Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk

EDITORIAL / REDAKSIONEEL

Sulina Green — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:58:52 +0000

The current issue of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk presents research findings on the work-related concerns and occupational demands experienced by social service providers in service delivery and by social work educators.

EXPERIENCES OF SERVICE-USER VIOLENCE AND COPING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED DURING SOCIAL WORK SERVICE DELIVERY: SUGGESTIONS FOR ENSURING SOCIAL WORKERS’ PERSONAL SAFETY

Shingirayi Zimunya, Assim Hashim Alpaslan — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:43:42 +0000

Workplace violence or incidents where social workers are abused, threatened or assaulted by service users in executing the duties related to their work is acknowledged as a serious concern and an occupational hazard in many countries. This type of violence directly and indirectly challenges social workers’ safety, health and wellbeing. In this article, emanating from a qualitative research project, 14 South African social workers’ experiences of service-user violence and their coping strategies employed during social work service delivery are reported, and suggestions for ensuring social workers’ personal safety are put forward.

EXPLORING THE SYNERGY BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS ENTITIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN EAST LONDON. A 2018-2021 STUDY

Samkelo Bala, Simon M. Kang’ethe — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:00:53 +0000

South Africa’s public sector is resource deficient and that justifies the need for the government and business entities to fight synergistically against substance abuse. This study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the working synergy between government and business entities in the fight against substance abuse. The research population for this study was comprised of participants from business entities and government and non-government organisations based in East London in the Eastern Cape province. One-on-one interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to gather information from the purposively selected participants. The findings identified intermittent contributions from business entities that could be utilised in the fight against substance abuse, as well as a weak policy nexus with national policies, weak campaign synergy between government and business entities, and poor mobilisation of business entities by the government. This study encourages South African business entities to include addressing substance abuse in their corporate social investment activities. Resource mobilisation is one of the important roles in social work practice and social workers need to coordinate and facilitate the synergy between government and business entities in the fight against substance abuse.

CHALLENGES FACED BY SOCIAL WORKERS IN RENDERING SERVICES TO NYAOPE SUBSTANCE USERS

Vusi Khanyi, Kgashane Johannes Malesa — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Use of nyaope amongst South Africans has risen dramatically. Concerns have been expressed about the negative effects this illicit drug has on communities. Currently, there is a dearth of scientific evidence on the challenges facing social workers rendering services to nyaope users. This study adopted a qualitative approach guided by ecological systems theory; data were collected through semi-structured interviews through purposive sampling and analysed through identifying themes. The study established that there are many challenges facing social workers working with nyaope substance users such as dishonesty and unreliability of clients; dealing with reluctant and non-voluntary clients and dealing with clients who return to using illicit opioids.

USING GROUP WORK INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS THE PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON ADOLESCENTS

Ntandoyenkosi Maphosa — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:09:37 +0000

Given the high prevalence rate of domestic violence (DV) in South Africa, one in four adolescents reportedly comes from a home where they are exposed to DV. The effects of exposure to domestic violence on adolescents are adverse and lifelong; therefore, providing effective treatment is crucial. Group work has proven to be effective in some international studies, but South Africa has limited research on this question, particularly on the psychosocial impact of DV exposure and the necessary effective interventions. Through an ethnography qualitative approach, this study aims to expand the limited knowledge base. Participants were observed during a group work process for a period of 8 weeks, the objective being to determine their psychosocial functioning after exposure to domestic violence. Drawing from social learning theory, the findings of the study suggest that adolescents can benefit from group work interventions. The results showed that the group participants’ psychosocial functioning improved significantly after the intervention. Based on the findings, policy and practice recommendations for adolescents exposed to domestic violence are made.

SOCIAL WORKERS' EXPERIENCES OF WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTHS AT CHILD AND YOUTH CARE CENTRES IN DURBAN

Nombuso Dimba-Ndaleni, Siphiwe Motloung, Madhu Kasiram — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 12:51:08 +0000

Social workers employed in Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) play a critical role in offering therapeutic services for children and youths in need of care. This article explores social workers' experiences working in seven different CYCCs in Durban. It is based on qualitative research using an exploratory, descriptive research design with a sample of eleven social workers. Social workers in CYCCs faced challenges including role overload and overlap, lack of adequate resources, safety and security concerns and limited support, which caused strain and compromised social workers' core role in CYCCs. The article offers practical solutions and recommendations for addressing these challenges.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING AND SUPERVISION OF CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKERS IN CHILD AND YOUTH CARE CENTRES

Chevonne Bam, Hanelie Malan — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Children who are placed in residential care have been severely traumatised, and the implication is that it has a direct impact on the psychosocial well-being of the child and youth care workers who work with the vulnerable children daily. How the care workers perform their daily tasks are impacted upon and can even lead to emotional burnout. The aim of the study was to quantitatively investigate the relationship between supervision and the psychosocial well-being of child and youth care workers.

Seventy-seven child and youth care workers (CYCW) were purposefully sampled for this study. Three questionnaires were used to collect data. The IBM SPSS version 25 software was used to analyze the data. In some cases, there was a small effect size, yet it seems that ethnicity, gender, marital status, and income influence the psychosocial well-being of CYCW. The study also shows a connection between CYCW who received supervision and those who did not receive supervision.

SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS FOR YOUTHS AGING OUT OF RESIDENTIAL CARE TO PROMOTE POSITIVE TRANSITION OUTCOMES – A SCOPING REVIEW

Charity Pote, Shernaaz Carelse, Glynnis Dykes — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This scoping review provides the available evidence on support interventions and networks for youths aging out of child and youth care centres (CYCCs), and makes recommendations for best practice to alleviate the plight of youths leaving CYCCs. Thirteen databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 80 articles, 26 of which met the review criteria: English, full-text, peer-reviewed, open-access studies conducted between 2015 and 2020 on social networks and transitional services to youths aging out of residential care. Recommendations are made for policy changes, extending the age of eligibility and strengthening social support networks for youths transitioning into independent living.

PEDAGOGICAL DILEMMAS FOR SOCIAL WORK IN ACADEMIA

Laetitia Petersen, Thobeka Nkomo — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:32:30 +0000

The authenticity of pedagogy becomes compromised when students’ psychosocial needs are considered paramount, especially in the current transformation-driven context, when overstepping boundaries flies in the face of academics’ terms of employment, their teaching responsibilities and the academic canon. The nexus between the practices of this helping profession and the academic development of social work professionals has ignited considerable debate and presented significant challenges. This article explores academics’ conditions of employment regarding their teaching and learning responsibilities alongside the profession’s ethical obligation to respond to students’ psychosocial needs, a duality that presents numerous pedagogical dilemmas.