This master's thesis primarily explores the employment of social workers in the field of education, with a specific focus on the counselling services within public kindergartens in Slovenia and the experiences of professionals in this role. The research addresses a range of subtopics, including: cooperation with external institutions, collaboration with various stakeholders, tasks not explicitly outlined in the Program Guidelines for Counselling Services in Educational Programs, engagement across different areas of work, advantages of employing social workers within public kindergarten counselling services, challenges faced in this position, initial educational background and additional training, (non-)compliance with newly introduced standards for the employment of counselling staff, involvement in professional networks, workload, job satisfaction, and related themes.
The theoretical framework is presented in the first part of the thesis, beginning with an exploration of the concepts of the child and childhood (including developmental stages and the importance of respecting both childhood and the child’s voice), the lifeworld, various forms of capital, and attachment theory. This is followed by a more detailed discussion of kindergartens, including their development, and a focus on the counselling services within them and the scope of their work. Counselling and the counselling relationship are also addressed. The section concludes with a specific emphasis on social work in kindergartens and a review of the profession’s contributions within this context.
The research is quantitative, empirical, descriptive, and correlational in nature. The measurement instrument used was a structured online questionnaire, created using the ARNES 1ka platform. The sample was non-probability-based, specifically convenience sampling, combined with snowball sampling. The data collection method involved an online survey. Data were analysed quantitatively using statistical methods; open-ended responses were analysed qualitatively using open and axial coding.
In the second part of the thesis, the final findings are presented, based primarily on the quantitative analysis, and to some extent also on qualitative analysis. The key findings, drawn from the initially formulated research questions and hypotheses, indicate that: on average, there is no difference in the frequency of cooperation with external institutions between social workers and other professionals in this role; that collaboration with parents represents the greatest challenge for social workers employed in kindergartens; that administrative workload is not perceived as the greatest obstacle in their work; that social workers report satisfaction with their role in kindergarten counselling services; and that there is a low correlation between the level of job satisfaction and the length of employment in the counselling service.
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