Many South African families are beset by social, psychological and economic challenges placing children at risk. Family preservation services, capitalising on families’ strengths to resolve their problems, are crucial to avoid the removal of children from their homes. Using a qualitative approach, this study reveals the experiences and perceptions of twelve social workers providing family preservation services in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan of Gauteng Province. These social workers articulate their understanding of and experiences with the Children’s Act (Act No. 38) of 2005. They are generally optimistic that family preservation services can offer a helping process with the potential to improve family functioning. Nevertheless, there are stumbling blocks to effective service delivery, such as the kinds of social problems experienced by families, lack of funding, high caseloads, lack of resources and little co-operation from other disciplines and agencies. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for practice, policy and further research. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)

An intoxicated police employee can never keep the community safe and secure, as mandated by law enforcement prescripts. However, limited attention is given to harmful or hazardous substance abuse or the binge drinking habits of police employees. Substance abuse being a ‘culture’ in law enforcement agencies and the maintenance of the blue wall of silence as a protective measure necessitates scientific research to explore how a collaborative working relationship between the occupational social worker and especially First Line Managers (FLMs) can contribute to addressing this phenomenon in a timeous manner. The researcher applied a quantitative research approach and utilised a switching replication quasi-experimental design to determine whether the collaborative working relationship between South African Police Service (SAPS) FLMs and Police Social Workers (PSWs) can be strengthened to the extent that they effectively and efficiently deal with the harmful or hazardous substance abuse or binge drinking habits of SAPS employees by exposing the FLMs to a social work intervention, namely the Sober Workplace Programme for Managers. The pre-, mid-, and posttest measurements are based on knowledge, attitude, and behaviour constructs to determine if the two hypotheses formulated were supported. The study, however, did not indicate that the Sober Workplace Programme for Managers strengthens the collaborative working relationship between the FLMs and PSWs to address the harmful or hazardous substance abuse or binge drinking habits of employees in the workplace. Alternative research and occupational social work strategies are recommended to establish if and how the Sober Workplace Programme for Managers can be implemented to strengthen the collaborative working relationship between the FLMs and PSWs to address the harmful or hazardous substance abuse or binge drinking habits of employees. / Social Work / Ph. D. (Social Work)

German text / Die vorliegende wissenschaftliche Arbeit befasst sich mit den amaZioni, die den größten Teil der südafrikanischen AIC-Bewegung („African Independent/Indigenous/Initiated Churches“) ausmachen. Für die meisten Theologen stellen die amaZioni eine synkretistische christliche Kirchenbewegung dar, die in ihren Ritualen und Gottesdienstformen starke Einflüsse von traditionellen afrikanischen Religionen (ATR) aufweist. Nicht desto trotz öffnen sich viele der amaZioni-Kirchen gegenüber biblischer Lehre durch Missionare. Um eine solide Grundlage für die Missionsarbeit zu schaffen, befasst sich die vorgeschlagene Arbeit damit, wichtige Bedürfnisse der amaZioni zu erforschen, so dass diese als Anknüpfungspunkte für die weitere Evangeliumsverkündigung genutzt werden können. / The proposed research examines the needs of the amaZioni, who are part of the South African AIC-movement. The amaZioni, as one of the largest religious groups in South Africa, are viewed by most theologicans as syncretistic christian churches. It is obvious that their common believe system as well as their rituals show a strong influence of african traditional religions (ATR). But nevertheless, many of the members of the Zion-churches are opening up for bible teaching provided by missionaries. In order to establish a solid base for the future mission work the proposed research focuses on finding out the amaZioni's needs, so that this needs can be used as reference points in the endeavour of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the missionaries. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Mental illness remains one of the most devastating condition affecting the social functioning of individuals and families. The affected individuals and their caregivers expressed dissatisfaction in mental health service delivery. The mental health system is medically oriented and does not involve caregivers as partners in the provision of mental health services. Although the developmental approach has been adopted to guide the provision of services recognising human rights and social justice, the medical model remains a challenge in the provision of comprehensive mental health services. This is compounded by the Mental Health Care Act (Act No. 17 of 2002) that is silent on the role of families in the mental health system. Additionally, social workers are unable to provide adequate services due to lack of resources. A qualitative study using the exploratory, descriptive and contextual designs was undertaken. Purposive sampling was used to select 28 participants from three groups, namely ten MHCUs, nine caregivers and nine social workers. The goals of the study were to understand the experiences of MHCUs, caregivers and social workers in mental health service delivery; and to proffer guidelines for social work practice to enhance partnership between the family and mental health care providers. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed according to Tesch’s (in Creswell, 2009:186; 2014) framework. Data verification was guided by Lincoln and Guba’s (in Krefting, 1991:214-222) model to enhance trustworthiness. The findings suggest that MHCUs and caregivers received inadequate psychosocial support which is attributed to lack of involvement in service delivery. Furthermore, social workers lack adequate training to provide effective mental health care. As a result, guidelines were developed for the establishment and enhancement of partnership between families and mental health service providers to offer comprehensive and sustainable mental health services. Future exploration of the role of the family in mental health services is required. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

Emergent change is a pervasive force in modern organisations. However, the subjective experiences of emergent change for frontline individuals and teams have not been explored in organisational change literature. The integrative field of applied neurosciences offers valuable insights into the underlying neural mechanisms that shape these experiences and drive responses in order to meet basic psychological needs. Using interactive qualitative analysis (IQA), this study involved a focus group and follow-up interviews with nine participants at a South African software development company to explore the experiences of emergent change at work. System dynamics reflected that these experiences are significantly more complex than literature and practice currently account for, and that individuals and teams find their experiences of emergent change to threaten their sense of safety and basic psychological needs. The physiological and emotional experiences were found to be driving elements. Peak performance state and the relational environment were found to be salient outcomes. Findings present the opportunity for the reconceptualisation of emergent change, a shift in focus from change itself to the human experiences thereof and the importance of embracing new possibilities, tools and practices for meeting needs and thriving in an ever-changing world. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Abstracts in English and Xhosa / This research focused on how youth leaders and their senior pastors perceive youth ministry in the black township of Khayelitsha, A practical theological reflection of youth ministry in Khayelitsha. Youth ministry is an important ministry for a local church, as it is a platform to deal with youth challenges. Youth ministry has a value to add to the young people of its society, in their spiritual and development formation. The first aim of youth ministry, among other things, is to assist with spiritual formation in the lives of the young people. The underlying assumption of the study was that youth ministry in Khayelitsha was about game and entertainment with no spiritual input in the lives of young people. Research findings of this study reveal that in the black township of Khayelitsha there are a lot of activities that are happening under the banner of youth ministry, but there is a lack of a practical theological understanding of youth ministry. It was discovered also in this research that young people after they have been elected to lead a youth ministry, were not trained and developed for their task. The recommendation therefore which can help youth ministry in the black township of Khayelitsha to be practical and theologically oriented is that youth leaders need to be trained so that they may be able to develop or discover for their constituency a sound theology of youth ministry and the purpose of the youth. Youth leaders and their young people need to think about the importance of encapsulating and capturing a vision for youth ministry in their contexts, respectively. Youth leaders need to be trained on leadership issues and other youth ministry related matters, such as socio-economic and youth culture. Youth ministry is so broad, but it is important firstly for the Khayelitsha youth to get the basics right before focusing on other dynamics and dimension matters of youth ministry. It is important that youth need to know that youth ministry is about God first, not social projects. Youth ministry is just a normal youth work if it does not take the relationship young people to have with God and develop them into maturity. Youth ministry should be regarded as a national asset as it has a lot to contribute to the Khayelitsha community through the socially-focused projects that the young people engaged in for their communities. Churches should be intentional about youth ministry when they prepare young people for youth ministry by supporting these young people financially who would like to study this ministry. / Inkonzo yabantu abatsha ibaluleke kakhulu kwinkonzo nganye esekuhlaleni eKhayelitsha. Inkonzo yabantu abatsha inegalelo enalo kubantu abatsha ekuhlaleni, kubomi babo bokukholwa nakuphuhliso lwabo gabalala. Eyokuqala injongo yenkonzo yabantu abatsha enkonzweni kukunceda ukuba bakhule abantu abatsha eMoyeni. Eyona ibiyintsusa yolucwaningo kukurhanela nokukrokrela ukuba inkonzo yabatsha eKhayelitsha igxile ekudlaliseni abantu abatsha kunokukhulisa ubomi babo bakuMoya. Iziphumo ngoko zolucwaningo ziveze ukuba zininzi intshukumo nezinto ezinziwayo ezinkonzweni phantsi kwegama lenkonzo yabantu abatsha, kodwa kukhona ukuswela ulwazi lokuba umsebenzi wabatsha yipraktikali thiyoloji. Kukwafumanesekile ukuba bakuba benyulwe abantu abatsha ezinkonzweni zabo ukuba bakhokele inkonzo yabatsha, inkokheli ezo zabatsha aziyi ziqeqeshwe zixhotyiselwa umsebenzi lo wabo. Ingcebiso ngoko ngokubhekisele kwiziphumo zolu cwaningo zicebisa ukuze umsebenzi wabatsha ukuze ube yipraktikal thiyoloji yeyokuba kumelwe baqeqeshwe abantu abatsha bakuba benyulwe ukuze bazi ukuba ungantoni kanye kanye umsebenzi wabatsha enkonzweni. Inkokheli zabatsha kunye nabatsha bazo kufuneka bacinge nzulu ukuba bangawenza njani umsebenzi wabatsha uze ufanele bona nalendawo bahlala kuyo. Inkokheli zabatsha zimele ziqeqeshelwe kwezokukhokela abantu abatsha, ingxaki abantu abatsha abajongene nazo umzekelo isimo sentlalo abakuso abantu abatsha, kwaye kufuneka zazi nenkcubeko yabantu abatsha. Umsebenzi wabantu abatsha ubanzi, ugabalele ngoko kubalulekile ukuba inkokheli zabatsha zazi izinto zokuqala nezisiseko somsebenzi/inkonzo yabantu abatsha kuqala phambi kokuba bazi ezinye izinto ezingawo umsebenzi wabantu abatsha. Inkonzo yabantu abatsha ingafana nomsebenzi nje ongabantu abatsha ukuba awuyithatheli ingqalelo ubudlelwano abantu abatsha abanabo noThixo, kwaye bukhuliswe kubo.Inkonzo yabantu abatsha mayithathwe njengenkonzo enegalelo elikhulu esizweni ngenxa yezinto abantu abatsha abathi bazibandakanye kuzo ukuzama ukuphucula indawo abahlala kuzo eKhayelitsha. Inkonzo nazo maziyinike ingqwalasela nengqalelo inkonzo okanye umsebenzi wabatsha ngokuwuxhasa ngezemali kwaye zihlawulele abantu abatsha abafuna ukuyo wokufundela umsebenzi wabantu abatsha. / Practical Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

The research addresses secondary victimization of women reporting abuse at the Lenasia Police Station and reasons why it occurs. In addition, the research also determines if the expectations of the survivors of abuse about the police when reporting abuse are in line with what the Domestic Violence Act stipulates as their duties. To determine this, a sample of survivors reporting abuse was used. A qualitative and quantitative approach to the research was used. Two questionnaires were used for the sample of survivors and for service provides, with an opinion survey with knowledgeable people and a focus group discussion with police. It was found that some women were experiencing victimization by the police and that the survivors' expectations of the police were as stipulated in the Domestic Violence Act. Services provided by service providers were outlined and obstacles preventing police to provide a good service were identified. Recommendations were made. / Social work / MA(SS) (SOCIAL WORK)

Motivation is critical to the effective management of social workers in an organisation. A literature study of the concept motivation and an empirical study on the motivational function of the social work manager were conducted. This exploratory/descriptive study aimed to set scientifically grounded guidelines for the implementation of motivation as management function of social work managers. The literature indicated that motivating employees is the responsibility of social work managers. Research showed that social workers, social work managers and the organisation do benefit from motivation. The respondents indicated that motivation as a management function is important. They highlighted that intrinsic motivation and internal and external motivators influence their motivation positively. Organisational policies and a leadership style characterised by autocracy and a laissez-faire approach are demotivating. Social work managers should apply the principles of motivation theories, motivational strategies and guidelines to maintain and sustain motivation. Conclusions and recommendations were made regarding the motivational function of the social work manager. / Social work / M. Diac. (Social Work)

Text in Afrikaans / The researchers' own interaction with the community caused her to recognize that the safety of pre-schoolers and toddlers in high risk areas are being jeopardised because sexual education is not applied soon enough. The aim of this research study was to determine the needs of role-players in the high risk area in terms of community education regarding the safety of pre-schoolers. A quantitative approach was followed, which focussed on applied research and the exploratory and descriptive objectives of the research in order to facilitate a better understanding of the research phenomenon and to understand the specifics of the situation. The Randomised Cross-sectional Survey design was implemented. The analysed findings were presented graphically and interpreted in order to reach conclusions and present the recommendations of the study. The general conclusion based upon the empirical findings of the study is that there is a great need for community education regarding the safety of pre-schoolers in the high-risk area, Danville. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Emotional abuse is a problem experienced worldwide, crossing all economic, educational, social and ethnic segments of all societies. Overtime, many empirical researchers concentrated on studying the occurrence and impact of physical abuse on women but neglected to study the effects of emotional abuse on the woman's physical and mental health. But with time, researchers began to realise that emotional abuse also had a great impact on the lives of women. Therefore, a detailed exploration of emotional abuse between intimate adult partners has only recently emerged in the literature. Though it is difficult to separate emotional abuse from other forms of abuse, many women in our research who were provided with a definition of emotional abuse identified and confirmed that they have been emotionally abused in their past or are being abused in their current intimate relationships. This research project focused mainly on women who suffered and have survived the wounds of emotional abuse in intimate relationships. Group work is aimed at the growth and development of the individual. This study reports on an in-depth analysis of the arrangements and formulation of the structure of support groups, and the effectiveness of the functioning of these groups. Participants who joined the support groups in this research, were women who have undergone therapeutic intervention and are/or were engaged in a healing process that involved reintegration, implementation and maintenance of therapeutic goals. Support groups do provide a place where people can share their experiences in a safe environment, and where they can symbolise their experiences and consequently make them more acceptable to the self. It has been concluded in this research that support groups were effective in giving members the opportunity of helping each other to heal from the wounds of emotional abuse by being supportive, giving feedback, making helpful suggestions and providing useful information necessary for their growth and development. Therefore, participants who joined the support groups agreed that they have benefited by receiving the encouragement and support from one another, which contributed towards their process of healing emotionally, and in turn, caused them to change from being helpless victims to survivors of emotional abuse. / Sociology / D. Phil (Sociology)