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Considering Family and Child Welfare in Lithuania in Terms of Social Sustainability Pursuant to Observations of Everyday Professional Practice

Author

Listed:
  • Rasa Naujanienė

    (Social Work Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Jonas Ruškus

    (Social Work Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania
    The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the United Nations.)

  • Merja Laitinen

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lapland, 96300 Rovaniemi, Finland)

  • Roberta Motiečienė

    (Social Work Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Julija Eidukevičiūtė

    (Social Work Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania)

Abstract

This article investigates the family and child welfare system in Lithuania in terms of social sustainability, with an emphasis on children’s rights. The conceptual framework of Gilbert et al. (2011a) on child welfare was used as the substance of the research, identifying the problem frame, aim and mode of intervention, and parent–state relationship as the main dimensions for analyzing configurations of the child welfare systems. The analysis in this article focuses on how the family and child welfare system is observed in everyday professional practice in Lithuania by linking it with the social sustainability concept. The quantitative research sample comprised 501 respondents from Lithuania, representing different professionals of the family and child welfare system. An online questionnaire was distributed across regional municipal social services departments and to the national service of the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service. Explorative factor analysis and multidimensional scaling were used for data analysis. The research demonstrated that family and child welfare dimensions are meaningfully related to the social sustainability concept through the rights of a child such as the child’s best interests, accessibility to services, the right to be heard, protection against violence, child identity, development assurance, and so forth. The research indicates the need for awareness raising, including education and training for professional actors regarding child and family welfare, as an integral part of the concept of social sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Rasa Naujanienė & Jonas Ruškus & Merja Laitinen & Roberta Motiečienė & Julija Eidukevičiūtė, 2021. "Considering Family and Child Welfare in Lithuania in Terms of Social Sustainability Pursuant to Observations of Everyday Professional Practice," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-18, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:8751-:d:608951
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aline Schoch & Gaëlle Aeby & Brigitte Müller & Michelle Cottier & Loretta Seglias & Kay Biesel & Gaëlle Sauthier & Stefan Schnurr, 2020. "Participation of Children and Parents in the Swiss Child Protection System in the Past and Present: An Interdisciplinary Perspective," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Juha Hämäläinen & Kaisa Pihlainen & Riitta Vornanen, 2020. "Sustainable Family Life and Child Welfare: A Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-21, November.
    3. Jonathan Bradshaw & Petra Hoelscher & Dominic Richardson, 2007. "An Index of Child Well-being in the European Union," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 80(1), pages 133-177, January.
    4. Gilbert, Neil, 2012. "A comparative study of child welfare systems: Abstract orientations and concrete results," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 532-536.
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