Milko Poštrak

Mojca Mayr, Meta Brečić-Ločičnik, Roberta Čotar Krilić

By describing the content, structural and financial characteristics of European programmes in the field of youth and summarizing research and analyses of the effects of their implementation from 2019 to 2023, the authors justify the role of programmes in the social inclusion of young people. By enhancing the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities and positive discrimination, European youth programmes ensure equal opportunities. Although young people with fewer opportunities enter programme activities with different starting points compared to their peers without limited access to opportunities, this does not lead to differences in learning outcomes. The authors deal with social and cultural capital, equity in education, the importance of non-formal education and the barriers of young people to participation in programmes.

Neža Vrhovec, Alenka Gril

A case study of a newly established youth center in a suburban neighborhood is presented. Opinions about this were collected from the director of this public institution, youth workers and young participants. The study was guided by two questions: how to establish a youth center as a community space in the neighbourhood, and how to encourage the participation of young people in it. The findings show that the cooperation of various stakeholders and residents is key to gaining local community support for the youth center, and that the development of activities should be based on participatory processes in the community. Youth workers encourage the participation of residents and young participants by establishing a dialogue, where they can express their ideas and needs, and then youth workers can adapt activities accordingly, include them as assistants and collaborators in activities and care for the space, or enable them to realize their own projects, and provide them with appropriate support and company of peers. Participation contributes to the strengthening of trust and connection between people in the community.

Matej Vukovič, Mitja Krajnčan, Urša Rozman, Katja Vrhunc Pfeifer

The German model of assistance for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficultuis is characterised by a redirection of attendance from institutions to children or young persons. The institution must adapt to the user's problems and needs, not the user to the institution. Children and adolescents are entitled to receive appropriate help based on their problems and needs. The paper provides an overview of the legal bases, concepts and programmes in the field of assistance to children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems or disorders in Germany. It presents the views of various authors on institutional education and the processes of deinstitutionalization, legal and theoretical frameworks, and terminological concepts. The authors focus on the positive aspects of the German model and consider the possibility of implementing individual parts into the Slovenian model of assistance.

Matej Vukovič, Mitja Krajnčan, Urša Rozman, Katja Vrhunc Pfeifer

The conceptual bases and programmes and legal bases in the field of assistance to children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems or disorders in Slovenia are explored. The authors examine research that explores the field of work with such children and adolescents in Slovenia, institutional education and the deinstitutionalisation of educational institutions in Slovenia. They review and present the development of Slovenian educational institutions and youth homes from the Second World War to the present day, i.e. the Slovenian system of assistance to children and adolescents, the theoretical framework and terminological concepts, as well as the main trends and changes that have occurred in Slovenia since the end of the Second World War. They compare the situation in the field of out-of-family education before the implementation of the new Act on the treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems and disorders in education and after its implementation. They identify and describe the innovations of Slovenian professional centres, especially their programmes for working with children with emotional and behavioural problems or disorders. The aim is to review concepts and programmes in the light of this law and to demonstrate the restructuring of professional centres.

Stjepan Paladin

The life of young people is examined and the impact of individual factors of growing up explained, including protective factors or risk factors for vulnerable young people. In relation to a vulnerable female adolescent examined in the paper, the gender-, family-, school and peer-related factors had a negative impact on her life, as her emotional, behavioural and mental problems gradually exacerbated. Throughout years, the adolescent’s problems gradually led to different disorders and manifested themselves in several areas of life, to the extent where they started threatening her life. In her case, auto-aggressive behaviour with severe forms of self-injury and suicide attempts prevailed. The adolescent underwent holistic treatment provided by a multidisciplinary expert team. The qualitative analysis showed that prevention, early detection and appropriate action are key measures in case of family violence and essential for a child’s optimal psychosocial and mental development in their developmental period. The analysis of interviews conducted with professional workers showed that a social worker included into a multidisciplinary team is one of its important experts, as they have a crucial role in working with and providing support to families facing numerous challenges.

Vid Arnež

In the first part of the article, the author places mental health in the context of the current socio-political agenda and emphasizes the importance of discursive analysis. In the relationships of psychosocial support and assistance, young people perceive status differentiation in the form of stereotypes, therefore, in understanding the phenomenon of mental health and psychosocial assistance, it is necessary to go beyond the narrow classification of the psychological world, which pathologizes only the individual. In the second part of the article, the author actualizes the approaches and concepts of social work as a scientific discipline in working with young people. Social work is based on the theories of social work, social sciences and humanities, and primarily seeks to change and improve social conditions through the involvement of users. As a professional practice and academic discipline, it implements the principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversity, emphasizing that understanding the subjectivity of an individual cannot be based solely on individual treatment, but that attention must be paid to changing the systems in which we operate and on the basis of which we are formed. In the conclusion, he connects the approaches of social work with the central message of young people who want to be treated in the processes of psychosocial support not as objects, but as subjects.

Jože Hren, Anej Korsika Knific, Anže Trček, Tea Zamida

The authors present a panoramic overview of programmes, services and various treatments available in Slovenia in social work with young users of illicit drugs. Epidemiologically, cannabis is the most widespread and, in terms of risks, the most underestimated drug used by young people. Thus, in the prevention, reduction and less risky use of this and other drugs, it is crucial that young people have access to support that they can reach out to. A safe environment, acceptance and an equal relationship are essential here. The field of prevention, especially early prevention, has received special attention in Slovenia in recent years and is experiencing significant development. Preventive programmes and interventions can address a wider range of risk factors and forms of vulnerability, such as peer violence, mental health, and strengthen emotional and social protective factors. It is important, however, that there is a wide range of services, including low-threshold ones, which do not make participation conditional on abstinence. Harm reduction programmes, including drug testing, counselling and therapeutic programmes, are measures that can empower and motivate individuals to participate in treatment and long-term recovery. All of the above is important support for the social (re-)integration of particularly vulnerable individuals and social groups, including young illicit drug users.

Breda Krašna, Nina Uratarič Malnar

Maša Piskule

Klavdija Kustec

Blaž Mesec

Milko Poštrak

Milko Poštrak