Attitudes of Social Workers in Serbia on the Prospects for the Development of the Profession and Improvement of the Position of Social Workers Through Professional Associations

Abstract

The practice of social work takes place in circumstances that are strongly influenced by numerous changes and new demands placed on the profession. These changes and new demands require constant improvement of the profession, and one of the ways to improve is to organize into professional associations. The aim of this paper is to present the views of the professionals / community of social workers on the prospects of developing the profession of social work and improving the position of social workers through professional associations (federations, unions, societies, associations, etc.). Research for the purpose of examining the stated attitudes was carried out in the period from June 2022 to November 2022. For the purposes of this research, an online questionnaire was specially constructed for the survey of attitudes. A total of 126 social workers from the public and civil sector from Serbia took part. The results of the research indicate that social workers in the Republic of Serbia perceive the need to establish a new association or harmonize the activities of existing ones, for the purpose of representing the profession in public and before institutions, strengthening the professional identity and trust of experts in professional Sciatica associations.