Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk (E-Journal)
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SOCIAL WORKERS’ VIEWS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LEGISLATION THAT GUIDES SERVICE DELIVERY TO CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS
Full text linkThe National Plan of Action (Department of Social Development, 2021) identified child-headed households (CHHs) as an increasing social problem in South Africa. Section 150 of the Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (Republic of South Africa [RSA], 2005), and the Children’s Amendment Act, 41 of 2007 (RSA, 2007), consider children living in CHHs as children in need of care and protection, and give guidelines on services to these households. Currently, there is no certainty about the successful implementation of these guidelines to address the needs of this target group. This study, therefore, used a qualitative research approach with semi-structured interviews with social workers to investigate their views on applying section 137 of Children’s Amendment Act, 41 of 2007 (RSA, 2007). This study found that there were gaps to address in the social work services provided to CHHs and the implementation of the Act. Some of the main recommendations included continued training and research on the implementation of the Act
PREPARATION OF INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED AND/OR AUTISTIC YOUNG PEOPLE FOR LEAVING CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA
Full text linkResearch on the transition of intellectually disabled and/or autistic care-leavers is still in its infancy globally and there have been no studies on this population in South Africa. This article, therefore, aims to illuminate the experiences of this overlooked group in South Africa, with a focus on how well they are prepared for the transition from residential childcare facilities to young adulthood. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight intellectually disabled and/or autistic young people who were about to disengage from Child and Youth Care Centres in the Cape Peninsula, and their caregivers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: person-centred planning for care-leaving; opportunities for extended care and gradual exits from care; support for interdependent living aftercare; and addressing loss and anxiety related to moving on during the transition. The study highlights implications for policy and practice, including the need for a clear policy framework to support aftercare provision and improvements in care-leaving preparation with a stronger focus on interdependence
SHOULD THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BE CONSIDERED A TRAUMATIC STRESSOR? SOME CONCERNS FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Full text linkThis opinion article argues that it may not be appropriate to regard the Covid-19 pandemic as a traumatic stressor. Persons diagnosed with Covid-19 have typically been concerned about events that might have occurred in the future such as severe illness, hospitalisation and death, access to treatment, the welfare of dependents, and stigma and discrimination. Their concerns are thus future-oriented rather than anchored to a past traumatic event, which is the requirement for a diagnosis of PTSD. If the criteria for what is considered a traumatic stressor are widened, there isa risk that the concept of trauma may become so diluted that many events, even mildly distressing ones, may be regarded as traumatic. Social workers and other health professionals should take these matters into account when attending to the emotional and psychological needs of persons affected by the Covid-19 pandemic
CARE-LEAVERS’ EFFORTS TO BUILD RESILIENCE THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS OF BELONGING
Full text linkThis article aims to deepen and theorise our understanding of the need for belonging among young people transitioning out of residential care. The study adopted a qualitative approach, with a sample of 31 residential care-leavers in South Africa, who were followed-up annually for seven years. It addresses the lack of theoretically informed studies and builds an indigenous theory to explain the care-leaving journey. This paper presents findings on care-leavers’ deep desire for authentic belonging, their investment in building authentic relationships, and their frustration and failure in doing so. Implications for practice suggest an imperative to build care-leavers’ sense of belonging after removal from home to care, which will ultimately lead to building resilience. Social workers and child and youth care workers need to co-build networks of belonging to foster young people’s perceptions of themselves and the part that belonging plays in their post-care reintegration
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S SCHOOL READINESS: A ROLE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS
Full text linkThe importance of the early childhood years for school readiness highlights the primary role of parents in preparing their children for school entry. This article reports on a qualitative study that explored parental involvement in children’s school readiness in a South African context, with special emphasis on the influence of the social environment on parental involvement. Through purposive and snowball sampling, a sample of 25 parents or caregivers, nine Foundation Phase teachers and four social workers were recruited from communities in Tshwane, Gauteng. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as theoretical framework was relevant for understanding contextual influences on parental involvement in school readiness. To account for the evidently inadequate school readiness of many South African children, the findings of the study indicate that parents’ knowledge, perceptions and socio-economic contexts influence their ability to effectively prepare young children for school entry; this in turn suggests a role for social workers to empower parents for enhancing their children’s school readines
NEGLECT AND STIGMA: UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS AND MULTIPLE IMPACTS OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION ON CHILDREN FROM DRUG-ABUSING PARENTS
Full text linkChildren growing up with drug-abusing parents are at high risk of experiencing social ostracism from their social environment. Therefore, the aim of this research is to construct a theory based on these children’s experiences in facing the process of social exclusion and to identify the multiple impacts of social exclusion on them. The study was conducted in the fishing community in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Furthermore, grounded theory was selected as the study method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which were analysed using open, axial and selective coding. The total number of participants was 41, selected purposively. The basic finding of this study showed that neglect and stigma were the characteristics of social exclusion experienced by children from drug-abusing parents in the fishing community; this usually occurred in three loci, namely family, neighbourhood and school environments. Children experiencing neglect and stigma as a result of drug issues within their family involving both parents (mother and father) will undergo a range of broader impacts of social exclusion, compared to only one parent (father) using drugs. The findings of this research can be directly applied in social work practice to develop more effective interventions and policies to support children from families of drug users in facing social exclusion
OPINIONS OF SOCIAL WORKERS REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH-RELATED CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED WITH CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN SOUTH AFRICAN CHILD AND YOUTH CARE CENTRES
Full text linkThe scanty literature on social workers’ opinions on mental health-related challenges encountered with children and adolescents in child and youth care centres prompted the researchers to undertake this contextually designed exploratory-descriptive qualitative research. The study was conducted in South Africa’s Gauteng province, where data were collected through semi-structured online interviews with nine social workers who were recruited through purposive sampling. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s data analysis method, while the trustworthiness of the study was rated with reference to Guba and Lincoln’s criteria of credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability. The opinions shared by social workers addressed general challenges associated with child and adolescent mental health; the impact of these challenges on other people within the centre; and the availability of resources for children and adolescents with mental health-related issues in these centres. The findings indicated the need for partnerships between care centres and training institutions to train social workers, house parents and members of the public
PARADOXES OF SELECTED CULTURAL INTERVENTIONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV IN SOUTH AFRICA: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC REFLECTION
Full text linkUsing an autoethnographic methodology, and guided by my publications from 2009 to 2023, I reflect on the paradoxes of selected cultural interventions in the fight against HIV. I established that culture aided the fight against HIV through inculcating desirable behaviours, the work of traditional healers, and embracing the principles of ubuntu. Yet, culture was also a liability through advancing cultural stereotypes that promoted male promiscuity, GBV, ulwaluko becoming a vessel of HIV infections, patriarchy, and the rite of ulwaluko condoning excessive alcohol consumption. I have implored South African authorities to accept circumcision as an avenue for reducing HIV/AIDS, with social workers leading the advocacy campaigns
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19
Full text linkModern capitalism has shaped the world, but for many scholars, its principles have disproportionately favoured the prosperity of a minority while neglecting the prospects of the majority, particularly in Southern Africa. The recent COVID-19 pandemic combined with significant inequalities of wealth has put the social policies of countries in Southern Africa to the test. It exposed the inadequacies of the current capitalist order in many countries in the global south, hindering their ability to protect their populations from the pandemic’s impact. In contrast, the global north, with stronger social policies and economic flexibility, managed to cushion the severity of pandemic’s economic impact on their populations in many ways, even though they suffered the most deaths. In this article, I establish how COVID-19 and neoliberal capitalism made it difficult to achieve the social developmental objectives in Southern Africa. While scholars have documented the medical and economic harms caused by the pandemic, I highlight ways that it, along with considerable inequalities of wealth, impaired social development more broadly. I conclude by establishing how the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the shortcomings of neoliberal capitalism in Southern Africa’s social policies, emphasising the need for re-evaluating and re-alignment of these policies to foster more equitable and resilient societies
SOCIAL WORK PRACTITIONERS’ AND SUPERVISORS' CONCEPTUALISATION OF SUPERVISION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, KING CETSHWAYO DISTRICT: A POLITY DUALISM
Full text linkThe historical development of social service supervision reveals that the professional and organisational demands do not co-exist without challenges. The tension that often manifests between professional and managerial supervision is explained using the analogy of “polity dualism”, a concept widely used in political science to describe the co-existence of democratic and traditional rulership. The study adopted a qualitative exploratory-descriptive design underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. Seventeen social workers and supervisors were purposively sampled at the Department of Social Development, King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal. The findings were presented in terms of two main themes and two related subthemes. These included participants’ understanding of supervision and relating their understanding of supervision with experience. The recommendations could be summarised to involve the need to limit supervisors’ responsibilities to providing supervision only and to address the challenges posed by polity dualism by relying on professional supervision that offers more support and guidance and encourages collaboration between supervisors and supervisees