Introduction
Every social worker from time to time finds himself in a situation where he works with the family as a whole. However, if we talk about social work with the family, it is necessary to note that it is an extremely demanding field of social work, which is characterized mainly by the fact that in recent years it has undergone various changes and modifications, to which even social work itself must adapt.
In the framework of this work, first of all, we will define the concept of family from a theoretical point of view, which we will follow up with a description of the basic pitfalls of social work with the family, with an emphasis on changes that have manifested themselves primarily on the basis of changes in social conditions in recent years. In this work, we will try to start from the most up-to-date sources treating the issue we are investigating. Throughout the text, we will try to provide the reader with reliable information that reflects the current state of the issue we are investigating as up-to-date as possible.
Family
From a traditional point of view, the foundation of the family is found in the institution of marriage. As such, we can realistically perceive marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman, which has been officially confirmed before a legal entity. From the point of view of the Catholic Church, it is also a relationship that is inseparable during life. The family is therefore formed by the marriage of a man and a woman and their offspring (regardless of whether the offspring is created on the basis of reproductive activity or through adoption). Marriage is essentially inseparable from the family mainly because marriage represents a commitment between two people who belong to each other. From the marriage itself, on the basis of sexual cohabitation, they give birth and give birth to children, on the basis of which a complete family is created. (BEGANY, 2018)
At the same time, however, we consider it appropriate to point out the fact that in today's modern times, different denominations of marriage and family are also emerging. In this case, we are talking, for example, about couples who simply do not want to enter into an official marriage, as it suits them. In such a relationship, we often encounter the fact that couples living together like this need to keep a kind of back door. However, it often follows from the practice of social work that children are born to such freely living couples, who are not initially perceived as the fruit of the family, but as unwanted or even as a burden. We could perceive another form of family denomination in the form of single mothers. Primarily during the last few years, it is subsequently possible to perceive as a denomination of family also unions of people of the same sex, which from a certain point of view are the exact opposite of normal and natural marriage and family. (BEGANY, 2018)
A certain lifestyle is subsequently linked to family life. We can perceive this lifestyle as a complex of extremely important activities and relationships, which are accompanied by various practices. Individual family members should know that their lifestyle will inevitably change after starting a family. We could practically perceive the family as a boon primarily for those who perceive family life as an opportunity to develop and enrich their personality. (MACHALOVÁ, 2017) In essence, we could say that the family itself directly but also indirectly reflects the state of society and the conditions in which this family finds itself. Here we come across the conditions that society creates for this family. It is necessary to point out the fact that society has seen such changes during the last twenty years, which were not seen for decades before.
All the more serious problems within society that we have seen in recent years have significantly affected reproduction, the family and interpersonal relationships. These transformations of society, in their essence, lead extremely often to the destabilization of the institution of the family. However, they also lead to the disintegration of the structure in the private sphere and to the diversification of the possibilities of lived realities. One of the important factors for this development of the family area is also the issue of family indebtedness, which in recent years has been several times higher than it was in the past. (KRAUS, 2017)
Social work with family
Social work with the family in its essence represents one of the basic forms of social work. At this level, however, we should point out the fact that we currently make a realistic distinction between social work with the family and social work with the individual. However, the reality is that even this individual is part of a certain social environment. The closest environment that provides help and support, but is also a possible source of conflicts, is the family. Also on the basis of this fact, we can connect these two basic forms of social work with each other, while in some cases they can even overlap. (LOVAŠOVÁ, 2016)
We consider it important to point out that in social work we should always perceive the family as a whole, while we should also work with it that way. The reason why we actually point out this fact is the fact that the family must be perceived as a functional system that has its established structure, circular character and internal rules. All these present characteristics and functions of the family constantly influence each other. Based on this fact, if one function ceases to function, the effect of this non-functionality will practically also affect the functioning or non-functioning of other functions. (GABURA, et al., 2016)
The above-mentioned fact must also be taken into account during social work with the family and when trying to correct a dysfunctional function. If this correction is successful, it is conceivable that other functions will also be corrected. In this case, it is especially true that the importance of perceiving the family as a whole is a definite undeniable fact for an expert working with the family. In the family as a whole, it is essential to identify the family member underlying the dysfunction. Problems with this identification subsequently arise if the family has a breakdown in communication, different ideas about the functioning of the family, lack of fulfillment of the emotional needs of its members, mutual alienation of family members, not spending time together in the family circle and, subsequently, escaping from the family. All these factors inevitably reflect primarily on the weakest member of the family, who is by default the most sensitive and who can hardly deal with the present problems. This family member often suffers from behavioral disorders, addictions, aggression, unemployment, and the like. The issue in this case is based on the fact that all attention is directed to one family member. Instead of the family solving the causes of the various dysfunctions of an individual member, they focus on solving their problem, on the basis of which they miss the essence of the original, unresolved problem. (GABURA, et al., 2016)
We can perceive social relations themselves as relations between people. However, social relations are also the relations of people and their various institutions, up to the world global level. At the same time, each of us perceives that he must ensure basic living conditions.
Author: PhDr. Tímea Csikósová, DiS The author is a doctoral student at the University of Health and Social Work St. Elizabeth in Bratislava.
List of references
BEGANY, J. 2018. Factors affecting the stability of marriage in the view of students of theology. In: Output from the solution of the project APVV 15-0189 "Selected factors of the pro-family strategy and support of a stable family in a multicultural environment" : collection of essays from the pastoral seminar... Trnava: Dobrá kniha, 2018. p. 24-32. ISBN 978-80-8191-145-3. GABURA, J. and GABURA, J. Jr. 2016. Family conflict and family mediation. Nitra: ZKF Nitra, 2016. ISBN 9788055811208. KRAUS, B. 2017. The influence of the lifestyle of contemporary families on the lives of children. In: Family, tolerance of difference and quality of life of children and youth. Bratislava: Comenius University in Bratislava, 2017. p. 7-17. ISBN 978-80-223-43534. LOVAŠOVÁ, S. 2016. Social work: forms, procedures and methods. Košice: Pavel Jozef Šafárik University, 2016. ISBN 978-80-8152-386-1. MACHALOVÁ, M. 2017. Loving communication in the family. In: Contemporary family and undesirable social and sociopathological phenomena: professional magazine 01(17). Bratislava : Narodné obsvetové centrum, 2017. p. 10-11. ISSN 1336-1679. TKÁČ, V. 2019. Why must the state take care of the socially weaker? Bratislava : VŠZaSP St. Elizabeth in Bratislava, 2019.