Developing Professional Competence of Social Work Specialists in Supporting Military Personnel and Veterans

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical substantiation of the content and structure of professional competence of social work specialists in the field of support for military personnel and veterans, as well as to determine the pedagogical foundations of its formation under conditions of war and post-war recovery. The study employs a set of general scientific and special methods, including analysis, synthesis, generalization of scientific sources, comparative analysis of domestic and foreign experience, and systematization of approaches to defining professional competence and its components. The article analyzes contemporary approaches to understanding the professional competence of social work specialists and establishes its integrative nature. The specific features of professional activity in the field of support for military personnel and veterans are identified, determined by combat experience, psychological trauma, the complexity of social adaptation processes, and the need for interdisciplinary interaction. The structure of professional competence is substantiated, including cognitive, operational-activity, value-motivational, and reflective-analytical components. It is established that key competencies for effective professional activity include the ability to perform crisis intervention, apply a trauma-informed approach, work in multidisciplinary teams, and understand the specifics of military culture. The main pedagogical approaches to the formation of professional competence are identified, including competence-based, activity-based, interdisciplinary, practice-oriented, and trauma-informed approaches, which ensure the integration of theoretical training with practical experience. It is proved that the formation of professional competence of social work specialists in the field of support for military personnel and veterans requires a systematic modernization of professional training content in accordance with the challenges of war and post-war recovery. The necessity of developing comprehensive pedagogical models focused on the integration of knowledge, practical skills, and value orientations is substantiated. Prospects for further research are related to the empirical verification of the effectiveness of the proposed approaches and the implementation of innovative educational technologies in professional training.