Challenges of the Community Social Services of Andalusia: Using PAR to Evaluate Professional Needs

Abstract

Due to the important challenges which have been presented in the last years (immigration, economic globalization, wars, etc.) around the world, the European welfare model has been placed in a difficult situation, one which is more serious in Andalusia, one of the poorest regions in the current European Union. The Welfare Services Network (WSN) is a set of community programs focused on repairing the social inequalities and assuring community inclusion. Currently, for coping with new challenges, the WSN of Andalusia is facing a deep remodelling. It must adjust its services to new requirements, taking advantage of the possibilities which the community science and new technologies offer. To achieve this, their human resources must get involved in the new challenges and acquire competence. In this study, using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) process, we assessed their professional needs. This is the first step for designing an action plan whose goal is to increase the competence of professionals and provide adequate tools, using an empowerment process. Our results show that professionals demand life-long learning and on-line professional tool boxes to perform their work through a rational process which matches theories and practices, the optimization of resources and the use of new technologies. The PAR has proven an effective tool to involve professionals in the challenges and to increase the ecological reliability of formative strategies and professional assistances. Finally, we learned useful lessons for action planning.