Maatskaplike werkers by gesinsorgorganisasies seperspektief op gesinsinstandhoudingsdienste aanhoërisiko-gesinne

[摘要] According to South African policy documents social workers are encouraged to implement adevelopmental-focused policy regarding social work service delivery. This implies that socialwork service delivery should focus firstly on preventive services, then on early interventionservices and lastly on statutory services. In terms of the delivery of family preservationservices this prerequisite requires that preventive services should be aimed at the provision offamily preservation services by integrating the parents of high risk families in informal andformal sources in their communities. Early intervention services require that family-centredand intensive crisis services should be delivered to high risk families to prevent statutoryservices or the removal of children from their families.This study explored the perspective of social workers on the state of family preservationservices provided by three non-governmental organizations in the Western Cape Metropoleand surrounding areas. The study also identifies social workers‟ perspective on the obstaclesexperienced during the implementation of developmental-focused policy according to policydocuments. A combined quantitative and qualitative research methodology was used toinvolve social workers employed by three non-governmental organizations in the WesternCape Metropole and surrounding areas in an exploratory study.Findings derived from the empirical study on the state of family preservation services showthat social workers are unsure of the exact meaning of the term family preservation services.As far as family-centred preservation services (early intervention services) are concerned, thestudy found that limited concrete services are delivered, and that there is a stronger focus oneducational and therapeutic services. With regard to family-supportive preservation services(preventive services), findings indicate the existence of limited services or sources at familyorganizations with which parents can be integrated on a continuous basis to expand theirinformal and formal networks, in accordance with the viewpoints of family support.With regard to the implementation of policy documents, it seems that there is still a strongerfocus on delivering statutory rather than preventive services. Obstacles influencing thedelivery of preventive services are, inter alia, large case loads, where especially statutoryservices are delivered, as well as a lack of human resources. A lack of funding to initiate andmaintain projects is a further obstacle to the delivery of developmental-focused services.Another important aspect is the fact that social workers are unsure of what preventive andearly intervention services comprise, in terms of family maintenance.The most important recommendations resulting from the study indicate that familyorganizations are incapable of implementing a developmental-focused policy if the State doesnot attend to the obstacles that exist at non-governmental organizations in the form ofinadequate human resources and funding. Social workers should also receive thorough inservicetraining regarding the content of family preservation services. The non-governmentalorganizations should also investigate ways of delivering more comprehensive family-centredservices like concrete and enabling services, since there is currently an imbalance between,for example, the delivery of concrete and therapeutic services.With regard to family support services, the study recommends that family organizationsshould try to initiate more services and resources, in accordance with a development-centredpolicy, that can be available continually to high risk families in the community, and that canbe used as a resource. The development of appropriate support services, for instance homevisit programs, can reduce the workload of social workers and simultaneously increase thenetworks available to high risk families, so that social exclusion can be counteracted, inaccordance with the viewpoints of family preservation services.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University