The role of the social worker in the reunification of foster children with their biological parents

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A combination of an exploratory and descriptive study together with an approachcontaining elements of both the quantitative and qualitative approach was chosen inorder to obtain knowledge of and insight into the role of the social worker in thereunification of foster children with their biological parents. The motivation for this studyarose from the awareness of the lack of South African literature on the role of the socialworker in the reunification of foster children with their biological parents as well as thelack of accessible information about social workers' use of reconstruction services in thereunification of foster children and biological parents in South Africa. The researcherbecame aware of this lack in South African literature about family reunification servicesand programmes delivered during a preliminary search done on the Nexus Data-Base(1999). The aim of the study is therefore to gain a better understanding of how socialworkers render reconstruction services to contribute to the reunification process offoster children with their biological parents in terms of the Child Care Act 74 of 1983.The literature study first focused on the process and procedures of statutory removal ofchildren within the South African context of the Child Care Act 74 of 1983 to gain abetter understanding of the circumstances where the removal of children is justifiableaccording to the Act. The literature study was also undertaken to gain insight into thedecisions social workers make when placing children in foster care as well as theservices social workers deliver to foster parents, biological parents and foster childrenduring reconstruction service delivery. The role of the social worker in the delivery offoster care and reconstruction services was explored, where the social developmentand strengths perspectives have become the norm, guiding social workers to engage ina range of interventions as stipulated in the White Paper for Social Welfare (Ministry forWelfare and Population Development, 1997) and the Integrated Service Delivery Model(2004). he researcher involved 21 social workers in this study who render reconstructionservices with both children and their parents in selected non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) rendering child and family welfare services in the Strand,Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Kuils River and the Department of Social Services inPaarl.The results of the investigation largely confirmed the findings of the literature studynamely that a large number of children are removed from parental care (the biologicalparents), and need reconstruction services from child welfare organizations in SouthAfrica where social workers are the catalysts in rendering such services. Social workershowever, due to the lack of sufficient resources such as time and sufficient numbers, donot have the ability to deliver reconstruction services to sustain and enhance the promptreturn of children to their biological parents.The results therefore gave a good indication of social workers' delivery of reconstructionservices. Social workers should have their workload reduced, enabling them to providemore therapeutic services to foster children, biological parents and foster families in thefoster care process; government should support welfare organizations financially,increasing the probability of welfare organizations to employ more social workers, andthereby increasing the number of social workers rendering reconstruction services;social workers should through cooperation with other welfare organizations deliverfoster care services to increase resources such as knowledge and skills to assist fosterchildren and their biological parents in their reunification.The recommendations were aimed at services relating to assessment, prevention andintervention with this vulnerable and marginalized group. The recommendations alsoincluded that future research be done in order to focus on the specific reconstructionservices that could increase the probability of foster children returning to their biologicalparents. This may decrease the large number of foster children currently staying infoster care for longer than the restricted period of two years.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University