Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Social Science & Humanities (Web of Science)

In Lithuania, integrating healthcare and social services is a possible solution for the care of the growing number of older people with chronic diseases. When implementing integrated care in Lithuania, the aim is to include social work professionals who have already accumulated experience in organizing and coordinating the provision of social services to the elderly. The article aims to reveal the perspective of social work in integrated care by highlighting social workers’ roles. The literature review focused on two tasks: identifying the prospective roles that social workers implement in integrated care and observing the challenges of implementing integrated care. Results: The practice perspective of social workers in providing integrated care services relates to the realization of the roles of mediation, representation, advocacy, case management, and crisis prevention. Fulfilling professional roles can be difficult due to bureaucracy, organizational issues, and lack of integrated service funding solutions, as well as insufficient inter-professional teamwork and collaboration.

The global climate is currently warming due to human activity. The period 2011–2020 was recorded as the warmest decade. CO2 produced by human activity is the biggest contributor to global warming. Since every ton of CO2 emitted contributes to global warming, all emissions reductions can help to slow it down. Currently, the cars used by the population still do not ensure a sufficient reduction of CO2 emissions. The purpose of paper is to investigate the potential of electromobility development as a means to mitigate CO2 emissions in EU countries. The research methodology: statistical and comparable analysis of environmental and economic factors influencing the electromobility development in EU countries during last decade were performed. The conclusions of paper provide results of electromobility development, the main obstacles and needed government policies and incentives.

Lithuania, as most of the EU countries, has an aging population. At the beginning of 2019, there were 552.4 thousand elderly people (aged 65 and older), or 19.8 per cent of the total resident population. Each seventh man and each fourth woman were aged 65 and older ‘(Official statistics portal, 2019). The aim of the paper is to investigate possibilities of Lithuanian social policy to meet older adults’ digital needs for better inclusion and active ageing. Paper is based on secondary data analysis including legal documents (EU and National Programmes, Strategies, Orders), scientific research, statistical (of older adults’ population) and other data (results of national research). A significant proportion of older adults lack the skills to use digital technology, which are essential for successful functioning in society. The rapid development of technology and the recent Covid-19 pandemic have accelerated the transference of many services on the Internet. The importance of the use of technology for older adults was particularly evident during the Covid 19 pandemic. Various research works revealed that the telephone, and less often the computer, had become the main working tool for a significant proportion of close care workers. This situation points to a new need for the development of digitised social services and a new approach to social policy.

In 1989 The provision of Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defined the child’s right to participate - to express his/her opinion and to participate in solving issues related and affecting him/her. In Lithuania, the abundance of legal acts enforces the child’s right to participate, but in practice it is observed that the implementation of the child’s right to participate is not sufficiently ensured. The case management process, as a way of helping the child and/or his/her family, came into force in Lithuania in 2018, but the implementation of the child’s right to participate in the context of the case management process is poorly analyzed in the scientific literature. Scientists from Lithuania and abroad advocate the importance of involving the child in the decision-making process, since this is how their most important skills are formed and their ability to cope with stress increases. The data of the implemented qualitative research revealed twofold approach of case management professionals to the participation of the child and becoming him/her a participant of the case management process. The abundance of professionals’ experience reflects the absence of a common practice that enables the child to participate.

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the cyber landscape in Belarus, with a focus on the Belarus government's use of cyber activities from an offensive and defensive context, the emergence of opposition cyber activities, and the broader implications for cybersecurity and legal compliance. In the course of the research, researchers try to assess Belarus as a source of cyber-threats, both domestically and to neighbouring states (especially those supporting Ukraine). The first section of the paper outlines the Belarusian government's engagement in cybercrimes against its citizens, especially under President Lukashenko's regime, highlighting extensive online surveillance, repression, and the escalation of these activities following the 2020 presidential elections. In this political context, Belarus is also examined as a country initiating and/or contributing to Information Warfare activities, which are mainly directed at western countries. The second section of the paper delves into Belarus's cybersecurity legal framework, examining various national strategies and concepts, the absence of a formal cybersecurity strategy, and the focus on 'information security' as part of national security. The third section presents case studies of cyber activities in Belarus, contrasting government-backed hacking efforts with those of opposition groups like the Belarus Cyber Partisans. It explores the Partisans' attacks on state infrastructure and information leaks as a form of protest against the government, and the pro-government hackers' disinformation / information campaigns website defacements, and data breaches, particularly targeting Ukraine. This section highlights the evolving nature of cyber conflict in Belarus, where both government and opposition forces use cyber tools for political ends, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions in the region. This part of the report compares the Belarusian pro-government hacktivist and Cyber Partisans groups, their activities and manifestations within the country (inside), as well as the cyber threats they pose to foreign countries. The article attempts to answer the question of what kind of threat Belarus as a country poses in the context of cybersecurity, hybrid-cyber threats. This country is often included in Russian hybrid-cyber threats strategies, Belarus entities also work with Russian and sometimes Chinese groups in undertaking cyber activities against other countries.

It is now widely recognised that the creation of a welfare state requires a sustained focus on one of the key drivers of educational change, schooling and, by extension, societal improvement: educators, who are expected to produce young people capable of participating actively and productively in change. The purpose of this work is to reveal the teacher’s attitude by reflecting on their biographies and the lived vocation to become a teacher, developing competences and participating in the process of educational change and creating a welfare state. The study used a biographical research. Qualitative research was conducted using narrative interviews. Fourteen participants took part in the study. The research instrument chosen was the biographical narrative interview. The research revealed that the choice of the teaching profession and the perception of vocation are triggered by biographical circumstances. The pedagogical potency and childhood interests in certain activities, as well as the awareness of one’s own needs, become the basis for the further development of abilities and skills. When an individual chooses a profession because of a vocation, it is as if there is a need for constant self-reflection on the part of the educator, which leads to the need for continuous development. By improving themselves, the educators also actively contribute to the change of the education system. Therefore, by educating the younger generation and constantly reflecting on their own experiences, educators actively contribute to social justice, changes in the country’s well-being, and thus to the creation of a welfare state.

The objective of the study is to reveal the realities of the realisation of the children’s right of participation in the community children’s care home based on children’s experience. For the study, qualitative study was chosen while using a semi-structured interview method. Eight children living in the community children’s care homes (henceforth referred as CCCH), which are located in different sites in Lithuania, participated in the study. The study revealed the realization expression of the child’s right of participation and difficulties in realising it at CCCH. The realization expression of the children’s right of participation at CCCH should be attributed to the respect of employees for the right of the child of participation. It is expressed through the openness of employees to the opinion of the child, giving an opportunity for the child to speak out their opinion, and listening to the opinion of the child. Discussion of the child with the adult should take place as well as adhering of the adult to the opinion of the child when taking decisions, and the encouragement and support for the autonomy of children. The child’s right of participation is also realised in everyday situations while allowing the child to manage his personal space according to his needs, involving the child in the leisure planning and organisation. The child should have an opportunity to participate in leisure activities according to their likes and interests, as well as consulting with the child regarding household chores. The study identified that the realisation difficulties of the children’s right of participation at CCCH are attributable to the dominating position of the employee and the child’s lack of trust towards himself and his own opinion. The dominating position of the employee is expressed through the non-listening to the opinion of children, disagreement with the child, the devaluation of the opinion of the child, the lack of adhering to the opinion of the child and the overriding of the opinion of the child. The child’s lack of trust towards himself and his own opinion is linked with the belief of the child that his opinion is insignificant due to negative experiences in the past, the timidity of children to speak out their opinions and the unwillingness or fear of children to worsen their relationships with employees.

This study delves into the critical intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and women’s representation in advertising, focusing on its impact on gender identity formation. AI has become a powerful tool in the marketing world, enabling advanced image manipulation and content creation in ads. The research investigates how AI imagery affects prevailing beauty norms and gender stereotypes, influencing societal views of women. It examines the ethical aspects of AI-driven personalization in marketing and its effect on consumer perceptions, particularly in Lithuania. The study also explores AI’s potential to foster diversity and inclusion by depicting women from various backgrounds, body types, and abilities. Ethical considerations and responsibilities associated with AI’s influence on women’s portrayal in advertising are emphasized, echoing the views of other marketing experts. This research highlights AI’s transformative role in shaping gender identities in advertising, offering important insights for marketing professionals, advertisers, and academics. It encourages the responsible use of AI to improve women’s representation in advertising.

The growing importance of communities and community interaction is witnessed by the growing interest in these areas: in the emphasis on community development and in the need to bring educational and social services closer to local communities, both at the level of the European Union and at the political level of each of its member countries. Analyzing the community interactions active involvement in community functions, concern and trust in its people, and a look into the future are emphasized. The choice of the research methodology was determined by the aim of the research – to reveal the functions of non-formal learning coordinators of adult learning in municipalities as those of the developers of learning and community developers through their work experience. The analysis of the data highlighted the role of coordinators as community activators and community developers, bringing together adult learning groups, involving young people, gymnasium students, and volunteers in the implementation of training, through local non-formal education providers.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the legal regulation of international commercial agency agreements in selected jurisdictions. This research is conducted from a comparative perspective, explaining the problems of international commercial agency agreements in civil-law and common law legal traditions. The legal regulation of international commercial agency agreements is fragmented in many jurisdictions; therefore, the general principles of agency law are applied is this research in order to propose effective solutions. The authors conclude that the lack of international regulation for commercial agency agreements leads to the application of conflicting national rules that are not sufficient in aligning the interests in all parties of such complex legal relations.