READINESS OF FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS FOR WORK IN PUBLIC AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS: A STRUCTURAL-COMPONENT ANALYSIS

Abstract

Introduction. The article examines the problem of professional training of future social workers for work in public and charitable organizations. The processes of decentralization and deinstitutionalization have led to the expansion of the range of social service providers, where, alongside state institutions, an important place has been occupied by non-state actors – public and charitable organizations involved in addressing acute social problems. This has actualized the need for social workers prepared to work in the dynamic environment of the non-state sector. However, the scientific discourse indicates the necessity of defining and substantively characterizing the structural components of the readiness of future social workers for work in public and charitable organizations. Purpose and objectives of the article is the theoretical substantiation and substantive characterization of the components of the readiness of future social workers for work in public and charitable organizations. Scientific novelty. The study reveals the specificity of the non-state sector in the social sphere and identifies opportunities for the professional self-realization of social workers. The definition of “readiness for work in public and charitable organizations” has been clarified as the ability of future social workers to implement state standards of social service provision through adaptive and innovative practices in the conditions of the non-state sector. The components of the studied readiness have been distinguished and characterized: motivational-value (orientation toward the humanistic ideals of the non-state sector), cognitive (knowledge of social standards and the specifics of intersectoral interaction), activity-based (mastery of case management and fundraising technologies), and reflexive- adaptive (ability for self-assessment, self-regulation, and prevention of burnout). Results. The effectiveness of social workers’ activities in public and charitable organizations directly depends on the formation of the components of their professional readiness. The identified components may serve as a basis for developing criteria for assessing the quality of training of social sphere specialists for work in the non-state sector.