THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC REALITIES OF THE SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

When a tertiary institution such as the University of South Africa (Unisa) agrees to offertraining for a profession such as social work, it accepts the responsibility of educating studentsaccording to the minimum standards of the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree asregistered at the South African National Qualification Framework (NQF). These requirementsinclude a body of knowledge, required practical skills and the values and ethics of theprofession. Social work is a profession which focuses on people and their socio-economiccontext. It is regulated by its professional Council, the South African Council for Social ServiceProfessions (SACSSP), which expects the training institutions to deliver a certain quality ofprofessional who can work together with troubled and marginalised people, facilitate processeswith groups and communities in order to meet their basic needs, and improve their livelihoods,based on the principles of respect for people, social justice and equality. The training of socialworkers in South Africa is also largely determined by the South African context and thepolicies that guide the type of service delivery, e.g. the South African Constitution, Bill ofRights (Act 108 of 1996) and the developmental approach to welfare, i.e. the White Paper forSocial Welfare (RSA, 1997). According to Van Delft (2002), the White Paper for SocialWelfare (1997) and the Financing Policy (1999) changed the face of social welfare in SouthAfrica from a residual model to a developmental model. Within the South African context, thefocus of service delivery is aimed at the poor and unemployed, those with HIV/Aids, those thathave been affected by crime and violence, pregnant teenagers, malnutrition, low levels ofliteracy and education, abuse and neglect, poor housing and public health, women and children,people with disabilities and the aged.