A New Paradigm of Social Support: Circles of Support in Social Service Centers as a Tool for Systemic Change in Poland

Izabela Grabowska () and Bohdan Skrzypczak
Additional contact information
Izabela Grabowska: Warsaw School of Economics, Institute of Statistics and Demography, 90-255 Łódź, Poland
Bohdan Skrzypczak: Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialisation, University of Warsaw, 00-721 Warszawa, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: This study examines the feasibility of implementing circles of support for persons with disabilities within social service centers in Poland as a systemic solution promoting community-based support. The research follows the action research approach, combining theory and practice through participant involvement, reflection, cooperation, and change-oriented actions to address analyzed problems. The authors developed and tested the model in two diverse municipalities, analyzing legal, financial, and organizational dimensions. Results demonstrate that circles of support are legally feasible and financially sustainable, with approximate annual costs per participant comparable across different organizational models. Main challenges include limited funding and staff, especially in rural areas. Despite this, the model supports deinstitutionalization and can improve social inclusion, independence, and quality of life for people with disabilities. The study highlights the need for stable funding, thorough staff training, and coordination of formal and informal support, offering practical recommendations for scaling up such services in Poland.

Keywords: circles of support; persons with disabilities; community-based support; deinstitutionalization of support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5933/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5933/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:5933-:d:1689181

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().