Theoretical assumptions of reflection training model in social workers training

Socialiniame visuomenės gyvenime vykstantys pokyčiai reikalauja tobulinti socialinio darbo specialistų rengimo procesą ir ugdyti praktiškai, individualiai, kūrybiškai, kritiškai mąstantį socialinį darbuotoją, gebantį aktyviai ir savarankiškai spręsti iškylančias problemas praktinėje socialinio darbo veikloje. Straipsnyje pristatoma socialinio darbuotojo profesijos įsitvirtinimo raida, gilinamasi į socialinio darbo programų rengimo ir jo tobulinimo eigą Lietuvoje. Straipsnyje siekiama aktualizuoti palyginti naują europinę dimensiją – reflektyvųji mokymo modelį, skatinantį ankstesnės veiklos analizę ir naujos veiklos projektavimą. Aptariama reflektyviojo modelio elementų – refleksijos ir supervizijos – samprata, analizuojama jų praktinio taikymo reikšmė ir galimybės studijų procese ir praktinėje socialinio darbuotojo veiklojeSocial work is a new and rapidly developing area of activity whose general purpose is to assist community members who have faced economic, social, psychological and other kinds of hardship. As a profession in Lithuania social work dates back to 1991, when after the restoration of independence the country carried out deep economic and social reforms which involved the reshaping of the social assistance infrastructure and building of legal foundation for the provision and development of social services. The evolving society and its social policy have shaped the prospects for social work and demand for new types of occupation and skills. A new profession gains its status when it combines the following elements (Lumbery, Postle, 2007): a) specialists are trained at educational institutions, b) a high level of professional expertise is attained, c) theory is backed by practice, d) work entails social responsibility, e) a code of ethics is used to sustain the standards of social workers’ activity and the services provided. During this very brief period of 22 years, social work in Lithuania has gained acknowledgement and created a history of its own where every development phase is significant in advancing changes in the creation of the social welfare system as well as in boosting professional qualities of social workersVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij