Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk (E-Journal)
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THE EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORKERS PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT A MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY IN TSHWANE, SOUTH AFRICA
Full text linkSouth Africa presents a high prevalence of mental health problems, with one in six South Africans being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and substance-use problems (excluding more severe conditions such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia). The incidence of mental health problems is ranked third after HIV and other infectious diseases in determining the disease burden. Social workers are key professionals in rendering interventions and services aimed at treating persons with mental health problems. In this qualitative study, ten purposively sampled social workers providing mental health services at a mental health facility in Tshwane, South Africa were interviewed. The thematic analysis generated seven themes, four of which are discussed. The findings reveal that social workers are adequately capacitated to provide mental health services and are one of the key mental health service providers. Recommendations for practice are provided
EFFECTS OF FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES ON FAMILY COHESION: VIEWS OF FAMILY HEADS
Full text linkFamily preservation services are considered essential and allow children to be with their families, which by implication, avoids their placement outside family care. This article presents the views of family heads on the effects of family preservation services, such as time spent together and connectedness. The findings of the study emerged from the qualitative approach, which entailed conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 family heads. Adverse circumstances such as travelling distances, lack of communication from professionals and fear of communal judgement faced by families during family preservation services are also addressed. The study nevertheless concludes that family preservation services are a mechanism to rebuild families
Editorial
Full text linkThis second edition in 2023 of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk offers eight articles with themes centred on social work during the hitherto unknown Covid-19 pandemic, child protection, supervision in different contexts and substance abuse respectively
IS THE DEVELOPMENTAL SOCIAL WELFARE APPROACH TO CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES WORKING? VOICES OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND SOCIAL WORKERS IN EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA
Full text linkDecades of research have highlighted the challenges facing child protection services in a developmental approach. The aim of the article is to explore whether the developmental social welfare approach contributes to an improvement of child protection services. A descriptive case study design was applied in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. The findings revealed limited knowledge among social work practitioners about the implementation of the developmental social welfare approach. The findings also revealed an overwhelmed child protection system that lacks coordinated and integrated services. It is recommended that child protection services be divided into prevention, early intervention and statutory services
THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON CHILD RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ZIMBABWE: A CASE STUDY
Full text linkThe article explores child rights violations emanating from harmful cultural practices in Zimbabwe. A qualitative case study research design was used. The targeted population included people considered custodians of the Ndebele culture in the Nkayi district of Zimbabwe. Social workers familiar with Ndebele culture and working in the child protection field within the Nkayi district also participated in the study. In-depth interviews were used to collect data. The data were analysed using Creswell’s thematic analysis. Whilst culture undoubtedly provides some ecological resources for the realisation of child rights, findings highlight harmful cultural practices which violate children’s rights, and these are the focus of this article
MANAGEMENT TASKS OF SOCIAL WORKERS SUPERVISING EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) CENTRES: IDENTIFYING THE AREAS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Full text linkEarly Childhood Development (ECD) has become a priority area of social work, in both developed and developing countries. In this article, the term ECD supervisors refers to the social workers working with ECD centres in the capacity of supervisor. These social workers can provide valuable insight into the unique management tasks and associated professional development areas uniquely required when working in the ECD sector. The goal of this conceptual article is to identify these professional development areas of management tasks required from social workers who supervise ECD centres. Ultimately, these management tasks are synthesised into three categories, namely tasks which require technical, relational and administrative skills respectively. This is an attempt to preserve the institutional memory of South African social workers, given the current shift of ECD governance functions from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education
RETHINKING “CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME"
Full text linkIn this issue, we challenge readers with the salient question of whether charity always begins at home, particularly as the world witnessed a surge in armed conflicts around the globe in 2023, with devastating consequences for millions of people. As children are among the most vulnerable members of societies, the first three articles of this issue focus on them as a target group. Thereafter, attention is turned to women, older persons, and people dealing with mental health issues, as vulnerable groups. Recognising that social work, especially in a forensic context, increases the likelihood of secondary traumatic stress among social workers, we have also addressed this topic in the issue. In conclusion, a disaster-specific approach to the social work curriculum in an undergraduate social work course is presented. We also offer a book review covering the challenges arising from the interplay of culture and human rights through the lenses of emancipatory social work and Afrocentricity in a globalised world
ADOPTIVE PARENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF SUPPORT FROM SOCIAL WORKERS AND INFORMAL NETWORKS DURING THE ADOPTION PROCESS
Full text linkProspective adoptive parents require a considerable amount of support from social workers as well as from other support systems during the adoption process. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe adoptive families’ experiences of formal and informal support during the pre-adoption phase. There is a dearth of empirical research in the South African context on prospective adoptive parents' experiences of support from social workers, family and friends, and the adoption community, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Using a qualitative research methodology, this study sought to explore the experiences of sixteen adoptive parents in the eThekwini region with regards to the support they received from social workers and other support systems during the adoption process. Non-probability sampling, more specifically, snowball sampling, was used to recruit the participants through the Durban Adoptive Families group. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Several sub-themes emerged from the data analysis. The study found that the participants had varied experiences of support offered by social workers and organisations along with more positive experiences of informal support from family and friends and the adoption community
ADAPTING THE SOCIAL WORK CURRICULUM FOR RELEVANCE IN A SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITY: A COLLABORATIVE AUTOETHNOGRAPHY OF SOCIAL WORK ACADEMICS DURING THE KZN FLOODS
Full text linkThis article adopts collaborative autoethnography in order to critically reflect on the experiences of social work academics who integrated disaster-specific approaches to the social work curriculum of two undergraduate courses in a South African university. This curriculum adaptation was in response to the KwaZulu-Natal floods of 2022. The integration of topics such as green social work and disaster-specific trauma responses at an undergraduate level of social work is advocated. These collaborative autoethnographic accounts contribute important lessons for social work education, practice and research in the era of natural disasters exacerbated by climate change
The tensions between culture and human rights: Emancipatory social work and Afrocentricity in a global world
Full text linkEditors: Vishanthie Sewpaul, Linda Kreitzer and Tanusha Raniga (2021).
The tensions between culture and human rights: Emancipatory social work and Afrocentricity in a global world.
ISSN 1703-1826
Pages 312
Although this collection foregrounds an interplay between Afrocentrism and emancipatory social work, virtually all the chapters unequivocally challenge social workers to fight the harmful cultural processes that pose serious human rights violations. These inter alia include female genital mutilation, female ritual bondage, etc. All the chapters have cogently addressed the tensions between cultural practices and human rights. But it needs to be pointed out that the human rights context used is hegemonically Western-centric rather than Afrocentric. This presents a glaring lacuna that may impede the process of indigenisation and decoloniality in Africa