2024 Volume 65 Issue 2 Pages 59-72
This study examines a professional competence model of social workers who developed social resources through collaboration with local residents. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of social workers at 1,000 social welfare councils and community general support centers across Japan, after which 400 responses were included in the analysis. Based on a factor analysis of the social workers’ abilities, “execution and consensus-building communication,” “promotion of connection and independence,” and a “bird’s-eye view and coordination” were competencies for practical community support, while a “sense of mission and change orientation” was a key internal characteristic, demonstrating their consensus-building abilities as well as their execution abilities. Overall, the development of social resources was influenced by the demonstration of both internal characteristics and practical behaviors, regardless of the duration of the community support practices.
