Thesi (DPhil (Social Work))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / According to South African policy documents social workers are encouraged to implement a developmental-focused policy regarding social work service delivery. This implies that social work service delivery should focus firstly on preventive services, then on early intervention services and lastly on statutory services. In terms of the delivery of family preservation services this prerequisite requires that preventive services should be aimed at the provision of family preservation services by integrating the parents of high risk families in informal and formal sources in their communities. Early intervention services require that family-centred and intensive crisis services should be delivered to high risk families to prevent statutory services or the removal of children from their families. This study explored the perspective of social workers on the state of family preservation services provided by three non-governmental organizations in the Western Cape Metropole and surrounding areas. The study also identifies social workers‟ perspective on the obstacles experienced during the implementation of developmental-focused policy according to policy documents. A combined quantitative and qualitative research methodology was used to involve social workers employed by three non-governmental organizations in the Western Cape Metropole and surrounding areas in an exploratory study. Findings derived from the empirical study on the state of family preservation services show that social workers are unsure of the exact meaning of the term family preservation services. As far as family-centred preservation services (early intervention services) are concerned, the study found that limited concrete services are delivered, and that there is a stronger focus on educational and therapeutic services. With regard to family-supportive preservation services (preventive services), findings indicate the existence of limited services or sources at family organizations with which parents can be integrated on a continuous basis to expand their informal and formal networks, in accordance with the viewpoints of family support. With regard to the implementation of policy documents, it seems that there is still a stronger focus on delivering statutory rather than preventive services. Obstacles influencing the delivery of preventive services are, inter alia, large case loads, where especially statutory services are delivered, as well as a lack of human resources. A lack of funding to initiate and maintain projects is a further obstacle to the delivery of developmental-focused services. Another important aspect is the fact that social workers are unsure of what preventive and early intervention services comprise, in terms of family maintenance. The most important recommendations resulting from the study indicate that family organizations are incapable of implementing a developmental-focused policy if the State does not attend to the obstacles that exist at non-governmental organizations in the form of inadequate human resources and funding. Social workers should also receive thorough inservice training regarding the content of family preservation services. The non-governmental organizations should also investigate ways of delivering more comprehensive family-centred services like concrete and enabling services, since there is currently an imbalance between, for example, the delivery of concrete and therapeutic services. With regard to family support services, the study recommends that family organizations should try to initiate more services and resources, in accordance with a development-centred policy, that can be available continually to high risk families in the community, and that can be used as a resource. The development of appropriate support services, for instance home visit programs, can reduce the workload of social workers and simultaneously increase the networks available to high risk families, so that social exclusion can be counteracted, in accordance with the viewpoints of family preservation services.

Maatskaplike Werk, as die uiting van n samelewing se bemoeienis met mense in nood, word vir baie dekades reeds deur welsynsinstansies beoefen. Welsynsinstansies is egter nie vir alle persone in nood aanvaarbaar nie, sodat diegene in die middel- en hoer inkomstegroepe nie juis by maatskaplikewerk-hulpverlening uitkom nie. In die VSA is dieselfde verskynsel gehanteer deur die instelling van maatskaplikewerk-privaatpraktyk, wat tans daar n omvangryke en gevestigde hulpverleningstruktuur is. Sedert 1970 het maatskaplike werkers in Suid-Afrika begin om privaatpraktyk te oorweeg en het selfs daarmee begin eksperimenteer. Dog, uiteenlopende standpunte, hetsy evolusionere of revolusionere beskouings, word daaroor gehandhaaf. Die doel van die ondersoeke is dus om te bepaal of privaatpraktyk in Maatskaplike Werk bestaansreg het, of dit beskikbaar en in privaatpraktyk bruikbaar is. Uit die bevindings kan n model vir die instelling en instandhouding van n lewenskragtige praktyk ontwikkel word. Die ondersoek het bestaan uit n literatuurstudie en n empiriese opname in ses stede van die land onder drie teikensisteme, naamlik maatskaplikewerkers (privaatpraktisyns) en nie-privaatpraktisyns) , kliente van welsynsorganisasies en privaatpraktyke en lede van vyf ander hulpprofessies. n Studiereis is na die VSA onderneem om privaatpraktyke te bestudeer en n vergelykingsbasis vir die Suid-Afrikaanse bevindings te kry. Resultate uit die ondersoek dui daarop dat privaatpraktyk, as hulpverleningstruktuur, n realiteit in die maatskaplikewerk- professie is wat nie genegeer kan word nie. Die bestaansreg daarvan is teoreties kwalifiseerbaar, terwyl die nodige sisteme bestaan om maatskaplikewerk-hulpverlening privaat en onafhanklik van welsynsinstansies aan te bied. Privaatpraktisyns verlang n infrastruktuur om hulle dienste beter te organiseer, terwyl 97,8% van die nie-privaat-praktisyns ten gunste van privaatpraktyk is, omdat dit n groter beroepskeuse bied en die professie se selfstandige optrede bevestig. Verbruikers van privaatpraktyk-dienste is oorwegend tevrede, maar as gevolg van beperkte fondse kan die meeste welsynsorganisasie-kliente nie privaatpraktyk-dienste benut nie. Lede van die ander hulpprofessies dra nie voldoende kennis van die maatskaplikewerk-hulpbron nie, maar is oor die algemeen positief daaroor, hoewel net 52,9% voorsien om dit te benut. Indien maatskaplike werkers die nodige opleiding ondergaan, konstruktief beplan, besigheidsbeginsels inkorporeer, die diens bekendstel en kwaliteitdienste lewer, is n lewenskragtige praktyk verseker. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 1984. / gm2014 / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

This study focuses on social workers‟ perceptions regarding life story work with children in child and youth care centres in South Africa. Life story work is an established form of intervention utilized by social workers with children in care mostly in the United Kingdom. Limited research has been conducted on the subject in South Africa. The research hoped to discover how social workers perceive life story work as a therapeutic intervention technique to be utilized with children in child and youth care centres. Qualitative descriptive design was conducted inductively, through semi-structured interviews and one focus group discussion. A total of six registered social workers at registered child and youth care centres in the Northern and Southern suburbs of Cape Town in the Western Province of South Africa were purposefully selected to participate in this study. All of the interviews and the focus group were audiorecorded. Recordings were transcribed by the researcher to ascertain certain emerging themes and categories. Thematic data analysis was utilized to transform the transcribed data into meaningful information. The principles and strategies for enhancing the trustworthiness of the data were done through crystallisation. The findings of the study revealed that social workers initially perceive life story work as time-consuming and are unaware of what the concept truly entails, but once examples were shown to the social workers, they recognised that they were using some of the activities already and perceived life story work as valuable, effective and essential in child and youth care centres. Life story work was perceived as useful for identity formation, a sense of belonging, relationship-building and family reunification services, for example. It was discovered that the social workers were utilising aspects of life story work, but that there is a shortage of social workers to act as facilitators to possibly complete life story work processes with each child in child and youth care centres. The recommendation was, therefore, made that childcare workers be trained in life story work in order for it to be implemented in child and youth care centres effectively. Further research studies were, therefore, recommended to ascertain how life story work could be practically implemented as a holistic programme with the children in child and youth care centres. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Statutory social work is a mode of intervention within social work which poses many emotional and physical challenges to social workers. Social workers execute the implementing of the Children's Act (Act 38 of 2005) through the statutory removal process and they are the primary facilitators of this process. The goal of the statutory removal process is to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation by their biological parents or carers. Although research has been done previously about the experiences of social workers with regards to the statutory removal process, the research was limited to studies in America and England. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of social workers concerning the statutory removal process in South Africa in order to determine what the influences of these experiences were on the implementation of the statutory removal process. The research study is a qualitative study and a phenomenological strategy was followed to determine the social workers' experiences of the statutory removal process. The researcher made use of non-probability sampling through purposeful sampling to select participants for the study. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 26 social workers who are directly involved with the statutory removal of children. Interviewing took place until a saturation point was reached in the study. All interviews were transcribed for the purpose of data analyses, after which themes and sub-themes were identified. The themes and sub-themes were verified against existing literature, after which conclusions and recommendations were made. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study focuses on social workers‟ perceptions regarding life story work with children in child and youth care centres in South Africa. Life story work is an established form of intervention utilized by social workers with children in care mostly in the United Kingdom. Limited research has been conducted on the subject in South Africa. The research hoped to discover how social workers perceive life story work as a therapeutic intervention technique to be utilized with children in child and youth care centres. Qualitative descriptive design was conducted inductively, through semi-structured interviews and one focus group discussion. A total of six registered social workers at registered child and youth care centres in the Northern and Southern suburbs of Cape Town in the Western Province of South Africa were purposefully selected to participate in this study. All of the interviews and the focus group were audiorecorded. Recordings were transcribed by the researcher to ascertain certain emerging themes and categories. Thematic data analysis was utilized to transform the transcribed data into meaningful information. The principles and strategies for enhancing the trustworthiness of the data were done through crystallisation. The findings of the study revealed that social workers initially perceive life story work as time-consuming and are unaware of what the concept truly entails, but once examples were shown to the social workers, they recognised that they were using some of the activities already and perceived life story work as valuable, effective and essential in child and youth care centres. Life story work was perceived as useful for identity formation, a sense of belonging, relationship-building and family reunification services, for example. It was discovered that the social workers were utilising aspects of life story work, but that there is a shortage of social workers to act as facilitators to possibly complete life story work processes with each child in child and youth care centres. The recommendation was, therefore, made that childcare workers be trained in life story work in order for it to be implemented in child and youth care centres effectively. Further research studies were, therefore, recommended to ascertain how life story work could be practically implemented as a holistic programme with the children in child and youth care centres. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Statutory social work is a mode of intervention within social work which poses many emotional and physical challenges to social workers. Social workers execute the implementing of the Children's Act (Act 38 of 2005) through the statutory removal process and they are the primary facilitators of this process. The goal of the statutory removal process is to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation by their biological parents or carers. Although research has been done previously about the experiences of social workers with regards to the statutory removal process, the research was limited to studies in America and England. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of social workers concerning the statutory removal process in South Africa in order to determine what the influences of these experiences were on the implementation of the statutory removal process. The research study is a qualitative study and a phenomenological strategy was followed to determine the social workers' experiences of the statutory removal process. The researcher made use of non-probability sampling through purposeful sampling to select participants for the study. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 26 social workers who are directly involved with the statutory removal of children. Interviewing took place until a saturation point was reached in the study. All interviews were transcribed for the purpose of data analyses, after which themes and sub-themes were identified. The themes and sub-themes were verified against existing literature, after which conclusions and recommendations were made. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study focuses on the skills and needs of forensic social workers, working with alleged child sexual abuse in the Western Cape. Forensic social work is based on specialised knowledge drawn from established principles and their application within proven methodology of training, familiarity with the law, evaluation and objective criteria associated with treatment outcomes. The scope of forensic social work thus includes a specialised skill where human service systems communicate the language in the context of legal systems. This means that the forensic process must withstand critical review and rebuttal from opposing parties in a legal system. It is evident that a forensic social worker needs to have specialised training and specific skills, focusing on forensic investigative interviews, all aspects of child sexual abuse and how the South African justice system operates. Without these skills, the legal process may not be successful and the prevention of child sexual abuse not as successful as it might otherwise be. The general aim of the study was to analyse the skills and needs of social workers assessing allegations of child sexual abuse in order to assist organisations working in the field of forensic social work by improving their support training practices in forensic social work. The researcher used a quantitative descriptive design also known as a survey design. This design usually makes use of a questionnaire as a data collection method and nineteen (19) respondents were selected according to a randomised method of sampling. The findings form part of a list of recommendations to participating welfare organisations. / Thesis (MSc (Physiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study focuses on the skills and needs of forensic social workers, working with alleged child sexual abuse in the Western Cape. Forensic social work is based on specialised knowledge drawn from established principles and their application within proven methodology of training, familiarity with the law, evaluation and objective criteria associated with treatment outcomes. The scope of forensic social work thus includes a specialised skill where human service systems communicate the language in the context of legal systems. This means that the forensic process must withstand critical review and rebuttal from opposing parties in a legal system. It is evident that a forensic social worker needs to have specialised training and specific skills, focusing on forensic investigative interviews, all aspects of child sexual abuse and how the South African justice system operates. Without these skills, the legal process may not be successful and the prevention of child sexual abuse not as successful as it might otherwise be. The general aim of the study was to analyse the skills and needs of social workers assessing allegations of child sexual abuse in order to assist organisations working in the field of forensic social work by improving their support training practices in forensic social work. The researcher used a quantitative descriptive design also known as a survey design. This design usually makes use of a questionnaire as a data collection method and nineteen (19) respondents were selected according to a randomised method of sampling. The findings form part of a list of recommendations to participating welfare organisations. / Thesis (MSc (Physiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Problem statement Due to HIV and AIDS impacting on communities, devastating consequences have been predicted. The number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in need of care is escalating, causing social workers’ caseloads to become unmanageable. These OVC who lost their parents through death are suffering multiple losses due to being orphaned. The material, protection and affection needs have to be addressed in a holistic, eco-systematic, multidisciplinary team approach. In practice social workers tend to focus mainly on the material and protection needs of OVC due to high caseloads and staff turnover, neglecting their affection needs. Social workers need to work with foster parents and children in identifying potential risk factors that could lead to risk behaviour in foster children who have lost their parents through death. The researcher designed an assessment tool that could enable social workers in practice to do an effective risk assessment of OVC in foster care. Intervention could be planned accordingly by setting goals to address risk factors timeously in an attempt to prevent future problem behaviour in OVC placed in foster care. Aim To develop an assessment tool for social workers to identify risk behaviour in foster children who have experienced multiple losses such as the loss of one or both parents. Method A mixed methods design was used, specifically the sequential and explanatory design which involved collecting and analysing both qualitative and quantitative data. These obtained data were then connected and integrated. Results It was proved that a Risk assessment tool helped social workers to identify risk factors in a team effort between social workers, foster parents and children. Meeting the psychosocial needs of OVC placed in foster care more effectively is important in order to prevent the development of negative behaviour. / PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Problem statement Due to HIV and AIDS impacting on communities, devastating consequences have been predicted. The number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in need of care is escalating, causing social workers’ caseloads to become unmanageable. These OVC who lost their parents through death are suffering multiple losses due to being orphaned. The material, protection and affection needs have to be addressed in a holistic, eco-systematic, multidisciplinary team approach. In practice social workers tend to focus mainly on the material and protection needs of OVC due to high caseloads and staff turnover, neglecting their affection needs. Social workers need to work with foster parents and children in identifying potential risk factors that could lead to risk behaviour in foster children who have lost their parents through death. The researcher designed an assessment tool that could enable social workers in practice to do an effective risk assessment of OVC in foster care. Intervention could be planned accordingly by setting goals to address risk factors timeously in an attempt to prevent future problem behaviour in OVC placed in foster care. Aim To develop an assessment tool for social workers to identify risk behaviour in foster children who have experienced multiple losses such as the loss of one or both parents. Method A mixed methods design was used, specifically the sequential and explanatory design which involved collecting and analysing both qualitative and quantitative data. These obtained data were then connected and integrated. Results It was proved that a Risk assessment tool helped social workers to identify risk factors in a team effort between social workers, foster parents and children. Meeting the psychosocial needs of OVC placed in foster care more effectively is important in order to prevent the development of negative behaviour. / PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015