Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This article examines the decisions taken by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) regarding the right to housing in Spain between 2017 and 2018, in particular concerning forced evictions. The Committee’s views in the case of Ben Djazia et al. are especially noteworthy. Domestic case law and legislative developments are then presented and analysed, in order to evaluate whether these responses are aligned with the  CESCR’s interpretation and whether they incorporate the guarantees surrounding the right to adequate housing in international and European human rights law.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a key factor in protecting employees in their workplace. The national legislative context relating to OHS had made progress in this field, in particular through the entry into force of Act 18-12 on compensation for occupational accidents, but it is relevant to ask the question about the effectiveness of the legal regime and the occupational risk compensation system (RPS) and its outcome in safeguarding workers' health? Thus, the generalisation of compulsory insurance for all RPS, including occupational diseases, and the need to regulate OHS in its physical and mental dimension, are imminent problems that require adequate measures in order to meet the challenges posed by risks at work, which are constantly increasing due to the profound changes that the world of work is undergoing in the 21st century.

The complex world of work increasingly excludes older adults. In Latin America, the labor supply for this group tends to be lower since they perceive them as incapacitated to perform some activities; because of this, they close their doors, denying them, among other rights, their right to social security. Due to this situation, it is important to take action to solve these problems. This article shows on one side, the analysis of the impact of international initiative of the social protection floor for the benefits of older adults, evaluating aspects related to social insurance, such as pensions and health for the elderly. On the other side, it analyses the importance and role of social protection floors with reference to older adults in Mexico and the main welfare programs that provide social protection.

This paper takes into account that part‑time contracts work are a good instrument that allows greater freedom to configure the working time, benefiting both businesses and workers. Nevertheless, the fact is that in most times is an example of precarious work. Therefore, the legal status of this type of contract is analysed in order to identify those elements that stand in the way of this functionality. At the same time, some changes are proposed to reverse this situation.

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A large number of studies explain the different factors that lead to the termination of family foster care, but few focus on a particular element of the foster care process: visits and the role that they play in the unexpected interruption of family foster care. The aim of this study is to explore the elements of the visiting system that provide stability to family foster care. A qualitative study was carried out involving the analysis of 13 interviews with professionals who have intervened in 48 cases of termination of family foster care as part of the Bizkaia Childcare Service. The data were processed using the MAXQDA programme. The findings indicate that parental visits are a key tool for intervention in family foster care and at the same time emphasise the fundamental role of the biological mother in the stability of the foster care process.

The aim of this work is to analyse situations of non-physical family violence among minors. In recent years, this reality has acquired significance in the study of family violence and in the notion that professionals play an essential role in detecting it. This research combines the views of three groups of experiences, taking into account the various perspectives of a complex phenomenon. Thirty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with victims of this violence, with persons who do not consider themselves victims and with professionals who have handled these situations. Clear risk factors were identified as a result, particularly violent relationships with the mother or father, violence between the couple, and addictions. It is also notable that the process of violence is highly likely to be repeated by the victims themselves. Of note in terms of the other groups are the underestimation of this violence and a lack of training among professionals.

This article provides an analysis of gender in social work university education. It begins by outlining the historical background of social work qualifications and describing some aspects relating to gender inequality in social work. Secondly, a descriptive study is used to compare graduates from the Social Work Faculty at Universidad Complutense, Madrid with the other Spanish public universities, based on the sex variable. A 30-year interval of higher education history is considered, from 1985 to 2015, which shows the persistence of gender differences in the graduate population. Thirdly, in relation to the workplace dimension, an analysis was conducted of teaching and research positions at the same Faculty, with a comparison by sex against the Universidad Complutense academic staff as a whole. The findings show that responsibility for teaching is unequal in terms of men and women. The article ends with brief conclusions.

The social changes occurring in our societies require and oblige social work professionals to face new challenges in terms of analysing and addressing the complexity of different social realities. This explains the position of social work as a highly demanding profession, where professionals are subject to new requirements in support relationships and in their professional practice in general. This requires ever-improving levels of preparation and knowledge. As some experts have noted, this situation has given rise to low levels of job satisfaction in certain cases among social work professionals. This study also seeks to highlight and raise awareness of the existence among social workers of a direct relationship between levels of job satisfaction, in terms of their professional activities, and job situation, in terms of occupation, organisational structure and type of contract. In this regard, some experts note the importance of analysing satisfaction levels since they are fundamental to producing a profession and professionals that are high-quality and offer users effective and efficient responses. Job satisfaction is reflected in the quality of interventions and in the services provided by the various social actors. It is hence important to protect the mental health of such professionals.