Lithuanian social work’s claim to professional autonomy vs. authoritarianism in popular and political culture

ENSocial work in Lithuania is still very young as a profession. It emerged after 1990 from the Soviet institutionalised system of social security and social services that was statutory, centralised, segregating and stigmatising. The independence of Lithuania from the Soviet Union allowed for the establishment of a system that is decentralised, shared with nongovernmental service providers, professionalised and oriented towards international principles of human rights and inclusion. However, after 29 years of efforts to create a strong and emancipated profession using European networks, social work still has low status. It is a poorly paid profession and unable to advocate effectively for clients’ and its own rights. This chapter seeks explanations for the effects of both ‘path dependencies’ in services on authoritarian Soviet attitudes and of neoliberal policies that dismantle social solidarity structures. It concludes by exploring the possibilities of mobilising against these factors in collaboration with training centres in other countries facing similar challenges. Keywords: Lithuanian social work; Post-communist society; Authoritarianism; Nongovernmental organisation; Neoliberalism. [From the publication]