In my Graduation Thesis, I wrote about the relationships that professional workers establish with families facing numerous challenges in social welfare centers. I believe it is important to explore the nature of these relationships and identify what facilitates or hinders them, as I consider relationships to be a crucial factor in achieving successful outcomes. I was interested in examining the knowledge social workers at social welfare centers have regarding a relationship-based approach, the characteristics of the working relationships they establish with families facing numerous challenges, the challenges these families encounter when accessing the services of the social welfare center, and the personal, organizational, and systemic aspects that either facilitate or hinder social workers in engaging with these families in a relationship-based practice. The research was qualitative in nature, and I conducted interviews using semi-structured guidelines. The sample consisted of 7 professional workers from different social welfare centers. I found that professional workers utilize certain elements of a "holding relationship" in their work, such as active listening, transparency, reliability, and fostering trust. They are aware of the importance of a quality, continuous, and supportive holding relationship emphasized in the approach of relationship-based social work. However, the circumstances in social welfare centers often hinder the establishment of such relationships. The knowledge that professional workers employ in building relationships with families stems from their studies, education in social welfare centers, and some knowledge drawn from personal life experiences. The professional workers described the quality of their relationships with families as good. They perceive their role in the family relationship as a combination of supervisory and supportive roles. The professional workers have observed instances where families become overwhelmed by the number of institutions they have to visit or engage with. According to the professional workers, the relationships between themselves and the families are influenced by the actions of the professional workers, the organization of work (working hours), caseloads, support from colleagues and employers, and systemic aspects (legislation, staff shortages, limited availability of assistance, insufficient preventive measures).
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