Competence Center for Social Work

The development and evaluation of these fields are crucial to meet the growing needs and challenges in our society. Professional fields in the social sector must continuously adapt to changing social dynamics, political frameworks, and technological advances. Designing these fields requires central consideration of requirements and skills profiles, as social services bear a high level of responsibility for people's well-being. Professionals in the social sector require a range of skills, including communication, empathy, intercultural competence, crisis intervention, and teamwork. Additionally, a solid understanding of social policy, psychology, pedagogy, and ethics is crucial for finding effective solutions to complex social problems and ensuring high-quality services. It is crucial to evaluate these professional fields to ensure that professionals possess the necessary qualifications and that services meet the community's needs.

Research on child, youth, and family-related issues involves various methods, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.
Quantitative approaches focus on easily measurable questions, such as the impact of specific programs or policies on children's education. Researchers can collect quantitative data through surveys and statistical analyses to identify correlations and trends.
Qualitative methods enable researchers to gain profound insights into the experiences and perspectives of children, young people, and families.
Open interviews, focus groups and ethnographic observations are used to explore complex social dynamics. The mixed-methods approach combines both methods, allowing for the advantages of both to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the issues under investigation. Combining quantitative data on the educational success of young people with qualitative interviews about their educational experiences can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Research in the social sector focuses on evaluating the quality and impact of social services and social economy organisations. Prioritising these research areas helps ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of social services and meets the needs of target groups. Ensuring the quality of social services requires the development of standards and indicators for assessing performance and results. The evaluation of social services aims to measure their effectiveness in bringing about positive changes for the people they serve. Impact research goes further by examining how social services contribute to long-term social, economic, and societal change. These research areas improve service quality, resource efficiency, and support social enterprise organizations in promoting community well-being.

Analysing social problem situations and the continuous (further) development of methodological action in social work are of fundamental importance in order to offer people in multi-problem situations needs-based support, guidance and resource mediation. Social problems are often multi-layered and complex, as they include not only individual challenges but also social, economic and structural factors. In order to meet these challenges, a comprehensive analysis is required that takes into account the needs and resources of the people concerned. The (further) development of methodological action in social work means that professionals are constantly looking for innovative approaches to effectively address the needs of their clients. This can include the adaptation of existing methods, the integration of interdisciplinary approaches or the development of new strategies. The aim is to offer needs-based support that is tailored to the individual strengths and weaknesses of people in multi-problem situations and helps them to improve their life situation in the long term.

Social planning and social innovation are also important research focuses in the social sector. Research into social services focuses on evaluating programmes and interventions to assess their effectiveness and efficiency. The aim is to optimize existing services and develop new approaches to meet society's needs. Social planning aims to plan and adapt the long-term strategic direction of social services and resources to address social challenges effectively. Social innovation research focuses on developing new ideas, models, and technologies to find innovative solutions to social problems. These research areas are interlinked and help to improve the quality and effectiveness of social services and drive social progress.

This approach analyses social interactions, dynamics, and structures in specific spatial contexts, whether at an urban, rural, or local level. Social space researchers examine how physical environments and places influence social relationships and identities. They also analyse how spatial inequalities and social hierarchies emerge and how they affect people's lives. This research helps us understand social integration, social exclusion, and how society and space interact. This understanding provides valuable insights for designing cities, communities, and social interventions. Focusing on social space in research contributes to a better understanding of social issues in the context of spatial dimensions and helps develop solutions.