Assessment in child protection services: challenges faced by social workers
| dc.contributor.advisor | Strydom, Marianne | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Ndonga, Moreblessing Memory | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-02-22T09:57:45Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-05-18T07:08:59Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-02-22T09:57:45Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-05-18T07:08:59Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Assessment is the first step in child protection service rendering after a case of possible child abuse and neglect is reported. This assessment is the basis upon which important decisions should be made regarding what actions to take to protect children from abuse and neglect. It is therefore an important part of the task of the social worker in child protection practice worldwide. In South Africa, the execution of assessment in child protection services is paramount in the realisation of the rights of children to care and protection as advocated for in international, regional, and domestic policies and legislation. Despite the importance of assessment in the delivery of child protection services, it remains an under-researched area of enquiry when it comes to daily challenges faced by social workers in executing assessments in child protection services with children and families in South Africa. Hence the goal of this study was to gain an understanding of the challenges that social workers experience in assessment practice in child protection services in the South African context. The rights-based perspective and ecological perspective were chosen as the theoretical frameworks for this study. This study employed a qualitative research approach. It was an exploratory and a descriptive study, within a purposive sample selection of 18 social workers and 5 social work supervisors employed in 3 designated NGOs in the Cape Town area. The primary research instrument utilised in this study was the semi-structured interview schedule, which was developed based on themes emerging from literature. Six themes were derived from the participant interviews by way of thematic analysis. These themes were then further divided into subthemes and categories. The study revealed that when social workers undertake assessments, they are faced with challenges relating to the implementation of tools and challenges in organisations, communities and families that they work in. Many of the challenges that social workers face in regards to the implementation of assessment tools are due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of assessment tools which is linked to a lack of formal and refresher training on the implementation of those tools. As a consequence of the lack of formal training, social work supervisors have been burdened to provide informal training to enable social workers in their organisations to implement assessment tools. It is clear from the study’s findings that there is a strong focus on the implementation of the actuarial-based risk assessment tool which is a standardised scoring tool and that there is a lack of implementation of the consensus-based assessment tool which is the assessment triangle adopted from the United Kingdom. The lack of utilisation of the consensus-based assessment tool seems to impact the ability of social workers to complete comprehensive assessments in relation to alleged child abuse and neglect cases. The findings in this study also revealed that there is a strong emphasis on the implementation of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 and therefore, professional steps in assessment are not being implemented. This lack of implementation of steps in assessment has been linked to a lack of time due to high caseloads, shortage of organisational resources, shortage of resources, violence in communities, low educational levels in families, and a lack of experience and training of social workers in the implementation of assessment tools and procedures in child protection. Thus, it seems that current assessment practices, including strategies utilised in assessments, are possibly not tailored to the reality of the South African context and therefore pose further challenges to the execution of assessments. It can be concluded that the ability to execute comprehensive assessments will not improve without the improvement of community resources (facilities) and organisational resources (cars, computers, office space, funds and manpower). These resources are necessary to improve the delivery of social services, including the execution of assessments with children and families in order to protect the rights of children to care and protection. Apart from having to address the issue of resources, it is recommended that social workers be provided with sufficient training concerning the implementation of assessment tools and procedures in child protection. Finally, there could be also a need to revise and adapt the current assessment tools to suite the South African context. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Assessering is die eerste stap in die lewering van kinderbeskermingsdienste nadat ‘n geval van moontlike kindermishandeling en -verwaarlosing aangemeld is. Hierdie assessering is die basis waarop belangrike besluite geneem moet word oor watter stappe om te vat om kinders teen mishandeling en verwaarlosing te beskerm. Wêreldwyd is hierdie dus ‘n kritieke aspek van die maatskaplike werker se take in die lewering van kinderbeskermingsdienste. In Suid-Afrika is die uitvoering van assesserings in kinderbeskermingsdienste noodsaaklik vir die verwesenliking van die regte van kinders op versorging en beskerming soos voorgestaan in internasionale, streeks- en plaaslike beleide en wetgewing. Ten spyte van die belangrikheid van assessering in die lewering van kinderbeskermingsdienste, bly assessering ’n veld waaroor min navorsing gedoen word. Veral wanneer dit kom by die uitdagings wat maatskaplike werkers daagliks in die gesig staar in die uitvoering van assesserings in kindersbeskermingsdienste met kinders en families/gesinne in Suid-Afrika. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die daaglikse uitdagings wat maatskaplike werkers in die assesseringspraktyk in kinderbeskermingsdienste in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks teëkom, beter te begryp. Die regte-gebaseerde perspektief en ekologiese perspektief is gevolglik as die teorietiese raamwerke vir hierdie studie gekies. ʼn Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is in hierdie studie gebruik. Dit was ’n verkennende en ’n beskrywende studie wat gebruik gemaak het van ’n doelgerigte steekproefseleksie van 18 maatskaplike werkers en 5 maatskaplikewerk-toesighouers wat in diens van 3 nieregeringsorganisasies (NRO’s) in die Kaapstad-omgewing was. Die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoudskedule is as primêre navorsingsinstrument in die studie aangewend. Hierdie skedule is ontwikkel op grond van die temas wat uit die literatuur na vore gekom het. Ses temas is by wyse van tematiese analise van die onderhoude met die deelnemers afgelei. Hierdie temas is verder in subtemas en kategorieë verdeel. Die studie het aan die lig gebring dat wanneer maatskaplike werkers assesserings onderneem, hulle verskeie uitdagings moet hanteer, welke uitdagings wissel van die toepassing van hulpmiddels tot uitdagings in organisasies, gemeenskappe en families waarbinne hulle diens lewer. Baie van die uitdagings wat maatskaplike werkers in die gesig staar met betrekking tot die implementering van assesseringshulpmiddels kan aan ’n gebrek aan kennis en begrip van die assesseringsinstrumente toegeskryf word, wat gekoppel is aan ’n gebrek aan formele en opknappingsopleiding oor die implementering van daardie hulpmiddels. Weens die gebrek aan formele opleiding word maatskaplikewerk-toesighouers onder druk geplaas om informele opleiding aan maatskaplike werkers binne hul organisasies te verskaf om hulle sodoende in staat te stel om assesseringsinstrumente te implementeer. Die bevindinge van die studie dui daarop dat daar meestal gefokus word op die implementering van die aktuarieel-gebaseerde risiko-assesseringsinstrument wat ’n gestandardiseerde tellingsinstrument is. Dit dui ook daarop dat die konsensus-gebaseerde assesseringsinstrument – die assesseringsdriehoek wat uit die Verenigde Koninkryk geïnkorporeer is – min implementeer word. Die gebrek aan die gebruik van die konsensus-gebaseerde assesseringsinstrument beïnvloed blykbaar die vermoë van maatskaplike werkers om omvattende assesserings te doen met betrekking tot beweerde kindermishandeling- en -verwaarlosingsgevalle. Die bevindinge van die studie het ook aan die lig gebring dat daar baie klem gelê word op die implementering van die Kinderwet 38 van 2005 en dat professionele stappe in assessering om daardie rede nie geïmplementeer word nie. Hierdie gebrek aan die implementering van stappe in assessering is gekoppel aan ’n gebrek aan tyd as gevolg van hoë gevalleladings, tekorte aan organisatoriese hulpbronne, tekorte aan hulpbronne in die gemeenskappe, die teenwoordigheid van geweld in gemeenskappe, lae opvoedkundige vlakke van gesinne, en ’n gebrek aan ondervinding en opleiding van maatskaplike werkers in die implementering van assesseringsinstrumente en -prosedures in kinderbeskerming. Dit blyk dus dat huidige assesseringspraktyke, insluitend strategieë wat in assesserings gebruik word, moontlik nie by die realiteit van die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks aangepas is nie en dus verdere uitdagings vir die uitvoering van assesserings stel. Daar kan tot die gevolgtrekking gekom word dat die vermoë om omvattende assesserings uit te voer nie sal verbeter alvorens die gemeenskapshulpbronne (fasiliteite) en organisatoriese hulpbronne (motors, rekenaars, kantoorspasie, fondse en mannekrag) verbeter nie. Hierdie hulpbronne is nodig om die lewering van maatskaplike dienste te verbeter, insluitend die uitvoering van assessering met kinders en gesinne om die regte van kinders op sorg en beskerming te beskerm. Behalwe om die kwessie van hulpbronne aan te spreek, word aanbeveel dat maatskaplike werkers van voldoende opleiding voorsien word rakende die implementering van assesseringsinstrumente en -prosedures in kinderbeskerming. Laastens bestaan daar ook moontlik ’n behoefte dat die bestaande assesseringsinstrumente evalueer en pasgemaak moet word vir die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctoral | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xxi, 351 pages : illustrations | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127191 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Child abuse -- Prevention | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Child welfare -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Social service -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Children -- Services for -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | South Africa. Children's Act, 2005 | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Children -- Legal status, laws, etc. | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Children's rights | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Social workers -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.name | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Assessment in child protection services: challenges faced by social workers | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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