This study was inspired by the desire to understand the experience of mental health clinicians coping with work related stress in treating traumatized children. In studying this experience, heuristic design and methodology was followed. The findings of this study are based on interviews of 3 Caucasian, female clinicians, a 49-year-old art therapist with eight years experience, a 61-year-old licensed clinical social worker with 34 years of postgraduate experience, and a 44-year-old licensed clinical social worker with 21 years of experience. Mental health practitioners, clinical supervisors and consultants as well as professionals in counselor education benefit from the findings of this study that extends knowledge of effective coping with work related stress in treating traumatized children. Participants in this study coped by using the following core characteristics the most often: seeking emotional and instrumental support from others, maintaining balance in work and private life, staying spiritually oriented, participating in leisure activities, focusing on health and using cognitive restructuring techniques. The least mentioned was the use of humor. Four themes permeated the experience of these clinicians: (1) Maintaining Balance: Coping included maintaining a balance in work and private life; (2) Healthy Personal Identity: Coping successfully meant keeping the career as work and not a definition of the self; (3) Clear Role Definition: Coping to continue the work included increased focus on professional and personal boundaries and the role of the clinician; (4) Realistic Control: Successful coping included differentiating between what can and can't be controlled. This study also found that part of coping with work-related stress meant moving from the public sector into private enterprise. In private practice, participants found that coping with stress improved with the decrease of high client caseload requirements and the ability to screen potential clientele for the purpose of creating a balance in treatment issues. Overall, this study found that the experience of coping successfully with work-related stress had a great deal to do with increased professional autonomy. / Graduation date: 2003

It was recommended by the American Psychological Association and the American Bar Association in October 1999, that the time had come for psychologists to do more than act as expert witnesses, and that their influence should be felt " ... at the first level of intervention" (Foxhall, 2000, p. 1). The first level of intervention is considered, in this study, to be the decision-making process. This research examines the decision-making processes used by four of the disciplines integral to the child abuse multi-disciplinary team. Social workers, child protection officers of the South African Police Services, psychologists and prosecutors currently involved in the child abuse arena in South Africa were given case vignettes to anchor their decision-making on simulated examples. On the basis of these in-depth interviews, using a Grounded Theory methodology, three specific questions are addressed, namely: how decisions are made and substantiated; how they differ across disciplines; and how they compare to recommended protocol. Results indicate interesting differences across these four disciplines. The differences between the decision-making processes in the disciplines seem to be rooted in their philosophical tenets, which give rise to specific aims in addressing child abuse. Differences between the decision-making processes and recommended protocol were also noted in cases where guidelines are available. In addition differences in expected outcomes of the vignettes, use ofassumptions and a level of mistrust between professionals was shown. If this research can help to sensitise professionals to begin to understand their own decision-making processes and those of their fellow decision-makers, then perhaps key role players and policy makers may be one step closer to responding to the challenge of child sexual abuse in South Africa. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

South African child and youth care programmes have been challenged to transform to address the needs of vulnerable and/or orphaned young people affected and/or infected by HIV/AIDS. The Isibindi programme was designed by the National Association of Child Care Workers to respond to this challenge to provide viable community child and youth care programmes. Supervision of staff plays a critical part in child and youth care programmes. This study explores the model of supervision being implemented in the Isibindi programme, identifies the elements of this model and stipulates which of these need to be strengthened for effective and efficient services. The research findings indicate that the Isibindi model of supervision reflects the practice of child and youth care services being delivered in the programme. Common child and youth care elements were identified as being essential to the efficient delivery of this model of supervision. / Health Studies / (M. Tech. (Child and Youth Care))

No description available.

The objective of this study was to determine some of the effects of child protective service investigations on families, children and the workers, when the allegations are determined to be unfounded and no abuse and/or neglect is further suspected.

This constructivist study examined the perceptions that an interdisciplinary team has about themselves in the work setting and during fieldwork interactions while working with client families. Twelve staff members of a program that provides supportive services for the families of severely handicapped children responded to a bank of fifteen questions in an effort to examine the relationship between team members perceptions of their roles and how those perceptions affect their job performance and satisfaction.

This study proposed to determine if there are different personality traits between police officers, Department of Children's Services (DCS) intake and carrier workers. It was proposed that differences may indicate that investigations done by DCS be delegated as a law enforcement function whereas family preservation services be the responsibility of DCS.

Overall attitudes, beliefs, and values have been shown to effect how individuals evaluate and process information. This knowledge is important and relevant to the practice of social work. Social workers are expected to put their attitudes, values, and perceptions aside when working with their clients. Attitudes are effecting processing and evaluation of events, therefore, it is imortant to understand the possible implications of workers perceptions and attitudes. Highly embedded attitudes toward transracial adoption, will influenceSocial workers behavior.

The purpose of this study is to examine the perception of satisfaction of both kinship and non-kinship caregivers of the services offered to them through the child welfare system.

Each year thousands of children are removed from their homes and placed in foster care where they lose connections with their family, community, and friends. Coakley (2007) points out that children of color are overly represented within the child welfare system, and there is a lack of research on Black fathers and their involvement when their children become a part of the system. Studies have suggested that most families that encounter the child welfare system have adult males who are actively involved with their families, however, child welfare workers do not engage these men (Coady, Hoy, & Cameron, 2013). The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of Black fathers who were previously involved in the child welfare system. Semi-structured interviews were completed with four Black fathers who were previously involved with the child welfare system. Five major themes emerged during the process of data analysis that illuminated the fathers’ experiences and gave meaning to their stories, including case worker attitude, services overload, intergenerational child welfare involvement, feelings of helplessness and willingness to comply. There were also several sub-themes for three of the larger themes. The findings are discussed in light of current literature about father involvement in child welfare, and Black fathers in particular. Implications of the findings are discussed for the field of family therapy, future research and practice. It is my hope that the information obtained from this study will help inform current practices within child welfare and the field of marriage and family therapy to more effectively engage Black fathers in the child welfare system.