The local community in the face of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as exemplified by cooperation social welfare institutions from Greater Poland Voivodeship with local partners

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the experience of cooperation between social workers employed in social welfare centers in the Greater Poland Voivodeship and citizens to counteract the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, I present the results of research conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative analysis was carried out using the computer-assisted telephone interview technique and the computer-assisted web interview technique in June 2020 among social workers employed in social welfare institutions in Greater Poland. The qualitative research was carried out using the method of an individual in-depth interview in April 2021 among 35 social workers also employed in institutions from Wielkopolska.

The article presented the assessment of social workers’ cooperation with the local community based on quantitative research during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this area, the following were rated the best: the police, non-governmental organizations, informal groups, and the Wielkopolska Voivodship Office in Poznań. The article presents significant differences in the assessment of cooperation depending on the type of commune represented by the respondent, the size of the designated institution, experience, or the type of position held. Qualitative research shows that local social welfare institutions have intensified cooperation with, among other things, local elites, e.g., councilors, village leaders, or volunteers. On the other hand, problems were pointed out in cooperation, especially with health service representatives or probation officers. The last part of the analysis presents the opinion of social workers on the positive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which primarily focuses on the issue of cooperation.