Recomposition of work and attitudes of family assistants within Covid-19 in Poland: A pilot study

Abstract

This article presents reflections on the consequence of remote work in social welfare professions in the case of family assistants. Web surveys focused on changes that came with the pandemic crisis in social welfare programs, such as family assistants. The article presents conclusions from the pilot web survey study among family assistants in June 2020 using the Survey Monkey online web survey questionnaire. Family assistants of Lower Silesia (part of the region in Poland) represent a category of professions in the social welfare system in Poland. They are employed in social welfare centers and work in the local community. The assistant has different tasks and eligibility than social workers. The family assistant knows the background of family problems, and, with them, he composes a working plan for better-functioning families. Personal contact with families before the epidemiological crisis has been replaced by remote work, replaced by changed tools, indirect contact with clients, and changing attitudes among workers. All changes have led to a transformation of daily work and organization in the workplace.

Keywords

• social welfare
• social work
• family assistant
• pandemic crisis