SPECIFICS OF SOCIAL WORK IN THE PROTECTED HOUSING SERVICE IN BULGARIA.

In 2003 Bulgaria enacted new legislation that introduced various reforms in the social sphere. These changes define a new philosophy of state policy in the area of social services and society's vulnerable groups. Protected Housing is a social service that enables the transition from the traditional in Bulgaria institutional care to the services offered in the community and the family environment. The practical social work and the social worker in the service Protected Housing are the main subjects of analysis in this paper. The specifics of social work in the service Protected Housing affirms its professional identity by interpreting it as: •Social practice in the sense of a set of defined patterns of behavior, subject to rules and standards; •Means of protecting socially excluded individuals and groups; •Activity in three main directions: administrative, work with friends and family, work with the community and other institutions and organizations. The professional profile of the social worker reflects the specifics of social work in the Protected Housing service through two main options: realization of the social values on the one hand, and on the other hand - different mechanisms of education and resocialization, integration and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]