Social work with the local community in Ukraine and the possibility of using Polish experience

Although community organizing as a method of social work began to develop in Ukraine in the 1990s, but unlike individual and group social work, the attempts to introduce it into the activities of social welfare institutions and non-governmental organizations were unsystematic and not very successful. The aim of the article is to determine the possibilities of Polish experience of community social work implementation in Ukraine, taking into account the ongoing reform of local self-government. The study, the results of which are presented in the article, was designed as a so-called desk research and based on the results of the comparative analysis of Ukrainian and Polish scientific publications, documents, official websites, etc. The historical background of community social work development in Ukraine is outlined, the analysis of Ukrainian legal acts regarding norms and principles on community organizing is conducted. The article provides an overview of Ukrainian concepts and models of community social work. Particular attention is paid to the possibilities of Polish experience’ application, while implementing community organizing into practice of social welfare institutions as well as of NGOs. Possible structural and institutional changes related to the implementation of community organizing in social work practice and its benefits for the revitalization programs were analyzed. Polish experience of establishing a nationwide circle of community social work professionals was described. The author concludes that the challenges and barriers arising before community social work in both countries are quite similar and assumes that it is reasonable to take into account Polish experience, while implementing community organizing in Ukrainian realities.