An exploratory study was undertaken to research the effect of hearing impairment on employment and socialisation of black hearing impaired persons and the role of social workers and job placement officers in supporting these hearing impaired persons in their work situation. The Council and Affiliates should disseminiate information on the effect of deafness on employment to the public and also embark on social work services to Deaf employees. Future socio-demographic data with a central register of interpreters and post-lingually hearing impaired employees should be embarked on by the Council as well as the effect of preparation of the hearing impaired for the open labour market and environmental barriers on their employment opportunities. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Thesis (MOccTher)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African Protective Workshops struggle to transform to align to a developmental human rights approach and to increase sustainability in the absence of a uniform model and an implementation strategy. This study applied qualitative research methodology in the form of Action Research with Co-operative Inquiry to answer the research question of what could be a framework of best practice for and strategy of transformation for protective workshops (PWs) operated by the South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH) in South Africa. It included the development of a transformation strategy for 31 PWs for adults with intellectual disability operated by SAFMH member organisations across South Africa. Seven representatives from the managers and service users of PWs were selected trough convenient sampling. The participants formed a co-operative inquiry group to determine the nature of the service to be delivered and how it should be implemented. The purpose was to develop a framework for possible and relevant services for persons with intellectual disability. Such services should preferably be aligned to the human rights based legislation and funding requirements of the Department of Social Development as to increase the long-term sustainability of the PWs. Given that the study was funded by the SAFMH, the directors requested that the Co-operative Inquiry Group use the exisisting best practice model used by Cape Mental Health as a template and point of departure. The study was done over a 12-month period (February 2012 – February 2013) and included a research initiation meeting, four search conferences and a presentation of the findings to the SAFMH Directors. The study contributed new knowledge on the nature of service provision to persons with ID and the ideal process to transform services within the SAFMH context. Through inductive content analysis two themes emerged namely: 1) Comprehensive service provision and 2) Coordinated transformation of services. The first theme determined that comprehensive services to persons with ID should consist of inclusive, appropriate, enabling and empowering services. The second theme suggested a new way of coordinating the transformation of services through systematic implementation, suitable regulation, sufficient capacity and ensuring sustainability. A central management structure was suggested to ensure coordinated implementation, to secure funding and to monitor and evaluate the implementation. A mind-shift towards new thinking was identified as a prerequisite for stakeholders buy-in on transformed service delivery. This mind-shift relates to the status of the service users with ID as adults in training towards employment in the open labour market and maximum integration into society. This study contributed new knowledge that informs the development of a new service delivery framework of best practice. The proposed implementation strategy could offer persons with ID the opportunity to progress and develop towards their maximal level of integration into society. It further provided PWs with possibilities for conceptualising different models of practice in the form of an implementable framework and a strategy to transform services. The findings were presented to the SAFMH Directors who adopted the concept framework and implementaimplementation strategy in theory as a proposal for future transformation without amendments. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrikaanse Beskermde Werkswinkels vind dit moeilik om te transformeer na ‘n ontwikkelingsbenadering wat op menseregte gegrond is en om hul volhoubaarheid te verbeter in die afwesigheid van ‘n eenvorminge model en ‘n strategie vir implimentering. Hierdie studie het kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes in die vorm van Aksie Navorsing met Koöperatiewe Ondersoeke gebruik om ’n transformasie strategie vir die 31 Beskermde Werkswinkels vir volwassenes met intellektuele gestremdheid, wat bestuur word deur die lidorganisasies van die South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH) regoor Suid-Afrika. Die koöperatiewe ondersoekspan het bestaan uit verteenwoordigers van die werkswinkel bestuurders en gebruikers van die dienste wat geselekteer is deur middel van gerieflikheidsteekproefneming. Hulle ondervinding het meegewerk om vas te stel wat die aard van die dienste moet wees en hoe dit effektief geïmplementeer kon word. Die doel van die studie was om dienste daar te stel vir persone met intellektuele gestremdheid wat in lyn is met menseregte wetgewing en die riglyne vir befondsing deur die Departement van Maatskaplike Dienste om sodoende die langtermyn volhoubaarheid van die werkswinkels te verbeter. Omdat die studie deur SAFMH befonds is, het die direkteur die koöperatiewe ondersoekspan gevra om die Cape Mental Health model as ’n beginpunt te gebruik aangesien dit reeds as ’n beste praktyk model in die sektor erken word. Die studie is oor ’n periode van 12 maande uitgevoer (Februarie 2012 – Februarie 2013). Dit het ’n inisiasie vergadering, 4 ondersoek konferensies en ’n aanbieding van die bevindinge aan die SAFMH-direkteure ingesluit. Die eerste tema het nuwe insig gegee oor die aard van dienste aan persone met intellektuele gestremdheid en die ideale manier om dit te implementeer om te transformeer van huidige na beste praktyk status binne die SAFMH konteks. Deur induktiewe inhoud analise het twee temas na vore gekom vanuit die kodes, sub-kategorieë en kategorieë. Die eerste tema het gedui op omvattende dienste aan persone met intellektuele gestremdheid in die vorm van inklusiewe dienste, toepaslike dienste, dienste wat persone in staat stel en dienste wat hulle bemagtig. Die tweede tema het nuwe kennis opgelewer aangaande die gekoördineerde transformasie van dienste deur sistematiese implementering, toepaslike regulering, genoegsame kapasiteit en deur te verseker dat dit volhoubaar is op die lang duur. ’n Sentrale bestuursentrum is voorgestel om gekoördineerde implementering te verseker. ’n Nuwe denkwyse oor die status van volwassenes met intellektuele gestremdheid deur alle belanghebbendes is geïdentifiseer as ’n voorvereiste vir die aanvaarding en suksesvolle implementering van die transformasie strategie. Hierdie persone moet gesien word as volwassenes wat in opleiding is om in die ope arbeidsmark te werk en op die hoogste vlak van integrasie in hulle gemeenskappe te funksioneer. Die nuwe kennis het gelei tot die ontwikkeling van ’n nuwe diensleweringsraamwerk en implementeringstrategie wat persone met intellektuele gestremdheid die geleentheid kan gee om maksimaal te ontwikkel en te integreer in hulle gemeenskappe. Dit bied verder aan beskermde werkswinkels die geleentheid om alternatiewe modelle van dienslewering te oorweeg. Die bevindinge is aan die SAFMH-direkteure voorgelê en die raamwerk en strategie vir implementering is in teorie aanvaar sonder enige veranderinge.

<p>Despite the unpleasant living conditions in prison, recidivism seems to be an uncontrollable phenomenon. It is evident that prison life is harsh with inmates having to sleep on the floors due to overpopulation, frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and overpopulation leading to numerous communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Prison should therefore, be the least favourable ecosystem in which to be incorporated. However, research indicates that thousands of youth return to prison habitually. This study aimed to explore juvenile inmates perceptions of their return to prison. Although recidivism is often measured in terms of the success of rehabilitation programmes, this study focused on eliciting socio-economic factors influencing recidivism.</p>

This quantitative study was aimed at determining the value of the psychosocial services rendered by the staff members of the Godisanang OVC programme to OVC in Rustenburg in order to make recommendations on how these services could be improved. Fifteen caregivers, who were employed by the Godisanang OVC programme, were interviewed in October 2013. Data was presented in the form of statistics, tables and numbers. This study revealed that the psychosocial services that are rendered by the Godisanang OVC programme to OVC are of value. Therefore, it is recommended that the psychosocial services be extended to other regions of Rustenburg. / Health Studies / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Child abuse in South Africa is considered one of the foremost challenges the country is currently facing, and is believed to hold long-term consequences for adults if not adequately addressed in the childhood years. In order to meet the needs of abused children in the country, various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have targeted abused children as the primary beneficiaries for services, and these NGOs rely a great deal on the contributions from formal volunteers. While there is an expansive body of literature on formal volunteering in general, limited research explores target-specific volunteering, especially among children or abused children in particular. Furthermore, the literature on volunteering has not extensively examined the meaning-making process volunteers engage in when seeking an organisation or cause for their target-specific volunteering. The process of making meaning of volunteering is additionally influenced by a complex set of negotiations between individual and broader socio-political factors. In order to expand the current literature on volunteering, this research aimed to explore the meanings volunteers make of their target-specific volunteering in the child abuse services sector in Johannesburg, and to explore how those meanings could potentially be influenced by the dynamics of socio-political realms. This research was located within the interpretive paradigm, and data collection comprised of qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted with six volunteers from the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children. The interview transcripts were analysed using Thematic Analysis (TA), where four primary themes emerged. The four primary themes, namely transformation, prioritisation of children, prioritisation of sexual abuse and vocation, were examined for their resonance with critical theories of governing ‘healthy’ populations. The limitations of this research related primarily to issues of scope and sample, both of which guided the recommendations for future research in this area.

<p>Despite the unpleasant living conditions in prison, recidivism seems to be an uncontrollable phenomenon. It is evident that prison life is harsh with inmates having to sleep on the floors due to overpopulation, frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and overpopulation leading to numerous communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Prison should therefore, be the least favourable ecosystem in which to be incorporated. However, research indicates that thousands of youth return to prison habitually. This study aimed to explore juvenile inmates perceptions of their return to prison. Although recidivism is often measured in terms of the success of rehabilitation programmes, this study focused on eliciting socio-economic factors influencing recidivism.</p>

In the Republic of South Africa (and in South West Africa) social pensions are non-contributory and are paid out of state revenue, the funds for the purpose being voted annually by Parliament. With minor exceptions, the pensions are granted subject to a means test: that is, income levels are laid down which fix the maximum allowable income including pension. If the total income exceeds this amount an applicant will not be awarded a pension. When these totals are being calculated a certain sum is permitted, called ‘free income’, which does not affect the amount of pension that may be granted. (This ‘free income’ might be made up of earnings, or interest from investments, or profits from agriculture, etc.)These different figures vary according to the kinds of pension and to the population group. They are revised from time to time. Changes are announced by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech to Parliament and usually become effective some months later when details have been worked out by the departments dealing with the respective population groups. Because the conditions under which pensions are granted are fairly frequently changed, and improved, an application which was not successful one year may well succeed a year or two later. Therefore any applicant whose circumstances may have changed, or who believes that new rules may help his case, is advised to apply again. / Revised Edition

An exploratory study was undertaken to research the effect of hearing impairment on employment and socialisation of black hearing impaired persons and the role of social workers and job placement officers in supporting these hearing impaired persons in their work situation. The Council and Affiliates should disseminiate information on the effect of deafness on employment to the public and also embark on social work services to Deaf employees. Future socio-demographic data with a central register of interpreters and post-lingually hearing impaired employees should be embarked on by the Council as well as the effect of preparation of the hearing impaired for the open labour market and environmental barriers on their employment opportunities. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The study determined the impact of agricultural development projects on poverty alleviation at Amajuba district municipality. Data was drawn from 100 respondents, projects were purposively selected in line with the focus of projects members and non-projects members in Dannhauser under Amajuba District municipality to access and investigate the impact of agricultural development projects on poverty alleviation. The study presents the results of assessing those that are in groups and those that are working individually on agricultural production to alleviate poverty. The data was captured using a questionnaire which was administered through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model were used to analyse and compare the level of livelihood and variables between project and non-project members. The results show that project members are more productive than non-project members. Project members had more access to funding, training, markets and extension services compared to non-members. However, the results further showed that being a project member attracts some rewards which end up improving the living standards as well as alleviates the poverty levels of farmers, whereas working as an individual limits the farmer(s) from receiving reasonable government assistance such as funding and extension services delivery. The descriptive results indicated that members of most rural households were relatively old, married, literate but unemployed. Non-project members were dependent on remittances, social grants and pension funds because the farming strategy could not meet all their household needs. However, The major crops that were grown for income and food security to maintain their livelihoods include: maize, potatoes, onions, butternut, carrots, cabbage and dry beans. Factors that had significant influences on outcomes were extension services, grants, pension and remittances, land productivity, market accessibility, output difference and livelihood. The available opportunities for project members were access to land, funding, markets, infrastructure, inputs and support services from government institutions, as well as NGO’s.