Perspektief van maatskaplike werkers oor die assessering by die lewering van kinderbeskermingsdienste

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: African social workers rendering social service, typically focus more on child protection services and statutory work and less so on the family. For quality services to be rendered, the social worker's primary task must be to assess the family on a holistic manner. Services cannot be rendered if assessment is not completed correctly.Social work policy and legislation are the guiding principles to service delivery to vulnerable families. The Children's Act 38 of 2005 as amended 41 of 2007, forces social workers to render services to vulnerable families (Republic of South Africa, 1996). Child neglect and abuse is one of the biggest problems in the world and therefore children should be protected.This study investigates the perspectives about assessment during the rendering of child protection services of social workers in the West Cape Metropole and surrounding areas. Firstly, a literature study was done to better understand the way in which social workers use social policy and legislation during child protection services. Secondly, the use of the ecological approach during the rendering of child protection services to families was investigated. Finally a literature study explains the assessments done when rendering child protection services as well as the challenges that social workers have to face whilst rendering these services in the social work sector.This study primarily followed a qualitative approach, however a quantity approach was used where the identification details of respondents were asked. This study also used both an exploratory and a descriptive research design that provide more in-depth descriptions and results of the investigation. The researcher also made use of a semi-structured interview schedule to interview the twenty respondents on the perspectives of social workers on assessment during the rendering of child protection services.Important findings of this study were that even though South African policies and legislation both guide child protection services, the respondents in this study experienced different types of obstacles in practice. The study also shows that the respondents interpret the policies and legislation differently. A further finding was that respondents indicated that risks have different meanings for social workers and families. Current risk assessments are therefore difficult to implement because workers did not receive any formal training.Respondents also found that sufficient specialised training about assessments during the rendering of child protection services is not available and that this influences the quality of the assessment as well as the decision to remove the child. Further findings were that respondents did not use or interpret theory during assessment in child protection services.South African social workers rendering child protection services to vulnerable families at child and family organisations need to receive specialised training and learn how to apply literature. It is the South African government's responsibility to provide access to funds for child protection agencies to help agencies in their struggle to provide a better quality of social work services to protect vulnerable families.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University