지역아동센터에서 근무하는 생활복지사의 근무경험에 관한 현상학적 연구

A Phenomenological Study on Work Experiences of Social Workers in Community Child Centers

This study was to understand the meaning and essence of work experiences of social workers in Community Child Centers. The participants were six social workers who have worked over 10 months in Community Child Centers. In-Depth interview was utilized in collecting data and conducted in Dec. 2008. Data were analyzed by Colaizzi's content analysis in phenomenological research method. According to the results, we derived 12 themes and 6 categories, and understood as the following: 'resolute determination', 'hurdles', 'do their best', 'win-win effects', 'indispensable agency', 'room for improvement'. That is, the participants started the working career with resolute determination but they experienced many difficulties. The participants did their best for their working and led to the changes of children, parents, and themselves. They also emphasized that Community Child Centers are essential agencies for children and leave much room for betterment in managing. These were new findings that we could see 'resolute determination', 'do their best', 'understanding of parents', 'maturation through working', and 'indispensable agency' in the present study. In conclusion, social workers work hard to pave the way for child welfare through self-sacrifice in Community Child Centers. Therefore, the government have to take appropriate action to support their effort and devotion.