Work Effectiveness Factors In The Opinion Of Social Service Representatives – Research Statement

The subject of the analysis presented in this paper are work effectiveness factors in the opinion of social workers and probation officers. The research was conducted among 121 persons: 64 probation officers executing judgments in family and minors related cases, and 57 social workers. The method of a diagnostic survey was applied during the research. The results show that 62,5% of probation officers consider their work effectiveness as moderate and 31,2% consider their work effective when 64,9% of social workers consider their work moderately effective and 31,6% claim their work is effective. Undoubtedly, the effectiveness of work of both probation officers and social workers depends largely - in the opinion of respondents - on their professional experience and skills, good contacts with the local community in which they work or work autonomy, though the high prestige of the profession is not a factor supporting effectiveness of their work. The presented research results can not refer to the entire population of representatives of these two professions, but they indicate further directions of research on the broadly understood professional identity of representatives of social services inPoland.