Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk (E-Journal)
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DIE ONTWIKKELING EN INHOUD VAN ’N MAATSKAPLIKE GROEPWERK-BEMAGTIGINGSPROGRAM VIR ALKOHOLAFHANKLIKE BEJAARDES
Get PDFIn hierdie artikel word gefokus op ’n maatskaplike groepwerk-bemagtigingsprogram, ooreenkomstig ’n sterkteperspektief, wat ontwikkel en aangebied is vir alkoholafhanklike bejaardes verbonde aan ’n geregistreerde behandelingsentrum. Die voorgenoemde program is deur die navorsers ontwikkel, gemik op die eiesoortige behoeftes, sterktes en uitdagings van diékliëntegroep
TOWARDS A SOCIAL NICHE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT
Get PDFFrom a social work perspective, individual outcomes are the results of a transactional process between personal and environmental influences. It is a long-cherished conviction in Social Work that individual problems and successes must be framed within the larger context of family, community and society (Saleebey, 2002c:231). However, it is also a conviction that is often not reflected in social work practice (Rose, 2000:405; Saleebey, 2002c:230; Weick, 2000:398). Clinical practice tends to focus on personal factors, and community practice on environmental factors, while the transactional dimension is often not accounted for. The tendency is also to focus on deficits and problems in these systems and not on strengths or potential strengths
GLOBALISATION, WESTERN HEGEMONY AND CHINESE PARTICULARISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL POLICY1
Get PDFChina’s macroeconomic policy, which has recently been described by Chinese policy makers as “a socialist market economy” (Jie, 2004; Zhixin, 2004) but which effectively emerges as a struggle to balance socialism with free market capitalism, contains inherent contradictions. Socialism and free market capitalism are ideologically inconsistent with each other and share diverse historical roots, with many socialist revolutions being a reaction to the marked economic disparities and class differences engendered by capitalist practices. China’s phenomenal economic growth, its obvious neoliberal capitalist practices and its attempt to balance these with those of socialist ideology and practices raises a critical question: wouldChina implode under the weight of its own contradictions or do these contradictions hold the potential to chart a new development paradigm for the rest of the world? China is the country perhaps with the singular ability to contest the unipolar imperialism of the United States; however, the form(s) that this might take remains unclear. In its international relations, China is driven by pragmatism in respect of foreign trade opportunities, the need for support of the international community to maintain peace and domestic stability, and its need for energy resources
TOWARD MEANINGFUL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN LEGISLATIVE REFORM
Get PDFCivic engagement, with its focus on involving citizens and civil society organizations in the development of policy and legislation to address matters of public concern, is one vehicle to promote active citizenship and more responsive legislation. In this respect governments consciously seek the views of citizens and social groups and have a genuine interest inachieving outcomes that incorporate their perspectives. Examples of civic engagement are: participation in elections, public policy/legislative processes, public consultations, advocacy, and participation in local community-level decision-making structures
A NEW CHILDREN’S ACT FOR SOUTH AFRICA: MAKING IT WORK FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Get PDFNumerous civil society organisations as well as the National Children’s Rights Committee (NCRC) and UNICEF supported South Africa’s post-apartheid government to institutionalise children’s rights as a fundamental pillar of the new democracy. Towards this end, in 1995 the government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Child (1989) (the CRC). Drawing onthis international standard, children’s rights was enshrined in Section 28 of the SA Constitution (1996). Further to cover the particular vulnerabilities of African children, the government also ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (the ACRWC) in 2000. Collectively these instruments seek to ensure that children have a range of integrated political, civil, cultural and socio-economic rights. In addition to the general human rights to equality, a basic education and the right to dignity, children have additional socio-economic rights, including the right to family and parental care, or to appropriate alternative care when removed from their family setting; to basic nutrition, shelter, health care, social services and to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse and degradation. By ratifying the international children’s rights instruments and through its national constitutional provisions for children’s rights, the SA government accepted an obligation to put in place mechanisms to realise these rights. However, the nation made these laudable commitments within a context of the huge resource and capacity challenges required for their implementation
POVERTY IN A RURAL AREA: THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER
Get PDFThere are many ways of looking at poverty. When poverty is measured in absolute terms, it refers to the financial means necessary for people to survive from day to day. The most basic measures of poverty in South Africa are the Minimum Living Level (MLL) and the Household Subsistence Level (HSL). They measure the amount of money necessary to provide a household (of six people) with the very basic necessities, including food, clothing, energy, washing, rent and transport to stay alive (Greeff, 2004:7). The Household Effective Level (HEL), which is the HSL plus 50%, makes provision for some important items not covered by the HSL, namely tax, medical expenses, replacement of household equipment, education,recreation, personal care, pension and burial contributions. In 1999, for South Africa, that would have amounted to R800,00 per month (Greeff, 2004:7)
THE PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CLOSING OF A MINE FOR WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Get PDFThis article arose from a project which was launched on behalf of the Labour Union Solidarity after the interim liquidation and immediate closing of the Durban Roodepoort Deep (DRD) Gold Mine at Stilfontein. This mining community was also traumatized by an earthquake shortly before the closing of the mine. The process commenced on 27 April 2005, when a contract was drawn up with Solidarity’s Helping Hand Fund to do a psychosocial situation analysis among the community. Based on the results of the psychosocial situation analysis, a project plan was submitted to Solidarity, after which a formal agreement was reached between the two parties and a meeting with the representatives of the labour union was held. Following this, the plan of action was proposed, the facilitators trained and the programme implemented. The data of thepsychosocial situation analysis, the contents and course of the group sessions as well as the results that ensued from the questionnaire that was filled in by the women during the women’s day as well as certain strengths present in the community are discussed. This is followed by an integrated discussion of the investigation. A number of recommendations are also made for the future
INTERPRETING USERS’ EXPERIENCES OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE WESTERN CAPE USING A NORMATIVE FRAMEWORK
Get PDFThe South African government recognises its role in delivering services for addressing poverty and does so through social security and social development programmes based in different service delivery organisations (White Paper for Social Welfare, 1997). The importance of ascertaining the views of social service users is becoming more prevalent in human service delivery and has been established particularly in the fields of mental health and disability and in the new social movements (Beresford & Croft, 2004). For example, in the United Kingdom service users are increasingly participating in the education, training and assessment of social work students, in research and in wider decision making, such as participation in social policy development (Beresford, Page & Stevens, 1994; Cornwall & Gaventa, 2001a; Hanley, 2005; Joans & Gaventa, 2002; Levin, 2004). Over the past two decades new legislation has made the participation of service users a requirement in the planning and development of services; however, it has been found that exclusionary structures within organisations, institutional practices and professional attitudes affect the extent to which change can by achieved by service users (Carr, 2007)
THE SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH MODULE(S) FROM A SOCIAL WELFARE PERSPECTIVE
Get PDFA once-off qualitative questionnaire was sent via e-mail to the social work various training institutions in South Africa. Various topics were covered in the empirical study and as far as possible theoretical substantiation of the findings were integrated with the findings. Topics such as the views of the lecturers and the students on the importance of the research module(s), number of credits allotted to the research module(s), the level of presentation, the limitations/challenges experienced in the operationalising of the research module(s), the link between the theoretical and empirical parts of the module(s), the various study units, and whether students do their research projects individually, in pairs or in groups were covered in this questionnaire
THE AFRICAN WORLDVIEW AS THE BASIS OF PRACTICE IN THE HELPING PROFESSIONS
Get PDFThis paper endeavours to point out some of the specific elements that constitute the African worldview that both educators and practitioners in the helping professions should be aware of when providing social casework/counselling services to African people. Social workers need to be sensitive to the African worldview when dealing with African clients, because this worldview informs the way in which Africans relate to phenomena, including challenges that life presents to African clients. In this paper the following aspects will be addressed: the meaning of the African worldview; the existence of thee African worldviews; the rationale for embracing the African worldview; the unity/common elements of the African worldview/culture; and the elements of the African worldview that caseworkers have to consider (beliefs and practices) such as belief in God, belief in ancestors, belief in witchcraft and traditional healing, polygamy, rites of passage