- Every day they are on the front line in the fight against social exclusion and poverty, and in recent months also with the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic, - stresses the Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg and adds, “acting with empathy makes other people's lives better. It is often said that social work is the art of listening and learning to hope, so on the occasion of their holiday, I wish all social workers that the good they give will come back to them with double the power.

Awards for the best

On the occasion of the Social Worker's Day, the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg, as each year, awarded special prizes to social workers and social welfare organisations for outstanding, innovative solutions in their activities. 6 individual prizes and 6 team prizes were awarded this year. The prizes are financial in nature.

A total of 22 555 social workers find employment in social welfare homes, social welfare centres and district family welfare centres.

Positive legislative changes

The Ministry of Family and Social Policy has prepared favourable legal solutions concerning social assistance, which are currently at the stage of public consultation. Some of the changes in the legislation concern social workers.

The Ministry proposes, among other things, to increase from PLN 250 to PLN 400 the supplement to the remuneration of a social worker employed in local government social assistance organizational units for providing social work in the environment or carrying out family environmental interviews outside the unit's seat. The allowance will be paid for family environmental interviewing or social work and not, as before, when both had to be done together.

Other proposals for changes in the law include, among others:

• establishing a career path for social workers, introducing periodic appraisal and an obligation to be promoted in the case of two positive consecutive periodic appraisals when the worker meets the seniority and qualification requirements,
• a provision has been added whereby a supplement to the social worker's salary will not be considered when calculating the employee's salary pursuant to Article 6, Item 4 of the Act of 10 October 2002 on Minimum Wage,
• the period of work of social workers, on which additional holiday leave of 10 days is dependent, has been reduced from 5 years to 3 years.

Included in the ranks of the Solidarity Assistance Corps for the Seniors

During the pandemic, social workers also support seniors within the framework of the Solidarity Assistance Corps for the Seniors launched in October. The elderly may call the helpline for help with activities that require them to leave home. That means, among others, going to get groceries or delivering hygienic articles. To date, social welfare centres have accepted over 12 applications from seniors. Approximately 10,000 volunteers support social workers in these activities.

The Minister also informed that PLN 100 million was allocated for support of the Solidarity Assistance Corps for the Seniors.  Municipalities will be able to allocate the funds, e.g., for employing new personnel for carrying out the tasks, granting performance allowances, contracting the service to non-governmental organisations or purchasing them from external entities.

SWH employees with additional support

The social welfare homes, i.e. some of the units where the social employees work have received additional support to combat the negative effects of the pandemic from both the state budget and EU funds. That is approximately PLN 600 million in total.

A portion of the funds was allocated, among others, for additional remuneration in the form of allowances for employees, employment of new persons to provide services in social welfare homes, e.g. carers, physiotherapists, or equipping workstations in social welfare homes with personal protective equipment and equipment necessary to fight the epidemic,

The Ministry of Family and Social Policy in cooperation with the Chief Sanitary Inspector has updated the recommendations and instructions for social welfare homes. The new guidelines apply to all persons in the facilities: the elderly, children, the disabled and the sick requiring 24-hour care, but also to the personnel

As recommended, if there are difficulties in ensuring continuity of care, staff can, for example, be directed from institutions whose activities have been suspended or reduced, to social welfare homes with a shortage of personnel or to include volunteers. “Rotational shift work” was also recommended. Social welfare homes are secured at all times with the necessary personal protective equipment.