ABSTRACT

COVID-19 epidemiological security measures – social service delivery disruption and restrictions on direct social contacts – stressed the need for transformations in social work practice. These restrictions limited the social service delivery options and brought to light existing and new pandemic-related needs of vulnerable populations. The article aims to explore the transformations in social service delivery and social work practice that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia. The research uses a mixed methods design and the triangulation of qualitative data (90 interviews with social service providers) and quantitative data (survey of social service providers, n = 443). It highlights the ability of service providers to adapt to the new emergency situation, to find innovative solutions for the organisation of social work practice and to deliver social services in the emergency situation with rather limited resources. The scope of social services remained almost the same, while the format and size of social service delivery changed considerably. Social workers demonstrated high responsiveness to the needs of service users, the ability to learn and master new technologies and to apply the new skills in social work practice. A conceptual model of transformative change in social service delivery and social work practice is discussed.

摘要

COVID-19 流行病学安全措施——社会服务提供中断和对直接社会接触的限制——强调了社会工作实践转型的必要性。这些限制限制了提供社会服务的选择，并暴露了弱势群体现有的和新的与大流行相关的需求。本文旨在探讨在拉脱维亚 COVID-19 大流行期间发生的社会服务提供和社会工作实践的转变。该研究使用混合方法设计和定性数据（对社会服务提供者的 90 次采访）和定量数据（社会服务提供者的调查，n = 443）。它强调了服务提供者适应新的紧急情况、为组织社会工作实践寻找创新解决方案以及在资源相当有限的紧急情况下提供社会服务的能力。社会服务的范围基本保持不变，而社会服务的形式和规模发生了很大变化。社会工作者对服务使用者的需求表现出高度的响应能力，学习和掌握新技术的能力以及在社会工作实践中应用新技能的能力。讨论了社会服务提供和社会工作实践中变革性变化的概念模型。