Experiences of social workers with children reared in same-gender families in Johannesburg
Date
2014-01-20
Authors
Mdluli, Jabulile Jessie
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Abstract
Some social workers are concerned with children raised in same-gender
families. They argue that this may result in children suffering from gender
identity crisis. Some, however, perceive this as being prejudice and
unfounded. The purpose of this paper was to explore the experiences
(practices) of social workers in placing children in same-gender families in
relation to their gender identity challenges. This study was qualitative in
nature. It was conducted in the Johannesburg area. In-depth interviews
were used as a method of gathering data from social workers to answer
the research questions. The findings indicate that it is true that most social
workers are concerned with the placement of children in same-gender
family structures. However, the study revealed that there are many factors
that influence the formation and development of gender identity. The
study concludes that while social workers have different experiences in
handling same-gender placements, their experiences are predominantly
negative. It recommends that there should be an improvement in the
implementation of the South African Constitution, Children’s Act coupled
with its rules and regulations. Finally, the study also recommends that the
Department of Social Development, Child Protection Organisations (CPOs)
and Child Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) should design a programme to train
and support social workers in dealing with same-gender cases.
Description
MM (P&DM) thesis
Keywords
Social work, Same-sex relationships, Gender identity