Straipsnyje mokslinės ir kitos (statistinės, dokumentų) literatūros analizės ir empirinio tyrimo pagrindu siekiama atskleisti socialinių darbuotojų požiūrį į mediacijos (tarpininkavimo) metodo taikymą socialinių paslaugų organizacijose, aptariami pasirinkto tyrimo teoriniai aspektai, pagrindžiama mediacijos samprata kaip prielaida taikiu būdu spręsti konfliktus, pateikiama informacija apie mediacijos metodo įgyvendinimo socialinių paslaugų organizacijoje etapus. Tyrimas atliktas taikant apklausą raštu, naudojant atvirojo tipo klausimyną. Tyrimo im tis – 4 socialiniai darbuotojai, išklausę įžanginius mediacijos mokymų kursus, darbe taikantys mediacijos metodą ir dirbantys socialinių paslaugų organizacijose. Tyrimas patvirtino teorinius mediacijos metodo taikymo teiginius, jog socialiniame darbe dažniausiai sprendžiami socialiniai konfliktai, kurie yra tarpasmeninio ir bendruomeninio pobūdžio. Nors poreikis taikyti mediacijos metodą yra pozityvus ir geranoriškas, tačiau šis metodas taikomas tik pavieniams atvejams. Socialiniai darbuotojai, taikantys mediacijos me todą, susiduria su skirtingu socialinių paslaugų organizacijų vadovų požiūriu, nors dauguma pabrėžia geranoriškumą ir pritaria, bet yra ir skeptiško, abejingo požiūrio, o kolegos dažniausiai užima negatyvią arba nesidomėjimo poziciją. Socialinių paslaugų organizacijų klientai, nors dažniausiai ir nežino apie mediacijos metodą, paaiškinus jiems suprantama kalba, teisingai supranta, motyvuotai dalyvauja ir būna patenkinti gautu rezultatu. Socialiniai darbuotojai, pradėję taikyti mediacijos metodą socialinių paslaugų organizacijoje, akcentuoja šio metodo taikymo pranašumus kaip galimybę sėkmingai spręsti konfliktus taikiu būdu pradinėje jų stadijoje ne tik klientams, bet ir darbuotojų ginčams ir siūlo socialinių paslaugų organizacijų steigėjams ir vadovams inicijuoti ir įgyvendinti mediacijos metodo taikymą.

The article discusses and analyses the role and activity possibilities of a social worker in the rural community. The role of a social worker in the rural community was researched through possibilities of social educational inclusion in order to ascertain the conditions of empowering activity, internal attitudes of community members in the aspect of empowering, collaboration level among different institutions. The results of the qualitative research performed at nine rural elderships of different districts in Žemaitija region revealed difficulties faced by social workers in rural areas integrating people into the active life applying educational means. The essential obstacles, which prevent rural people from opening for social – educational inclusion, include their conservative thinking, habit to live only on social benefits, their prevailing pessimism and apathy.

Verification of the educational potential of social pedagogy as a science and practice is highlighted in the article. Social pedagogy is revealed as a diversity of scientific paradigms and their verification in modern areas of social exclusion. The article analyzes the conceptions of social pedagogy development and discloses the applicability of social pedagogy while overcoming social exclusion.

The insights into the class teacher’s managerial functions are emphasized in the article and based on empirical research data, as well as analysis of scientific and legal literature and documents. The authors maintain that the activity of the class teacher is inseparable from the classical managerial functions: guidance, planning, organization and control. The listed managerial functions are manifested in the activity of the class teacher; however, the authors demonstrate that managerial competence of the class teacher, which would lead to better results, is still insufficient. It is presumed that class teachers realize the significance of the practical implementation of managerial knowledge in their daily work with the learners.

The article discusses the role of parents in creating a safe social environment for children at school. The problem of school safety is not an extensively explored phenomenon. The article emphasizes the significance of school education, which demands appropriate conditions for the provision of successful (self-) education. The sense of safety is one of them. Since a child is extremely sensitive to the surrounding environment, his / her safety becomes especially significant. The article provides with the theoretical validation of the concept of the safe social environment and parents’ role in the school community, as well as presents the results of the conducted research.

There is a good agreement for professional collaboration in order better knows the child’s needs, improve skills, forms and ways of co-operating. The co-operation has a significant impact on education, crime prevention, improving achievement. Social pedagogues and class tutors agree on child educating problems, discuss the ways and forms how to solve these problems. Studies have shown that social pedagogues of Child Care homes miss at school the competence of class tutors for deeper awareness of a child, a closer communication with him, positive behaviour training, and stimulating of motivation to learn. School class tutors miss working completeness, sincerity, coherent and concrete actions, confidentiality, and cooperation competencies.

Social work as professional activity is spread through all over the world, but in Lithuania it is a new type of activity as only after the independency and changes of the political situation a possibility to legalise a profession of a Social Worker has become real. Success of the Social Work Graduators in entering the labor market is one of the most important indexes of study quality assessment. This article intends to discuss the Lithuanian situation of social workers preparation, also the professional career opportunities; introduces a list of Lithuanian higher schools that prepares social workers with the focus on the beginning of study programme realisation; discusses opportunities of the Social Work Graduators in entering the labor market according to labor forecasts and the situation of the social work specialists at labor marked in 6 recent years considering the context of demand and supply. The article introduces the situation of LEU Master Degree Social Work Graduators at labor market according to the employment level after Master Degree studies.

In the modern society it is increasing attention to the effective conflict management in schools, but in Lithuania there is one of the biggest scale of bullying in Europe, children and youth aggression which shows that there is still not found appropriate measures to solve these problems. The aim of this article is to discuss innovative methods of conflict management in schools integrating mediation in social pedagogy. Research methods: analysis of the literature, documents and the questionnaire of social educators (questionnaire). The study on the social teachers’ approach to the existing school conflicts working in various schools of general education, their management techniques and mediation integration in social pedagogy possibilities revealed that at schools they daily faced with the disagreements of the students (this was stated by almost half of the respondents), and to the solution of these disagreements the social teachers devoted considerable time: a third of respondents devotes 4 hours for the conflict management or more hours a week, a quarter – 2–3 hours a week. These results reveal the need of the innovative ways of conflict management in schools, integrating mediation in social pedagogy, to ensure a constructive conflict management and a consistent and long-term effect.