THE LEVEL OF STUDIES AND LIFELONG LEARNING AS FACTORS SHAPING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTITUDES OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES OF SOCIAL SERVICES REGARDING ISSUES OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Alexandros Chaidas, Stathis Balias, Thanassis Karalis

Abstract


This paper presents part of the results of a study conducted in the context of PhD studies of the first of the authors in order to assess a) the level of knowledge, perceptions, skills, attitudes and mobilization of human resources of social services on issues of protection of Human Rights (HR) of vulnerable social groups (VSG), and b) the impact on this level of both Lifelong Learning (LL) of human resources in the field of Human Rights and their level of studies. For data to be collected, a closed-ended electronic questionnaire was created and completed by four hundred and fifty-three active employees in social services operating in the three Regional Units of Western Greece. The most important results of the survey showed that the knowledge of human resources in the field of Human Rights was moderate. Moreover, it is concluded that the perceptions of human resources regarding the equality which VSG should enjoy in exercising their rights and receiving social benefits from the state range from very high to extremely high levels, respectively. At the same time, the emergence rate of socio-emotional skills during human resources contact with VSG appears to be adequate. On the contrary, the research data showed little mobilization of human resources to defend the rights of VSG within and outside the work environment. In addition, after correlating the categories of LL with the variables under study, the main results showed that the higher the levels of Formal Human Resource Education in the field of Human Rights, the less the various characteristics of VSG (gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental-physical disability, age, racial-ethnic origin, religion, socioeconomic status, language, skin color) constitute a barrier of discrimination during their contact with them, the more their socio-emotional skills emerge and their degree of mobilization increases. Finally, as the levels of studies increase, the higher the level of knowledge developed in the field of Human Rights by the participants in the research and the less the various characteristics of VSG affect the provision of quality services to them. On the contrary, the lower the educational level of human resources, the greater their mobilization within and outside the work environment.

 

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human resources of social services, vulnerable social groups, lifelong learning, Human Rights, human rights education

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejhrms.v8i1.1796

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