Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk

PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATIONS IN AFRICA: A MIRROR OF HARSH REALITIES OR BEACONS OF HOPE?

2024-03-26T11:24:07+00:00

Professional social work associations offer opportunities to network with other social work professionals, provide access to training opportunities for professional development, and form part of a representative voice for the social work profession. In this editorial of the 60th volume of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, we raise awareness of the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA) and Social Work Month. Specifically, we reflect on whether professional associations of social workers should mirror scepticism, merely acknowledge existing realities, or foster positive endeavours for the future.

SHOULD THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BE CONSIDERED A TRAUMATIC STRESSOR? SOME CONCERNS FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

2024-03-26T09:31:06+00:00

This opinion article argues that it may not be appropriate to regard the Covid-19 pandemic as a traumatic stressor. Persons diagnosed with Covid-19 have typically been concerned about events that might have occurred in the future such as severe illness, hospitalisation and death, access to treatment, the welfare of dependents, and stigma and discrimination. Their concerns are thus future-oriented rather than anchored to a past traumatic event, which is the requirement for a diagnosis of PTSD. If the criteria for what is considered a traumatic stressor are widened, there is
a risk that the concept of trauma may become so diluted that many events, even mildly distressing ones, may be regarded as traumatic. Social workers and other health professionals should take these matters into account when attending to the emotional and psychological needs of persons affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19

2024-03-26T10:25:41+00:00

Modern capitalism has shaped the world, but for many scholars, its principles have disproportionately favoured the prosperity of a minority while neglecting the prospects of the majority, particularly in Southern Africa. The recent COVID-19 pandemic combined with significant inequalities of wealth has put the social policies of countries in Southern Africa to the test. It exposed the inadequacies of the current capitalist order in many countries in the global south, hindering their ability to protect their populations from the pandemic’s impact. In contrast, the global north, with stronger social policies and economic flexibility, managed to cushion the severity of pandemic’s economic impact on their populations in many ways, even though they suffered the most deaths. In this article, I establish how COVID-19 and neoliberal capitalism made it difficult to achieve the social developmental objectives in Southern Africa. While scholars have documented the medical and economic harms caused by the pandemic, I highlight ways that it, along with considerable inequalities of wealth, impaired social development more broadly. I conclude by establishing how the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the shortcomings of neoliberal capitalism in Southern Africa’s social policies, emphasising the need for re-evaluating and re-alignment of these policies to foster more equitable and resilient societies.

THE EXPERIENCES OF YOUTHS WHO LEFT CHILD AND YOUTH CARE CENTRES OF THE EKURHULENI METRO MUNICIPALITY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2024-03-26T10:39:50+00:00

Leaving a familiar environment can be daunting. Although previous studies investigated the experiences of youths who left care centres, few considered those who left during the Covid-19 pandemic. For this exploratory qualitative research study, we purposively recruited 12 African youths aged between 18 and 23, with least two years’ experience of life in the care centres of Ekurhuleni Metro Municipality to investigate their experiences when they left such
centres during the Covid-19 pandemic. The data were collected through individual semistructured interviews, analysed according to Akinyonde and Khan’s thematic analysis method, and verified using Guba and Lincoln’s strategies. The findings revealed experiences that were clustered into three themes: preparing to leave, reflecting on life at the centre, and transiting from care during Covid-19. The recommendations proposed include the need to facilitate exit
strategies for these youths, clear follow-up plans to support them, and collaboration of practitioners in the field of child and youth care.

FOCUS ON COMMUNITIES AND NOT PROJECTS: CHALLENGES FACED BY DEVELOPMENT CENTRES IN ATTAINING SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS IN TSHWANE, SOUTH AFRICA

2024-03-26T10:45:57+00:00

Community development interventions are welcomed in communities; however, their sustainability is often questioned. The goal of this study was to explore and describe the challenges faced in the development of community interventions by the development centres in the Tshwane region, Gauteng province, South Africa. The research study adopted a qualitative research approach. A non-probability sample was chosen, utilising a purposive sampling technique to select participants. The raw data were analysed and interpreted according to the eight steps outlined by Tesch. The article argues that top-down interventions
can create dependency and hinder communities from achieving sustainability and self-reliance. More emphasis should be placed on facilitating a process in which community members take charge of their assets and strengths to mobilise local solutions and improve inward functioning.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOD INSECURITY, THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT AND CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENTS

2024-03-26T10:50:42+00:00

Food insecurity is endemic in South Africa because of high levels of poverty. Children in foodinsecure households may be exposed to childcare instabilities. However, the role of social protection in mediating the relationship between food insecurity and childcare arrangements is not well understood. This study explored the relationship between food insecurity, childcare arrangements and the child support grant (CSG) in a township in Cape Town. The study design
was mixed-methods; a hunger scale was administered to 120 participants and in-depth interviews conducted with 23 primary caregivers of children under 2 years of age. The findings indicated that despite being food insecure, many households had stable childcare arrangements, presumably because of the CSG and the age of the children at the time of the study. Further research is needed to unpack the relationship between food insecurity, childcare arrangements
and the CSG.

EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN WORKING WITH HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM APPROACH

2024-03-26T11:01:38+00:00

This article uses role theory as a lens to explain the experiences of social workers working within healthcare multidisciplinary teams, which are characterised by interprofessional dominance and subordination. A qualitative case study design was used to explore and describe the experiences of social workers in working with other healthcare practitioners in multidisciplinary teams. A purposeful sampling technique was used to select sixteen participants from a particular health district. Data were collected through interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Professional power dynamics, a sense of agency with a need for collaborative contribution, and a lack of understanding of the social work profession are three themes that summarise the findings. The article concludes that the ineffective management of multidisciplinary themes creates a barrier to different professionals’ ability to communicate, work and learn together. The article recommends preparatory training for multidisciplinary team members and the need for a structured framework for interprofessional engagement.

INFIDELITY AMONGST YOUNG MARRIED COUPLES: SUGGESTIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION

2024-03-26T11:05:39+00:00

Infidelity is a common phenomenon in modern society and a major factor in marital dissolution across the globe. A qualitative research approach was used in this study to develop an in-depth understanding of the experiences and impact of infidelity amongst young married couples. The participants were purposively selected from a population of young married couples who had experienced infidelity in their marriage and lived within the municipal borders of Lepelle-Nkumpi, in Limpopo province, using the snowball technique. Tesch’s eight steps were used to analyse the data. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, the researchers assessed the qualitative data for credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability. The findings highlight that young married couples experiencing marital infidelity require direction from social workers to understand the process of recovery from any type of infidelity to bring about improvement and change in their marriage.

ISIZULU-SPEAKING CAREGIVERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON DISCLOSING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

2024-03-26T11:09:54+00:00

Child sexual abuse affects children and caregivers all around the world. According to the South African Police Service’s (2020/21) crime statistics report, child sexual abuse is common in South Africa, particularly the township of Tsakane. Tsakane, located in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, is predominantly comprised of IsiZulu-speaking residents and has a significant child sexual abuse problem. Child sexual abuse may be perceived differently by IsiZulu-speaking caregivers than by other cultural groups and hence a qualitative study was carried out to explore this phenomenon. The study employed an exploratory design and semi-structured individual interviews. Thematic content analysis was conducted in analysing the data. The findings revealed that isiZulu caregivers in Tsakane are hesitant to report incidences of child sexual abuse because of cultural, environmental and psychological cost factors. This means that social
work should address child sexual abuse in a comprehensive, culturally sensitive and community-focused manner.

PARENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPATING IN DIVERSION PROGRAMMES FOR CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW

2024-03-26T11:14:06+00:00

A study of parental involvement in their children’s diversion programmes has been a gap in both practice and research. This article focuses on the parents’ experiences in the implementation of diversion programmes for children in conflict with the law. This was an exploratory, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological study with a qualitative approach. A risk-need responsivity model guided the study. Purposive sampling was used. Data collection was done through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, and data were analysed through thematic content and verified using Lincoln and Guba’s model. Ethical considerations were taken into account throughout this study. The study established that many challenges facing parents affected their involvement in their children’s diversion programmes.

SOCIAL WORK PRACTITIONERS’ AND SUPERVISORS' CONCEPTUALISATION OF SUPERVISION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, KING CETSHWAYO DISTRICT: A POLITY DUALISM

2024-03-26T11:18:40+00:00

The historical development of social service supervision reveals that the professional and organisational demands do not co-exist without challenges. The tension that often manifests between professional and managerial supervision is explained using the analogy of “polity dualism”, a concept widely used in political science to describe the co-existence of democratic and traditional rulership. The study adopted a qualitative exploratory-descriptive design underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. Seventeen social workers and supervisors were purposively sampled at the Department of Social Development, King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal. The findings were presented in terms of two main themes and two related subthemes. These included participants’ understanding of supervision and relating their understanding of supervision with experience. The recommendations could be summarised to involve the need to limit supervisors’ responsibilities to providing supervision only and to address the challenges posed by polity dualism by relying on professional supervision that offers more support and guidance and encourages collaboration between supervisors and supervisees.

In the balance. The case for a universal basic income in South Africa and beyond.

2024-03-26T11:28:39+00:00

Hein Marais (2022). In the balance. The case for a universal basic income in South Africa
and beyond. ISBN 978-1-77614-772-4. Pages 299. Social work practitioners are at the coalface of casework documenting individuals, households and communities whose livelihoods and security have been ravaged by South Africa’s worsening poverty, unemployment and inequality trends, and they know well that state social security assistance brings considerable amelioration. Socioeconomic rights to social security indicated in Section 27 (1) (c) of the Constitution stir debates about the architecture of social security and appropriate social assistance, as well as the legislation directing the use of resources towards progressively realising those rights.