Opportunities and Challenges in Addressing Child Abuse in the Albanian School Setting

Abstract

This research aims to explore the opportunities and obstacles of the school social worker, as part of the multidisiplinary team,
in addressing child abuse and to make evident the Albanian practice of treatment and prevention of child abuse in the school setting.
The study uses a multidisciplinary approach in addressing the problem, where the role of the school social worker is seen as interrelated
with those of the other actors of the multidisciplinary team. The qualitative method is used, including secondary data review, such as
existing literature on international practices and secondary data on Albania, and also primary data gathering, through semistructured
interviews of the employees of the existing school service and the focusgrup interview, conducted with professionals of nongovernmental
organisations which work on child protection issues, in collaboration with the school system. The main findings inform the field
professionals of the opportunities and challenges of the school social worker, in addressing child abuse, the potential of the specialist of
child protection in the school and the limitations of this position in the present.