Browsing by Author " Andrews, Lynn Shanon"

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    The role of social workers rendering empowerment services to school-leavers from disadvantaged communities
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Andrews, Lynn Shanon; Cornelissen-Nordien, Tasneemah ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: School-leavers are deemed a vulnerable group as there are varying factors which impact their lives and functioning, and according to South African policy and legislation, social workers are best placed to address these needs and challenges. Understanding the needs and challenges of school-leavers from disadvantaged communities helps social workers recognise the different roles they need to adopt in rendering empowerment services, to alleviate these needs and challenges. This study aimed to identify the diverse roles that social workers adopt when rendering services to this vulnerable group and how this could alleviate the needs and challenges faced by school-leavers. A clear focus was placed on policy and legislation impacting social work service delivery to school-leavers, as this impacts the provision of empowerment service rendering. In this study, a qualitative research methodology was used to obtain extensive insights into the participants' views and perspectives. The research incorporated both descriptive and exploratory designs, emphasizing the significance of depicting diverse narratives from the participants. Both purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques was adopted with a predefined set of criteria determining participant inclusion. A total of 20 participants were interviewed with the use of a semi-structured interview schedule. Subsequently, the collected data was transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis. The main conclusion drawn from the results obtained indicated that social workers play diverse roles, varying based on the specific needs and challenges faced by school-leavers. However, services are not always effectively rendered, as a result of inadequate policy implementation and a lack of resources. Caseloads of social workers was also identified to be a factor impacting empowerment service delivery. This is of great concern in South Africa, as there are many school-leavers and not enough social workers. In addition to this, school-leavers are often not aware of social work services, and they therefore cannot access much-needed resources. Empowerment stands out as a recurring theme, particularly in how social workers can aid school-leavers. Empowerment practices, such as providing resources and essential information, are crucial. Equally, social workers themselves need empowerment to effect positive outcomes for these school-leavers.