THE DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS: SELF-ASSESSMENT
Authors: Vasileva Tzvetanova Yoanna 
Published: February 2024

In 2022, a study was conducted to evaluate the digital competence of fourth year students pursuingdegrees in "Social Activities" at the Universit y “Neofit Rilski” of Blagoevgrad, both in full time and part time studymodes. The research encompassed a cohort of 30 students and aimed to gauge their digital proficiency based on selfassessment. This assessment relied on the Digital Competence Self Ass essment Matrix, aligned with the EuropeanDigital Competence Framework for Citizens ( which encompasses five core domains: Information andData literacy, Communication and Collaboration, Digital content creation, Safety/security, and Problem solvi ng.Resultsfrom the self assessment revealed that 55% of the students consider ed themselves proficient at a core levelin the first area of competence (Information and Data literacy), while 30% rated themselves at a cross functionallevel, and 15% assessed themselves as functional. Notably, 90% of the students could store and retrie ve digital files,use search engines, and apply filters when searching for information. However, only 25% used cloud services tostore data.Inthe second area of competence (Digital content creation), a mere 15% of respondents rated themselves asprofessionally competent, underscoring its significance in their future professional pr actice. The study indicated thenecessity for students to acquire skills in content creation, programming, and multimedia element integration,especially in the context of social media.Inthe third area (Communication and Collaboration), all students exhibited proficiency in basic digitalcommunication tools like mobile phones and e mail. However, only 25% considered themselves functionally adept inonline communication, highlighting the importance of digital communication skills in social work.Concerningthe fourth area (Problem solving), 55% of students assessed their proficiency as core, while 35% ratedthemselves as cross functional, and only 10% as functio nal. This underlines the need for further development ofproblem solving skills related to digital technologies.Thefifth and final area (Safety/ revealed that most students understood the importance of online privacy buthad limited skills in shaping their digital identity and monitoring their online footprint. Enhancing d igitalcompetence emerged as a crucial need for future social workers to navigate online risks and protect clients fromabuse.The study underscores the necessity of integrating digital competence into social work curricula. It advocates foradditional lectures, seminars, workshops, and internships to expand students' digital skillse t. In the digital age, socialworkers must improve their digital competencies to effectively communicate, advocate for marginalized groups, andprovide efficient social services. Developing these competencies within the educational framework is essential f orthe application of information and communication technologies in addressing the challenges of digital social work,ultimately promoting social equality and safeguarding clients in an increasingly digital world.