Education in the Model of Integral Social Protection

Abstract

In the beginning of the 2000s, a series of wider social changes took place in the Republic of Serbia, which were directly reflected in the social protection system. The previous centralized system of social protection, which emphasizes the predominantly paternalistic role of the system in relation to those in a state of social need, will be improved by a series of reform measures until 2010 and the development of the Model of integral social protection in the local community. The theoretical-methodological basis of the Model consists of ecological-systemic approaches, which view individuals, social groups and their social environment as a unique system. The integral model of social protection is based on the paradigm of human rights, which are classified into three groups in the Model: 1) the right to life in the family and natural environment, 2) the right to optimal use of personal capacities and the development of all potentials and 3) the right to integration (inclusion and participation) in the social environment. These three groups of rights are derived from the holism of human needs and represent a framework for the analysis and identification of needs that individuals and groups (especially the vulnerable or threatened groups) are unable to satisfy without special social support, which implies continuous and coordinated cooperation of different social systems at the local level. In the Model of integral social protection, the emphasis is on the least restrictive social protection services, as a result of which the family and the local community gain importance. With the aforementioned changes comes an increase in the number of different social protection services in the local community, among which education occupies a special place. In this Model, education has multiple functions, two of which are key: it is a means of direct support and assistance to individuals and groups (especially the vulnerable or threatened) in order to improve the quality of life, as well as a necessary tool for the empowerment and continuous improvement of those who organize the services in order to adjust to the needs of citizens, and to ethical and professional standards. A special role in the realization of these functions of education is played by the Republic Institute for Social Protection, that accredits training programs for professional workers and professional associates in social protection, with the aim of improving the quality of services provided in the local community. After a theoretical analysis of the functions of education in the Model of integral social protection, in the paper we present an analysis of accredited educational programs and an analysis of the development of social protection services in the local community, based on which we offer recommendations for their further development.