Charles Explorer logo
🇬🇧

Providing counseling and social work to homeless people with an emphasis on their employment

Publication |
2021

Abstract

The article maps the current situation of homeless persons in the Czech Republic who are clients of the Czech Labour Of- fice. It focuses on the analysis of the current situation in terms of the coordination of activities leading to the employment of homeless persons in the primary and secondary labour markets.

Following the establishment of the General Directo- rate of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic (ÚP ČR), the system for the coordination and evaluation of such activities in place up to this time underwent significant change, with the result that it more closely resembled the system applied for many years in the Federal Republic of Germany. Consequently, the article included a brief comparison of the two sys- tems that highlighted those components that offered examples of best practice that can be adapted to Czech conditions.

The results of the comparison primarily revealed deficiencies in terms of various organisational and methodological as- pects, and the related absence of a functional model for the coordination and evaluation of the counselling and social ser- vices provided. With concern to the introduction of effective active employment policy tools and measures for homeless persons, it will be necessary to clarify the levels of authority, and to specifically define the social work competencies, of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic and the responsible local government social departments.