The facilitation of social integration on community level : a social work perspective

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Currently much attention is given in South African welfare legislation and in recent local andintemationalliterature and research to the process of social integration and the formation of socialcapital as one of the ideational outcomes of a social development approach, and therefore also akey practice element of developmental social work. Very little research have been undertaken todocument the changes in social work practice brought about by the transition to a socialdevelopment approach in South Africa. The purpose of this study is to formulate social workpractice guidelines on the facilitation of social integration on community level. It thereforeconstitutes an attempt to illuminate how social workers could contribute to the national thrusttoward the social integration of communities and provide valuable guidelines to social workerson the practical realization of this key element of developmental social work.In order to gain new insight and to clarify central concepts relating to this relatively unfamiliarresearch area, an exploratory research design was utilised. The population for the study consistedof practising social workers in welfare agencies subsidised by the Department of Social Servicesin the Cape Metropolitan area. From the population a sample was drawn utilising samplingstrategies from both the probability and non-probability sampling procedures. The study was bothqualitative and quantitative in nature and in-dept interviews were chosen as the method of datacollection.The interview schedule was compiled from the literature survey. In this survey the relationbetween the social development approach to welfare and social integration was explained, andsome of the core focus areas for the social integration of South African communities wereidentified. Furthermore a discussion was given on community intervention strategies as a coremethod of social work as well as its practice implications for developmental social work. Fromthis literature survey structured and unstructured questions were formulated and compiled in aninterview schedule. This measurement instrument was utilised to explore how social workers canfacilitate the social integration of communities through community intervention strategies. Fromthe analysis ofthe results of the empirical study, social work practice guidelines on the facilitationof social integration on community level were formulated.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University