Poor single mothers: using Delors' pillars of education in social activation services

Abstract

The aim of this article is to determine the effect of social work provided by social activation services to poor single mothers in the Czech Republic. Using the method of quasi-experimental research design, the study analyses the activities of the social activation service during the years 2017-2019. As defined by Delors, the pillars of social work with impoverished mothers in our study were conditioned by a cognitive-behavioral and a task-oriented approach. It was found that through long-term social work with poor single mothers, skills related to the pillars Learning to Be, Learning to Know, and Learning to Live Together could be developed. The finding of no statistically significant development of respondents' work skills associated with the Learning to Do pillar proved to be a noteworthy outcome. The research highlights the work of the social activation service in the Czech Republic, while it also outlines the significant challenges involved in working with poor single mothers. The paper proposes the development and institution of a new service dedicated to developing employment skills, by which the reduction of the negative impacts of the poverty on single mothers might be achieved.