published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Forensic social work is a fairly new concept in the South African context. However, the activities of forensic social work began with the dawn of the profession itself. In recent times the demand for social workers in court has spiraled. The researcher endeavored to explore the perceptions and experiences of social workers functioning in the courts. Further, the problems that they encountered were also examined. The results of this qualitative study stem from in-depth interviews with thirteen social workers. The main findings indicate that the majority of social workers had not received any training in legal processes prior to their first experience in court. Social workers also perceived legal officials to be lacking in training in respect of child related issues. Social workers are generally called to testify in relation to their expertise of a specific child, and not in relation to their expertise of subject matter. In view of the demands placed upon social workers to appear in court, it is recommended that social workers endeavor to organise themselves into a group that can lobby for the recognition of social workers as experts. It is the researcher's contention that such a concerted effort by social workers will improve the status of the profession in the legal system. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.

This thesis has explored participation by adult volunteer workers of the Wapehani Girl Scout Council in central Indiana. This study involved 50 adults who were active members of the council at the time of the study and 50 adults who had been members of the council and were no longer active at the time of the study.A demographic questionnaire and a personality inventory were administered to each of the 100 participants in the study. The questionnaire involved the following information about each volunteer: age, sex, education, marital status, family income per year, size of community lived in, number of years in Scouting, membership in other organizations, number of children, number of daughters, number of daughters in Scouting, age at which daughters joined Scouts, and reasons for remaining or leaving Scouting. The personality inventory was the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, and it involved 15 variables: achievement, deference, order, exhibition, autonomy, affiliation, intraception, succorance, dominance, abasement, nurturance, change, endurance, heterosexuality, and aggression.