Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk (E-Journal)
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THE RESPONSIVENESS OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS TO A THERAPEUTIC GROUP WORK PROGRAMME AT WESTVILLE MEDIUM B PRISON
Get PDFThe scientific study of crime, has engaged the interest of many disciplines, just as professional work with offenders has drawn on the contributions of various professions, including social work. Sexual offences are among the crimes that invoke the most fear and concern. In addition to the human costs in terms of emotional and physical anguish and suffering, staggering financial costs are incurred as a result of child welfare and juvenile and criminal justice system involvement,therapeutic intervention and preventive efforts (Prentky & Burgess, 1990)
SOCIAL SERVICES IN CAPE TOWN: AN ANALYSIS USING THE POLITICAL ETHICS OF CARE
Get PDFAt the time of South Africa’s transition to a constitutional democracy in 1994 the African National Congress (ANC) government inherited a deeply divided racially-based social welfare service system. Accordingly, the first priority of the newly elected government was to develop social policies to address the inequalities resulting from the apartheid period and to redirect resources to previously disadvantaged groups, especially black South Africans, since the white community had been the main beneficiaries of specialised professional services and institutional care (Bozalek, 1999; Follentine, 2004; Orner, 2003; Sevenhuijsen, Bozalek, Gouws & Minnaar-McDonald, 2003a; Republic of South Africa, 1997). The ANC’s election manifesto, its Reconstruction and Development (RDP) policy, had committed the government to a number of strategies to meet people’s basic needs and to alleviate poverty and inequality, among them were employment creation; a living wage for all citizens; the democratisation of state structures; housing provision; and land redistribution (Republic of South Africa, 1994). The Constitution reinforced these commitments in its recognition of socio-economic rights, including the rights to adequate housing, health care, food, water, education and social security. The Human Rights Commission and other independent bodies, such as the Gender Commission, were set up by the Constitution to monitor human rights violations. There were expectations that social services would deliver on the social and economic rights outlined in the South African Constitution (1996) within the available resource constraints (Republic of South Africa, 2006)
FAMILY DISORGANISATION AND MENTAL HEALTH IN A SOUTH AFRICAN MINING COMMUNITY
Get PDFFamily disorganisation and mental health in mining communities in South Africa are not unique, but it is the unique nature of mining communities that creates the risk factors and the types of service provisions that exacerbate the vulnerability of these communities (Gylfason, 2001). At the same time, it is the nature of mental health that makes it a largely ignored healthproblem in these communities. These are burning and relevant issues and the focus of this article
INTRODUCING LIFE MAPS AS TECHNIQUE IN A SOCIAL GROUP WORK PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG ADULTS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS
Get PDFThe first literature regarding life maps was found in a philosophy textbook dated 1909. The focus of this book was the individual’s life (the map of life) and the correlation with happiness and contentment throughout one’s life span. This book indicated many links with life maps as described in this study. The following interesting topics (Lecky, 1909) are worth mentioning: Happiness is a condition of the mind; Contentment and the desire for progress and self-growth should be balanced; Life actions should be guided; There is an ending to life – namely death. The map of life could describe one’s being from birth to death, emphasising different events, people, attitudes, choices, problems/difficulties and biological processes
AWAKENING TO THE TRANSPERSONAL PARADIGM: DISCERNING TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCES FROM PATHOLOGY
Get PDFHistorically social work has shared a tenuous relationship with religion and spirituality. In an effort to hold onto its scientific roots, which began with the quest for professionalisation, it became suspicious of knowledge and experience that could not be fully quantified or rationally derived. It began to “distrust the language of higher transcendence, mystical connection, intuitive grasp” (Besthorn, 2001:38). More recently, however, the profession has become more accepting of spirituality, in the light of evidence that spiritual growth and experiences foster physical and psychological well-being (Pargament, 1997). Parallel to the acceptance of the spiritual paradigm is the growing interest in transpersonal social work, which focuses on empowering the client as well as on spiritual experiences, personal transformation and health (Canda & Furman, 1999;Cowley, 2001; Cowley & Derezotes, 1994)
RESEARCHING THE ROLE OF RACE IN YOUNG BIRACIAL ADULTS’ IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION; EXPLORING IMPLICATIONS FOR TRANS-RACIAL ADOPTIONS
Get PDFThis article draws on the insights of research on nine Indian-White biracial young adults, and applies those insights to the transracial adoption debate. It thus does not report research on transracial adoption directly, but enters the debate on transracial adoption through using insights on the process of racial identity construction that challenge some assumptions prominent in the debate
THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC REALITY OF BEING A DAY LABOURER IN PRETORIA1
Get PDFDay labourers are workers who wait on street corners or in other public places for opportunities to work. They are individuals who work for different employers and get paid on a daily basis. Because they are excluded from the formal labour market, these workers often work for different employers each day, are paid in cash, and do not enjoy benefits such as health insurance and unemployment benefits. It is mainly the employers who benefit from this relationship. They do not have many commitments towards these workers and use them only when work is available
PERCEPTIONS OF RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE: A YOUTH PERSPECTIVE
Get PDFYouths constitute a significant and growing sector of the population living in South Africa. Dickson-Tetteh and Ladha (2000:2) state that there are currently about 18 million people under the age of 20 years, who constitute 44% of the total population. McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter and McWhirter (2004:4) suggest that the well-being and stability of society depend on our ability to prepare well-adjusted and responsible young people to step forward to take up their roles as the older generation passes. In contemporary society the youth face a host of challenges that can impact either positively or negatively on their ability to negotiate the transition from childhood to adulthood. During adolescence youths complete crucial life-tasksand as such are especially vulnerable to the effects of violence as both perpetrators and victims
MULTICULTURAL ASPECTS OF SUPERVISION: CONSIDERATIONS FOR SOUTH AFRICAN SUPERVISORS IN THE HELPING PROFESSIONS
Get PDFClinical supervision in psychology and social work is challenged with addressing the various cultural, social and political factors that affect therapeutic and supervisory relationships. In the context of present-day South Africa with its emphasis on recruiting supervisees into the helping professions from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, questions of race, ethnicity and culture in clinical supervision have become of considerable importance. This paper examines the literature pertinent to supervision and presents a theoretical framework for conceptualising the multicultural development of supervisors and supervisees with a specific emphasis on the South African context. It highlights some of the potential problems that might arise in supervisory relationships in which the supervisor and supervisee are racially disparate and outlines recommendations for clinicians to consider in their practice. Most of the research on inter-racial clinical supervision has been conducted in the United States and other countries where multiculturalism is part of the national landscape. This article uses this international literature and applies it to the present post-apartheid contex
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS: FOUR LESSONS FROM INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY-BASED WORKERS
Get PDFAlthough the Department of Health has been using community health workers since 1994 (Friedman, 2002), it was not until 2003 that the South African government introduced the Community Development Workers Initiative (Department of Provincial and Local Government [DPLG], 2005). The primary aim of Community Development Workers is to maintain direct contact with people where they live and to assist in developing a community/people-centred drive (DPLG, 2005:13). The introduction of community development workers is an initiative stemming from the Office of the President. The main vision for the community development workers is captured in President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation Address in February 2003, when he stated that “government will create a public service echelon of multi-skilled Community Development Workers who will maintain direct contact with the people where these masses live. We are determined to ensure that government goes to the people so that we sharply improve the quality of the outcomes of public expenditures intended to raise the standards of living of our people” (Baaitjies & Hinstra, 2005:10; DPLG, 2004). The initiative is viewed as contributing to a removal of the “development deadlock”, strengthening the “democratic social contract”, advocating for an organised voice for the poor, improving the government-community network and contributing to “joined up” government. According to this initiative, most electoral wards should have a community development worker. Although the current documentation provides a fairly good overview of what is expected of these community development workers, the question is what one can learn from international experience in this regard. Interestingly, South African academic literature has been over-supplied with contributions focusing on the international experience in respect of community developmental policies during apartheid and the early 1990s (Cruse, 1997; Finger, 1999; Friedman, 2002; Frontiers, 2002; Holloway, Lee & McConkey, 1999; Makan, 1997). However, lately there has been a decrease in papers focusing on this debate. Also, none of the above-mentioned papers has focused on international experience in respect of community-based workers. Considering the government of South Africa’s introduction of community development workers and initiatives such as those involving community-based workers, the question is: what can we learn from international experience that we can apply in South Africa? These lessons from best practices across the world will surely be able to inform implementation, policy and legislation in developing the community development worker approach in South Afric