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Today, the Pedagogical University welcomed the UNICEF Children’s Protection Project Coordinator Hasmik Arakelyan, who presented her lecture about the analysis of the European and American metamodels in the sphere of social services.
During the meeting organized by the initiative of the ASPU Chair of Sociology and Social Work, the speaker discussed both models with the future social workers, and observed that even though they had the same methodology of running cases, still each metamodels had absolutely different definition.
Likewise, speaking about the peculiarities of the European metamodels, Hasmik Arakelyan highlighted the concepts of social security and social rights for all citizens, social responsibility among all stakeholders of social sphere, understanding the responsibility of social work not as personal but administrative issue.
“In Europe social services aim at total social welfare”, she added.
The UNICEF Armenia Children’s Protection Project Coordinator mentioned that the American metamodel was based on the UN medical services market, and that rich people could afford using more social services than those in need.
Likewise, she added that the social services of the American model were mainly targeted not on families with a lot of problems, but the elderly and persons with disabilities.
In addition, speaking about the Armenian reality the reporter first of all remembered the situation in the Soviet Union times, then referred to our days mentioning that currently there were 18 integrated social progressive service centers, a part of which was progressive for their activities operated by the one window principle, and the other part was still in the phase of development.
What is more, Ms. Hasmik Arakelyan added that it was planned to have 54 similar centers throughout Armenia by the 2025.
Besides, answering to the students’ question which metamodel the Armenian one was closer too - the American or the European, the speaker explained the following, “The Armenian model is the mixture of both as on the one hand we claim that we are a social state and want to support those in need, and that we are principally closer to the European model, but at the same time we are assisting the most vulnerable people.
Last but not least, a question and answer session was held during the meeting, where they covered the topics in regards with which metamodel we are adopting – the family –oriented, personal self-protection, or supporting the most vulnerable persons, and whether the case leader would be the support coordinator and an inspector,which are incompatible, as well as the distribution of financial and non-financial social service responsibilities among the central and local authorities, etc.
During the interview with the old.aspu.am the UNICEF Children’s Protection Project Coordinator Hasmik Arakelyan stressed out that the mission of the Pedagogical University was to be the center that trained social workers, highlighting that the theoretical knowledge taught here should be in line with practical activities, and that the projects developed by international organizations should become integral parts of academic programmes.
