Social Workers' Perspectives on Innovative Methods and Techniques in Supporting People with Disabilities: an Empirical Analysis

In 21st century Romania, social workers and other professionals in the field play an important role in providing comprehensive and modern services aimed at improving the quality of life of vulnerable people, especially those with disabilities. The social worker becomes a person for whom professional training and continuous development never cease, enabling him/her to combine professional expertise with innovations in the field. New methods and techniques, supported by technological advances, are constantly being developed to enhance the individual autonomy and inclusion of these people, both personally, professionally and socially. In our research, 55 individuals working in the field of social work in Romania were interviewed and provided relevant and significant responses to ensure the validity of the study. The study aims to explore social workers' perceptions and perspectives on innovative methods and techniques used with clients with disabilities. Furthermore, it is essential that these new intervention techniques are available and accessible in an equitable manner, with direct support from social work professionals. This article emphasises the importance of finding solutions to the problems identified, such as lack of human and financial resources, insufficient training programmes in these new intervention techniques and inadequate infrastructure.


Keywords: social assistance, innovative methods and techniques, disabilities, assistive technologies, social integration