Contemporary Community Social Services: Issues and Challenges
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 February 2026 | Viewed by 19
Special Issue Editors
Interests: social work; social services; social inclusion
Interests: social work; older adults; violence; occupational hazards
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue of Social Sciences addresses the evolving challenges and transformative opportunities currently faced by community social services. In a context characterized by the complexity of postmodern societies, where there is a growing interconnection between the triggering factors of crisis situations and their consequences (economic, health-related, social, energy, and environmental), responses can no longer be addressed in isolation but must be coordinated and structurally integrated. All of this unfolds within an increasingly diverse demographic and social landscape, where intersectionality emerges as a key analytical framework for understanding the complexity of new social needs and demands, and for offering inclusive and equitable responses. A systematic and coordinated approach is therefore required to confront these challenges comprehensively.
Social protection systems are facing the need to redefine their models of social intervention, moving toward frameworks that are more sustainable, equitable, and resilient. These transformations require a renewed commitment to fostering evidence-based innovation, both scientifically, methodologically, and institutionally, to enhance the quality and impact of care and interventions in community social services.
This Special Issue aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and development of community social services through the compilation of empirical studies, systematization of scientific contributions and practical experiences, as well as critical and constructive reflections, in the form of original articles and reviews. Therefore, it seeks to address the current frontier of knowledge from national, regional, or international perspectives.
Submissions must adhere to the Social Sciences author guidelines and must fall under one of the two permitted publication types: original articles or review papers. Authors interested in contributing to this Special Issue are strongly encouraged to submit a provisional title along with a brief description of the proposed topic and methodological approach (between 200 and 300 words) to the guest editors in advance. This preliminary information will help assess the alignment of the proposal with the thematic focus of the issue and facilitate a more efficient and coherent editorial process. Proposals may be sent to any of the guest editors of this Special Issue: Dr. Marta García-Domingo (mgdoming@ujaen.es), Dr. Adrián-Jesús Ricoy-Cano (aricoy@ujaen.es), or Dr. Lucía González López (luciagonzalezlopez87@gmail.com).
Dr. Marta García-Domingo
Dr. Adrián-Jesús Ricoy-Cano
Dr. Lucía González López
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- community social services
- social innovation
- digital transformation
- quality
- strategic development
- occupational hazards
- professional wellbeing
- intersectionality
- governance
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