The Impacts of Socioeconomic Crisis in Portugal on Social Protection and Social Work Practices

Abstract

The effects of the international crisis brought economic and financial risks, as well as consequences for human, social and sustainable development. This study aims to analyse the effects of social intervention with families since the 2008 crisis in Portugal. Through a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with social workers (23), to identify the main impacts of the crisis and the adopted social intervention practices. We highlight a new increase in social problems and the growth of vulnerable groups facing an unprepared social protection system. The Portuguese case reveals that the effects of austerity have shown a decline in the welfare and benefits system, leading to worsened social problems, such as increased poverty and unemployment, as well as social inequalities. Social Work was required to respond to these consequences, although organisational contexts and austerity measures constrained practitioners’ autonomy. By reflecting on this critical period, we seek to contribute to better social protection and assistance models in the face of the current and future crisis. In this sense, Social Work practice ensures a means to guarantee fundamental rights and social justice, preparing social workers and social intervention for new challenges in crisis contexts.

2008 economic crisis impact on perinatal and infant mortality in Southern European countries

“…Strikingly, as noted above, European countries with greater levels of austerity (eg, Greece, Portugal) had worse perinatal outcomes and showed even an increase in IMR (Greece) when compared with the other analysed countries 59. Vulnerable population groups with lower socioeconomic status in countries which lacked social protection policies (eg, Greece and Portugal) were also more adversely affected 91. Moreover, austerity-associated and crisis-associated spatial inequalities in access to maternity units,53 96 inadequate antenatal and perinatal care and access barriers to antenatal services80 were disclosed to have had significant implications on IMR and stillbirths.…”

“…The crisis-induced deceleration in the GDP growth rate and applied austerity measures have caused a worsening of the social phenomena, with general impoverishment, unemployment and social exclusion 12 91. The crisis and austerity have been reported to have caused a direct ‘healthcare effect’ and an indirect ‘social risk effect’ mutually impacting health 92.…”

The influence of the Great Recession on perinatal health—an ecological study on the trend changes and regional differences in Portugal

“…4 Post-crisis and associated macroeconomic policy effects (e.g., fiscal policy) have been discussed to have deteriorated the quality of perinatal care for very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation), 5 low-birthweight births (≤2500 g), 6 increased child poverty, 3 and amplified inequalities in various EU countries (e.g., Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain). 7 …”