Masters Degrees (Occupational Therapy)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Occupational Therapy) by browse.metadata.advisor "Goliath, Charlyn"

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    A transformation strategy for Protective Workshops : towards comprehensive services for adults with intellectual disability
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04) Terreblanche, Susan Elizabeth; Goliath, Charlyn; Cloete, Lizahn; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Health Sciences. Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Occupational Therapy.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African Protective Workshops struggle to transform to align to a developmental human rights approach and to increase sustainability in the absence of a uniform model and an implementation strategy. This study applied qualitative research methodology in the form of Action Research with Co-operative Inquiry to answer the research question of what could be a framework of best practice for and strategy of transformation for protective workshops (PWs) operated by the South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH) in South Africa. It included the development of a transformation strategy for 31 PWs for adults with intellectual disability operated by SAFMH member organisations across South Africa. Seven representatives from the managers and service users of PWs were selected trough convenient sampling. The participants formed a co-operative inquiry group to determine the nature of the service to be delivered and how it should be implemented. The purpose was to develop a framework for possible and relevant services for persons with intellectual disability. Such services should preferably be aligned to the human rights based legislation and funding requirements of the Department of Social Development as to increase the long-term sustainability of the PWs. Given that the study was funded by the SAFMH, the directors requested that the Co-operative Inquiry Group use the exisisting best practice model used by Cape Mental Health as a template and point of departure. The study was done over a 12-month period (February 2012 – February 2013) and included a research initiation meeting, four search conferences and a presentation of the findings to the SAFMH Directors. The study contributed new knowledge on the nature of service provision to persons with ID and the ideal process to transform services within the SAFMH context. Through inductive content analysis two themes emerged namely: 1) Comprehensive service provision and 2) Coordinated transformation of services. The first theme determined that comprehensive services to persons with ID should consist of inclusive, appropriate, enabling and empowering services. The second theme suggested a new way of coordinating the transformation of services through systematic implementation, suitable regulation, sufficient capacity and ensuring sustainability. A central management structure was suggested to ensure coordinated implementation, to secure funding and to monitor and evaluate the implementation. A mind-shift towards new thinking was identified as a prerequisite for stakeholders buy-in on transformed service delivery. This mind-shift relates to the status of the service users with ID as adults in training towards employment in the open labour market and maximum integration into society. This study contributed new knowledge that informs the development of a new service delivery framework of best practice. The proposed implementation strategy could offer persons with ID the opportunity to progress and develop towards their maximal level of integration into society. It further provided PWs with possibilities for conceptualising different models of practice in the form of an implementable framework and a strategy to transform services. The findings were presented to the SAFMH Directors who adopted the concept framework and implementaimplementation strategy in theory as a proposal for future transformation without amendments.