Street work

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Streetwork [ striːtˌwəːk ] (or street work) is a separate field of work in social work to support interdependent problems, target groups that are not reached by conventional social welfare institutions. Street workers (of English street worker ) are to be made generally qualified social workers who try by street work, access to these target groups ( "Go-structure").

The typical target group of street workers are mainly groups of people with self- or externally endangering behaviors, such as the homeless , drug addicts , prostitutes and delinquent youth groups.

In principle, a university degree in the fields of social work, socioculture or social pedagogy is required for access to work as a street worker . In addition, psychologists , educators and social scientists who have relevant professional experience can also work as street workers.

General

Street work is an independent field of work within social work and a specific form of outreach psychosocial and health-related service. It describes the “how” of establishing contacts and working on relationships in the client's environment. It is primarily a matter of establishing access to target groups that are otherwise no longer reached by any other institutionalized psychosocial support service. Establishing contacts and working on relationships are therefore fundamental. Trust and reliable relationship structures between clients and street workers are important so that later offers of help (resource development) can be accepted at all and, together with the clients, a perspective on life can be built that is less associated with behavior that is less harmful to oneself or others. Certain working principles such as life-world orientation , low threshold , confidentiality ( confidentiality ), voluntariness and partiality are therefore essential for street workers .

Street work is still a field of activity in “ mobile youth work ”. There are several fields of action and principles of social work - namely, street work, group work, individual assistance and community work - united within a socio-pedagogical overall concept.

Target groups

Street workers take care of the homeless , the sedentary, prostitutes , drug endangered and drug addicts, members of youth gangs or former prisoners. In addition to the street, there are also special contact points such as emergency apartments or unofficial meetings for working with socially disadvantaged groups of people. It is also the task of the street workers to plan and organize social strategies in order to give the people affected the opportunity to reintegrate into society .

This includes people whose main socialization site is the street as a living space, so one can also say that there is a more or less pronounced subcultural orientation. The target groups are also often affected by social disadvantage, marginalization , discrimination , criminalization or the like:

  • young unemployed and unemployed
  • Socially marginalized and homeless people
  • Adolescents and adolescents from youth scenes (punks, skins etc.)
  • other "conspicuous" ones in public space (train stations, shopping areas or central squares ...)

Health promotion as an important focus of action

Other priorities

  • Establish target group contact in the respective living environment
  • Joint planning and implementation of projects and sporting / cultural measures as part of group work
  • Establish an institutional network of contacts: cooperation with various partners and institutions (social services, advice centers, therapy centers, authorities ...)
  • psychosocial support / advice in difficult life situations (or just listen)
  • Promotion of personal resources and improvement of social skills in individual cases
  • Representation of interests for underprivileged groups or individuals
  • Technical innovation, d. H. Openness and flexibility of the street workers for new concepts, ideas or projects.

Relation to social work

Since the aim of street work is to alleviate, solve or prevent social problems, the theoretical positioning of street work within social work is meaningful, helpful and also based on the history of the profession. The further development of street work as a methodical approach is connected with the scientific development of social work. An important starting point for the legitimacy of a professional offer of street work vis-à-vis the service providers (public and private organizations) and the public could (should) be human rights , which are also based on social work.

literature

  • Outreach social work in AIDS prevention. The street worker model . In: Burkhard Gusy, GM Krauss, G. Schrott-Ben Redjeb, W. Heckmann, Social Pedagogical Institute Berlin (ed.): Series of publications by the Federal Ministry of Health . tape 21 . Nomos, Baden-Baden 1994, ISBN 978-3-7890-3303-2 .
  • Gerd Becker, Titus Simon (Hrsg.): Handbook Aufsuchende Jugend- und Sozialarbeit. Theoretical foundations, fields of work, practical aids . Juventa, Weinheim / Munich 1995, ISBN 3-7799-0805-0 .
  • Gangway e. V. (Ed.): Street work and professionalism . Berlin 1997. Documentation: ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Development of a social group work from the field of street work ) (PDF; 222 kB)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.gangway.de
  • Brother Bruno Kehl: God is free, but not free. A Franciscan street worker out and about . 1st edition. Diederichs, 2008, ISBN 978-3-7205-3066-8 .
  • Andreas Klose, Werner Steffan (Hrsg.): Streetwork and mobile youth work in Europe. European Street Work Exploration Study . Votum, Münster 1997, ISBN 3-930405-74-1 .
  • Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Mobile Jugendarbeit Baden-Württemberg eV (Ed.): Practical Guide Mobile Youth Work . Luchterhand, Neuwied / Darmstadt 1997, ISBN 3-472-02977-3 .
  • Walter Specht: Juvenile delinquency and mobile youth work. A neighborhood-related concept of street work . Luchterhand, Neuwied / Darmstadt 1979, ISBN 3-472-58043-7 .
  • Werner Steffan: Street work in the drug scene . Lambertus, Freiburg in Breisgau 1988, ISBN 3-7841-0409-6 .
  • Werner Steffan: Street social work, a method for hot areas of practice . 1st edition. Beltz, Weinheim / Basel 1989, ISBN 3-407-55733-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Duden Online
  2. ↑ Pons Online