Thesis (Ph. D. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / In South Africa, shelters that accommodate survivors of domestic violence also adopted the Skills Development Programme with the intention of empowering survivors to be financially self-reliant. In shelters the Skills Development Programme is rendered for a period of six months depending on the stay of the survivors. Despite the provision of the Programme, which has been identified as intervention strategies towards poverty alleviation, it is evident that the level of skills training provided does not conform to the identified skills shortage in the economy. Sometimes it is due to limited time which the training had provided.The programme is not sustainable, and as a result, there is a high beneficiary turnover. Furthermore, resources of training beneficiaries to be independent are limited. Monitoring and evaluation is also poor. This programme is acknowledged to be expensive. The graduation from this programme does not mean success for the survivors. Instead, it results in the participants going back to poverty status and be dependent on government resources to make a living post-institutionalisation. This study titled “An evaluation of the effectiveness of Skills Development Programmes in the shelters accommodating survivors of domestic violence in Gauteng Province, Tshwane Region” evaluated the effectiveness of the said programme. It has adopted a qualitative approach which was evaluative in nature, guided by the Stages of Change Model (Trans-theoretical Model) underpinned by Theory of Reasoned Action. The participants consisted of three (3) different sets. They were survivors (individuals) of domestic violence from the shelters, shelter managers and a focus group made out of those individual survivors. Five (5) survivors of domestic violence and five (5) shelter managers were interviewed on a face to face basis. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. This was followed by a focus group discussion. Multiple sources provided verification and trustworthiness while complementing similar data. As a result, more comprehensive data was obtained. During the data analysis process, different themes emerged. These were presented in the form of a report. It was evident that the Skills Development Programme presented in the shelters is not effective to help survivors of domestic violence to be financially self-reliant. However, there is a potential in the programme if it can be well resourced. / The National and Provincial Department of Social Development

The aim of this mixed-methods research study is to investigate the effectiveness of a Municipal Skills Development Programme (MSDP) in the improvement of service delivery in a District Municipality (DM) in South Africa. A concurrent embedded mixed-methods strategy was used, as it uses one data collection phase during which both qualitative and quantitative data are simultaneously collected and treats both qualitative and quantitative research data gathered on an equal basis. Collected data were not integrated or triangulated but resided side-by-side as two different pictures of the effectiveness of the MSDP. From a total population of 80 managers in the DM and its five Local Municipalities (LMs) who had attended the MSDP, qualitative data was gathered by conducting individual interviews with a convenient sample of 10 managers (Sample 1). Quantitative data was gathered by means of a self-designed questionnaire from a convenient sample of 50 managers (Sample 2). The audio-recorded and transcribed qualitative data obtained from the 10 semi structured interviews were analysed by means of content analysis, while the scores obtained from the 50 survey questionnaires were used to calculate the frequency of responses and then represented by figures and tables. Qualitative findings indicated that the majority of participants (90% of 10 managers interviewed) are of the opinion that the implementation of the MSDP within the DM was successful and has led to improved service delivery. Quantitative results indicated that the total sample of 50 managers rated the MSDP as having improved service delivery in the DM. The overall mixed-methods assessment indicated that the MSDP is a successful way of improving the service delivery in a DM in South Africa and that the attendance of the MSDP by all managers is essential for improving the service delivery of local governments in South Africa. A limitation of the study was that the study was conducted in only one DM and may not represent the views of all local government employees in South Africa. Recommendations were that the relationship between the MSDP and other organisational variables such as productivity, efficiency and effectiveness should be studied, while all managers of the DM who have not yet attended the MSDP should be encouraged to do so. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

<p>Cilj rada je da se utvrde potrebe dece i mladih bez roditeljskog staranja za<br />primenom modela programa učenja socijalnih ve&scaron;tina u funkciji razvijanja njihove socijalne<br />kompetentnosti i boljeg socijalnog funkcionisanja. Ovako definisan op&scaron;ti cilj<br />operacionalizovan je kroz određene teorijske i empirijske celine rada.<br />U prvom poglavlju teorijskog dela izložen je koncept socijalne kompetentnosti kroz<br />opis razvoja ovog koncepta i prikaz integrativnog modela socijalne kompetentnosti koji<br />pretpostavlja sagledavanje socijalne kompetentnosti na vi&scaron;e nivoa. Rukovođeni ovim<br />modelom, detaljnije smo prikazali determinante i korelate socijalne kompetentnosti koji se<br />odnose, sa jedne strane, na različite pokazatelje socijalnog funkcionisanja, a sa druge, na<br />socijalne ve&scaron;tine. Po&scaron;to je model programa razvijanja socijalnih ve&scaron;tina potrebno prilagoditi<br />ciljnoj grupi korisnika, ali i kontekstu obuke, posebna teorijska celina odnosila se na bliži opis<br />i definisanje pojma deca i mladi bez roditeljskog staranja. Polazeći od ekolo&scaron;kog pristupa, u<br />ovom poglavlju prikazana su teorijska i empirijska saznanja o uzrocima i faktorima<br />porodičnih odnosa koji utiču na razvoj i socijalno funkcionisanje dece i mladih, kao i oblici<br />socijalne za&scaron;tite dece i mladih bez roditeljskog staranja. U poslednjem teorijskom poglavlju,<br />opisane su karakteristike institucionalne za&scaron;tite, odnosno kontekst u kojem žive i dalje se<br />razvijaju deca i mladi bez roditeljskog staranja. Dat je prikaz dosada&scaron;njih istraživanja o<br />socijalnim odnosima i funkcionisanju dece i mladih u institucijama. Na ovaj način, kroz tri<br />teorijska poglavlja, polazaći od integrativnog modela socijalne kompetentnosti sagledani su<br />različiti pokazatelji socijalne kompetentnosti, njihove determinante i korelati, te diskutovani<br />protektivni i rizični faktori razvijanja socijalne kompetentnosti dece i mladih bez roditeljskog<br />staranja u institucionalnom kontekstu.<br />U empirijskom delu rada prvo je sagledana socijalna kompetentnost dece i mladih bez<br />roditeljskog staranja preko pokazatelja njihovog socijalnog funkcionisanja, a zatim sa aspekta<br />razvijenosti socijalnih ve&scaron;tina. Na oba nivoa analize, posebno su sagledane razlike u odnosu<br />na intelektualni i porodični status dece. Za procenu različitih pokazatelja socijalnog<br />funkcionisanja dece i mladih kori&scaron;ćene su: Skala oblika problematičnog pona&scaron;anja (Gresham,<br />Elliott,1990), Skala snage i te&scaron;koće (Goodman, 1997) i Upitnik načina re&scaron;avanja konflikata<br />(Rahim, 1983a). Za ispitivanje razvijenosti socijalnih ve&scaron;tina dece i mladih primenjene su Ček<br />lista socijalnih ve&scaron;tina (Goldstein et al., 1998) i Skala socijalnih ve&scaron;tina (Gresham &amp;<br />Elliott,1990). Ukupan uzorak činilo je 416 dece i mladih uzrasta od 12 do 18 godina, od toga<br />v<br />210 bez roditeljskog staranja i 206 sa roditeljskim staranjem. Poduzorci u komparativnoj<br />grupi dece i mladih sa roditeljskim staranjem bili su ujednačeni sa poduzorcima dece i mladih<br />bez roditeljskog staranja u odnosu na intelektualni status, pol, uzrast, sredinu i &scaron;kolski uspeh.<br />Rezultati prve faze istraživanja su pokazali da deca i mladi bez roditeljskog staranja<br />imaju slabije razvijene socijalne ve&scaron;tine i lo&scaron;ije socijalno funkcioni&scaron;u od dece i mladih sa<br />roditeljskim staranjem. Potvrđeno je da roditeljsko staranje ima značajniji uticaj na socijalnu<br />kompetentnost dece i mladih nego intelektualni status. Druga faza istraživanja se odnosila na<br />utvrđivanje povezanosti pokazatelja socijalnog funkcionisanja i razvijenosti ispitivanih<br />socijalnih ve&scaron;tina u cilju koncipiranja modela programa razvijanja socijalne kompetentnosti<br />dece i mladih bez roditeljskog staranja. Pored toga, ispitana je i povezanost institucionalnih<br />varijabli, kao i karakteristike dece i mladih sa pokazateljima njihove socijalne kompetentnosti.<br />Nalazi o visokoj povezanosti socijalnih ve&scaron;tina sa pokazateljima socijalnog funkcionisanja,<br />kao i visoka povezanost određenih varijabli institucionalne za&scaron;tite i karakteristika dece i<br />mladih bez roditeljskog staranja sa njihovim socijalnim kompetencijama, potvdili su teorijski<br />koncept iz područja socijalne kompetentnosti.<br />U delu pedago&scaron;kih implikacija dat je model programa učenja socijalnih ve&scaron;tina koje<br />mogu doprineti razvijanju socijalne kompetentnosti i efikasnijem socijalnom funkcionisanju<br />dece i mladih bez roditeljskog staranja, kao i preporuke vezane za institucionalni kontekst<br />obuke. Takođe, ponuđeni model programa pruža mogućnost daljih istraživanja u ovoj oblasti<br />vezanih za evaluaciju efekata ovako koncipiranog programa i njegove realizacije u uslovima<br />institucionalne za&scaron;tite, kao i pitanja same kompetentnosti i edukacije kadra za primenu<br />programa.</p> / <p>The aim of the work is finding out the needs of children and young people<br />without parental care and the implication of a modular programme for learning social skills<br />with the function of development of their social competency and better social functioning.<br />Defined in this way, the general aim has become operative through certain theoretical and<br />empirical parts of the work.<br />The first chapter of the theoretical part deals with the concept of social competency<br />through the description of development of this concept and the view of Integrative model of<br />social competency which includes the insight of social competency in several levels. Guided<br />by this model, we presented the determinants and the correlates of social competency relating<br />to different signposts of social functioning on one side, and social skills on the other. Since<br />the model of development programme of social skills needs to be adjusted to the target group<br />of users, and also to the context of the training, a specific theoretical part related to the closer<br />description and definition of the term children and young people without parental care.<br />Starting from the ecological point ,this chapter shows the theoretical and empirical knowledge<br />of the causes and the factors of family relations which have impact on developement and<br />social functioning of children and young people without parental care. The last theoretical<br />chapter deals with the institutional protection, that is the context where children and young<br />people without parental care continue to live and develop .There has been given a review of<br />the recent research on social relations and functioning of children and young people in<br />institutions. In this way, through the three theoretical chapters, starting from the Integrative<br />model of social competency, different indicators of social competency have been considered,<br />their determinants and correlates, and there have been discussed the protective and risky<br />factors of social competency development with children and young people without parental<br />care in the institutional context.<br />In the empirical part of the work first social competency of children and young people<br />without parental care has been reviewed through the indicators of their social functioning and<br />then from the aspect of their social skills. Both levels of the analyses consider the differences<br />relating the intellectual and family status of children. For the evaluation of different indicators<br />of social functioning of children and young people we used: Scale of forms of problematic<br />behaviour (Gresham, Elliott,1990, Scale of strength and difficulty, (Goodman, 1997) and the<br />Questionnaire for ways of solving problems (Rahim, 1983). For the research of social skills of<br />vii<br />children and young people we have applied Check list of social skills (Goldstein &amp; Glick<br />1987) and Scale of social skills (Gresham &amp; Elliott,1990). The total sample consisted of 416<br />children and young people of the age 12 to 18 years, out of which 210 without parental care<br />and 206 with parental care. The subsamples in the comparative group of children and young<br />people with parental care were identical to the subsamples of children and young people<br />without parental care, considering the intellectual status, sex, age and school achievement.<br />The results of the first phase of research showed that children and young people<br />without parental care have less developed social skills and weaker social functioning than<br />children and young people with parental care. It has been confirmed that parental care has a<br />more significant impact on social competency of children and young people than intellectual<br />status. The second phase of research related to stating the connections between the indicators<br />of social functioning and development of the studied social skills with the aim of making a<br />concept for a model programme of social competency development of children and young<br />people without parental care. It has also been studied the connection among institutional<br />variables, as well as the characteristics of children and young people with indicators of their<br />social competency. The evidences of strong connections of social skills with indicators of<br />social functioning, as well as strong connection of certain variables of institutional care and<br />characteristics of children and young people without parental care with their social<br />competency, have confirmed the theoretical concept from the area of social competency.<br />In the part dealing with the pedagogical implications there has been given a model of a<br />programme for learning social skills which can contribute to the development of social<br />competency and a more efficient social functioning of children and young people without<br />parental care, as well as the references connected to the institutional context of the training.<br />The presented model of the programme also offers a possibility of further research in this<br />area, connected to the evaluation of effects of a programme concepted in such a way and its<br />realisation in the conditions of institutional protection, as well as the issues of the very<br />competency and education of people for implementing the programme.</p>