The Appropriate Model for Occupational Social Work and EAPs in South Africa: An Occupational Social Work Perspective

Abstract

A casual scan of workplace based mental health services in South Africa reveals a developing tendency and trend towards the outsourcing of this service. Most companies that previously boosted relatively huge integrated and comprehensive workplace mental health services have ceased offering these services internally in favour of sourcing them from external service providers. Most occupational social workers who previously worked in these departments are now part of the outsourced services. Occupational social work theory advocates for practitioners to go beyond focusing on the individual by also seeking to impact on the environment and the community in the quest to serve the needs of their clients. Some services, particularly if the practitioner seeks to change the host organisation, are easier to render when the practitioner is within the organisation. The present study investigated, using robust statistical methods, firstly, the desirability of comprehensiveness and integration in workplace mental health services, and, secondly, whether observed levels of comprehensiveness and integration in service delivery in a single organisation that uses outsourced workplace mental health services are in line with desired levels. The research results indicate that host organisations desire more comprehensiveness and integration in workplace mental health services than is currently observed from an outsourced mental health service.