The supply, accessibility and efficiency of social services are important factors in the quality of life of society, as they are the basis for maintaining social well-being and the quality of life of people with social needs. Local communities, as the smallest part of the social system of society, are becoming a significant stakeholder in the formation and provision of social services. The aim of this article, as well as the conducted qualitative research, is to reveal and discuss the topic relevant today - the involvement of local community organizations (NGOs) in community service development processes, focusing on NGO capacity building and sustainability. The article reveals the possibilities of community-level NGOs in Lithuania to actively participate in the provision of social services. The research was carried out by interviewing the leaders and representatives of NGOs belonging to the Kaunas Community Association. The results of the research reveal the current conditions and perspective opportunities of local NGOs to develop and provide social services at the local level and allow a clearer understanding of the sector’s readiness for the development of social services in Lithuania. The study showed that although non-governmental organizations can be actively involved in the provision of social services, there are some limitations due to non-constructive communication with public institutions and the lack of financial resources. Although local NGOs provide some social services at the community level, the need for social services is significantly greater than the capacity of the organization.

This paper presents the theoretical aspects of the concept of empowerment and presents the empirical results, implying the expression of empowerment at different levels in the context of social services in Lithuania. Empowerment is discussed in several aspects – power relations, empowerment levels, sources of empowerment, empowerment as a professional social work, the strengths perspective, and empowerment criticism. Empirical research was conducted to uncover how social experiences are evaluated from the point of view by different social actors: users and service providers. The empowerment issue relates to the interpretation of power. Power is considered to be the defining element and main construct of the society. Understanding the phenomena of power and empowerment respectively can only be possible by detecting their reflections in macro, mezzo and micro levels. According Foucault, it is important to understand not only how the power occurs, but how the resistance to it is possible. The challenge of resistance to power, according to Foucault, lies in the individual level. So, an individual has ability to not only obey and demonstrate self-disciplined, but also a man is able to liberate his own self. Resistance is possible in the context of everyday life, after understanding and identifying the hindering powers of social environment, and stopping the reproduction of power relations imposed by authorities and institutions. Power dwells in human relations and subjectivity. Power as such is referred to certain individuals’ and organizations’ ability to reach their targeted, intended or unintended consequences towards other persons or organizations (Lord, Hutchison, 1993). According to Foucault’s perspective, the social worker obtains a “pastoral power” when he begins to perform the roles of care and control, which are designated to him by the laws and the system itself. [...]