Dealing with HIV and AIDS and parental illness and death are realities many teenagers have to face, yet little is known about their psychosocial well-being. This study gauged the psychosocial well-being of teenaged orphans in a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal. Using a narrative approached, data were collected by means of interviews. The study examined the nature of social support available to teenaged orphans and their subjective experiences of well-being. Findings suggest that these teenagers were confronted with drastic changes before and after the deaths of their parents. The ramifications of these and the different ways of coping with orphanhood were explored. Foster parents and other care-givers were found to provide differentially in the needs of the teenagers and this impacted on their well-being and coping. This study extends the literature on children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS by considering the specific experiences of teenagers. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Placement of orphans under kinship foster care is a common occurrence in social work practice, especially around Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga Province. Social workers are facing the challenge of an alarming increase in foster care cases due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the area. Thus the social workers are trapped in a situation of having to place orphans in kinship foster care, without adequate preparation nor the opportunity to explore the feelings and experiences of being in a child-headed household. This study aimed at exploring and describing the experiences and expectations of orphans who were in charge of child-headed households, regarding their preparation for being placed in kinship foster care and their subsequent placement in such care. Research findings revealed that some orphaned children who had previously been heading a child-headed household and were now placed in kinship foster care were continuing to head the households despite the fact that an order had been issued by the children’s court for them to be under the care and guidance of kin foster parents. The non-involvement of orphaned heads of households in any decisions that affect them emerged in the findings of the study as a critical issue. Another important finding was that some orphaned children in kinship foster care experienced the abuse of the foster care grant by their kin foster parents. The research study has made provision for conclusions and recommendations to all role-players responsible for placing child-headed households in kinship foster care in order to enhance the efficacy of kin foster care placement. / Department of Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

Dealing with HIV and AIDS and parental illness and death are realities many teenagers have to face, yet little is known about their psychosocial well-being. This study gauged the psychosocial well-being of teenaged orphans in a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal. Using a narrative approached, data were collected by means of interviews. The study examined the nature of social support available to teenaged orphans and their subjective experiences of well-being. Findings suggest that these teenagers were confronted with drastic changes before and after the deaths of their parents. The ramifications of these and the different ways of coping with orphanhood were explored. Foster parents and other care-givers were found to provide differentially in the needs of the teenagers and this impacted on their well-being and coping. This study extends the literature on children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS by considering the specific experiences of teenagers. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Placement of orphans under kinship foster care is a common occurrence in social work practice, especially around Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga Province. Social workers are facing the challenge of an alarming increase in foster care cases due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the area. Thus the social workers are trapped in a situation of having to place orphans in kinship foster care, without adequate preparation nor the opportunity to explore the feelings and experiences of being in a child-headed household. This study aimed at exploring and describing the experiences and expectations of orphans who were in charge of child-headed households, regarding their preparation for being placed in kinship foster care and their subsequent placement in such care. Research findings revealed that some orphaned children who had previously been heading a child-headed household and were now placed in kinship foster care were continuing to head the households despite the fact that an order had been issued by the children’s court for them to be under the care and guidance of kin foster parents. The non-involvement of orphaned heads of households in any decisions that affect them emerged in the findings of the study as a critical issue. Another important finding was that some orphaned children in kinship foster care experienced the abuse of the foster care grant by their kin foster parents. The research study has made provision for conclusions and recommendations to all role-players responsible for placing child-headed households in kinship foster care in order to enhance the efficacy of kin foster care placement. / Department of Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

In the light of the child's self-esteem that is affected by traumatic events, the goal of the research was to explore and describe the self-esteem of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The researcher made use of a quantitative research method. 30 (N=30) respondents, both male (n=16) and female (n=14), between the ages of 11 to 15, were randomly sampled for inclusion in the study. Each participant completed a self-report measure of self-esteem, The Culture-free Self-esteem Inventory for Children, which yielded a score of Global Self-esteem, as well as in four sub-domains including: General, Social, Academic and Parent-related Self-esteem. The results of this study demonstrated that the participants experienced a lowered self-esteem. These findings were explored in light of a literature review, after which conclusions and recommendations were provided. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

D.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Although the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is still very much a silent issue in South Africa, the AIDS pandemic has become a public problem which is threatening to a significant proportion of the population of South Africa (Heartbeat 2002:1; Kaseke and Gumbo 2001:53). HIV infections are on the rise and people are dying every day of AIDS related diseases (Msomi, 2000:8). Thus, the overall aim of this research was to determine how the HIV/AIDS orphans’/vulnerable children’ psychosocial status is affected by the HIV/AIDS disease. The study was conducted in the Bojanala Region of the North West Province. A purposeful sampling was used because four (4) schools were suggested by the Department of Social Services in the Rustenburg Area due to their high populace with HIV/AIDS orphans. The other four (4) schools were suggested by the Auxiliary Services Division in the Bojanala Region of Education. The literature revealed that failure on part of the parent, guardian and/or teachers to meet the psychological needs of the child at a certain stage in his/her development may result in personality disorders, which can become a potential danger and a source of unhappiness to the individual him/herself (cf. 2.5). Furthermore, it was evident from the literature that chronic parental illness may have a traumatic effect on young children because both parents may neglect a child (cf. 4.2). The literature also revealed that children should not be viewed as passive recipients of assistance, but as active participants who play a key role in the development of responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Receiving quality services is a right and a need not only of AIDS orphans, but also of all children (cf. 4.6). From the quantitative data analysis, the following findings emerged, that HIV/AIDS orphans/vulnerable children are optimistic about their future. Children do not blame themselves for their parents’ death. Arising from this research certain conclusions were drawn, recommendations were made and areas for possible future research were suggested. / Teacher Education

The focus of this dissertation is on exploring the needs of and services provided to orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal. This research is based on the findings from in-depth face-to-face interviews, and the focus group discussion conducted with key informants and primary caregivers of OVCs, respectively. The findings underline that although the needs of OVCs are similar to those of all other children, OVCs face unique challenges. It further shows that the government of South Africa has been responsive in developing relevant legislation, policies, and programmes that attempt to address the needs of OVCs. The findings also revealed that the services provided are coordinated, to a limited extent, through the Flagship Project led by the office of the Premier and. that coordination and integration of activities rendered by various stakeholders is crucial to a positive impact, and in increasing the accessibility of these services. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the services provided by the Bhambayi Drop-In Centre in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal for orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Qualitative research design and in-depth interviews with key informants and foster parents of the OVCs were conducted. The study found that the services which are provided by the Centre enabled the orphans and vulnerable children to enjoy life as normally as possible and to experience life meaningfully. As beneficiaries of the Bhambayi Drop-In Centre the children had access to education and two meals per day. Beyond meeting such basic needs, the study also found that Centre instilled a sense of belonging and community in the children. Access to social grants enabled the children’s basic needs to be met. In addition foster parents played a crucial role in taking care of orphans and vulnerable children. / Health Studies / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Text in English / Even though the prevalence of HIV has declined, South Africa continues to have a large number of people who are infected with HIV. Most communities still have to deal with the effects of HIV and AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children. One way of mitigating the effects of HIV and AIDS is strengthening families and communities to provide stable care to orphans. However, most families do not have the capacity to provide sufficient care to orphans hence the need for external support from the community and civil society organisations, in this instance provided through the loveLife goGogetter programme. The findings proved that the goGogetters relied on the support they received through the relationships and networks established in the community to enable them to provide effective service to orphans. The study demonstrated the importance of community networks in providing for the basic needs of orphans. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

D.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Although the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is still very much a silent issue in South Africa, the AIDS pandemic has become a public problem which is threatening to a significant proportion of the population of South Africa (Heartbeat 2002:1; Kaseke and Gumbo 2001:53). HIV infections are on the rise and people are dying every day of AIDS related diseases (Msomi, 2000:8). Thus, the overall aim of this research was to determine how the HIV/AIDS orphans’/vulnerable children’ psychosocial status is affected by the HIV/AIDS disease. The study was conducted in the Bojanala Region of the North West Province. A purposeful sampling was used because four (4) schools were suggested by the Department of Social Services in the Rustenburg Area due to their high populace with HIV/AIDS orphans. The other four (4) schools were suggested by the Auxiliary Services Division in the Bojanala Region of Education. The literature revealed that failure on part of the parent, guardian and/or teachers to meet the psychological needs of the child at a certain stage in his/her development may result in personality disorders, which can become a potential danger and a source of unhappiness to the individual him/herself (cf. 2.5). Furthermore, it was evident from the literature that chronic parental illness may have a traumatic effect on young children because both parents may neglect a child (cf. 4.2). The literature also revealed that children should not be viewed as passive recipients of assistance, but as active participants who play a key role in the development of responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Receiving quality services is a right and a need not only of AIDS orphans, but also of all children (cf. 4.6). From the quantitative data analysis, the following findings emerged, that HIV/AIDS orphans/vulnerable children are optimistic about their future. Children do not blame themselves for their parents’ death. Arising from this research certain conclusions were drawn, recommendations were made and areas for possible future research were suggested. / Teacher Education