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The Impact of Team Capacity Factors on Social Work Services

Social services are currently not yet available to the majority of workers in this area. The network providing social services for workers in general and workers in the KTPNN sector in particular in Ho Chi Minh City is not really widespread but is only the efforts of individual local authorities. In addition, there are many factors affecting the ability of workers in the KTPNN sector to use social services.

3.3.1. The impact of team capacity factors on social work services

3.3.1.1. Capacity of staff providing social work services

Social services are important because they create favorable conditions for individuals, families, and groups of migrant workers in need of help to be able to solve the problems they are facing; meet the needs and enhance social functions to prevent, intervene, and restore migrant workers to better integrate into the social community at their destination.

The research results show that there are many factors that are assessed to affect the ability to access social services of migrant workers. Depending on the characteristics of the needs of migrant workers, resources and service capacity of the districts, the ability to use social services is different, each factor affecting the service is not the same such as: The factor of the team of social workers has the strongest influence on their ability to access social services. The migrant workers in the KTNNN area really need social services to ensure the quality of life at their place of residence. Vulnerable groups in general and migrant workers in particular often face many social problems, they often feel inferior, passive and rarely seek assistance activities. Some previous research results have also shown that the effective provision of social services requires a team of service providers who are well-trained from professional schools [29]; [66].

The research results also show that the capacity of service providers is one of the factors that strongly affects the ability to access social services of migrant workers in the KTPNN sector with the average = 3.75. Social work is a newly developed profession in Vietnam, not yet known by many people. Most communes/wards in Ho Chi Minh City currently do not have professional social workers, but are mainly performed by semi-professional staff. The staff providing social services to support migrant workers in the locality are often part-time, part-time staff, women's union staff or different departments and branches. Depending on each problem of migrant workers, social workers provide different social services such as: temporary residence registration by the local police, social security-related issues are supported by the cultural staff of the ward. Therefore, they do not have much time.

to support but only focus on the field they are in charge of. In addition, these officers rarely participate or have never participated in a training course on social work. Therefore, it has a significant impact on service provision for workers in this area.

Table 3.13. Immigrant workers' perceptions of factors affecting social work services

TT

Factors affecting social services for migrant workers

Average

DLC

Rank

1

Capacity of staff providing social services

3.75

0.69

1

2

Media information about local social services

3.71

0.89

2

3

Resources/network providing social services

3.66

0.89

3

4

Characteristics of migrant workers

3.61

0.94

4

5

Facilities

3.48

0.72

5

6

Policies and laws for migrant workers

3.42

0.76

6


DTBC

3.61

0.82


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The Impact of Team Capacity Factors on Social Work Services

(Source: Actual survey data).

Qualitative research data shows that service providers must have the necessary knowledge and skills in social work to approach and identify problems, plan treatment, and connect with service resources to help clients solve their problems and move towards a more useful life. A LĐ, Invalids and Social Affairs officer said: “Consultation activities for workers in the KTPNN area are mainly sharing to relieve stress for them. In reality, when workers in the KTPNN area encounter psychological crises, social workers with knowledge of social work cannot provide consultation, treatment, or intervention, but need to refer workers to experts in this field. Therefore, social workers must be trained, fostered, and coached in knowledge and skills in social work ”. (LĐ, Invalids and Social Affairs officer, District 12).

After the Government issued Decision 32, the Project on Developing Social Work Profession has created a positive change in the awareness of Party committees, authorities at all levels and society about the social work profession. Currently, provinces and cities across the country have developed plans and allocated funds to implement the Project and have established nearly 40 centers providing social work services at provincial and district levels; a number of social work consulting offices in districts and hundreds of consulting points in communities, hospitals; schools; increasing the total number of facilities related to providing social work services.

The current social work service network has 418 facilities, with a total of 30,000 staff working at the facilities and networks at the commune/ward level [60].

The capacity of the staff providing social services is assessed through the following indicators: Knowledge, skills, attitudes, and seniority in the profession. These factors directly and indirectly affect the process of providing social services to workers in the KTPNN sector in localities. The research results in Table 3.14 show that one of the indicators of professional qualifications is knowledge and professional skills with the average score of 4.06, corresponding to 20.9% of opinions saying it is very influential and 49.3% saying it is influential on the ability of workers in this sector to access social services.

Table 3.14. Perceptions of service staff influencing the likelihood of using social work services


TT


Staff providing social services (F4)

Answer options (%)


Average


DLC

Absolutely right.

Mostly yes

Confused

Partly so.

Not true.


1

Service providers trained in basic knowledge and skills in social work will have a plan.

Provide better service


29.0


49.3


20.7


1.0


0.0


4.06


0.73


2

Service providers with good attitude and passion for work will have experience.

in the process of providing services


8.1


28.3


63.3


0.2


0.0


3.44


0.64

DTBC

3.75

0.69

(Source: Actual survey data).

A well-trained social worker will be more confident and effective in assisting clients, and conversely, if the social worker lacks knowledge and skills, he or she will be more confused in assisting activities. This is consistent with the comments of the project leader who said: “ For a social worker, enthusiasm and dedication are not enough, they must be trained and nurtured to have the knowledge and skills to work with each specific client. In addition, each client often encounters many problems at the same time, which cannot be solved by the social worker alone, but requires the participation of many sectors. If the social worker has the knowledge and skills in the process of assisting clients,

It is easier for the owner to approach and accompany the family to assess, identify problems and comply with principles and professional ethics. (E&D Project Leader in District 8).

In reality, there is still a huge contradiction between the demand for human resources in social work and the recruitment policy. Some communes/wards do not have recruitment targets or have difficulty recruiting. On the other hand, the network of facilities providing social work services has just been formed, mainly in the field of labor, invalids and social affairs. The staff, employees and collaborators are still small or have not been trained or fostered in professional skills in social work, so they cannot promote their professional skills in providing social work services to workers in the KTPNN area. This issue is also reflected in the opinion of a ward leader: "Most of our commune/ward staff have not been trained or fostered, or if they have, they have very little training in social work. They are very enthusiastic in their work, but they only rely on their many years of experience to solve problems, so the effectiveness of assistance is not high." (Leader of BTĐ B ward, Binh Tan district).

Through the analysis of the above results, it can be seen that the staff working in communes/wards have not met practical requirements, most of them have not been trained in social work or have very little formal training in social work knowledge and skills. This is an ongoing problem not only in Ho Chi Minh City but also in localities across the country. This result affirms the role of social workers in terms of professional qualifications and attitudes towards the profession, which has a profound impact on the effectiveness of using social work services of workers in the KTPNN sector as well as on the reputation of the facilities and localities providing social work services. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to train and provide them with knowledge and skills in identifying problems, assessing needs as well as planning to provide social work services so that workers in the KTPNN sector can have a more stable life.

The results of in-depth interviews show that the quality of social services for workers in the KTPNN area is greatly influenced by the service providers. The fact that service providers are trained and professionally fostered in social work helps them master the methods, skills, ways as well as principles of action and professional ethics to ensure that the service provision process is guaranteed. The Ward leader said: " Ward staff who are not trained in social work will encounter many difficulties in the process of providing services to workers in the KTPNN area, because they often have multiple needs that need assistance. Without knowledge and skills, staff will not understand the psychology, aspirations, assess the problems and needs to plan the provision, connect, and refer workers in the KTPNN area to the necessary services to solve their problems." (Labor of DHT Ward, District 12).

For social service providers who have not been trained in knowledge and skills in social work, it greatly affects the provision of services to people in the community. In addition, the current network of social service providers in the community is not diverse, there is a lack of specialized support services, the socialization is not high and does not meet the needs of people using the service. Therefore, social service providers cannot demonstrate their role in mobilizing and connecting resources to support workers in the KTPNN sector to solve their problems. For facilities with professionally trained staff, service provision will be better. This is an issue that needs to be noted when the Social Work Development Project is entering its final stage with the goals gradually being completed.

The pilot construction of the model of the Center for providing social work services; training, retraining, and improving skills and expertise for the team of cadres, civil servants, employees, and social work collaborators, especially in the community, has not brought about the expected results. Previous research results have also shown that, according to regulations, social work workers work according to the principles of action such as putting the interests of clients first; respecting the right to self-determination; focusing on strengths, taking advantage of available resources of clients to promote empowerment and responsibility for social work professional activities, while ensuring the provision of appropriate and quality social work services to clients [15].

In addition to professional competence, the awareness and attitude of service providers also have a great impact on service quality. To implement these principles well, social workers must have basic knowledge of social work, in the process of providing services, social workers must strictly comply with professional standards and ethics, enhance professional development as well as develop self-awareness to be able to provide appropriate social work services, ensuring quality for workers in the KTPNN sector.

The results of in-depth interviews also show that the factor of the service staff has an impact on social services for migrant workers in the KTPNN area. The effective provision of social services for migrant workers requires a team of professionals, experience, enthusiasm and professional ethics working in communes/wards. A social worker at a service provider said: “Staff providing services for migrant workers who are trained in knowledge and skills in social work will be able to apply appropriate intervention methods, follow the correct procedures, choose appropriate approaches and implement the principles of action well in the service provision process, contributing to the effectiveness of migrant workers. However, the majority of social workers and collaborators in communes/wards currently do not have methods and skills to provide services suitable for the

NLĐNC. On the other hand, some of them hold concurrent positions, so they have not focused on their expertise, and the effectiveness of providing services to NLĐNC in the KTPNN area is not high." (NVCTXH, District 12).

Good attitude towards the job is also one of the manifestations of service providers, with the average score = 3.4, corresponding to 8.1% of employees saying that it is very influential and 28.3% saying it is influential on social services for employees in the KTPNN area. A number of commune/ward staff who have not been trained in social work knowledge work based on the experiences they have accumulated during their work, or those who come later learn from those who come earlier, or mainly work from their heart, which is also one of the factors affecting social services. This makes the effectiveness of providing social services for employees in localities low, lacking sustainability, failing to meet current practical needs and the process of international integration. Some previous studies also show that the role of social workers is very important in ensuring the quality and professionalism of social services. “ The understanding of social work practice of social workers greatly affects service delivery. If they are not social workers, they cannot ensure that the process of accompanying them follows the social work process and it is difficult to accept and respect clients, but will do things for them, because supporting them takes more time than doing it directly…” [128, p. 66].

The results of the in-depth interviews show that the attitude towards the profession has a great influence on social services. A labor, invalids and social affairs officer said: “I have been involved in this work for more than ten years, most of the support work for the subjects is done based on experience and what I think is right, but in reality, I have not learned anything about social work, so I do not know what skills to use, what plans to make for the subjects, so the support effectiveness is not high”. (Labor, invalids and social affairs officer, District 8). In addition, because some staff are too confident in their many years of work, they often tend to impose their opinions on clients and do not respect the clients' right to self-determination in solving their problems, leading to ineffective service provision. Thus, the attitude towards the profession also has a significant influence on the effectiveness of using social services with workers in the KTPNN sector. However, a good attitude towards the profession leads to a more favorable relationship in mobilizing and connecting resources for clients. On the other hand, when working with social workers, social workers need to have a good grasp of their psychosocial characteristics to establish a good professional relationship and follow the rules and professional ethics, which will make it easier to identify problems and assess needs and plan to help clients use social services effectively.

To meet the requirements of the new era, the provision of social services also needs to change to train human resources to provide high-quality social services, meet social needs, and serve the development of the social work industry. According to

The report of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City said that in recent years, the implementation of Project 32 in the area has achieved many remarkable results. The Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City in coordination with Campus II, the University of Labor and Social Affairs organized 38 training courses from basic to advanced, providing professional training for 4,574 trainees who are officials in the sector or working in the field of social work, including some members of the Steering Committee for the implementation of Project 32 of Ho Chi Minh City, employees of social organizations, social work officials at district, commune, ward levels, officials of unions, religious organizations, teachers of primary, secondary and high schools, medical staff at ward/commune levels [34]. Therefore, many communes/wards have created conditions for employees to participate in training courses and study specialized courses in social work to continuously improve the quality of providing social work services and gradually affirm their position and role in society, becoming an effective approach to deal with and solve many social problems.

A Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs officer said: “ In the past, the locality has created conditions for me to participate in training courses and improve my knowledge about social work and I am currently attending a part-time class in social work organized by the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in collaboration with the University of Labour and Social Affairs, so I know the support methods and how to make a plan to help clients.” (Law, Invalids and Social Affairs officer, District 12). This shows that if officers are trained and improved their knowledge about social work more, the effectiveness of using social work services in the community will be improved.

The staff of commune/ward departments have not been trained and fostered in social work, so in the process of providing services, they do not fully understand the psychology, aspirations, working methods as well as the right attitude towards migrant workers. In addition, they are responsible for many tasks at the same time, so they are not fully devoted to supporting migrant workers, so they have difficulty mobilizing and finding quality resources, coordinating with departments/sectors, and organizations to organize programs and activities to provide, connect, and refer migrant workers to access services to solve their problems. Due to limited capacity, social workers cannot help migrant workers overcome their difficulties. These activities do not take place regularly but are only carried out according to the movement, focusing on holidays and Tet.

In reality, love for people and dedication are only necessary but not sufficient conditions to ensure the professionalism of staff in providing social work services in the community. This professionalism can only be achieved through training, coaching, and fostering for social work staff in communes/wards with full knowledge and skills in social work as well as necessary specialized and complementary knowledge.

This will have a significant impact on the attitude of social workers when working with migrant workers and help them clearly understand their roles and work responsibly in the process of performing their tasks, connecting and referring clients to necessary resources with appropriate intervention plans and promoting the implementation of programs/activities to meet social needs to enhance the effectiveness of the social service delivery system for migrant workers in the KTPNN sector.

3.3.1.2. Correlation between social worker capacity and social work services

The results of the correlation analysis in Table 3.15 show that the factor of social worker capacity is strongly correlated with the implementation of social work services for workers in the non-state sector (with p value < 0.01). In general, the correlation level of the factor of social worker capacity to each social work service is different. The correlation level of this factor with consulting and advisory services (r= -0.460**, p<0.00) and vocational training, employment and livelihood support referral services (r= 0.416**, p<0.00) has a strong correlation, on the contrary, services supporting access to public education; supporting information on safe accommodation and connecting resources have a weaker correlation. This shows that when the factors of social worker capacity change, it will lead to changes in the direction of increasing or decreasing the ability to access social work services for workers in the non-state sector.

Through multivariate linear regression analysis (R 2 , F –Test) with p value <0.000 for

It can be seen that all 05 factors included in the model are suitable, the independent variables: staff; Service communication; Resources/network; Characteristics of employees; Policy and legal mechanisms all affect social services. Specifically in this case, 05 independent variables included in the model can explain the variation of the dependent variable: social services with employees working in the KTPNN sector (R 2 = 49.7%; p = 0.00), the rest is due to variables outside the model that the thesis has not had the conditions to analyze and random errors.

(see appendix 3.3.1.2).

The factors included in the model affecting social services are not the same. Specifically: the factor of social service staff capacity has a Beta coefficient of -0.461 and p = 0.000 < 0.001. This shows that this factor affects social services and when other factors remain unchanged, the factor of social service staff capacity (knowledge, skills, attitudes, ...) changes, leading to a change in the dependent variable (C7 - social services) by 21.1% (R 2 = 0.211; p < 0.001). At the same time

Through the F test in the ANOVA table, the value (sig) of the F test is 0.000 < 0.05 (Appendix 3.3.2.1). In addition, the capacity, awareness, and attitude of the staff providing social services also have a significant impact on the service of connecting resources for the NLĐNC. Because social workers need to clearly understand where the resources are in the community.

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