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The role of non-governmental organisations as change agents : the case of NGOs providing child protection services in Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga.Siziba, Sikholiwe 24 July 2014 (has links)
Child protection refers to the systems put in place to prevent child abuse and maltreatment and
to promote and enhance the well‐being of children. Child protection has been basically a
constitutional issue for the state to protect children. Existing civil society organisations emerged
as community collective organisations that were meant to voice out the concerns and demands
of the public to their governments with regards to some problematic issues in their
communities. Gradually, NGOs shifted their focus from reactive approaches to be more
proactive in the manner they addressed the community issues and hence they incorporated
child protection activities in their programmes. However, they are faced with criticism in
focusing more on preventative and early intervention measures in child protection. The aim of
the study was to investigate the role of NGOs as change agents in child protection. The study
was qualitative in nature and used a multi‐case study design. The study population consisted of
4 Directors /Managers from the 4 NGOs for the study as well as 6 Social Workers from the 4
NGOs, 3 councillors and 1 chief from the district and 2 key informants from the Department of
Social Development and the South African Police Services. Semi‐structured interview schedules
were used to get the information from the respondents through face to face interviews.
The findings from the study are: NGOs contribute to the social protection of children by
preventing child abuse, promoting the wellbeing of children and protecting their rights,
building of resilience in children and their families and creating partnerships with other role
players to provide holistic child protection services. The findings also revealed that revealed
that communities perceive NGOs as the immediate service providers in their communities and
promoters of child well‐being and better social functioning of children. The findings from the
study also revealed that NGOs are seen as change agents in terms of socio‐economic
development of communities. However, the study showed that communities perceived that
NGOs render poor service and also that their programmes had a negative impact on children
and their families. The findings of the study identified the following challenges faced by NGOs in
their work of child protection which are role confusion, lack of cooperation, malfunctioning
child protection systems and lack of resources.
The study recommends that child protection policy and processes around prevention, early
intervention, statutory services and continuum of care be relooked and be improved and that
programmes of child protection be child centred and yet be inclusive of parents as well. The
study suggests that the child protection role players need to be capacitated and funded more to
improve service delivery in child protection.
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The role of child support grants in poverty alleviation in rural communitiesYapi, Kanyisa January 2015 (has links)
This study seeks to investigate the challenges faced by the recipients of the child support grant, with special reference to Morgan Bay, a rural area under the aegis of the Amathole District Municipality in East London. The child support grant is a strategy that was introduced to alleviate poverty in previously disadvantaged communities. The child support grant replaced the state maintenance grant. South Africa has high levels of unemployment; and this situation is considered to be a major contributing factor to poverty. After the apartheid era, the African National Congress (ANC) led government introduced a litany of redistributive policy frameworks aimed at reversing the imbalances of the past created by the apartheid government. The child support grant, which was established during the year 1998, is viewed as one of the strategies introduced by the South African government aimed at alleviating poverty caused by the lack of jobs. The aim of the study is to assess the implementation of the child support grant impact as a developmental strategy in rural communities, such as Morgan Bay. The study seeks to determine how the child support grant redistribution has affected rural communities. In other words, the research seeks to determine whether the child support grant redistribution has affected rural communities positively or negatively, and to ascertain whether it has mitigated the impact of socio-economic challenges in rural communities. The study also seeks to explore other strategies, which could be implemented to supplement the child support grant, and possibly decrease the level of dependence on the child support grant – by having a back-up strategy for alleviating poverty.
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Views of social workers on trans-racial adoptions of abandoned childrenDoubell, Lara Susan 12 1900 (has links)
Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Thousands of children are being abandoned in South Africa each year, consequently entering the child-care and protection system. The Children’s Act 38 of 2005, which governs all practices involving children in South Africa, clearly advocates for adoption as the superior form of intervention in cases of abandonment. Yet adoption continues to be one of the most under-utilised childcare practices in South Africa, especially by the black, majority population. This is unfortunately despite the fact that most of the adoptable children are from the black population group.
This study therefore aimed to investigate the views of adoption social workers regarding the practice of trans-racial adoptions of abandoned children.
Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed for this study. A combination of exploratory and descriptive research designs was utilised as the framework for the research approach. Data was collected by means of a semi-structured interview schedule, which was conducted during personal interviews with social work professionals.
The findings of the empirical investigation revealed that according to the views of the social workers under-graduate social work training was largely inadequate in preparing social workers to work in the field of adoption. It was also found that social workers felt that the importance of permanency planning in all work with children was not comprehensively explored during under-graduate studies. Findings further indicated that trans-racial adoption is viewed positively amongst adoption social workers, and is regarded as the far superior alternative to foster-care or institutional care for children who have been abandoned. It was however found that in cases of abandonment, adoption might be an under-utilised option amongst child-protection workers.
Children available for adoption were reported as being predominantly from the black population group, while it was indicated that the majority of parents wanting to adopt are from the white community. In line with this, it was noted that there are not many prospective adoptive parents from the black community. Of significance was therefore the finding that very few adoption organisations have active recruitment programmes focused on recruiting black adoptive parents, inevitably bringing trans-racial adoption to the fore. One of the most important recommendations of this study is therefore that adoption organisations should develop and implement recruitment programmes, which specifically target prospective black adopters in an effort to increase the potential pool of black adopters.
In addition, the recommendations emphasised the importance of adequate education of social workers in order to ensure that the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 is adequately understood and implemented in cases of abandonment. Ensuring that social workers move towards adoption as fast as possible in cases of abandonment can not only increase the chances of the child being adopted, but can also help to prevent developmental problems associated with institutional care. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Duisende kinders word jaarliks in Suid-Afrika deur hulle ouers verlaat (“abandon”), en betree gevolglik die kindersorg en beskermingsisteem. Die Kinderwet 38 van 2005, wat alle praktyke rakende kinders in Suid Afrika reguleer, promoveer duidelik aanneming as die beste vorm van intervensie in gevalle van kinderverlating. Steeds bly aanneming egter een van die mees onderbenutte kindersorg praktyke in Suid-Afrika, veral onder die swart meerderheidsbevolking. Dit ten spyte van die feit dat meeste aanneembare kinders uit die swart bevolkingsgroep kom.
Hierdie studie was daarop gemik om die menings van aannemings-maatskaplike werkers rakende die praktyk van inter-ras aannemings van kinders wat deur hulle ouers verlaat is te ondersoek.
Beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benaderings is toegepas vir hierdie studie. ‘n Kombinasie van ondersoekende en beskrywende navorsingsontwerpe is gebruik as die raamwerk vir die navorsingsbenadering. Data is versamel deur middel van ‘n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud skedule wat uitgevoer is tydens persoonlike onderhoude met maatskaplike werkers.
Die empiriese ondersoek het bevind dat die maatskaplike werkers van mening was dat voorgraadse opleiding in maatskaplike werk grootliks onvoldoende was om maatskaplike werkers voor te berei vir werk op die gebied van aanneming. Daar is ook bevind dat maatskaplike werkers die standpunt huldig dat die belangrikheid van permanensie-beplanning in alle werk met kinders nie omvattend verken is tydens voorgraadse studies nie. Verdere bevinding dui daarop dat inter-ras aanneming positief beskou word deur aannemings-maatskaplike werkers en dat dit by verre as die beste alternatief tot pleegsorg of institisionele sorg vir kinders wat deur hulle ouers verlaat is, beskou word. Daar is egter bevind dat in gevalle van kinderverlating die opsie van aanneming onderbenut mag wees deur kinderbeskermings werkers.
Daar is aangedui dat kinders wat beskikbaar is vir aanneming grootliks uit die swart meerderheids bevolkingsgroep kom, terwyl daar ook aangedui is dat die meerderheid van ouers wat kinders wil aanneem uit die wit gemeenskap kom. Daar is aangedui dat min van die prospektiewe aannemings ouers uit die swart gemeenskap kom. ‘n Betekenisvolle bevinding was gevolglik dat baie min aannemings-organisasies aktiewe werwingsprogramme het wat daarop fokus om swart aannemingsouers te werf, wat noodwendig inter-ras aanneming na vore bring.
Een van die belangrikste aanbevelings van hierdie studie is dus dat aannemings-organisasies werwingsprogramme moet ontwikkel en implementeer wat spesifiek prospektiewe swart aannemers teiken in ‘n poging om die poel van swart aannemers te vergroot.
Verder beklemtoon die aanbevelings die belangrikheid van voldoende opleiding van maatskaplike werkers ten einde te verseker dat die Kinderwet 38 van 2005 voldoende verstaan word en geïmplementeer word in gevalle van kinderverlating. Deur toe te sien dat maatskaplike werkers so gou moontlik beweeg na aanneming in gevalle van kinderverlating verbeter nie slegs die kind se kans om aangeneem te word nie, maar dit kan ook help om die ontwikkelingsprobleme geassosieer met institusionele versorging te voorkom.
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The utilisation of group work by social workers at NGOs in the implementation of family preservation servicesVan Huyssteen, Josane 04 1900 (has links)
Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Social workers that render child protection services are, according to The White Paper for Social Welfare (Ministry of Welfare and Population Development, 1997) and the Integrated Service Delivery Model (Department of Social Development, 2006), required to render family preservation services through mainly preventive services and early intervention services. This implies that during the implementation of family preservation services, the social worker should focus on preventing the unnecessary alternative placement of children through immediate intervention that defuses the crisis situation, stabilizes the family, and teaches family members new problem-resolution skills, so they can avoid future crisis.
A social work intervention method that could effectively enhance family preservation services is group work. Social workers rendering family preservation services, however make limited use of group work. Various studies done with regards to group work showed a definite decrease in the utilisation of group work by social workers at child and family welfare organisations, possible reasons for the decrease in the utilisation of group work were noted but no definite conclusions were drawn. Therefore a gap exists within research on the view of social workers with regards to the utilisation of group work during the rendering of family preservation services. The research study therefore investigated the perspective of social workers on the utilisation of group work during implementation of family preservation services.
A combined quantitative and qualitative research methodology was used to involve social workers employed at non-governmental organizations in the Western Cape Metropole area in the study that was based on both an explorative and descriptive research design. For the aim of the research study, the researcher used purposeful non-probability sampling. Twenty social workers that met the inclusion criteria of the research study were selected according to their willingness to participate. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the data during the empirical investigation and a pilot study was implemented to test the measuring instrument with two participants.
A literature study aimed at describing the role and function of the social worker with regards the implementation of family preservation services as well the nature of group work when rendering family preservation services was completed. Thereafter an empirical investigation was done and the results from the empirical investigation were purposefully processed and analysed. Through processing and analysing the results the researcher was able to conclude with certain conclusions and recommendations with regards to the utilisation of group work during the implementation of family preservation services.
The most important conclusion resulting from the research study indicate that child and family welfare organisations are struggling to effectively utilise the group work method during the implementation of family preservation services. The research study therefore recommends that social workers should receive thorough in-service training with regards to the possible ways of utilising the group work method more effectively during the delivery of family preservation services. Furthermore it is recommended that appropriate group work programmes be developed that are specifically aimed at family preservation services, in order to ensure that group work is effectively utilised by social workers when implementing family preservation services. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Maatskaplike werkers wat kinderbeskermingsdienste lewer word, volgens die Witskrif vir Maatskaplike Welsyn (Ministry of Welfare and Population Development, 1997) en die Geïntegreerde Diensleweringsmodel (Department of Social Development, 2006), vereis om gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste te lewer deur hoofsaaklik te fokus op voorkomende dienste en vroeë intervensie dienste. Dit beteken dat tydens die implementering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste moet die maatskaplike werker fokus op die voorkoming van die onnodige alternatiewe plasing van kinders deur middel van onmiddellike ingryping wat die krisis situasie ontlont, die familie stabiliseer, en familielede nuwe probleemoplossings vaardighede aanleer ten einde toekomstige krisisse te verhoed.
‘n Maatskaplike werk intervensie metode wat effektief kan bydra tot die bevordering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste is groepwerk. Maatskaplike werkers wat gesinsinstandhoudings-dienste lewer maak egter beperkte gebruik van groepwerk. Verskeie studies wat gedoen is met betrekking tot groepwerk in maatskaplike werk dui ‘n definitiewe afname in die benutting van groepwerk deur maatskaplike werkers by kinder- en gesinsorg welsynsorganisasies aan, moontlike redes vir die afname in die benutting van groepwerk is opgemerk, maar geen definitiewe gevolgtrekkings is gemaak nie. Dus bestaan daar ‘n definitiewe gaping in navorsing rondom die sienings van maatskaplike werkers rakende die benutting van groepwerk in die lewering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste. Daarom is die perspektief van maatskaplike werkers rakende die benutting van groepwerk tydens die implementering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste in die navorsingstudie ondersoek.
‘n Gesamentlike kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodologie is gebruik om maatskaplike werkers in diens by nie-regeringsorganisasies in die Wes-Kaap Metropool area in die navorsingsstudie, gebassseer op ‘n verkennende en beskrywende navorsingsontwerp, te betrek. Vir die doel van die navorsingstudie het die navorser gebruik gemaak van ‘n doelgerigte nie-waarskynlikheids steekproefneming. Twintig maatskaplike werkers wat aan die insluitingskriteria van die navorsingstudie voldoen het is dus volgens hul bereidwilligheid om deel te neem gekies. Tydens die empiriese ondersoek is ‘n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoudskedule gebruik om die data in te samel en ‘n loodsstudie is geïmplementeer om die meetinstrument met twee deelnemers te toets.
‘n Literatuurstudie wat daarop gemik was om die rol en funksie van die maatskaplike werker te beskryf met betrekking tot die implementering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste asook die aard van groep werk tydens die lewering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste is voltooi. Daarna is ‘n empiriese ondersoek gedoen en die resultate van die empiriese ondersoek is doelbewus verwerk en ontleed. Deur verwerking en ontleding van die resultate was die navorser daartoe in staat om sekere gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings met betrekking tot die benutting van groepwerk tydens die implementering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste te maak.
Die belangrikste gevolgtrekking uit die navorsingstudie dui daarop dat kinder en gesins welsynsorganisasies sukkel om effektief gebruik te maak van die groepwerk metode tydens die implementering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste. Die navorsingstudie beveel dus aan dat maatskaplike werkers deeglike in-diens opleiding ontvang met betrekking tot die moontlike maniere waarop die groepwerk metode meer effektief tydens die lewering van gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste benut kan word. Verder word daar aanbeveel dat toepaslike groepwerk programme spesifiek gemik op gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste ontwikkel word ten einde te verseker dat groepwerk effektief benut word deur maatskaplike werkers tydens die implementering van gesinsinstandhoudings-dienste.
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Managing public policy implementation : a critical review of the implementation of the child support grant in South Africa between 2000 and 2004.Mtshali, Yvonne Lungile. January 2006 (has links)
Policy implementation is an important aspect of service delivery. It is a
process that requires all the involved parties to work together. In addition, the
policy to be implemented has to be preceded by extensive planning and
capacity to ensure effective implementation. According to Parsons
(1995:465), "effective implementation requires a good chain of command and
a capacity to co-ordinate and control...".
The Child Support Grant (CSG) is one of the social security grants created by
the South African Government to offer financial support to children in need.
The CSG is the one that is widely accessed by children. This grant has
reached millions of children in South Africa since its initial implementation;
however a large number of children still do not receive this grant due to
administration problems (Skweyiya 2005:2).
This research project provides a critical analysis of the implementation of
CSG between the years 2000 and 2004. A conceptual analysis (content
analysis) of secondary studies on the implementation of the Child Support
Grant is the scope of this investigation. The study analysed the manner in
which the CSG had been implemented by the Department of Social
Development (DSD) between the years 2000 and 2004. The findings show
that there were many problems that related to the administration of the CSG.
The problems ranged from lack of capacity (human as well as organizational)
by government officials, to the mode (top-down) of implementation, the
employment of bureaucratic methods of implementing policy, lack of system
upgrade, street level bureucrats methods of implementing policies and
insufficient monitoring and evaluation by the National Department of Social
Development.
The DSD neglected to provide infrastructural support to facilitate the
additional number of beneficiaries that resulted from the extension of the CSG
to children under 14 years old.
These organizational capacity development problems manifested in the lack
of sufficient equipment in welfare offices. Many welfare offices did not have
essential equipment (such as chairs, working computers and working
telephones) needed to perform their duties. Technical resources such as
working computers and telephones are an essential part of implementation.
Lack of proper monitoring and evaluation of the administration of the Grant
has created loopholes in the system that have cost the Department about
R1.5 billion each year from 2000 to 2004.
Another problem was that there were staff shortages in most areas. In areas
where staff was available they lacked the capacity to administer the Grant. As
a result, wrong information was disseminated to the public concerning the
eligibility for the CSG. The data capturing system the Department uses,
Social Pension System (SOCPEN), had not been upgraded to handle greater
numbers of applicants. This has led to applicants not being processed, thus
affecting service delivery.
The study has shown the impacts these problems can have on policy. Due to
the manner in which policy was implemented the DSD ended up losing
money, which was intended for beneficiaries, through fraud and
maladministration. In addition to money lost, potential beneficiaries could not
access the Grant due to obstacles created by government officials as their
way of implementing policy effectively. According to Lipsky (1980:149), low
ranking street level bureaucrats create ways of coping with their duties
through simplifying their authority. This enables them to utilise their authority
and impose their job restrictions for reasons of lack of service delivery on their
clients .
Due to the scope of "allowed" discretion that street level bureaucrats can
exercise, fragmentation of policy is most often experienced during
implementation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.
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Statutory interventions of social workers in the Amathole DistrictKobese, Nozodwa January 2016 (has links)
The issues about child protection have become a global concern. With the increase in cases of child abuse, neglect and mal-treatment, this study sought to address such issues in the South African context. The government through the Department of Social Development introduced various statutory requirements to ensure the protection of vulnerable children in South Africa. Through the use of a qualitative approach, this study investigated the duties of social workers working within statutory interventions to ensure the safety of abused and neglected children in two distinct areas in Amathole District, Eastern Cape. Semi-structured interviews from the study indicated that, social workers play major roles to ensure that vulnerable children are catered for. Their duties which are guided by law have seen so many abused children being removed from their place of abuse to better places of safety. However, despite the vigorous work done by social workers, statutory interventions still faces many challenges which make them ineffective.
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Practice guidelines for supporting youth-headed families to enhance their resilienceSoji, Zoleka January 2013 (has links)
The topic of the research is derived from the researcher‟s own interest as a social worker and observations of reality within youth-headed families. Over the past few years the number of published studies on child and youth-headed households has grown out of the realisation that this multi-faceted phenomenon is growing in numbers and complexity. Most of these studies and reports concentrate on the issue of scale and the severity of the crisis of child and youth-headed households (UNICEF, 2002; Maqoko & Dryer, 2007 & Kuhanen, Shemeikka, Notkola & Nghixulifwa, 2008). These studies reveal the complex nature of the phenomenon of child and youth-headed families and the challenges that face young people within these families which impact on their growth and development. In most of the studies, the phenomenon of child and youth-headed households has been reported to have an impact on societal framework as a result of its complexity (UNICEF, 2002, 2008; van Dijk, 2008; Kuhanen et al., 2008; Evans, 2010). Over the past years there has been a steady increase in studies that has focussed on coping and resilience of children and young people. Many of these studies have identified resilience-related factors through quantitative ecological approaches to research. To date, there seems to be very few qualitative studies that have been undertaken to delineate the construct of resilience in child and youth-headed families within the South African context from the perspectives of children and young people growing up in these families (Beeka, 2008; Nkomo, 2008; Leatham, 2005). McCubbin (1999, in Smith 2006:48) argues that qualitative research is well suited to understanding processes and strategies in the study of resilience. This study therefore corresponds to McCubbin‟ calling by employing a qualitative research to the study of resilience in youth-headed families. The first goal of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and needs of youth-headed families in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, as well as to enhance understanding of the protective factors and processes within youth-headed families and their environment that enable them to cope with their circumstances. The secondary goal of this study was to formulate practice guidelines for supporting members of youth-headed families that could be used by social workers and other service providers rendering services to these families in order to enhance their coping and resilience. The following objectives were formulated to guide the research process: - To explore and describe the experiences and needs of youth-headed families; - To explore the perceptions of community members regarding the needs of youth-headed families, as well as their perceptions regarding how these needs are addressed at community level; - To identify and describe the protective factors and/or processes within individual members of youth-headed families, their families and community context that promote the coping and resilience of youth-headed families; - To explore the views of service providers rendering services to youth-headed families regarding the nature of interventions and programmes rendered to these families; - To review the literature on existing family support programmes in order to identify good practice examples to inform the formulation of practice guidelines for supporting members of youth-headed families.
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A household survey of maternal and child health in the Mount Frere Health District, Eastern CapeIrlam, James January 1998 (has links)
A cross-sectional household survey of maternal and child health was conducted in the Mount Frere health district of the Eastern Cape in August / September 1997. The aim was to describe key aspects of maternal and child health to inform the planning activities of the District Health Management Team (DHMT). A participatory process was followed, in order to develop research capacity within the district, and to facilitate interaction between health workers and the community. Methods: Structured questionnaires were used by local research trainees to gather data from each household on: • household demographics; • deaths in household since April 1994; • household access to water and sanitation; • children under five years; • children aged 5 to 15 years; • deliveries in the past 12 months; • knowledge of prevention and transmission of HIV/AIDS. Focus group discussions around the key findings were conducted with community members and clinic nurses to provide a qualitative component. Results: A high proportion of children under the age of 16, high household density, high unemployment, migrant labour, and absent mothers, are some of the defining demographic characteristics which affect the status of maternal and child health in the district. Access to health services is constrained by distance, lack of transport, and poor roads. Registration of births and deaths is poor, and the crude birth and death rates were found to be significantly higher than the " official" provincial rates. Tuberculosis, diarrhoea, trauma and homicide are notable features of the overall mortality profile, although the majority of deaths were classified "ill-defined / unknown". Diarrhoea and pneumonia accounted for half of all infant deaths. Eight out of ten deaths due to diarrhoea in under-fives occurred at home, but knowledge and use of oral rehydration solution is poor. Access to clean drinking water and sanitation is a major concern, with almost three quarters of homes using unprotected sources, a third more than 30 minutes' walk from the nearest source, and a half having no toilet. Areas of the district with particularly poor environmental health indicators were identified. Immunisation coverage among children 1-4 years is poor. Coverage for all vaccines except BCG falls well short of the national target of 90%, and fewer than 1 in 3 children was fully immunised with valid doses at the age of one year. Long intervals between doses and a high "dropout" rate between subsequent doses was observed. The road to health card (RTHC) could be produced for just over a half of under-five children. The proportion of home deliveries is high (45%), and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) therefore play an important role in this community. Nine out of ten mothers had attended antenatal clinic at least once, but almost half reported receiving no tetanus toxoid and no WR test for syphilis during their antenatal visits. More than a half of all mothers was using no family planning method at the time of the survey. Almost all 15-49 year-olds had heard about HIV/AIDS, but one in five did not know how HIV is transmitted, and a third did not know how it could be prevented. Recommendations: A detailed set of recommendations with action points for the DHMT was developed in a district workshop around the following key issues: 1. Improving access to health care, including road access, mobile clinic coverage, and waiting facilities for expectant mothers. 2. Promoting health in the community, by means of integration of health promotion into all health programmes, and more involvement of communities. 3. Improving the quality of care in the existing health facilities and services, including minimising missed opportunities for immunisation, and promoting home-made oral rehydration (sugar-salt) solution. 4. Improving the district health information system, especially the registration of vital events, and the provision of feedback to district health managers. 5. Identifying areas of further research, including the reasons for home deliveries, management of diarrhoea at home, and the use of traditional healers. Conclusion: The participatory research process that was used has helped to build research capacity in the district, to provide a deeper insight into community health problems, to highlight the value of health workers listening to the people they serve, to further collaboration between the disciplines, and to develop specific action plans. This is a process that should be followed in all research conducted in health districts.
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A quantitative impact analysis of South African child support grant on child welfareMthembu, Lerato Eunice 28 February 2019 (has links)
A Research Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Commerce (Economic Science) in the School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 28 February 2019 / This paper investigates the impact of the South African Child Support Grant (CSG) on the beneficiary’s height-for-age z-score (HAZ). We make use of data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), the wave 3 dataset. Using Propensity Score Matching approach the effect of the CSG is positive but statistically insignificant and relatively small. This popular technique rely on assumptions that often do no hold for observational studies. Furthermore, it is susceptible to misspecification of the propensity score equation which could bias the results. This paper therefore look into a technique that address these limitations and can assess the treatment effect robustly and with more precision.
We apply genetic matching algorithm, namely GenMatch. GenMatch is an iterative search algorithm that uses distance metrics to optimize covariate balance in the process of estimating the treatment effect. It automates the search process without the need of manual intervention to achieve the best balance. This algorithm is applied using two balance measures namely, the entropic distance metric and the standardized difference in means. The former compares distributions while the latter compares the first two moments (means and variances) of distributions. The results showcase the significance of utilizing a method that automates the process of optimizing balance and the influence of balance measures on the resulting treatment effect estimate. Specifically, we found that the estimate of the effect of the CSG is larger and more precise than the one reported in the literature. / PH2020
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An explorative study of child and youth care workers experiences of "lifespace therapeutic care".Smith, Jennifer Ann January 2004 (has links)
The goal of this research was to explore and describe child and youth care workers lived experiences of life space therapeutic care in a residential setting. Life space refers to the daily living environment, context and situation of children.
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