Resumen

MARTINEZ VIRTO, Lucía. Psychosocial profiling for social service users. Interdisciplinaria [online]. 2021, vol.38, n.2, pp.116-133. ISSN 1668-7027.  http://dx.doi.org/10.16888/interd.2021.38.2.8.

This article systematizes the profiling experience of social service users in Pamplona, a city in northern Spain. The economic crises in Spain had a strong psychosocial impact on people affected by unemployment or job insecurity. After a decade of the serious crisis that started in 2008, at least one out of ten homes in Spain has experienced a mental health disorder or depression. For this reason, an important volume of social service users in Spain accumulate situations of poverty and psychosocial deterioration, especially in the field of social incorporation.

This involves a strong pressure on the services with an increasing volume of people with a diversity of needs and psychosocial profiles, ultimately impacting in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Faced with this situation, the professionals of the Social Services of Pamplona began a multidisciplinary work process to define and systematize the intensity and focus on social service users. 19 professionals (the total of professionals in the area) from different disciplines related to psychosocial and socio-educational care (social educators, social workers, psychologists) participated in this process. After a year of collaborative work, they managed to outline the population and identify support criteria and follow-up frequency. The results introduce the classification of three care programs: (1) incorporation program with basic care, (2) socio-educational support program and (3) psychological support unit. Up to 7 different types of psychosocial profiles were identified in each of these programs. Based on this structure and the criteria, three degrees of care were defined: high, medium and low intensity, which require different support, monitoring and frequency methodologies. This intensity takes into account the level of psychosocial deterioration social service users.

To establish these criteria, social work professionals have utilized a variety of diagnostic tools in the intervention areas of employment, health and consumption, care or personal and family situation. They also supported the analysis with a diagnosis of social skills in education and training.

Social care professions, such as Psychology or Social Work, were born from the alliance between theoretical baggage and professional practice. The theoretical and methodological support of both professions came through the systematization of interventions carried out by pioneers in the field, the consolidation of evidence-based models and theoretical reflection.

This experience provides two results with great potential for the professional and academic ground in the psychosocial and socio-educational field. On the one hand, the evaluation of socio-educational intervention models with people in social exclusion in a multidisciplinary way. On the other, it systematizes and shares a consensual model for intervention from social services.

International and local literature in the field of social inclusion share these challenges, hence, this systematization provides technical criteria, theoretical bases, approaches and methodology that will surely shed light on professional dilemmas present in other territories.

The social and behavioral sciences provide interesting methods for evaluating practice and redefining procedures. The alliance built on this experience allows important steps to be taken for the social service sector. Experiences such as these can encourage the awakening of other methodological revision and systematization processes, contributing to the necessary debate and discussion on strategy assessment and adaptation of social services to new realities.

Palabras clave : social services; social exclusion; profiling; socio-educational; systematization.

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