Social work with family at social risk in Lithuania

Abstract

Social work in Lithuania in three decades has reached the same stage that other Western countries have developed throughout entire 20th century (Pivorienė, 2010). Still, it should be noted that social work in the Western world was the result of a long-lived evolutionary process; meanwhile, in Lithuania, as well as in other states of Eastern Europe, it is the product of abrupt change of the society (Švedaitė, 2004). Social work in Lithuania at the same time was developing its identity as of a new profession, and was in search of solution of not just old, well-known from soviet times, problems, but of the new ones that appeared only after the restoration of independence, as well (Švedaitė, 2007). Three basic steps of social development in Lithuania from 1990 have been distinguished: acceptance of social work concept, professionalisation of social work and professional social work (Bagdonas, 2001).