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

The author is an independent consultant in the economic sector and in public social services policy in Spain and in contact with the processes and products of various actors of the practical and knowledge networks involved or interested in this area of professional activity and social life. This article seeks to qualitatively describe and critically analyse the time of change that social services in Spain are experiencing in terms of sectoral and intersectoral dynamics, in order to explore the trends and opportunities for technological and social innovation and, within this framework, the potential and preferable role and approach (from their perspective) of the various public, third sector and private actors. Finally, a proposal is made for personalised, preventive, community, integrated, ecological, interdisciplinary and knowledge-based social services that are guaranteed as universal rights. The guarantors would be proactive and intelligent public authorities that recognise the historical role and added value of social initiative in the sector and know how to regulate and incorporate the role of commercial entities that contribute to economic, social and environmental sustainability in the territory.

Based on the social consequences of the economic crisis and on the increasing difficulties in accessing and retaining housing, studies on the phenomenon of homeless persons in Europe have adopted new perspectives that do not emphasise psychosocial variables or lifestyle. Recent analyses and research point to structural variables as playing a more leading role, lending a sociological aspect to the phenomenon and opening up the possibility of a better understanding of homelessness as well as of new forms of social action. This article discusses the opportunities and limitations of applying Housing First policies, and the extent to which they represent a paradigm shift in understanding homelessness. We also maintain that the debate on the current phenomenon of homeless persons, which remains far from closed, revolves around three different concepts: the “right to a roof”, the “right to housing” and the “right to the city”.

Various theories of ethics have called into question the significance of principles in professional codes, and particularly in social work. Pragmatic contextualism shares this rejection of principlism because it underplays the importance of the agent and their intelligence in the resolution of moral problems. However, at the same time it establishes the bases for a reconstruction of the role of principles in social work, by interpreting the ethics of social work as social and democratic.

In the last decade our country has been involved in a serious economic crisis which has evidenced the difficulty of the Welfare State to respond effectively to situations of poverty and social exclusion. In relation to Social Services, new proposals and new networking strategies have been fostered to satisfy the social needs of those who face social difficulties. The Mesa ISAE, which was constituted in 2009, was conceived with the aim of providing an alternative to the work which was already being developed by both the public Social Services System and third sector entities of the municipality of Elda (Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana). This coordinated action has succeeded in avoiding overlaps, establishing formal inter-institutional proceedings and improving management. The results of our research confirm that this tool is able to provide an immediate response to citizens, as it reduces bureaucracy and improves citizens’ well-being.

After an analysis of older people from a contemporary perspective, this study proposes co-housing as an alternative way of life to traditional senior residential homes. This form of co-habitation is proposed for reasons including its promotion of a better quality of life, with the latter conceived as a multidimensional concept that depends on the interaction of personal factors and environment. This definition is broadly agreed and quality of life is measured using various indicators, including emotional wellbeing. This paper analyses the aforementioned dimension in depth. It is shown that trust in one’s own abilities, stability and emotional state are key determinants in the overall assessment of quality of life. A comparison is performed between two residential models for older people in this context: traditional residential homes in which a care-based system is applied, and co-housing, a model in which symmetrical and nonhierarchical relationships are established where users are also active managers of their co-habitation model.

The international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities offers a (new) social and legal tool for interpreting disability. The ratification of the Convention by the Spanish state requires systemic changes across a range of different public policies. From this perspective, we conduct a reflective analysis on the institutionalisation of persons with disabilities in centres regulated within the framework of Law 39/2006, on the promotion of personal autonomy and care for persons in situations of dependence. Making use of the discourse of the social model of disability, which arises from the Convention, we seek to demonstrate how disability is represented as a “problem” and (de)institutionalisation is justified. We conclude by noting the need and obligation to transition from institutionalised care in specialist centres to support in community environments.

Esta obra colectiva representa un gran reto al plantear reflexiones sobre los sistemas y políticas de bienestar vigentes en, ocho países: Argentina, España, Estados Unidos, Francia, Israel, Italia, México y Portugal. Para ello, un selecto grupo de expertos-as, académicos-as e investigadores-as han querido, mediante contribuciones inéditas y con trascendente contenido, visibilizar algunos aspectos que generan controversia dentro de los sistemas políticos.

This article analyses the results obtained in a quality innovation project implemented by the Faculty of Social Work at Universidad Complutense, Madrid during academic year 2016-2017. Its aim was to identify graduate opinions regarding their training during the degree course, as well as which areas of their training had facilitated access to the labour market, in the cases in which graduates had successfully found employment. The methodological techniques used in this study involved an online questionnaire sent to all social work graduates since the introduction of the qualification. The study was adapted to the qualification awarded at this institution, for which reason the responses provide interesting results that should be developed into proposals for improvement as part of an inevitable change to the social work degree programme in the near future.

Two of the current challenges for human rights education (HRE) are the development of tools to evaluate it and the dissemination of experiences to improve it. This work outlines the findings of an HRE intervention with university students. The research had a quasi-experimental design with a control group, applying pre-test and post-test measures via the use of two validated instruments. The findings point to significant differences between the control group and the intervention group. The significant increase in concepts of and commitment to human rights in the intervention group provides evidence to support the argument that there is a positive association between knowledge of and commitment to human rights.

He sido testigo de las vicisitudes del libro y de la preocupación del prologuista, Luis Nogués, por el vacío que provocan las jubilaciones en la academia y en la profesión. Para contrarrestarlo, la labor científica de Teresa Zamanillo, en Epistemología del Trabajo Social: De la evidencia empírica a la exigencia teórica, evitará que se pierda parte de un legado antes disperso, reunido ahora en esta obra que se reseña. Además el hecho de que coincida con la puesta en marcha de Ediciones Complutense, como la primera propuesta de una publicación de Trabajo Social, resulta gratificante. En este texto la autora ha seleccionado aquellos artículos que considera más pertinentes, evaluados por expertos y transformados en libro. Son unas reflexiones teóricas de otros autores y de la propia autora, que permean la praxis progresista de una académica comprometida, como se evidencia en los distintos capítulos.