Eduard Abashia, lecturer at the Department of Psychology at the Dnipro Institute of PJSC "IAPM", lawyer, psychologist at the Amur-Dnipro District Department of the State Institution "Probation Center" Branch in Dnipropetrovsk Region, provides the following information. Social Workers Day in Ukraine is celebrated on the first Sunday of November, established by Presidential Decree № 374/99 dated April 13, 1999. This year, the date falls on November 3.

Social workers deal with various spheres of human life and society: physical and mental health, personal and group conflicts, family planning, employment issues, professional and social adaptation of various categories and segments of the population, prevention of antisocial, illegal and deviant behavior, administration of justice, and many other problematic issues.

Social work includes providing help and support to people to improve their life well-being, solving problems in relationships between people, and achieving positive social changes in society. Social Workers Day is a professional holiday that rightfully belongs to those who show mercy and do good not only as a professional duty but also by the dictates of conscience and the call of the soul.

Social services are actions aimed at preventing difficult life circumstances, overcoming such circumstances, or minimizing their negative consequences for individuals/families who find themselves in them. An individual/family may receive one or several social services simultaneously. The procedure for organizing the provision of social services is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Social services are divided into the following types:

1. simple social services that do not involve providing permanent or systematic comprehensive assistance (informing, counseling, mediation, providing shelter, representation of interests, etc.);
2. comprehensive social services that involve coordinated actions of specialists in providing permanent or systematic comprehensive assistance (care, upbringing, cohabitation, social support, crisis intervention, supported living, social adaptation, social integration and reintegration, etc.);
3. comprehensive specialized social services provided to certain categories of social service recipients (HIV-infected persons, persons with psychotropic substance dependence, victims of human trafficking, refugees, persons with mental disorders, and others);
4. auxiliary social services provided in the form of material assistance (food products, personal hygiene items and means, sanitary and hygiene cleaning products, care products, clothing, footwear and other essential items, food organization, fuel provision, etc.) and technical services (transportation services, sign language interpretation, etc.).

Social services are provided to achieve the following goals:

1. prevention of difficult life circumstances;
2. overcoming difficult life circumstances;
3. minimization of negative consequences of difficult life circumstances.

The provision of social services is carried out on the principles of:

1. respect for human rights, children's rights, and rights of persons with disabilities;
2. humanism;
3. ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men;
4. respect for honor and dignity;
5. tolerance;
6. legality;
7. social justice;
8. accessibility and openness;
9. impartiality and safety;
10. voluntariness;
11. individual approach;
12. comprehensiveness;
13. confidentiality;
14. maximum efficiency and transparency in the use of budget and other funds by social service providers;
15. ensuring high quality of social services.

Assessment of individual/family needs for social services is carried out by a social work specialist, social worker, social manager. If necessary, medical workers, pedagogical workers, psychologists, rehabilitation specialists, occupational therapists, and other specialists are involved in assessing individual/family needs for social services.

According to the order of the Ministry of Social Policy dated 22.05.2020 № 321 "On approval of the List of positions of employees of state/municipal sector social service providers who directly provide social services at the place of residence/stay of their recipients (at home)" it is determined that the providers of social services in the state/municipal sector are:

• Social pedagogue / social work specialist
• Home social assistance specialist
• Social worker
• Social service worker
• Physical rehabilitation specialist
• Practical psychologist / psychologist

In many countries around the world, probation services or departments mainly consist of qualified social workers and psychologists. Their task is primarily to change the pro-criminal thinking and behavior of their "wards" by involving them in special programs, etc., therefore probation officers must possess the technology of providing social assistance to supervised persons and be able to organize preventive work and an effective educational process, – noted the psychologist.

We congratulate all social workers on their professional holiday! We wish that your faith in good remains unshakeable, hope – undying, love – boundless, and wisdom – deep!