EVALUATION OF THE SOCIAL COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL WORK

Abstract

This article examines social cooperatives, a form of cooperative aimed at promoting the participation of disadvantaged groups in the workforce, delivering social services, and addressing the needs of these groups. Social cooperatives are characterized as nonprofit, multi-stakeholder social enterprise models grounded in volunteerism, social responsibility, and the public interest. They provide services to disadvantaged groups, including individuals with special needs, migrants, former convicts, elderly individuals, children requiring care, and women who are victims of violence. The article explores the historical development of social cooperatives globally and in Turkey, offering a theoretical foundation for their organizational structure and practices based on national laws and implementations. It emphasizes the numerous shared objectives of social cooperatives and social work, an applied profession and academic discipline dedicated to fostering social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of individuals and communities. Finally, the article discusses developments in the fields of social cooperatives and social work and provides recommendations addressing the intersection of these two domains.