Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-81). / The main purpose of this study is to explore the challenges and experiences of South Sudanese male refugees in South Africa. The 15 South Sudanese men who participated in the current study had left Sudan because of the civil war there. All the participants said that the civil war was characterised by gunshots fired by the Sudanese Government soldiers that were intended to kill the South Sudanese. The participants highlighted certain political, religious and racial inequalities, and the unequal distribution of resources between the South and North Sudanese. The participants indicated that they had come to seek refuge in South Africa for security, safety and socio-economic reasons. Because there was no war or conflict in South Africa, participants came to South Africa to seek refuge. Participants said that South Africa was one of the most peaceful countries in Africa; and that it has enacted laws that allow refugees to live in its territory. The findings show that, although the participants came to South Africa hoping to improve their quality of life and to be secure and safe, participants also acknowledged that living in a foreign country as a refugee is not easy and has positive, as well as negative aspects. All 15 participants identified the Department of Home Affairs as the main problem impeding a smooth application process in their attempts to secure refugee status. The participants identified the process as being lengthy, and spoke about the corruption and harassment they experienced at the Department of Home Affairs. The participants blamed the corruption in the Department of Home Affairs on the staff. The findings show that corruption reduces the chances of refugees securing their refugee status. The findings revealed that because the Home Affairs staff knew the importance of refugee status to refugees, they took advantage of this and asked for bribes from these refugees.

Homeless women face many challenges. They lack adequate housing and financial support and are confronted with the daunting challenge of securing sanitary products when menstruating (Parrillo and Feller, 2017). Menstruation is a crucial part of women's sexual and reproductive health (Reams, 2001). It is a significant biological experience that signifies a woman's transition from childhood to womanhood (Reams, 2001). For homeless women, purchasing menstrual products is an unreasonable financial burden (BRAWS, 2018). Homeless women end up using items such as rags, old socks, tissue paper, paper towels, torn pieces of clothing, or diapers to satisfy their menstrual needs (Mason et al., 2013). Often, homeless women go without menstrual protection altogether (Mason et al., 2013). This lack results in period poverty. Period poverty refers to a lack of sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, hand-washing facilities, and/or waste management (Sanchez and Rodriguez, 2019). Period poverty manifests in the absence of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). MHM is a term used to refer to menstruating females having absorbents to absorb or collect blood that can be changed in privacy as many times as required, having soap and water to wash the body, and having facilities to dispose the used menstrual management materials (Sommer and Sahin, 2013). The purpose of the research study was to qualitatively explore the experiences and perceptions of period poverty among homeless women in Cape Town (South Africa) using the capability approach. As a result, the study was guided by a qualitative research design. Nonprobability sampling was used in recruiting participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 homeless women who experienced period poverty and received assistance from two organisations in Cape Town. The findings revealed that homeless women experience period poverty due to a lack of sanitary products and poor MHM. One of key challenges faced by the participants was that they do not have access to an adequate supply of water when having their period. Participants would then make use of dam, water under the bridge, public toilets or make use of a bucket in order keep clean during their period. This affected the confidence of the participants, making them feel inadequate. As a result, they developed unhealthy behaviours to survive the harsh realities of being homeless. This made them vulnerable to different forms of violence and affected their perception of the opportunities they believed they had access to. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that addressing period poverty amongst homeless women requires multifaceted policies and responses. Furthermore, there needs to be intense support from all stakeholders so that the issue of period poverty amongst homeless women is addressed as a wider public-health initiative. The financial burden of sanitary products should be eliminated across the globe. Essentially, free menstrual products should be made available to all menstruating individuals, including homeless women.

Non-compliance with court diversion orders by child divertees remain a challenge within the child justice system in South Africa. The overall aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of former divertees regarding the factors that contributed to their non-compliance with diversion orders. Qualitative research approach and a purposive sampling technique were adopted. Non-probability sampling was utilised to draw purposive sampling. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were used as the method of data collection. There were 15 male participants between the ages of 15 and 21 years who represented the dominant gender type diverted in the rural courts of the Central Karoo. The study showed children diverted had a basic understanding of what diversion entails and the consequences for failing to comply with the diversion court orders. However, economic challenges in households played a significant role in non-compliance with diversion orders as some divertees chose temporary job opportunities over diversion programme attendance. Furthermore, the study revealed that diversion programmes do not offer food, and this affected their concentration level and hindered full participation to benefit from diversion opportunities. Another factor that contributes to non-compliance with diversion orders is a non-supportive child justice system. Courts showed inconsistency in the management of diversion, as some courts do act on noncompliance with diversion orders whilst others do not. Lack of proper support and monitoring by both probation officers and parents put divertees at risk of non-compliance with diversion orders. However, some divertees defied their diversion orders by not attending programmes. Association with older friends and smoking dagga for a greater part of their day put further risk on successful completion of diversion programmes. To encourage full diversion programme attendance, it is recommended that diversion service providers provide food for the divertees before the start of each session. Effective monitoring and follow-up of diversion programmes by probation officers are important to ensure compliance. Furthermore, to achieve long-term behavioural change and minimise the chances that divertees abandon diversion, it is recommended that diversion sessions include different facilitation methods such as physical activities to keep the divertees interest in attending.

This study was an exploration into the Ecological Risk and Protective Factors on Adolescent Substance Use and its Effects on Behavioural and Educational Outcomes. The data was gathered using a qualitative research approach. Focus groups were conducted with the assistance of a semistructure interview guide to gather information on the research topic. The researcher used gatekeepers within Arcadia High School, Bonteheuwel High School and The College of Science and Technology school environments to gain access to participants. A non-probability sampling method was used to select 37 participants. Participants either identified as Coloured or Black, between the ages of 13 and 18 years old and were all high school students. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and Tesch was used to create a framework of analysis. The main assumptions of the study were as followed: ● Adolescent substance use is not only influenced by individual characteristics but also family, environmental and peer influences; ● Protective factors against adolescent substance use include strong familial bonds, positive peer influences and attachment to the schooling environment. ● Adolescent substance use has a negative effect on behavioural outcomes. ● Adolescent substance use has a negative effect on educational outcomes. The findings of the study show that there were a number of factors that contributed towards the vulnerability of adolescents that ultimately resulted in them using substances. Environmental factors such as poverty played a crucial role in substance use behaviours. Similarly, family influences, such as parental substance abuse and lack of parent-child connection contributed towards adolescent socialization around substance use and substance- use behaviours. The predominant protective factor appeared to be the school environment. The school environment acted as a pseudo family for adolescents where they felt safe, protected and received positive emotions such as love and understanding. The researcher recommends the development of a multi-level intervention approach that addresses the imbalances in the adolescents immediate and non-immediate environments that contribute to their substance use behaviours. This multi-level intervention strategy will run parallel to the Life Orientation programme and will focus on multiple levels of psychosocial intervention strategies that will assist adolescents in dealing with substance use.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-85). / The primary purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and challenges of emerging organizations with regards to the financing of their services by the Department of Social Development in the Western Cape. This dissertation also provides the reader with an overview account of the research design as well as the research techniques, which were utilized in the fieldwork to gather information. The study is mainly qualitative and exploratory in nature. Interviews were held with the Directors of the non-profit organizations.

The study titled “The applicability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to the condom use intentions and behavior of migrant youth in South Africa” explores the predictors of condom use behavior and intentions of migrant youth in SA. It examines the influence of acculturation on the relationship between condom use intention and actual behavior. The background portrays migration ordeal as a current trend plaguing the socioeconomic global fabric with an increasing flow rate in Africa. Conversely, South Africa's (SA) economy and political position attracts an influx of youth migrants in compromised situations rendering them vulnerable to various diseases such as HIVAIDS. The conceptual dimension of the study was substantiated by two major theories, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Berry's theory of acculturation. In the salient phase of this dissertation, an elicitation qualitative study was conducted six months prior to the commencement with a sample size of 20. The purpose was to formulate the basis of this thesis, as informed by the theory of planned behavior and reasoned action, through in-depth open-ended questions. The study proper utilized a cross-sectional survey design in the 18 to 35 years cohort. The questions formation and design in the current quantitative study was informed by the findings of the elicitation study. Acculturation was used as a mediating variable. Similarly, Data was entered using EpiData Version 3.1 and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Standard version. In this study; the sample size probabilistically estimated to 500 participants. However, the data base that was validated following exploratory statistics was made of 454 participants from 31 countries with a return rate of 90.8%. The research findings indicated a Less than half of migrants in South Africa had a positive attitude towards the use of condoms, with a weight of 43.6%. The findings highlighted that pre-disposition to use condom is highly predicted by attitude. Less than half of migrants in S.A. had a positive attitude towards the use of condoms based on subjective norms, with a weight of 43.2% and this could explain why they had positive attitude towards condom only to a low extent. It was therefore recommended that the government of S.A. should improve on the regularization of migrants as to foster access to health care and so far, their self-efficacy. Parents should be sensitized on the need to enhance the use of condom by their teenager, sensitization of youth migrants in S.A. on risky sex behavior and notably the need to use condom should be increased and a model to enhance condom use shall consider all the predictive components because their combined effects strengthen intention and so far, the potential to act or behavioral outcome.

The overall aim of the study was to explore factors that could be associated with criminal behaviour of youth offenders diverted in the life skills residential diversion programmes at Walter Sisulu Child and Youth Care Centre, so as to contribute towards a better understanding of their profile. Therefore the study explored the participants' family backgrounds, the circumstances surrounding the committal of their offences and their responses to the offences they were diverted for in the life skills diversion programmes. An exploratory-descriptive type of a qualitative design was adopted in this study. A semistructured interview schedule was used as the research instrument for conducting in-depth face-to-face interviews with the participants. The study had one set of target population; who were 18 youth offenders (both male and female) between the ages 14-17 attending life skills residential diversion programmes at Walter Sisulu Child and Youth Care Centre. The profile of the participants seem to indicate that most of them had absent fathers and therefore lacked male figures who could act as role models. The study found that biological fathers of most participants were either deceased, whereabouts unknown, not involved in their financial maintenance or those who had stepfathers, had a bad relationship with them. The findings indicated that the participants' mothers were unavailable and therefore most participants were taken care of by their grandmothers. However, it seems most grandmothers often failed to supervise their grandchildren properly and as such it created an opportunity for the participants to be mischievous with no consequences for their behaviour. It was also found that violence in the family also contributed significantly to the aggressive criminal offences of some of the participants. Lastly, the study showed that the influence of drugs and negative peer pressure also played a significant role in the participants' involvement in criminal behaviour.

Theoretical models of crime underlying the deterrent approach to crime control often fail to account for the role of mental health in mediating deviance. Nor does this approach account for the role of system responses, unique to a post-apartheid context. There is paucity in the literature on the role of mental health on recidivism in South Africa. This study was therefore designed to determine the relationship between mental health and recidivism among incarcerated youth offenders in South Africa and the role of substance use. The Ecological Systems Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour provided the theoretical frameworks for this study. A cross-sectional quantitative exploratory research design was used. 280 youth offenders (male and female, aged 18-35) incarcerated at a Durban Maximum Correctional Service in KwaZulu-Natal who do not have a known psychiatric diagnosis were sampled, using multi-stage random sampling. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The final instrument consisted of six sections. Section 1 consisted of socio-demographic data. Section 2, measured the history of imprisonment. Section 3, is the Hopkins symptoms checklist (HSCL-25), which measures depression and anxiety disorder. Section 4, measures youth offenders' attraction to crime using an adapted version of the appetitive aggression scale. Section 5, is a measure of substance use using the CRAFFT measure (Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble). Finally, section 6 was an adapted version of the Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates scale (MCAA). Data were analyzed using SPSS. Several statistical analyses were used in this study to include, descriptive analysis, multiple regression, binary logistic regression, factor analysis, cluster analysis and chi-square analysis. The minimum age for participants was 19 and maximum age is 35, the majority of participants were aged 32 and the average age is 30. The majority of participants have secondary school education (65.8%, n=171), and participants who have not received any formal education are (3.5%, n=9). The majority of participants are black (91.4%, n=245), and Coloured (6.3%, n=17), male (93.0%, n=251) and from KwaZulu-Natal (87.1% n=237). Descriptive analysis also showed that the rate of recidivism (re-offending) among this offender population is 32.4% (n=82), while 67.6% (n=171) of the participants have not recidivated. This study promotes social change by highlighting the need for the further exploration of combined factors that increase recidivism. Findings from this study are helpful to health and criminal justice organizations as they indicate the need for strengthening the provision of programs that address mental health screening, diagnosis and treatment as well as programs that address appetitive aggression issues in efforts to curb recidivism.

The backdrop of this research is the developmental state which requires government to make interventions. These interventions and programmes have to take into account the constitutional dispensation of the human rights culture which requires consultation and a responsive government in respect of the poor and vulnerable. The researcher selected to embark on a descriptive research journey using the quantitative approach to engage the concept of social capital, the youth and the public sector. The researcher used the 3 types of social capital, bonding, bridging and linking to assess the stock of youth social capital. The hypothesis posited is that the public sector is a key contributor to the significant stock of social capital among the youth in the Western Cape. The researcher will respond to the following research question: what is the nature and utilisation of social capital among youth in the following six geographical areas of the Western Cape: Khayelitsha, Manenberg, Gugulethu, Mitchell's Plain, Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn?

Summary in English.|Bibliography: leaves 329-360. / Welfare services generally were racially segregated and highly unequal, being heavily skewed towards the needs of the white population. Such welfare policies and service patterns were increasingly justified in ideological terms by reference to a specific form of cultural relativism rather than overt racist argument. With the dramatic political changes heralded by the unbanning of anti-apartheid political organisations in 1990 South Africa entered an uncertain interregnum period in which the existing government lacked legitimacy but a new democratic government was not yet in place. This period, up to the general election in 1994, represented a ""Prague spring"" in which open debate and argument regarding future social policy and government flourished. It was therefore a time of both great excitement and hope for most South Africans yet anxiety for those who were identified with the old order. It was within this cntext that this study explored, by means of a national survey, the views and attitudes of social work educators in all tertiary institutions in South Africa towards issues of culture, race and transformation.