Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk (E-Journal)
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AN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ASSESS THE WELL-BEING OF STREET CHILDREN IN ZIMBABWE: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENTAL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
Full text linkThis study reports on an assessment of the well-being of street children in Harare Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe using the ecological systems approach. This study was underpinned by a quantitative approach which employed a semi-structured questionnaire as an instrument of data collection. Based on survey data of 202 street children who were purposively sampled, the findings revealed that street children lack access to food, education, accommodation, health care and proper sanitation. Therefore, street children require multi-component psychosocial and developmental interventions to enhance their well-being. The recommendations drawn from the findings were submitted to the Department of Social Development in Zimbabwe
FOSTER CARE: YES OR NO? THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES OF SOCIAL WORKERS RENDERING FOSTER CARE SERVICES
Full text linkDecisions made by social workers play a crucial role in foster care. Despite the challenging conditions under which social workers work in South Africa, they continue to make decisions to place children in foster care. There is a lack of research on the decision-making processes of social workers rendering foster care services. A need to understand what decisions are made and how these decisions are made prompted this study. A qualitative approach was applied using the multiple case study design, with explorative, descriptive and contextual designs. Most social workers make decisions using a mix of intuition and empirical evidence, justifying the child's best interest as the basis for their decisions. This study contributes to the knowledge of the decision-making processes of social workers rendering foster care services. This knowledge can enable social workers to be consciously aware of their own decision-making processes during all the phases of rendering foster care services, facilitating transparent decision-making, with the best outcome for the foster child and his/her biological and foster family
RESILIENCE OF SOCIAL AUXILIARY WORKERS: DEFINED BY STRENGTHS AND COPING ABILITIES
Full text linkResilience has been identified as a protective factor that improves the ability to manage stress, promotes wellbeing and enables individuals to thrive in adverse circumstances. Many social auxiliary workers function independently with sporadic and brief supervision. Considering the stressful work environment that social auxiliary workers must face, it is essential that they be equipped to effectively manage the stressors of social work practice. The study identified how individual, social and environmental factors contribute to the participants’ resilience and their ability to thrive in these challenging circumstances. The participants use their interpersonal, intrapersonal and organisational strengths and coping strategies to manage both their positive and challenging work experiences to remain both productive and resilient
Editorial
Full text linkThis first edition in 2023 of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk offers themes that centre on social work with persons affected by substance use disorders, on environmental social work and social work with children. The latter theme focuses on specialist areas concerning parents of children suffering from hearing loss, social assistance to orphaned children, foster care, ethical guidelines for adoption, grandparent-grandchildren care and child participation
EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS ON THE USE OF BLENDED LEARNING AND EMERGENCY REMOTE ONLINE LEARNING PRIOR TO AND DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Full text linkThe study employed a qualitative research approach and emancipatory framework to explore students’ experiences with blended learning and emergency remote online learning (EROL). Two data sets were collected from two projects using focus group discussions and semi-structured individual interviews. The findings highlighted that although technological advancement in universities increased access to information, the needs of the disadvantaged students remain overlooked. EROL and/or blended learning adopted by the universities did not address the fundamentals of access to teaching and learning for the disadvantaged, but focused on institutional needs and saving the academic year. The utilisation of blended learning prior to COVID-19 was excluding some students, and it was unclear how EROL was transformed to ensure that all students accessed education during COVID-19 induced lockdowns. There is thus a need for research to focus on opportunities for student technological advancement not only for ensuring access to education but also for meaningful service delivery during practice
LOCKED DOWN IN THE RAINBOW NATION: ALLEVIATING THE LONELINESS OF SOUTH AFRICAN OLDER PERSONS
Full text linkThe literature on the biopsychosocial effects of COVID-19 on older persons has originated predominately from the Global North, with a dearth of studies focusing on the loneliness of older persons in the developing world, such as South Africa. This cross-sectional study explored the loneliness of South African older persons (N = 118) before and during COVID-19 to inform gerontological social work. The survey incorporated a standardised scale of loneliness and items to assess the type and quantity of contact with others, physical health, mental health and socio-demographic variables. Bivariate and multivariate analyses explored the factors that contributed to overall loneliness, emotional loneliness and social loneliness. Results indicated a statistically significant increase in social, emotional and overall loneliness from pre- to during COVID-19. Considered from a socio-ecological resilience perspective, gerontological social work services are recommended for alleviating loneliness amongst South African older persons during a pandemic, such as COVID-19
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN COPING STRATEGIES AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS AMONG FORENSIC SOCIAL WORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Full text linkForensic social work in South Africa is challenging, increasing the likelihood of secondary traumatic stress among its practitioners. Proactive coping strategies are necessary to reduce the impact of secondary traumatic stress on forensic social workers. The aim of this study was to describe the association between the frequency of different coping strategies and the frequency of secondary traumatic stress symptoms in forensic social workers. The study applied a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional descriptive design. An all-inclusive willing participation sampling method was used, focusing on all qualified forensic social workers who graduated from a South African university. The study found that avoidant and emotion-focused coping strategies were linked to an increase in secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Employers and therapists can support forensic social workers by offering techniques that encourage the use of problem-focused coping strategies, aiming to alleviate symptoms of perceived secondary traumatic stress
ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR ADOPTION SOCIAL WORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA: THE DELPHI PROCESS
Full text linkAdoption involves dealing with legal and ethical complexities, competing rights and addressing the long-term implications for those involved. The principle of the best interests of children and protecting their rights must guide the process. Currently, no ethical guidelines are in place to address South African adoption practices. This article focuses on the findings of a rapid review of relevant national and international ethics documents and adoption guidelines. The Delphi method was used to identify the challenges in adoption-related practices, as well as to develop and refine ethical guidelines for South African adoption social workers, to be included in the South African Council for Social Service Professions Policy Guidelines for Course of Conduct, Code of Ethics, and the Rules for Social Workers
WORKPLACE LEARNING IN THE CONTEMPORARY SUPERVISION LANDSCAPE: THE CASE OF SUPERVISION IN A SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANISATION
Full text linkThe blurring of the boundaries and interconnectedness between learning and work are features worth exploring in the contemporary supervision landscape. Grounded on transition-experiential learning theories, the study analysed a social service organisation as a context for learning and examined how this context facilitated or inhibited supervision learning experiences for first-time supervisors. It draws on the qualitative findings of thirteen in-depth interviews whose data were analysed using the thematic analysis. This study found that the transitioning of first-time supervisors into the new role took place through their active participation in an organisational context. It concludes with the notion that workplace learning is a context-specific and interactive process. The social service organisation, with its unique features, serves the purpose of providing an environment for learning, with first-time supervisors afforded the opportunity to learn within the context and through interaction with other role-players. In summary, the study recommends a need for fostering of communities of practice, designing and management of workplace learning programmes, and ensuring the creation of sustainable and healthy workplaces
FROM ‘VICTIM’ TO ‘SURVIVOR’: DECONSTRUCTING THE PERVASIVE NOTION OF VICTIMHOOD IN DISCOURSES AROUND PROGRAMMES DEALING WITH GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Full text linkSocial workers are among key professionals rendering empowerment services to people affected by gender-based violence in South Africa. These services are rendered within the developmental and empowerment approaches that were introduced in the post-apartheid era. Although the introduction of democracy brought a paradigm shift towards a developmental approach, social welfare and social work, there is paucity of research that investigates the utilisation of the concept of “victim” within the empowerment services rendered to people harmed by gender-based violence. The concept of “victim” has not been extensively researched theoretically and empirically. This article critically analyses the usage of the concept of “victim” in the empowerment social work services and posits a deconstruction of the pervasive notion of victimhood in discourses around programmes dealing with gender-based violence. It is hoped that this article will stimulate debates and research focused on the labels adopted in the empowerment services, as well as in developmental and social work in different societal contexts