3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Social welfare officers' perceptions of family reunification services in Lusaka, Zambia(2019) Mumbuna, YetambuyuZambia held its first national consultation on the ‘Children’s Care Reform’ in Lusaka on the 6th of May 2016. The aim of this consultation was to deliberate on issues affecting children without appropriate care, as well as to devise strategies for accelerating the National Child Care Reform process. A Call to Action was drafted on the Child Care Reform process after this consultative meeting. Key among the issues to be addressed was strengthening the capacity of the social welfare workforce to be able to meet the current and increasing needs of children, families and communities where children are unnecessarily separated from their families. Rendering effective services to vulnerable children placed in alternative care arrangements, such as child care facilities was highlighted. For many children who have been placed in alternative care, family reunification is usually possible if effective social welfare services are rendered by social workers and other social welfare officers. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of district and senior social welfare officers in regard to rendering effective family reunification services to children in alternative care. A qualitative research approach was selected to study the complex phenomenon of family reunification within the context of the Social Welfare Department and Ministry of Community Development and Social Services in Lusaka. Non-probability, purposive sampling was applied through which 18 study participants who met the inclusion criteria, namely district and senior social welfare officers took part in the study. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data using an interview guide as a research tool. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data which was collected during this study. Findings of the study indicate that social welfare officers faced many challenges related to rendering professional family reunification services. For those services to be rendered in a professional manner and based on the best interests of the child principle; adequate funding and staff is required; knowledge and skills have to be improved to enable the social welfare officers to address the complex and unique needs of children and their families in a child welfare system that is undergoing a reform.Item Early life risks and child development(2018) Slemming, WiedaadBackground Exposure to biological and psychosocial risks, particularly during the first three years of life, affects brain development and compromises the short- and long-term health and development of children, as well as their educational achievement and long-term productivity. This study sought to determine the effects of maternal and child environmental and psychosocial exposures during pregnancy and the first two years of the child’s life on growth and development outcomes in early childhood (up to 5 years) in an urban South African birth cohort. Methods Data used for this study was from the Birth to Twenty Plus (Bt20+) longitudinal birth cohort study, initiated in 1990 in the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, South Africa. First, the associations between exposure to nine maternal risks, assessed in 1228 women, and subsequent infant birth weight was assessed. Second, the study examined the effects of risk exposure to the mother (and child) during pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life on stunting at age 2 years in 1098 mother–child pairs. Finally, the associations between ten demographic and psychosocial exposures occurring during the third trimester of pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life and child development age 5 were examined in 636 mother-child pairs. Multivariable regression analyses were used to investigate associations between exposures and outcomes. Further analysis was undertaken to assess whether early life growth mediated the associations between maternal and household exposures and child development outcome at age 5. Results Unwanted pregnancy (or ambivalence) was associated with a ~156 g reduction in infant birth weight (β = −0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.51, −0.14). Tobacco use during pregnancy was negatively associated with BWZ (β = −0.32, 95% CI: −0.59, −0.05). Exposure to both these risks was associated with cumulative reductions in birth weight. Approximately 1 in 5 children were stunted at age 2 years, with males at greater risk than females. Higher maternal education was protective for females (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.87), while higher household SES was protective for males (AOR for richest SES group = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.92). Males scored significantly lower than females on the developmental measure at age 5. Improved child developmental outcome was associated with higher birthweight for both sexes and superior linear growth in males. R-DPDQ scores increased by 0.84 units for every 1 SD increase in relative linear growth between birth and two years (β = 0.84 [95% CI 0.30, 1.39]). Socio-economic status (for both sexes) and maternal education for males were significant predictors of better child development. Growth status did not mediate the effects of socio-economic status (either sex) or maternal education (males) on developmental outcome. Conclusion Social factors, especially social determinants such as household SES and maternal education, were associated with early childhood growth and development in this context. Prenatal (using birthweight as a proxy) and postnatal growth were important for child development. Males were particularly vulnerable to poor growth and development in this cohort. The effects of household SES and maternal education on child development at 5 years were not mediated by linear growth between birth and 4 years.Item Supervision - the power to save? an exploration of the role supervision can play in a social worker's decision to resign in the child protection field(2016) Hunter, Kirsty AnneSocial work in South Africa is challenged by high caseloads, dangerous working environments and poor remuneration (Social Work Indaba, 2015). These challenges combined with high voluntary staff turnover rates (40.4% in 2006) have negative consequences for the protection of South Africa`s vulnerable children (Earle-Malleson (2009). In this context, supervision is often proposed as a potential cure-all for the tensions in social work. This study utilises an instrumental case study design to describe and explore child protection social workers’ perceptions of supervision and retention. The key aim of the study is to interrogate the role of effective social work supervision on a social worker’s decision to leave the employment of a child protection organisation in Gauteng. Twelve participants were identified through a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. Utilising a semi structured interview schedule, face to face interviews were conducted with each participant. The data obtained from the interviews was transcribed and analysed thematically. The research findings yielded concerning results on the supervision the participants had received with only 25% of the participants indicating that they found their supervision supportive and educational. High levels of organisational disengagement were noted, which created an organisational climate of neglect. This contributed indirectly to ten participant’s decision to resign as a lack of supervision heightened their frustrations with the system and their increased perceptions of child protection work as monotonous. A lack of a supportive and educational focus also closed off opportunities for participants to grow as social workers and learn adaptive coping skills. This led to some participants feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Both of these factors were cited as reasons for exiting child protection organisations. These findings reaffirm the importance of supervision as a reflexive process and provide insight into the targeting of interventions aimed at retaining child protection social workers in South Africa. Keywords: Child protection; retention; effective supervision; job embeddedness; social worker; disengagement; voluntary staff turnover