Suchergebnisse

Family preservation services are considered essential in order to avoid the removal of children from their families. In accordance with South African legislation and policy documents, social workers at family welfare organisations must focus on family preservation services in order to prevent children being placed in foster care. Theoretically family preservation services consist of different types of services, namely family support services, family-centred services and intensive family preservation services, or crisis services. In this article the different types of services will be discussed with reference to policy documents. The services delivered by social workers in the context of family preservation are reviewed.

In accordance with South African policy documents and legislation (Department of Social Development, 2004; Children's Act 38 of 2005, Section 2(a)White Paper for Social Welfare, 1997) social work service delivery to families where child abuse and neglect occur, must be focused mainly on family preservation through rendering preventative and early intervention services thereby preventing statutory services. Preventative services are, as directed by the ISDM (Department of Social Development, 2006), the primary level of service delivery, by linking families to resources which can limit risky behaviour and to implement a developmental welfare policy. Strong focus is placed on the development of resources in communities to support families and to build capacity, before family crises could develop (Department of Social Development, 2006). Within this context the purpose of this article is to investigate the support (prevention) services available to at-risk families at family welfare organisations to prevent the removal of children and to enhance family preservation.

South Africa adopted a social development approach towards social welfare after the first democratic elections of the country in 1994. On a continuum of social service delivery, the primary target group is the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable people. It appears however after two decades of democracy, that social development, as intended in government policies, differs drastically from practice realities. However, strengths imbedded in the social work profession throughout the history of South Africa are shielding social workers from despair and disillusionment that may erode their pride and professionalism. ; Sudáfrica adoptó un enfoque de desarrollo social orientado hacia el bienestar social después de las primeras elecciones democráticas que hubo en el país en 1994. Una asistencia continua de servicios sociales se destina al grupo más pobre entre los indigentes y las personas más vulnerables. Después de dos décadas de democracia, se tiene la impresión que el desarrollo social así como lo consideran las políticas de gobierno no corresponde con las prácticas en la realidad. Sin embargo, los puntos fuertes de la profesión en el ámbito del trabajo social a través de la historia de Sudáfrica, protegen a los trabajadores sociales de la desesperación y la desilusión que afectan su orgullo y profesionalidad. ; Il Sudafrica ha adottato un approccio allo sviluppo nelle proprie politi-che sociali dopo le prime elezioni democratiche del 1994. Nell'ambito dell'erogazione dei servizi sociali, il principale gruppo dei destinatari è rappresentato dai più poveri tra la popolazione indigente e vulnerabile. Dopo due decenni di democrazia appare chiaro che lo sviluppo sociale, come inteso nelle politiche del governo, sia drasticamente diverso dalla realtà. Tuttavia, i punti di forza sviluppati dal servizio sociale profes-sionale nel corso della storia del Sudafrica stanno proteggendo gli assi-stenti sociali dallo sconforto e dalla disillusione che potrebbero erodere il loro orgoglio e la loro professionalità.

Child maltreatment is a complex global problem which remains difficult to study and address. Over the last decade, we have seen considerable interest by governments globally in learning the lessons from different countries and comparing experiences as systems are adapted and refined. International organisations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF are increasingly prioritising activities to protect children from harm, with important reports on violence against children and strategies for preventing child maltreatment (UNICEF, 2014; World Health Organization, 2002, 2006). In turn, we have begun to see a growing body of literature that has started to provide data and insight into areas such as prevalence rates and developing models of safeguarding as they emerge across an expanding range of countries (e.g. Fang et al., 2015; Hutchinson et al., 2015; Leung et al., 2008; Schmid and Patel, 2016; Sidebotham, 2016).

Worldwide, children in the care of the state constitute one of the most vulnerable groups in society. They are often not heard, or their views not respected in matters concerning them. This is incongruent with the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989). Guided by a conceptual framework of child participation theory, this article analyses South African legislation and policies to determine how and when child participation is being promoted. Findings indicate that providing information to children on how to participate meaningfully is the key for effective child participation and that practical guidelines should be developed.

In 2015, a campaign was launched by students and academics to decolonise university curricula in South Africa. As a response, we reflect on our experiences at Stellenbosch University, based on the premise that not only does our Social Work curriculum require adaptation and renewal through a process of authentication, but that a prerequisite for this process would entail a hybridisation of both a salutary authentic academic culture and curriculum. A value-driven approach guides us through this endeavour in order to create authentic values, principles and student attributes, based on a determined inventory of cultural dimensions.

This article seeks to reflect on knowledge and experiences gained from an International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES). Challenges and opportunities inherent in the development and management of a large-scale international research project in social work are explored. Through a synthesis of conceptual frameworks a process model for international research collaboration is constructed based chiefly on the stages of group development, a conceptual framework for cross-national research, an interdisciplinary teamwork process and collaborative knowledge building. The five stages of the process model, namely forming, norming, storming, performing and adjourning and associated steps are connected by a practice of reflexivity.