Abstract
Almost all countries in the world intervene in social problems depending on their own social structure and management systems. They also aim to offer rapid and effective social work policies and practices for women, children, elders, young, and disabled people. To do so, governments need to execute social work practices through local managements along with central management. The 1980s were a beginning of a new period for the management of public services. Specifically, localization and globalization directly affected the view that not only central management, but also local managements need to be strengthened. In 1984, Turkey enforced metropolitan municipalities law and formed another stage of management in mega cities. During the 1990s, social work practices implemented in mage cities like Istanbul, Ankara, and Konya were like a sample study for many other municipalities within the country. Thus, soon after the juridical reforms beginning in the early 2000s, municipalities took over remarkable responsibilities in local social work practices.
TopTheoretical Framework
In addition to its remarkable contributions to human and social life, social work is a discipline of science and an occupation (Cılga, 2004: 35) that deals with human, his environment and society (Kongar, 2007: 1) and that offers opportunities and possibilities to increase the level of welfare (Friedlander, 1965: 6). Therefore, social work has been an important discipline both for human and social health and to humanize management systems of countries.
In dealing with social problems, depending on their social structure and management systems countries on the world have developed various social work practices for women, children, youth, elders and disabled people. They have also intended to implement their decisions regarding social work as rapidly and effectively as they could. They have strengthened their local managements along with their central managements and started implementing social work policies. Especially, due to globalization, the rapid growth of neo-liberal policies in the 1980s and the acceptance of localization prompted a new approach towards management and made new actors take roles in the production of such policies (Emini, 2009, p. 31).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Metropolitan Municipality: A specific administrative unit in mega cities with defined population and geographical conditions, formed to provide coordination among district municipalities, whose decision-making bodies are formed by elections and which has financial and administrative autonomy and legal entity separated from central administration.
Municipality: A local administration unit in Turkey, founded by law to meet common needs of local people, whose decision-making bodies are formed by elections and which has financial and administrative autonomy and legal entity separated from central administration.
Social Work: An implementation-induced occupational discipline focusing on solutions for personal and social problems along with social and economic welfare, thereby developing people and society and offering help for their problems and conduction preventive services.
Social Work Practices: The conduction of social work for personal and public requirements by social workers in Turkey.
Social Work in Metropolitan Municipalities: All social work and practices conducted in local areas by metropolitan municipalities in Turkey.
Social Work in Turkey: Current social work works and practices in Turkey to describe the discipline, its content and activities.
Social Work in Municipalities: All social work and practices conducted in local areas by municipalities in Turkey.