Experiences of Ekurhuleni Non-Profit Organisations in rendering psychosocial support services to enhance people’s well-being

Abstract

This study took place at Ekurhuleni, East Rand corridor of Gauteng province in South Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to explore those NPOs experiences which include their perception on the provision of psychosocial support services, their role in rendering psychosocial support services to enhance Ekurhuleni people’ well-being, challenges that they face while rendering psychosocial support services as well as their coping strategies within those challenges. The aim was reached through different NPOs staff members interviewed. System theory was applied by the researcher in understanding how NPOs work with different stakeholders as well as the relationship between NPO staff members together with their clients. This theory clarified that NPOs function within a system made up of its own staff members, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. The researcher also adopted a strengths-based approach to bring to consciousness the strengths that NPOs use to cope with different issues they face, it also helped NPOs to be aware of the inner power they have that keeps them going. The study was conducted using a qualitative research approach which allowed the researcher to study people’s behaviours and experiences. Descriptive and exploratory research designs were adopted to describe and explore more information on the NPO’s experiences. The study used a purposive sampling procedure whereby the researcher visited different known Ekurhuleni NPOs to get five social workers, five social auxiliary workers and five managers to be research participants. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted by interviewing five managers and five social auxiliary workers individually using an interview guide. Meanwhile, one focus group discussion conducted with five social workers using a focus group discussion guide. Furthermore, the thematic analysis method was applied in analysing the collected data and the research findings confirmed that different NPOs in Ekurhuleni are providing similar psychosocial support services with the same mandate to benefit people’s well-being. They face challenges that make it impossible to completely enhance the well-being of people such as lack of resources, funding, proposal skills, and staff supervision. The study recommends South African government to create new policy that will support NPOs more on overcoming their challenges. The police need to embrace government funding in a form of land and buildings, ensure the fulfilment of people’s needs that NPOs cannot meet, provide supervision to NPO staff, capacitate NPOs on proposal skills on the regular basis and also taking over specific NPO’s clients if that NPO happened to lose its funding by any reason.