Despite the many unfavorable facts that accompany social pedagogy from the beginning to the present, the place it has taken in the system of human sciences, education and society rightfully belongs to it. It has become an integral and very important part of the entire science of child and youth education, which is methodologically and terminologically covered. The methodology of sciences, which also includes social pedagogy, is a certain science of principles, strategies, procedures, tools and norms of functioning and development, objective knowledge and practical persistence of objective reality. The essence of social research, which is the basic source of new knowledge of the social field - social pedagogy, encounters various problems in the field of social sciences that arise from the phenomenon under investigation. In any case, the center of attention is the person, and therefore a humanistic-social approach must be used, which is close to social pedagogy in its essence (Kraus, 2008), and social work also takes the same into account.

Social work is a social science discipline and a field of practical activity. Its aim "is to reveal, explain, alleviate but also solve social problems, such as poverty, neglect of child rearing, discrimination of certain groups, youth delinquency or unemployment. It is based on the one hand on the framework of social solidarity and on the other hand on the ideal of fulfilling individual human potential", as Matoušek (2003) points out. The specific activity of this scientific discipline, which we are discussing, is the direction and improvement of the mutual adaptation of individuals and the social environment in which they live.

Social pedagogy in our region has undergone a complex development and currently belongs to one of the most variable and also to the most progressively developing pedagogical disciplines, because its goal is to constantly reassess the connections with frequent changes in society. The same can be said about social work as a scientific discipline. Social pedagogy has deep historical roots, but as a science it is still relatively young and is perceived by many as something new, as a field of study and science that is still looking for its place among other related, humanitarian-oriented disciplines, such as social work. Social pedagogy has an integrative and transdisciplinary character. From the point of view of practice, social pedagogy concentrates and especially further develops its theoretical knowledge from research of various pedagogical, social and other scientific disciplines. It is primarily related to sociology, pedagogy and, of course, also to social work.

Social pedagogy is related to the field called social work. Due to the fact that the term social work is not clearly defined, this relationship is not specified. J. Hroncová (1999, p. 44) states that "social work is characterized by direct, deliberate and prepared contact of the social worker with the client (group, community) for the purpose of establishing a social diagnosis and carrying out social therapy". The author further states that social pedagogy is more of a theoretical discipline, while social work is based on practical intervention - social care. According to A. Salomonová (In: Oláh, Schavel, 2006, p. 28), who is considered a pioneer in the field of social work, "the goal of social care is the maximum development of the entire personality by consciously adapting a person to his environment, or adapting the environment to the requirements and abilities of a person. The task of social work is: to support and develop the abilities a person possesses; to preserve and protect these abilities; to prevent and prevent damage to the interests of a person and restore lost abilities, repair and equalize damage, provide for and protect the helpless."

According to Mühlum, we know seven ways of determining the relationship between social work and social pedagogy:

  1. Divergence Theorem: social pedagogy and social work are clearly separated.
  2. Subordination theorem: social pedagogy and social work are in a relationship of superiority and inferiority.
  3. Substitution theorem: social pedagogy and social work are interchangeable.
  4. Identity theorem: social pedagogy and social work coincide.
  5. Alternative theorem: social pedagogy and social work are replaced by new terms such as social pedagogy = social education, social work = social therapy.
  6. Theorem of Convergence: social pedagogy and social work converge.
  7. Theorem of subsumption: social pedagogy and social work, despite specific professional differences, are so similar that they create a common system of action: social pedagogy + social work = social services.

Social pedagogy and social work are not two completely different fields, but they are not completely identical either. Rather, the idea is created to connect them, to converge into one whole. The thesis of convergence does not talk about the roles, disintegration, or combination of both areas, but about the joint development of social pedagogy and social work in the direction of growing harmony, taking into account their independence and uniqueness.

The difference between social pedagogy and social work is also presented by F. Vízdal. According to him, the goal of social pedagogy is to help people in difficult life situations who have difficulty coping with the demands of life and need help. "It is actually about educating individuals from risky and disadvantaged social groups. In contrast, social work only provides help to those who find themselves in a difficult life situation and need help" (Vízdal 2006, p.38).

B. Kraus deals in more detail with the relationship between social pedagogy and social work. According to the mentioned author (2001), social work has developed into a separate integrated discipline. This field of science began to develop only after 1990, before it practically did not exist. We will meet him primarily at sociological workplaces. It is a practical science that tries to achieve social changes of individuals, groups or communities in unfavorable economic and social situations through the process of help and control and to reach their functioning in accordance with the norms and values ​​of the given society. It is very close to practice, so social pedagogy is sometimes understood as a theoretical-academic starting point of social work. B. Kraus (2001) sees the difference between social work and social pedagogy in several aspects:

  • Social work is closely connected with the social policy of a specific state; social pedagogy

it is related to educational policy in a specific society.- Social work focuses on solving adverse social situations; In social pedagogy it is more about prevention. (The common goals of both scientific disciplines can be observed primarily in the field of secondary and tertiary prevention, which is aimed at helping at-risk persons who urgently need it. And their life situation requires it).- The presence of not only socially problematic situations in society distinguishes the so-called target clientele of social work ; social pedagogy focuses on the entire human population, it wants to promote a healthy way of life.- Social work focuses on change in the area of actions and behavior of persons; social pedagogy strives to change a specific personality through social education, i.e. a process of deliberate focus and personality formation.- Social work it is based on the fact that the relationship between the individual and human society is disturbed by some deviation from the established norm - deviation; social pedagogy is not interested in the relationship between a person and society through social deviance, but is concerned with a long-term intention with concrete goals in shaping a healthy lifestyle of an individual.- Social work as a scientific field, it primarily focuses on and points to basic and physiological needs; social pedagogy is more interested in the needs of the highest, so-called metaneeds.- Social work is interested in individual clients with a pragmatic attitude, with the aim of minimizing the risk associated with his actions; the goal of social pedagogy is to change the personality of the client - individual.- In social work it is an important moment to reach the end of work with a client, as well as the fulfillment of a predetermined goal when work with an individual client ends; social pedagogy works with the human individual even after the problems have been eliminated and managed.

B. Kraus (2008.) believes that the simultaneous development of both sciences, both social work and social pedagogy, is necessary. Of course, it is necessary to point out their differences, but especially in practice, the approaches of social pedagogy and social work overlap. A social pedagogue and a social worker work with the same clientele and with the same or similar situations, with the same methods, and most importantly, they are concerned with the fulfillment of the same goal.

Current theoretical approaches to solving the relationship between social pedagogy and social work are not so clearly defined. It is logical that contemporary social pedagogy as such has acquired the character of social science, that it perceives various areas of problems not only from the point of view of education, but also of society. As a result, education and individual social conditions are combined, and thus a critical-emancipatory approach gradually develops. The connection of social assistance and education is the original idea of ​​social pedagogy, thus it includes the perspective of social sciences. It approaches social work.

Overcoming various life situations in people's lives is considered to be the individual management of life and socio-social situations, and here we can place and rank the emergence of social problems on the side of human society. Finally, we look at this variant of social pedagogy as a complete social-scientific discipline that responds to society's problems that do not belong to it by misunderstanding. Individual scientists and experts dealing with the scientific discipline of social work respond to these judgments. "The development of a paradigm oriented to the everyday, lived world, which is connected not only with pedagogical and educational, but also with legal, ethical, sociological and economic factors and questions that deal with both social problems and certain life situations, as well as questions of overcoming life situations" (Rauschenbach 1991, p. 287) has the task of investigating and discussing social work in its essence. Proponents and experts in the field of social work usually point to social contexts and conditions that have become very complex and unclear, and the demands for social work as a scientific field have grown accordingly. The demands of living in society and coping with people's problems have become so complex, and the possibilities of failure so diverse, that they require the help of the science that deals with these problems - social work.

There is a consensus among proponents of social pedagogy, social work science, and theorists that "a profession relevant to social work needs a scientific basis for reflection" (Geöppner 2008, p. 131). Social work will not be served by an eclectic and unconstructive menu from some theories, nor by social pedagogy, which has changed its character to social science, because social work is supposed to participate "in enabling all people to develop their potential in the widest dimensions of human existence, with an obvious intention of developmental tendencies and a manifestation of belonging. Through knowledge and concrete analyzes of theories that deal with human behavior, to use universal values to enrich people's own lives while respecting the equality, justice and dignity of all people" (Strieženec, 2006, p. 139).

The science of social work is irreplaceable as a basis for reflection from the point of view of the theory of science, because it approaches practical matters in a truly open and transdisciplinary manner and can ensure and especially transform individual life problems of knowledge into problems of action. And, of course, it reflects these, observes them on a transdisciplinary level and thus makes it a practical science, which social work is. Novotná and Schimmerlingová (1992) talk about social work as the art of getting along with people and leading them, based on acquired professional knowledge and practical experience. Both social work and social pedagogy represent interesting cases for a wide-ranging study of what advantages and advantages a certain way of viewing will bring us. This is evidenced by different approaches to solving them, as stated by J. Hroncová et al. (2001) or P. Ondrejkovič.

The first approach is differentiated, it is typical for the Anglo-American area, where there is an effort to separate social pedagogy and social work. Social work in this sense is based on the American model, and the concept of Social work is distanced from "pedagogy of one's field". The second approach is identification, it is identified with social work and social pedagogy under the name Socialwesen and is characteristic especially for German-speaking countries. The third approach is convergent, it is typical of the current tendencies towards the convergence of social pedagogy and social work in our country, i.e. in Slovakia.

The current development of social pedagogy and social work, according to Kraus (2008) and other social pedagogues who deal with this issue, "leads to the gradual convergence of both disciplines and to the minimization of the differences between them". The whole that unites both scientific fields, social pedagogy and social work, are social services expressing society's interest in helping, supporting and caring for people who find themselves or have found themselves in complex and sometimes intractable life, economic or social situations.

Social pedagogy must retain the opinion that it is suitable for taking over the individual tasks of practical science for social work. From our point of view, it should be understood as an auxiliary science and a "collaborator" for social work, because its approach is positively oriented towards everyday life and the problems of individuals or groups in society that it brings with it. Of course, social work as a science is helpful with its universalistic demands of its program and should help in the development of social pedagogy within its possibilities and limits as a science. Because science is "a special form of human cognition according to special rules and procedures that can be discussed" (Geöppner 2008, p.144). Its most general goal is to explore the world as it should be, or as we would like it to be.

Thinking about social pedagogy and social work must, whether we like it or not, come face to face. And both camps must mutually point out their strengths and weaknesses and at the same time mutually and reciprocally help each other. Although we know that the views and arguments of both scientific disciplines are sometimes different, which did not arise a decade or a century ago, at the dawn of time they became polarized in this way. The fundamental views of social pedagogy and social work should be stopped and both camps should come to terms with each other and tolerate and accept each other as part of the social sciences and humanities.

Social pedagogy and social work are in constant development, which is caused by the ever-evolving situation in society. This is partly due to the impact of social changes related to the technology and globalization of the world, but also due to the increase in social issues that society has to deal with in various forms.

In both social work and social pedagogy, more than in any other discipline, it is true that their goals change with changes in society at a specific time and in a specific area. Both fields of science have their own history, but they are still perceived as young sciences that are looking for their sphere of action. Their very activity, forms and methods give them great creative potential and opportunities to enter the most diverse spheres of social and pedagogical activities, which intertwine with each other. Even through these interminglings, these disciplines develop independently, they create their own theories and a circle of practice in which they will be implemented, and therefore naturally meet, because they have a lot in common.

Author: PaedDr. Slavomír Laca PhD. List of references

  1. Geöppner H.J. – Hemmlän J. Discourse on science and social work. Bratislava : Sv. Elizabeth, 2008. ISBN 978-80-89371-33-7.
  2. Hroncová, J. – Hudecová, A. – Matulayová, T. Social pedagogy and social work. Banská Bystrica: Faculty of Education UMB, 2000. ISBN 80-8055-476-5.
  3. Kraus, B. Fundamentals of social pedagogy. Prague: Portal, 2008, ISBN 978-80-7367-383-3.
  4. Kraus B. - Poláčková, V. et al. Man - environment - education. On issues of social pedagogy. Brno: Paido, 2001. ISBN 80-7315-004-2.
  5. Matoušek, O. Dictionary of social work. Prague: Portal, 2003. ISBN 80-7178-549-0.
  6. Novotná, V. – Schimmerlingová, V. Social work, its development and methodological procedures. Prague: Karolinum, 1991. ISBN 83-7164-109-5 26.
  7. Oláh, M. - Schavel, M. Introduction to the study and history of social work. Bratislava: University of Health and Social Work St. Elizabeth n. o., 2006. ISBN 80-969449-6-7.
  8. Rauschenbach, Th. Das sozialpädagogische Jahrhundert. Analysen zur Arbeit in der Moderne. Weinheim: Juventa, 1991.
  9. Vízdal, F. Social pedagogy as a science of the formative effect of social interactions. Brno: IMS In: Social pedagogy in theory and practice, 2006, ISBN 80-902936-7-0.

Publications of the author of the article: PaedDr. Slavomír Laca, PhD

Základy sociálnej pedagogiky - Social pedagogy undergoes constant development in connection with the development of the entire society, which is marked by social changes related primarily to the growing technology, automation and globalization of the world, but also to the growing number of socio-pathological phenomena in society.

Vybrané kapitoly z etiky pre sociálno-zdravotnícke profesie - Currently, we can state that there is a large increase in scientific knowledge about man as a rational individual at the level of the human population, up to various issues. Multiple and complicated ethical questions regarding human life are increasingly coming to the fore.