Paper Title
ACCESS TO SOCIAL WORK SERVICES DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC
Abstract
Abstract - The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated pre-existing inequalities between countries, but also within countries, and we have had to face new challenges, such as social isolation, loneliness, education and digital inclusion. Access to social work services and psycho-therapeutic support for vulnerable people and groups was achieved online, through the use of E-learning platforms. Specialists continued to provide social and medical services for vulnerable categories (children with special needs, elderly people, etc.) through various specific E-learning interventions, thus managing to maintain communication and overcome moments of crisis.
Using a secondary analysis of data from the specialized literature, we observed different ways of approaching specialized interventions, specific interventions based on E-learning to continue providing services for certain vulnerable social categories (during the pandemic period, and not only). The pandemic context has led to changes in the content of what is learned, in the way students and adults learn, changes in when and where they learn, but also in what they learn and who teaches. The research results highlight the social benefits and advantages of using different E-learning platforms in continuing to offer social work services, but also in the training of trainees/students/specialists.
Conclusions: The social welfare systems will be influenced by the digitalization models developed by each state, by the access to different social work services and protection. The protection of citizens' rights in relation to increasingly digitized social institutions, which offer more and more services and benefits through digitization, has imposed and will continue to impose, access to continuous training and improvement, to the acquisition of skills and digital competences, both for social workers/professionals working in the field of social welfare, as well as for citizens, beneficiaries of social services.
Keywords - Social Work, Pandemic Covid-19, E-Learning, Social Inclusion.