DIAGNOSTIC COMPETENCE IN THE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND ACTIVITY OF SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

Introduction. The paper addresses the issue of forming and developing diagnostic competence in the professional training and practical activity of social work practitioners. The increasing number of complicated life conditions in modern society needs the training of specialists capable of identifying social problems in a timely manner, analysing their origins, and predicting outcomes. Diagnostic competence is seen as an important component of a social worker’s professional activity, as it ensures the validity of decision-making and the effectiveness of social intervention. The theoretical foundation of the study is the scientific work of Ukrainian scientists on the issues of competency-based professional training and the development of diagnostic competence in social sphere specialists. Purpose and objectives of the article. The work’s goal is to examine the essence of diagnostic competence in professional training and practical activity for social work experts, as well as to conduct empirical research on its perception and level of formation among higher education candidates and social workers. The study’s scientific uniqueness stems from the combination of theoretical analysis of the notion of diagnostic competence with the findings of an empirical study done with higher education students majoring in “Social Work”, “Social Work and Counselling”, and social work specialists. Based on the author’s questionnaire, a comparative analysis of the understanding of social and diagnostic competences was conducted, the characteristics of their perception at various stages of professional development were determined, and the results of self-assessment of the level of development of diagnostic skills were analysed. Results. The study’s findings revealed that diagnostic competence is an important component of social workers’ professional activities. Higher education students were found to focus more on the communicative parts of activity, whereas social work specialists focused on the analytical and practical components of diagnostic activity. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening practice-orientated elements in professional training as well as the development of a professional support structure for social workers.