1,720,965 research outputs found
Group work and social enterprise: using group members’ skills for social and economic development
Get PDFPoverty is a major issue of concern worldwide and rife in South Africa. Minority groups such as women suffer the most and often have little or no access to opportunities for employment. Social workers have an obligation toward social and economic justice. Although small social enterprises cannot get rid of poverty, it can provide a pathway to address several challenges thereof. This article provides a discussion of a case study from South Africa where a group work project assisted in developing and expanding a social enterprise to combine social and economic development. Group work with its aim of support, growth, mutual aid and cohesion provides an ideal medium to identify, enhance and use the skills and capacities of group members to manage their challenges, and in the process, to enhance their sense of self-worth. It is recommended that social workers need knowledge and skills of entrepreneurship to facilitate the development of sustainable social enterprises. However, multi-stakeholder involvement can assist in the aim of such ventures to work towards sustainability. In this discussion of a case study, and with a strength perspective as foundation, three groups of unemployed individuals were formed that made conference bags and key rings while discussing life issues. Using meso skills can bridge the divide to address macro issues
Social work values and principles : students’ experiences in intervention with children and youths in detention
Get PDFA project with children and juveniles in a detention centre confronts social work students
with their own perceptions and experiences of being direct or indirect victims of crime, with
their own values and with integrating the values and principles of social work. Within an
ecological perspective, past and present issues in the country’s context influence perceptions
and personal values. The project challenges these perceptions and value systems. Feedback
include that students realise they should not judge the young people; that these youngsters
have dignity and worth in spite of where they come from and the crime they committed; that
they deserve respect and should be accepted for who they are. The article discusses
professional values and principles in social work and provides a case study of dealing with
undergraduate social work students’ fears, emotions and prejudices in teaching and
integrating social work values and principles.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjsw202015-10-31hb201
Rainbow nation way of teaching sensitivity to diversity for social work with groups
Get PDFBecause social work clients are often members of oppressed, vulnerable and
disempowered groups, teaching sensitivity to diversity and empowering social work
students to be culturally competent is of the utmost importance. South Africa’s history
of apartheid has had detrimental effects on personal, social, economic, and political
development. A department of social work at a university in South Africa introduced
specific study units within its Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programme to address the
influence of this particularly vicious form of discrimination. The units help students to
confront their own prejudices, enhance their self-awareness, and obtain knowledge of
and exposure to diverse client populations. This paper discusses the need for coursework
in this area, and describes the process of teaching these study units.http://www.whitingbirch.net/cgi-bin/scribe?showinfo=ip001gv201
A training programme in the DSM system for social workers
Get PDFThesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2013.The lack of a scope of practice for social workers in South Africa, and with that their right to do mental health diagnoses or even work with mental health clients, has led to conflict. There is not yet a clear agreement between the role players within South Africa, such as the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) and South African Association of Social Workers in Private Practice (SAASWIPP). From the initial investigation, it became clear however that social workers in South Africa are often using the DSM system without training. One of the main concepts, namely ‘clinical social work’, is well defined in international literature. However, very little literature could be found within the South African context pertaining to who is qualified to be a clinical social worker or a social worker with the right to diagnose. This has caused some conflict on a practical level among social workers and ‘clinical’ social workers when operating in the field of mental health since the perception exists that some social workers overstep their boundaries or scope of practice. The research problem was formulated, based on social workers admitting that they are using the DSM system, regardless of their training or lack of training in the DSM system. Social workers do not receive sufficient training in mental health diagnostic systems in undergraduate training. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and pilot test a programme to train social workers in the utilization of an accredited diagnostic system, namely the DSM system, when dealing with individuals who present with a specific disorder. The hypothesis that directed this research indicated that social workers, who receive formal training in the utilization of the DSM system, would be equipped with knowledge and insight with regard to the mental health of their clients. This could enhance the profession, since social workers would be able to participate in the multi-professional team with insight with regard to mental health terminology and pathology. A combined quantitative/qualitative research approach was followed, more specifically applied intervention research since the aim of the study was to contribute towards addressing a practical issue. The research objectives were to complete a literature study regarding social workers’ assessment in the context of the DSM system; to explore social workers’ knowledge, attitude, and utilization of the DSM system; to develop a training programme and train social workers in the utilization of the DSM; to implement the developed training programme for social workers in the utilization of the DSM; to pilot test the effectiveness and content of the training programme; and to draw conclusions and make recommendations with regard to the benefit for the social work profession as well as to multi-professional teamwork, should social workers receive training programme in the DSM system. The researcher collected data while the respondents attended a two-day training programme in the DSM system. Respondents completed a pre-test questionnaire as well as a post-test questionnaire on completion of the training programme. This data analysis was based on a quasi-experimental design, namely the ‘one-group pre-test-post-test design’. Conclusions and recommendations were made relating to social work training, social work in mental health and the DSM utilization in social work practice. The limitations of this study were the lack of literature, the need for training over a longer period, and especially the uncertainties regarding a nationally accepted scope of practice for social workers. The need for in-depth evaluation and advanced development of the programme is identified as both a limitation and a recommendation for future research.Social Work and Criminologyunrestricte
Cutting and sewing brings Africa to the world : social justice for older people
Get PDFOlder people are marginalized and are often subjected to discrimination and injustice. Yet they have a wealth of experience, wisdom, and skills that they can contribute. This story describes a project where a group of older women made tote bags for a symposium. The story unfolds from initial contact with the group to the bags being taken from Africa to the rest of the world. The reciprocal gratitude and the achievement of social justice, even on a small scale, proves that it is possible to make the world a better place.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wswg202020-07-26hj2020Social Work and Criminolog
Caring for children during COVID-19 : the experiences of South African families with children in middle childhood
Get PDFMini Dissertation (MSW (Play-based intervention))--University of Pretoria, 2023.ABSTRACT
Caring for children during COVID-19: The experiences of South African families with children in middle childhood
RESEARCHER: Chandré Burger
SUPERVISOR: Dr. J Chiba
DEGREE: MSW (Play-based intervention)
INSTITUTION: University of Pretoria
The effect of COVID-19 on the care of children in middle childhood is an under-researched phenomenon in South Africa. Family plays a vital role in the care and development of children. Due to the heavy restrictions during COVID-19, which included caregivers having to work from home, schools being closed, restricted movement of people and social distancing, families and children’s lives were changed. COVID-19 affected families and children’s wellbeing, thus the need to understand how caring for children in middle childhood during this time is of great importance. Exploring the experiences of families in South Africa, caring for children in middle childhood during the COVID-19 pandemic may assist the researcher in making area-specific recommendations for service delivery based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory as well as the Family Systems theory.
The goal of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of South African families caring for children in middle childhood, during the COVID-19 pandemic. An interpretivist qualitative research approach was used for an in-depth understanding of the holistic lived experiences of these families during the pandemic. An instrumental case study research design was used, as the researcher attempted to understand each case/family holistically, in order to explore the experiences of six families in South Africa, Gauteng. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the participants, who have utilised the services of Kungwini Welfare Organisation, in Pretoria. An interview schedule assisted in guiding the interview.
The study indicated that families caring for children in middle childhood, during the pandemic, had common positive and negative experiences. These families made use of specific resources during the pandemic and developed certain coping mechanisms that mitigated the effect of the pandemic on their family system. Reference is made to the developmental milestones of children in middle childhood as noted and understood by their caregivers. Caregivers were aware of the need to maintain their children’s developmental milestones and thus provided opportunities for this at home during the pandemic. The study indicated that not all experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic were solely negative. According to the research results, the experiences of the family systems in South Africa, vary wildly based on the availability of resources and support systems.
It is recommended that services and social policy frameworks guiding services, be implemented for the inclusion of and quality service delivery to families with children in middle childhood, with specific focus on a pandemic. Furthermore, the training of social workers needs to be continuously refined to suit the needs of families with children in middle childhood specifically, the inclusion of the systems involved with families.
Key Concepts:
Care of a child
Children in middle childhood
COVID-19
Families
Pandemic
CaregivingSocial Work and CriminologyMSW (Play-based intervention)RestrictedFaculty of Humanitie
Build the social justice bridge : participatory photography with the international group work community
Get PDF"Build the Social Justice Bridge” was a participatory photography project that engaged international group workers in an assessment of group work as a social justice profession. Inspired by principles of photovoice research, the project invited social work students, educators, and practitioners from around the world to contribute photographs and brief narratives that represented the relationship between group work and social justice. The photographs were exhibited during the opening session of the 2018 Symposium of the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) in South Africa, where more than 200 participants from ten countries reflected on the meaning of the photos for the group work community. In viewing the photos, symposium participants identified a common vision of social justice as well as culturally-specific approaches to group work. Implications are drawn for the internationalization of professional knowledge.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wswg202020-10-16hj2020Social Work and Criminolog
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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