencing social issues. Such contexts have both internal (e.g. the attitude of a centre’s employees towards a given issue and their work) and external (e.g. the attitude of local government or other institutions towards a given social problem) character.