D.Litt. et Phil. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. / The subject of this study is the intake process as part of the process of rendering social work services. Intake can be defined as that phase of the helping process when person with a problem meets a welfare agency or, for that matter, the social work profession, for the first time. Thus all social work services can be said to commence during intake and what happens there determines the course of the entire helping process...

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / South Africa

Effective delivery of health and social care requires collaboration between professions. The aim of this research study was to explore one element of that collaboration – the contribution made by social workers to multi-disciplinary professional practice in adult services in England. The study was conducted against the backcloth of the Modernisation agenda for health and social care integration. This approach was first introduced by the New Labour Government (1997-2010) and strengthened by the vision and expectations championed in the policy documents, Valuing People (2001) and Valuing People Now (2009) for adults with learning disabilities. Hermeneutical phenomenology, drawn from Heidegger, underpinned the methodological and philosophical approach which led to an emphasis upon rich description and interpretations of individual lived-worlds. The theoretical position adopted was informed by Wenger’s work on Communities of Practice, which is grounded in the importance of social interactions inherent within multi-disciplinary practice between different professionals. Participants included registered social workers (n=9) and allied health professionals (n=8). Data was generated over a nine month period. Semi-structured interviews were utilised with all professional participants. Data was analysed using Nvivo (10) and an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis towards the data was adopted. Individual vignettes were presented on behalf of local citizens (n=9) which represented their personal narratives about the value of social work, embedded within this multi-disciplinary context. The key findings highlighted the unwavering commitment from social workers to advocate on behalf of vulnerable adults. This was underpinned by adherence to professional social work values which facilitated their abilities to deliver a plethora of professional services. Allied health professionals substantiated the important contributions of social workers within the multi-disciplinary team, alongside local citizens who confirmed social workers valuable roles as part of their complex networks of support. The implications from this research study suggested that inter-professional education and training could augment collaboration between professions to progress the current health and social care agenda, focused upon integration in England.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to describe the methods for assessing the effectiveness of social services. I use the example of the organization Cesta domů o. s. applying the multicriteria method created by South Moravian Region for assessing the effectiveness of registered social services provided in its region. At the beginning I explain what social service is, its history and the types of social services, then the financial sources that can be used. Subsequently the methods that are suitable for assessing the effectiveness of social services. For my analysis I use the example of the organization Cesta domů o. s. , describing the organization itself and the social services it provides, the organization provides respite care and professional social consulting, following that there is an analysis of the effectiveness of the two provided social services. In closing I present the results of my analysis.

M.A. / South Africa is a country characterised by inherent diversity of culture, language and race and is undergoing a process of reconstruction and development. This entails the establishment of a new national identity and socio-political structure based on integration, accommodation of difference and equity of access to the basic necessities for mental, physical, social and spiritual well-being for all its citizens within budgetary and personnel limitations. Mental health care needs and services have been shaped by socio-political and economic factors in the past. Further there has been unequal access to health care, which focused on psychiatric conditions and which provided curative, institutionalised care. Little provision was made for mental health care of children and mentally handicapped persons. A climate of unprecedented change and uncertainty also impacts on the mental health care of South Africans. A vital part of the Reconstruction and Development Programme is the reorientation of health care, which includes mental health, to a comprehensive health care approach with emphasis on primary preventive and promotive health care. An invaluable, economical yet untapped source of manpower to provide primary mental health care is the paraprofessional counsellor. Paraprofessional mental health workers can provide first level mental health care in the form of growth counselling which includes primary preventive and promotive care as well as some secondary and tertiary mental health care. In order to provide safe and effective care, this category of health worker needs to be carefully selected and trained and should work under the supervision of professional mental health care workers. The role of the latter needs to be re-evaluated in the context of South Africa. Effective and efficient care can be facilitated by the use of a simple yet comprehensive model for the selection and training of paraprofessionals and to guide their contribution to mental health care in South Africa. Two theoretical shifts have influenced mental health care. These are the paradigm shift from linear Cartesian-Newtonian thinking to the circular systems epistemology and the movement in psychological theories to ecosystemic theories. These developments have given rise to the bio-psycho-social model which does provide a basis for holistic health care but it excludes the spiritual dimension. This dissertation examines the concept of spirituality and argues for its inclusion in a truly holistic model of human functioning. The Pursuit of Wholeness model is proposed as a simply yet truly holistic tool to effect efficient, economical and ethical mental health care using , paraprofessionals. The model is described in detail and its use by paraprofessional counsellors in a growth counselling situation is discussed. An evaluative study was undertaken to test the use of the Pursuit of Wholeness model by paraprofessionals in three organisations. Results showed that the Pursuit of Wholeness model has the potential to enable paraprofessional counsellors through holistic growth counselling to contribute significantly to mental health care in South Africa.

D.Litt. et Phil. / Health and social issues have a reciprocal relation and this is evident in the South African context. Poverty that includes poor living conditions, unemployment and the consequent low income results in disease and malnutrition. A vicious circle exists between poverty and disease. The HIV/Aids pandemic results in people being in need of care, not being able to work nor provide for their next of kin, children being orphaned and taking over the parental role, without emotional and material means. Chronic diseases, for example tuberculosis, hypertension, diabetes and chronic psychiatric disease assume enormous proportions and influence the person-and-environment interaction, which is the social work focus. Health and social issues can therefore not be seen as separate entities. Social workers should then form an integral part of health care services. The social work service rendering in the Health Sector should be effective, efficient and appropriate. Effective, efficient and appropriate health care social work services will encompass people-centred, developmental, preventative, promotative primary health care approaches with emphasis on participation, partnership and self-determination. An effective and appropriate service will rely on home-based and community-based strategies. Health care social work is however fragmented and social workers in the Health Sector practice within different governmental and non-governmental organizations. Health care social work in the Gauteng Health Department where the researcher did the research, is largely curative, rehabilitative, hospital-based, individual-based and relies on institutional care. It is therefore ineffective, inefficient and inappropriate. A shift towards an effective, efficient and appropriate health care social work service is essential especially when the reciprocal relationship between health and social issues in South Africa are taken into account. The researcher decided therefore to develop a community-based model for health care social work with emphasis on a people-centred and developmental approach emphasizing participation, partnership and self- determination of the people. This model will be utilized on a primary health care level within a community health centre and community context where the health care social worker will form part of a multi-disciplinary health care team. The main goal of this study is the development of a community-based model for health care social work. The objectives to attain the main goal of describing a community-based model for health care social workers were: ♦ To explore and describe the thoughts and experiences regarding the perceived needs with reference to the general health of the following patients: Patients who attend provincial community health centres to address their health needs; Patients who are representative of the diversity of all South African citizens and therefore include White, Black, Coloured and Indian population groups; Patients who qualify in terms of their income to utilize Governmental health services and who do not belong to medical schemes; Patients from formal, well organized and structured communities with different community resources, as well as patients from informal settlements without structured community services; Patients of different age and gender groups; and Patients with acute and chronic, including life threatening medical conditions. ♦ To describe the needs of patients after interviews were conducted and data had been analyzed; ♦ To explore and describe the needs that health care social workers can address and the intervention strategies that they can utilize in doing so; ♦ To explore and describe the priority needs that a health care social worker could address and the intervention strategies they could utilize in doing it, in the opinion of the following multi-disciplinary health care team members: Medical doctors; Nursing staff; Allied health professionals (physiotherapists or their assistants, occupational therapists or their assistants, speech therapists, dieticians, pharmacists and community based rehabilitation workers); ♦ To describe specific needs and services which health care social work exclusively or most effectively can address according to ranking on a scale; ♦ To develop a community-based model for health care social work according to the needs that a health care social worker can address and which will result in an effective and appropriate health care social work service; ♦ To evaluate the tentative model; and ♦ To revise the intervention and describe guidelines to operationalize the model. The research design utilized to attain these objectives was based on a research model that the researcher developed. The researcher developed the research model by utilizing The Intervention Design and Development model (Rothman & Thomas, 1994) qualitative research for interviews with patients, observations and field notes, data analysis and literature control. Quantitative research designs were included in the model and consisted of the Delphi technique and Lickert scale. Levels of theory generation were also included in the model and the researcher developed level of theory generation for the research based on the levels of theory generation of Dickoff et al. (1968) and Chinn and Kramer (1995). The research model that the researcher developed for developing a community-based model for health care social work encompasses certain phases and research activities, as well as theory generation and reasoning strategies. The reasoning strategies included analysis induction, synthesis, derivation and deduction. The first phase of the research was the problem analysis and project-planning phase of the research. The researcher carried into effect the following research activities. The researcher determined the feasibility of the research project; gained entry to and cooperation from setting and identified and involved role-players in the research. The identification and involvement of the role-players encompassed the sampling and the pilot study. The second phase of the research was the information gathering, analysis and synthesis phase of the research. This phase included research activities, as well as levels of theory generation. The research activities that were followed during this phase started with the conducting of semi-structured interviews with twenty-two patients and observations and the keeping of field notes. Ethical issues were addressed during this phase and formed part of the interviewing and observation process. Data analysis of interviews, with an independent coder, and literature control to affirm the findings of data analysis followed as part of the research activities. The researcher then utilized the Delphi technique with nine experts in health care social work. The aim of this was to establish the patient’s needs, established during data analysis, that a health care social worker could address and the intervention strategies that they could utilize. These needs and intervention strategies were established by questionnaires and a group session was held to reach consensus of data. The above-mentioned data established from health care social work experts were then compiled into a Lickert scale for twenty-five multi-disciplinary health care team members. The aim of the scale was to establish the needs that health care social work could address exclusively of most effectively, as well as the intervention strategies that they could utilize in the opinion of the multi-disciplinary health care team members. A final literature control completes the research activities of the information gathering, analysis and synthesis phase in order to establish if literature exist that verifying the results of the data obtained and if these could assist in the development of a communitybased model for health care social work. The levels of theory generation followed in the information gathering, analysis and synthesis phase of the research consist of the following: The first level of theory generation consisted of factor isolating theory. The researcher utilized concept analysis. Concepts were firstly identified and the researcher identified the concept health. The concept health is a central concept in all the policy documents and theory that were utilized in the problem analysis of the research. The concept health was also central in the data analysis and literature control of the interviews with patients. The concept health was then defined and refined by utilizing dictionaries and thesauruses, as well as utilizing sources of evidence namely, a model and contrary case, evidence of people and professional literature. The researcher then classified the concept health and the related concepts. The second level of theory generation, factor relating and structuring followed during the information gathering, analysis and synthesis phase of the research. The researcher related factors and associated them through statements that indicate interrelationships. The third level of theory generation consisted of the situation relating level followed by predicting relationships between concepts utilizing if-then statements. The third phase of the research was the design and early development phase. The researcher utilized the fourth level of theory generation that consisted of the situation producing level of theory generation to conduct the research activity of the creating and describing of the theoretical model for community-based health care social work. The last phase of the research consisted of the theory testing and evaluation phase of the research. The research activities that were followed encompass the planning of evaluation, selection of evaluation methods and then the evaluation process. The evaluation process was done with a panel of nine experts utilizing a specific questionnaire in the form of a Lickert scale. The panel consisted of academic staff from the Universities of the Witwatersrand, Pretoria and Randse Afrikaanse University from social work and nursing as well as multi-disciplinary health care team members from community health centres and social workers from different practice settings. The second part of the evaluation process was done during doctoral seminars where peer evaluation was done by health care social workers, medical doctors, nursing staff and allied health workers from different levels of service rendering including the Gauteng Health Department’ Head Office, community-based centres and different levels of hospitals. Participants from private hospitals also attended the doctoral seminars. The researcher then utilized the evaluation results to identify design problems and to revise the community-based model for health care social work. The final level of theory generation was then done in the theory testing and evaluation phase of the research to operationalize the model by describing guidelines for operationalization. The methods of trustworthiness that were followed during the research included the four criteria of Lincoln and Guba (1985) of credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability. The researcher finalized the research by indicating the conclusions from the research, specifying the limitations of the research and providing recommendations for social work practice, education and research. The research document might be marked by repetition of content, but this was necessary because chapter six, the model, as well as chapter eight, the guidelines for operationalizing the model, form the basis for health care social work practice at community health centres. These chapters could then be extracted from the research document as a tool for implementation. / Prof. J.B.S. Nel Prof. A. Nolte

Service is a powerful tool for the development of youth. It transforms the young person from a passive recipient to an active provider. When combined with formal education, service becomes a method of learning known as "Service Learning." Service learning enables teachers to employ a variety of effective teaching strategies that emphasize student-centered, interactive, experiential education.

Orientador: Maria Cristina Piana / Banca: Lucia Aparecida Parreira / Banca: Andréia Aparecida Reis de Carvalho Liporoni / Resumo: A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar o trabalho interdisciplinar com as crianças e adolescentes do CRAS Antonio Thomaz Donato de Taquaritinga/SP. O estudo baseou-se no método do materialismo histórico dialético, com as categorias do método: totalidade, historicidade e mediação. Mediante pesquisa bibliográfica foi possível fundamentar o conhecimento teórico e embasar a análise dos dados e a pesquisa de campo com vistas a aproximar a pesquisadora do objeto de estudo. A política de assistência social, por meio de seus profissionais/executores, tem o compromisso com a infância e a adolescência no que diz respeito à busca das plenas condições de vida a essa população. A equipe profissional, em parceria com a família e lançando mão das políticas básicas (saúde e educação), atenderá aos princípios da prioridade absoluta e da proteção integral.O primeiro capítulo apresentou a metodologia utilizada para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, detalhando o cenário e o universo da pesquisa, os instrumentais utilizados, o perfil dos participantes e o método. O segundo capítulo abordou a história da infância e adolescência no Brasil, com vistas à formação do Estado, e as políticas de assistência social, perpassando pelo Serviço de Proteção Social Básica do SUAS com crianças e adolescentes, bem como o trabalho social com as famílias. O terceiro capítulo buscou analisar o trabalho interdisciplinar dos profissionais do CRAS Antonio Thomaz Donato de Taquaritinga/SP por meio dos dados apreen... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The present research sought to analyze the interdisciplinary work with the children and adolescents of CRAS Antônio Thomaz Donato of Taquaritinga/SP. The study was based on the method of dialectical historical materialism, with a qualitative approach, through bibliographical research to support theoretical knowledge and to base the data analysis, and field research with a view to bringing the researcher closer to the object of study. The first chapter presented the methodology used for the development of the research, detailing the scenario and universe of the research, used instruments, profile of the participants and the method. The second chapter addressed the history of childhood and adolescence in Brazil, with a view to the formation of the State and social assistance policies, through the Basic Social Protection Service of SUAS with children and adolescents, and social work with families. The third chapter sought to analyze the interdisciplinary work of the professionals of the CRAS Antônio Thomaz Donato of Taquaritinga/SP through the data collected in the interviews with the professionals of CRAS and the clerks. The results show that the professionals involved in the actions developed with children and adolescents do not work interdisciplinarily as provided by the Service of Protection and Integral Assistance to the Family ‒ PAIF. This work is not being carried out, it does not reach the objectives in the protective, proactive and preventive scope of Basic Social Prote... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: Maria José de Oliveira Lima / Resumo: Esta pesquisa tem como tema central Trabalho e Serviço Social. O estudo se orienta a partir da análise da apreensão da categoria Trabalho pelos egressos do curso de Serviço Social na Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM). Tem como objetivo geral compreender e analisar a materialização da categoria teórica Trabalho no processo de formação dos egressos do curso de Serviço Social da UFTM a partir do exercício profissional dos mesmos. A pesquisa partiu do pressuposto de que há a compreensão por parte dos egressos da relevância e centralidade da categoria teórica trabalho no processo de formação e, que reflete diretamente no exercício profissional. O recorte temporal para o desenvolvimento desta pesquisa deu-se a partir das Diretrizes Curriculares de 1996 proposta pela Associação Brasileira de Ensino e Pesquisa em Serviço Social (ABEPSS). Constitui-se como universo da pesquisa todos os egressos do Curso de Serviço Social da UFTM, considerando que desde a criação do curso (2009) até o momento do ingresso da pesquisadora no curso de Pós-Graduação (2017/2) formaram-se nove turmas. A investigação foi realizada por meio de pesquisas bibliográficas, documental e de campo. A pesquisa documental realizou-se pelas consultas ao Projeto Político Pedagógico do Curso de Serviço Social da UFTM. O processo de apreensão de dados deu-se por meio da realização da aplicação de roteiro de perguntas e entrevistas aplicados aos sujeitos selecionados nessa investigação. Fundamenta-se este est... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Mestre