Improving the competencies of social workers working in care homes

Dear respondents,

I am a student of the Master's program in Social Work at Mykolas Romeris University. I am currently conducting a research study aimed at analyzing the improvement of competencies of social workers working in care homes.

I invite you to join this important work! Your opinion and experience are invaluable in understanding this field and creating necessary recommendations.

By filling out the questionnaire, you agree to participate in the study. It is important that you base your answers on your unique experience and be open.

Thank you for your time! Your participation is important and significant – it contributes not only to the success of my personal work but also to the development of science and the improvement of social work in our country.

Your contribution is important!

Results are available only to the author

YesNo

In my free timeDuring vacationDuring work hoursOther

YesNoNo opinion

Yes. By improving my competencies, I develop as a personNo. Competencies remain stable all the time - they do not changeNo opinion

Continuous improvement of competencies is necessary (job security, new career opportunities, etc.)Improving the competencies of social workers working in care homes is an inseparable factor in the improvement and development of the institutionObligations to improve due to the positionImproving competencies is important for achieving the institution's goals and effectivenessFamily and community recognitionPersonal improvement of competencies depends only on the employee

Once a month	Once every 3 months	Once every 6 months	Once every 9 months	Once a calendar year	I have not improved
In-person seminars

Online seminars

In-person training

Online training

Practical sessions, workshops in-person

Practical sessions, workshops online

Internships/programs conducted outside the Republic of Lithuania in-person

Internships/programs conducted outside the Republic of Lithuania online

Supervision in-person

Supervision online

Intervision in-person

Intervision online

Mentoring in-person

Mentoring online

In-person studies

Online studies

In-person lectures

Online lectures

In-person conferences

Online conferences

1	2	3	4	5
Individual assistance to service users

Assessment of service users' personal needs

Organization of services

Communication with service users' relatives

Community involvement

Improvement of service users' living conditions

Crisis management

Documentation management

Legal and administrative support

Representation of service users' interests

1	2	3	4	5
Ability to communicate

Ability to collaborate

Ability to plan

Ability to work independently

Ability to improve

Ability to reflect

Ability to assess needs

Ability to implement intervention

Ability to meet client needs

Ability to create a safe environment

Ability to develop and support service users' independent living skills

1	2	3	4	5
Knowledge of social policy

Psychological knowledge

Political knowledge

Sociological knowledge

Ethical knowledge

Legal knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge of technology

Knowledge of intervention methods

1	2	3	4	5
Irregular working hours

High workload

Limited choice of training programs

Psychological stress

Risk to personal safety

Limited financial and material resources

Lack of recognition and understanding from society

Ethical dilemmas

Need for cultural competence

Technological advancement

Burnout at work due to constant stress and emotional tension

Lack of time for personal development

Insufficient employer support in professional development

Low motivation among colleagues to improve

Insufficient reward for additional competencies or qualifications

Difficulties in finding suitable and qualified mentors

1	2	3	4	5
The training offer for social workers working in care homes is sufficient

The content of the competency development training meets your personal professional development needs

Training takes place at a convenient time for you

Training occurs during working hours, so you have too few opportunities to participate

You plan your personal career, so you choose which training sessions to attend

The participant fee for the training you attend is paid by your institution

You pay for the training yourself

Due to a lack of funds in the institution, you cannot develop as much as you would like

You participate in training only for certificates necessary for certification, career advancement, and salary increase

The training programs provide sufficient new professional knowledge

The training introduces new social work methods

The training sufficiently develops general (communication, collaboration, reflection, organization, leadership, psychological, etc.) competencies

The knowledge gained during training is easily applicable in practice

The training is conducted by competent lecturers

Competency development is a formality that does not encourage professional development

1	2	3	4	5
My professional values help me better understand clients' needs

By improving my competencies, I have become more effective in my work

My values encourage me to actively seek learning opportunities

Competency development has helped me build better relationships with colleagues

My values contribute to improving the quality of my work

My values encourage me to better understand my clients and their needs

By improving my skills, I feel more confident in my work

In seeking learning opportunities, I experience more joy in my work

By improving my competencies, I am better able to solve problems that arise when working with clients

1	2	3	4	5
You apply them in your work and encourage your colleagues at the institution to apply them.

You test the ideas presented as they were introduced.

You rethink the ideas presented and adapt them in your own way.

You wait for the right situation to apply the ideas.

You do not always use the ideas, but you encourage your colleagues to use them.

You cannot apply anything while working in social work.

1	2	3	4	5
The microclimate in the care home has improved.

Relationships with service recipients have improved.

Relationships with service recipients' relatives have improved.

Relationships with colleagues have improved.

Nothing has changed.

FemaleMaleOther

Senior social worker (equivalent to the first qualification category)Chief social worker (equivalent to the second qualification category)Expert social worker (equivalent to the third qualification category)I do not have a category

1	2	3	4	5
Empathy

Respect

Ethics

Responsibility

Justice

Tolerance

Collaboration

Creativity

Professionalism

Confidentiality

Equality

Compassion

Caring

Assistance

Empowerment

Improving the competencies of social workers working in care homes

1. Have you improved your qualifications in the last three years?

2. When would be the most convenient time for you to improve your qualifications?

3. Do you intentionally plan your qualification improvement?

4. Do you think it is necessary for social workers working in care homes to continuously improve their competencies?

5. What motivates you to improve your competencies? (You can choose multiple options)

6. Why is it important for you to improve your competencies as a social worker working in care homes? (You can choose multiple answers)

7. How often do you improve your qualifications in these professional competency forms?

8. Evaluate the importance of your competencies as a social worker in performing functions. (Rate from 1 to 5 points: 1 – not important at all; 2 – somewhat unimportant; 3 – neither important nor unimportant; 4 – somewhat important; 5 – very important).

9. How do you evaluate your professional competencies while working in a nursing home? (Rate from 1 to 5 points: 1 – very low; 2 – low; 3 – average; 4 – good; 5 – excellent).

10. What do you think, what knowledge do you need as a social worker working in a care home? (Rate from 1 to 5 points: 1 – completely unnecessary; 2 - slightly necessary; 3 – moderately necessary; 4 – necessary; 5 – very necessary).

11. What challenges in competency development do you face while working as a social worker in a care home? (Rate each from 1 to 5 points: 1 – never; 2 – rarely; 3 – sometimes; 4 – often; 5 – always).

12. Which of these values do you consider the most important in your professional work while working in a care home? (Rate each value from 1 to 5 points: 1 - not important at all, 2 - unimportant, 3 - moderately important, 4 - important, 5 - very important).

14. Do you agree with these statements about the professional development of social workers working in care homes? (Rate each statement from 1 to 5: 1 – strongly disagree; 2 – disagree; 3 – neither agree nor disagree; 4 – agree; 5 – strongly agree).

15. Have you applied the knowledge gained in competency development programs while working in social work at care homes? (Rate the skills acquired from 1 to 5 points: 1 - disagree, 2 - somewhat disagree, 3 - neither agree nor disagree, 4 - somewhat agree; 5 - agree).

16. How has your work quality changed after the competency improvement training? (Rate the skills acquired from 1 to 5 points: 1 - disagree, 2 - somewhat disagree, 3 - neither agree nor disagree, 4 - somewhat agree; 5 - agree).

17. What is your gender?

18. Your education

19. What is your qualification category?

20. What is your work experience in social work?