The article contains the results of the survey on the demand of social workers in stationary health institution. The survey was carried out by the method of anonymous interrogation. 50 health care institution medics from the Alytus district and 174 patients were questioned. The research confirmed the need of social workers in stationary health care institutions. Social workers’ activity in health care institutions, according to the medics, has to do with consultations and rendering information on social issues, with provision of psychological help and resolving patients’ everyday life problems. Respondents–patients claim that it has to do with rendering information and consulting on social issues, representing patients as well as ensuring the succession of social services. The individual’s health care performed by a social worker in health care institutions will be successful if the stationary curing departments, social service, the institutions providing information and certain social services, other health care institutions (Primary Health Care Centres, medical help, nursing curing stationeries, medical rehabilitation and sanatorium institutions) and social work evaluation group would work not as separate structures, but as unanimous, able to collaborate and interested in work effectiveness institutions.

The article analyses the assistance provided by social workers in the nursing home both during the adaptation process and later. It is emphasised that social workers providing psychological, formal problem solving and social assistance are responsible both for the period of social adaptation of residents in the nursing home and for the quality of daily life. The research showed that the absolute majority of the residents of the nursing home are satisfied with the quality of services provided by social workers and the bigger part of the residents successfully undergo the period of adaptation, maintain relations with community members and their problems are successfully solved in the nursing home. Social workers assist the residents in decreasing residents’ fears of dependence, helplessness and psychological problems, in facilitating residents’ social adaptation and daily life. Thus, the role of social workers in the nursing home is efficient both in residents’ social adaptation and their daily life.

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.

The article reveals attitude of social workers working in children foster homes towards acquired general competences. Generalising the acquired results, it can be stated that irrespective of the type of location where they work, the majority of the respondents have acquired or partially gained an ability to critically, analytically and systematically think, which allows for a conclusion that while working social workers are able to properly evaluate the emerging circumstances, problems as well as to analyse them, to critically evaluate and systemise the gathered results and, thus, improve the quality of own work. It is emphasised, that striving for provision of high quality services, social workers should collaborate with other specialises, who would assist them in improvement of abilities to select information necessary for their work.

The article analyses evaluation of expression of cognitive and practical skills acquired by social workers employed in children foster homes. It is pointed out that cognitive skills are related to personal qualities. The expression of following abilities are analysed: an ability to perceive oneself as a specialist, an ability to analyse own activity, an ability to critically analyse circumstances of social work, an ability to evaluate and supervise activity of specialists of lower competence, an ability to identify the nature of social problems and to solve them, an ability to plan strategies observing principles of professional ethics. Practical abilities are thoroughly analysed: to observe ethics of social worker, to be aware of and apply legal acts as well as organise and provide social services to different groups of clients, to create and develop social services, innovative models and methods of support.

This article makes a review of the notion of competence, its conception, classification, links with other notions following works by M. Davies (2000), V. Kučinskas, R. Kučinskienė (2000), R. Adamonienė and others (2001), L. C. Johnson (2003), V. Ivanauskienė, L. Varžinskienė (2003, 2004), B. Švedaitė (2004), R. Laužackas (2005), B. Miniotienė, I. Žindžiuvienė (2006), M. Andrašiūnienė (2007), L. Jovaiša (2007), V. Vaicekauskienė (2007), E. Martišauskienė (2008), D. Vyšniauskienė, R. Minkutė (2008). It also highlights the integral parts of social worker’s competences.

The article represents the theoretical or conceptual description of the phenomenon of charisma, which is related to social work as professional activity and is focused in social worker, who is the leader in his / her professional activity. So why it is accentuated that personal charisma of a social worker is a constellation of complex social and emotional skills that allows charismatic individuals to influence others at deep emotional levels, communicate effectively with them, and build strong interpersonal relationships. Authors of the article discuss the possible answers to the following research question: How to recognize, accept and (self)develop personal charisma in social work? In the article the interdisciplinary pont of view is provided and amotional and social skills are discussed in relation to social worker‘s charisma. Authors conclude that Some of charisma-related skills are born innate, others are perfected over time, but the most important is proper application of skills. Charisma of a social worker is related to emotional intelligence, which consists of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Different social work situations require differently developed skills, which must be developed through long life education, in which the self-managed learning through interactions and within the professional environment must be the priority.