Tekijät

• Lappalainen, Tiina (Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities)
• Laisi, Nina (Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities)
• Vauramo, Mirja (Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities)

Asiasanat

aids for the disabled, care of the disabled, disabled persons, physically disabled persons, social services, social work, social workers

Sisällön kuvaus

The survey studied the opinions of Finnish social services professionals on disability services. The respondents were asked questions about the state and operability of disability services, as well as the skills that disability services required. The survey consisted of three major parts; structural social work in the disability services, the service process, and the support received at work.

In the first part, the respondents were asked how structural social work was present in their workplace. Opinions on how to develop the effectiveness and visibility of social work in disability services were charted.

Questions in the second part of the survey covered the service process. The respondents answered questions on the number of clients, whether the number was appropriate, which laws they applied to clients, and what kind of impact the new Social Welfare Act had on their work. The respondents were also asked how they gathered information about the clients, how often they performed certain tasks at work, and whether they wished to have some form of support during different parts of the service process.

The last part of the survey consisted of questions on support received at work. The respondents were asked if they had access to support that enhances their management of work-related stress, for example, development discussions or professional guidance. Lastly, the respondents were asked about what functions and what does not function in the work of social service professionals, and what could be improved.

The background variables included the respondent's job title, education, type of contract, type of employer organization, and region.