Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Due to the legal obligation to report actual or suspected cases of child sexual abuse and neglect, parents, concerned community members and friends, as well as various professionals like teachers, doctors and psychologists, refer children on a daily basis to social workers in order to initiate an investigation of the allegations. The intake interview is therefore a critical step in the process of child protection and care. In the context of this study, intake interview refers to the initial contact between the social worker and the child in the case of child sexual abuse, where a social worker seeks to establish all objective facts relating to the case so as to make informed decisions and to act accordingly. The Mafikeng Service Point of the Department of Health and Social Development has no standard procedures for social workers in cases of child sexual abuse. It is against this background that a North West based study on the child sexual abuse intake procedures was conducted at Mafikeng Service Point. The study was descriptive and quantitative in nature, with the aim of making a theoretical as well as an empirical study of the intake procedures at the time of the investigation. Data was collected by means of a self–administered questionnaire on the current intake procedures of 30 social workers. Data was triangulated by analysing 15 case files of reported child sexual abuse. It was found that the majority of social workers of the Mafikeng Service Point lack sufficient knowledge and skills regarding interviewing child sexual abuse cases and the legal requirements involved. As a result, they follow diverse and largely inefficient intake interview procedures. The 15 case files that were analysed revealed that social workers do not perform follow–up sessions after the intake and that case files are therefore not officially closed. Recommendations are made to the Mafikeng Service Point with regard to the intake procedures of child sexual abuse cases. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Child sexual abuse is a serious problem that always has been and will be with families and communities. Child sexual abuse occurs within the family, and parents sometimes expect of the child not to tell, or tell the child to deny the abuse. This situation is sometimes exacerbated by the position of the perpetrator within or towards the family. Parents need to be familiarized with the different phases of the process of sexual abuse. Parents are expected to be committed and to provide reliable care and protection for the child. Child sexual abuse is a sensitive issue that harms the inner emotional person of the victim, and affects other family members. The child and the parents need a social worker who has the knowledge and skills to help the family. The family structure, its functioning and the relationships in the family are all important within the context child sexual abuse. The research was conducted among the social workers in Madibeng Municipality. The aim was to explore and describe the role of social workers in motivating parents to disclose the sexual abuse of their child. An empirical study was conducted using a qualitative approach to explore the role of the social worker. A self–administered schedule was used to evaluate the role of the social worker by means of interviews with each social worker. From the data collected during this research it becomes evident that social workers need forensic training so that they could learn the relevant skills and techniques to interview and handle child sexual abuse cases. The knowledge received during training will not only benefit the children, but also the parents. This research found that most social workers employed in both government and non–government organizations in the Madibeng area have not received formal training on how to deal with sexually abused children and their parents, especially with regard to how to motivate parents to disclose the sexual abuse of their child. Guidelines are offered for social workers on how they can motivate parents to disclose the sexual abuse of their children. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The demand for forensic social work as a specialist field is increasing rapidly, due to the increasing moral decline of the community and consequent higher demands set to generic social workers. Amendments to existing acts as well as the development of new legislation, lead to more opportunity for the prosecution of the perpetrator, and therefore a higher utilization of the forensic social worker. A need was experienced to do research regarding the gaps experienced by social workers or any other workers who are currently executing forensic assessments with the sexually traumatised child. The aim of the investigation was to determine which gaps social workers experience in the field when assessing a child forensically. A recording procedure was used to obtain qualitative as well as quantitative data. A purposive sampling was used were interviews were held with five participants to obtain the data. A selfdeveloped questionnaire was used as measuring instrument. It is clear from the findings that there are definite gaps within the field of forensic social work and the need of further research within the field of forensic social work in South Africa is highlighted. / Thesis (MA (SW (Forensic))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Searching for meaning within the real life experiences of frontline social workers working with clients involved in the illegal drug trade. There is a strong likelihood that during the course of a career a front line social worker will have the opportunity to work with a client who is or has been involved in the illegal drug trade. As there is essentially no existing research literature about social workers who work with clients involved in the illegal drug trade, one of the purposes of this research was to explore this experience from the perspective of front line social workers and bridge the gap in this research area. This qualitative interpretative analysis provided the opportunity to gain insight into and put meaning to the experiences and perceptions of the 11 frontline social workers as they work with clients involved in the illegal drug trade. This research also provides valuable information and implications for practice and for further research.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Due to the legal obligation to report actual or suspected cases of child sexual abuse and neglect, parents, concerned community members and friends, as well as various professionals like teachers, doctors and psychologists, refer children on a daily basis to social workers in order to initiate an investigation of the allegations. The intake interview is therefore a critical step in the process of child protection and care. In the context of this study, intake interview refers to the initial contact between the social worker and the child in the case of child sexual abuse, where a social worker seeks to establish all objective facts relating to the case so as to make informed decisions and to act accordingly. The Mafikeng Service Point of the Department of Health and Social Development has no standard procedures for social workers in cases of child sexual abuse. It is against this background that a North West based study on the child sexual abuse intake procedures was conducted at Mafikeng Service Point. The study was descriptive and quantitative in nature, with the aim of making a theoretical as well as an empirical study of the intake procedures at the time of the investigation. Data was collected by means of a self–administered questionnaire on the current intake procedures of 30 social workers. Data was triangulated by analysing 15 case files of reported child sexual abuse. It was found that the majority of social workers of the Mafikeng Service Point lack sufficient knowledge and skills regarding interviewing child sexual abuse cases and the legal requirements involved. As a result, they follow diverse and largely inefficient intake interview procedures. The 15 case files that were analysed revealed that social workers do not perform follow–up sessions after the intake and that case files are therefore not officially closed. Recommendations are made to the Mafikeng Service Point with regard to the intake procedures of child sexual abuse cases. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Child sexual abuse is a serious problem that always has been and will be with families and communities. Child sexual abuse occurs within the family, and parents sometimes expect of the child not to tell, or tell the child to deny the abuse. This situation is sometimes exacerbated by the position of the perpetrator within or towards the family. Parents need to be familiarized with the different phases of the process of sexual abuse. Parents are expected to be committed and to provide reliable care and protection for the child. Child sexual abuse is a sensitive issue that harms the inner emotional person of the victim, and affects other family members. The child and the parents need a social worker who has the knowledge and skills to help the family. The family structure, its functioning and the relationships in the family are all important within the context child sexual abuse. The research was conducted among the social workers in Madibeng Municipality. The aim was to explore and describe the role of social workers in motivating parents to disclose the sexual abuse of their child. An empirical study was conducted using a qualitative approach to explore the role of the social worker. A self–administered schedule was used to evaluate the role of the social worker by means of interviews with each social worker. From the data collected during this research it becomes evident that social workers need forensic training so that they could learn the relevant skills and techniques to interview and handle child sexual abuse cases. The knowledge received during training will not only benefit the children, but also the parents. This research found that most social workers employed in both government and non–government organizations in the Madibeng area have not received formal training on how to deal with sexually abused children and their parents, especially with regard to how to motivate parents to disclose the sexual abuse of their child. Guidelines are offered for social workers on how they can motivate parents to disclose the sexual abuse of their children. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The demand for forensic social work as a specialist field is increasing rapidly, due to the increasing moral decline of the community and consequent higher demands set to generic social workers. Amendments to existing acts as well as the development of new legislation, lead to more opportunity for the prosecution of the perpetrator, and therefore a higher utilization of the forensic social worker. A need was experienced to do research regarding the gaps experienced by social workers or any other workers who are currently executing forensic assessments with the sexually traumatised child. The aim of the investigation was to determine which gaps social workers experience in the field when assessing a child forensically. A recording procedure was used to obtain qualitative as well as quantitative data. A purposive sampling was used were interviews were held with five participants to obtain the data. A selfdeveloped questionnaire was used as measuring instrument. It is clear from the findings that there are definite gaps within the field of forensic social work and the need of further research within the field of forensic social work in South Africa is highlighted. / Thesis (MA (SW (Forensic))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Darbo tikslas. Įvertinti komandinio darbo svarbą bei ištirti socialinių darbuotojų vaidmenį, Kauno miesto, rajono ir apskrities, psichikos sveikatos centruose. Darbo uždaviniai: 1) įvertinti psichikos sveikatos centrų darbuotojų nuomonę apie komandinį darbą ir socialinių darbuotojų įtraukimą į jį; 2) įvertinti psichikos sveikatos centrų darbuotojų nuomonę apie socialinių darbuotojų vaidmenį ir jų atliekamas funkcijas; 3) ištirti kaip psichikos sveikatos centrų socialiniai darbuotojai vertina komandinį darbą ir savo vaidmenį jame. Tyrimo metodika. Kiekybinis tyrimas. Anoniminės anketos pagalba 2013 m. gruodžio mėn. – 2014 m. vasario mėn. buvo apklausti Kauno miesto, jo rajono ir apskrities, psichikos sveikatos centruose dirbantys specialistai. Išdalinta 110 anketų, tinkamomis analizei pripažintos 102 anketos (atsako dažnis – 77,3 proc.). Hipotezės apie dviejų požymių nepriklausomumą buvo tikrinamos naudojant Chi-kvadrato kriterijų, hipotezė apie dviejų nepriklausomų imčių proporcijų lygybę buvo tikrinama naudojant z – kriterijų. Kokybinis tyrimas. Buvo naudojamas pusiau struktūruotas interviu metodas, atlikta duomenų analizė. Buvo apklausti 6 socialiniai darbuotojai, ne trumpiau kaip 1 metus, dirbantys psichikos sveikatos centruose. Rezultatai. Komandinio darbo efektyvumą gerai vertina 50 proc. respondentų. Respondentai, kurie komandinio darbo efektyvumą vertina gerai ir puikiai dažniau nurodo, kad komandinis darbas vyksta visada arba dažnai (93,8 proc.), lyginant su... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Objective of the work. To assess the importance of the team work and to analyze the role of social workers in the mental health centres in Kaunas city, region and district. Tasks of the work: 1) to evaluate the opinion of the employees of mental health centres about the team work and involvement of social workers into it; 2) to evaluate the opinion of the employees of mental health centres about the role and functions of social workers; 3) to analyze, how the social workers of mental health centres see their team work and their role in it. Research methodology. Quantitative research. The anonymous questionnaires were used in December 2013-February 2014 to survey the specialists working in the mental health centres in Kaunas city, region and district. 110 questionnaires were distributed and 102 questionnaires were recognized as suitable for analysis (the response rate – 77.3%). The hypotheses about independence of two variables were checked using the Chi-square criterion, while the hypothesis about equal proportion of two independent samples was checked using the z criterion. Qualitative research. The semi-structured interview was used and the data were analyzed. Six social workers, who have been working in mental health centres for at least one year, were surveyed. Results. The effectiveness of team work was evaluated well by 50 % of respondents. The respondents, who evaluated the effectiveness of team work as good and excellent, indicate that the team work is carried out... [to full text]