Attributions and competencies in professional work in social assistance: Social Work, Psychology and Occupational Therapy in focus

Abstract

Introduction: social assistance services are spaces for the work of different professionals, who dialogue through their knowledge and practices, forming reference teams. However, in everyday services, professionals are not always clear about their specificities in team work. Objective: to analyze the attributions and competencies of professional categories participating in social assistance service teams, specifically Social Work, Psychology and Occupational Therapy. Methodology: The data was produced through documentary and field research, interviewing 15 workers who make up the reference teams of four social assistance facilities. Results: The discussion about attributions and competencies takes place differently between professions, with Social Work having a greater need to differentiate such attributions, understanding them as private acts. There is an attempt by the three professions and the interviewees to define specificities, which are related to central issues of their professional groups, without these necessarily being seen as exclusive attributions. Conclusion: Although professions and professionals seek to differentiate themselves in tesm work, the sharing of responsibilities and competencies predominates, which in the daily services contributes to the difficulties surrounding the delimitation of professional specificities.