Support for Non-Relative Female Foster Parents in South Africa: Quality of Care and Placement Outcomes

Caring for and protecting vulnerable children in foster care continues to be an important realisation of the rights of children in South Africa. The weakening of the extended family and the increasing number of orphaned and vulnerable children give rise to the relevance of non-relative fostering. This article discusses the different sources of support used by female non-relative foster parents when caring for the children. The findings come from a broader doctoral study that explored the experiences of non-relative foster parents. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion. The findings indicate that the participants received the same support as relative foster parents, including financial support from the government in foster care grants, support from faith-based organisations, and support from nuclear family members. Most participants were self-supported through personal incomes and savings, which differed from relative foster parents who relied solely on the foster care grant. The participants received limited or no support from social workers or agencies. This article concludes that the type of support available to non-relative foster parents is the same as that for relative foster parents, and it influences the quality of care and placement outcome. With adequate support, the burden of caring is lessened therefore improving the quality of care. Therefore, it is necessary to provide holistic support to non-relative foster parents to secure their willingness to continue caring, thus improving the quality, recruitment, and retention of foster parenting.

The Need for Culturally Responsive Mediation Practices to Enhance the Process and Outcomes of Mediation for Unmarried Fathers

The past decade has shown significant progress in family mediation services in South Africa, following the implementation of the amended Children’s Act of 2005, which has not fully considered issues relating to customary law and culture pertaining to mediation with unmarried fathers. A broader qualitative explorative study was undertaken to understand the experiences and perceptions of unmarried fathers, unmarried mothers and mediators regarding mediation. This article focuses on factors influencing the process and outcomes of mediation for unmarried fathers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of seven unmarried fathers and eight mediators. Factors were identified that influence the process and outcomes of family mediation, of which culture, customary law and family dynamics are the focus of this article. Findings from Xhosa and Zulu participants in the study highlight the need for the inclusion of culturally responsive approaches to family mediation services by foregrounding issues relating to customary law, culture, and unmarried fathers.

Social Media and the Psychosocial Well-Being of Youths in the Amathole District Municipality, South Africa

The use of social media in the rural areas of South Africa is growing, with the youth being the prominent users. The growth of social media has incited a growing knowledge about impending forthcoming social events. However, there are concerns about mental illness, such as depression, owing to the increase in social comparison. There is a lack of literature on the use of social media in rural areas. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the effects of social media on the psychosocial well-being of the youth in selected rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The study was conducted in the Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Using a qualitative research approach, 30 youths from the Amathole District Municipality were purposively sampled. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings revealed that using social media has a negative bearing on the psychosocial well-being of the youth owing to the discrepancies between appearance, reality and expectations. Some youths use social media as a means of recreation whereas some use social media as a networking method. The study concluded that the extensive use of social media among the youth can lead to comparison and ultimately depression and, therefore, recommended awareness campaigns on the good use of social media so the youth benefit rather than become victims.

Participatory Children’s Radio in the Context of a South African Hospital: An Exploratory Study of Stakeholder Perceptions and Experiences

An emerging body of participatory media work aims to access children’s subjective experiences. One such medium, children’s radio, has increasingly become a significant means of motivating and mobilising vulnerable children in many environments, including hospitals, by creating a space in which they can express their lived experiences. The present study describes stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of a children’s hospital-based radio, drawing on interviews with child patients, family members, health providers, and hospital administrators. Seven healthcare workers or hospital administrators, 10 parents or guardians, 10 child presenters, and 12 child listeners were interviewed, and their interviews analysed using thematic analysis. The children’s caregivers and healthcare professionals felt that the children’s involvement in the radio resulted in significant intrapersonal development. Some benefits of their involvement were pride and increases in confidence. A particularly valuable finding in the present work pertains to the questions of “speaking back” and “voicing”: the radio platform allowed children to voice their feelings and opinions in settings in which they are disadvantaged in terms of the power differential between healthcare providers and those who receive medical care. The children found value in the usual power differentials characterising hospitals, being reversed, as ownership of the radio platform inverted their position as the passive recipients of medical questions and treatment and allowed them the power to voice their questions and concerns.

Robust Responses to the Impact of Climate Change in Zimbabwe: Social Work’s Contribution

It has become important that social work confronts environmental challenges associated with climate change. Environmental social work is an approach to social work practice founded on ecological justice principles. A literature review was conducted to analyse social work’s contribution to robust responses to the impact of climate change in Zimbabwe. Despite an enabling legal and policy environment, the degradation of natural resources has become pervasive owing to Zimbabwe’s socio-economic dynamics. Institutions such as the Council of Social Workers Zimbabwe (Council of Social Workers), and the National Association of Social Workers Zimbabwe complemented by the four universities that offer social work training are found to contribute to social work when mitigating the impact of climate change in Zimbabwe. These strategies enrich social work’s responses to the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. This is achievable by engaging in research opportunities of applied action that explore communities’ public and social spaces. The article concludes by offering pathways for more proactive social work contributions towards mitigating climate change impacts in Zimbabwe.

A Revision of Social Work Practice: Conceptualising Cultural Trauma and the Role of Social Workers in South African Under-Resourced Communities

The experience of both historical and intergenerational trauma creates challenges for a large portion of South African communities. Poverty and inequality are the key drivers of violence, an issue affecting many South Africans. These issues present a challenge to social workers who work in under-resourced communities. The purpose of this article is to focus on the presence of social challenges in three communities, namely, Helenvale, Alexandra and Lavender Hill in South Africa from a point of historical disruptions manifesting in social problems. It broadens the lenses through which social workers view the challenges of service users, in turn creating the opportunity for social workers to develop more empathy through a lens of cultural and intergenerational trauma. Using a descriptive case study, the research draws on the profiles of the above communities. This is done through a document analysis of a sample of academic literature, public documents and news reports about the communities. The article looks at their historical formation and manifestations of cultural disruption through social ills resulting in ongoing exposure to trauma for community members. A thematic analysis was conducted, and themes were identified and strengthened through existing literature and theoretical perspectives on cultural and intergenerational trauma. These themes are (a) experience of forced removals or relocations, (b) manifestations of social problems, (c) exposure to intergenerational trauma, and (d) ongoing cumulative marginalisation.

Pathways to Deviance: Exploring the Relationship between Peer Affiliation, Gang Membership and Youth Misconduct

Deviant peer affiliation and gang membership often act as a catalyst for maladaptive behaviour, as individuals in the late adolescent phase of lifespan development typically share stronger attachment to their peers than to their caregivers. An interrelationship also exists between delinquency and factors such as peer approval of deviance and peer pressure to transgress. This is particularly prevalent when exposed to challenges in the family or school, which typically perpetuate feelings of rejection, leading to a greater likelihood to seek out peers to gain a sense of belonging, support and camaraderie. Despite the importance of these interactions, exposure to antisocial peers or gangs exponentially increase the propensity to transgress, as maladaptive behaviour would be reinforced, thereby decreasing the efficacy of primary and secondary socialisation agents. Moreover, youths may become desensitised to violence, learn to rationalise unlawful behaviour and gain opportunities for crime. Accordingly, a qualitative study was conducted in South Africa to explore peer affiliation and gang membership as a pathway to deviance, based on the unique experiences of 20 detained male youths. The data were obtained through purposive sampling and analysed by frequency or percentage distributions, and also through narrative accounts from the participants. The findings identified deviant peer affiliation (75%) and gang involvement (65%) as key factors which motivated the participants to transgress. Furthermore, the association between peer affiliation, substance abuse, academic failure and truancy was apparent. It is thus envisaged that these findings will stimulate further research, contribute to the existing literature and aid in the development of strategies to manage deviant peer association and gang membership.

An Exploration of the Relationship between Interpersonal Needs and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents

Nonsuicidal self-injury has become a worrying phenomenon among adolescents worldwide, emphasising the need for increasing public health awareness and exploration of the factors associated with this behaviour. This study was framed using Joiner’s Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide and Nock and Prinstein’s four-function model of nonsuicidal self-injury. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the interpersonal needs constructs of Joiner’s theory and nonsuicidal self-injury and is motivated by the need to explore the contagion of self-injury. A cross-sectional convenience sampling method was used to obtain a sample of 216 adolescents, who were recruited from four schools in the greater Durban area, South Africa. Regression analyses were performed to establish whether a relationship exists between the interpersonal needs constructs and nonsuicidal self-injury. The results indicated a positive relationship between perceived burdensomeness and the occurrence of nonsuicidal self-injury in this sample, thereby illuminating thwarted interpersonal needs as a contributor to the occurrence of nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents.

Rethinking Structural Mechanisms for Improving Rapid Identification of Transnational Child Victims of Trafficking in South Africa

Child trafficking is a multiple child rights violation that affects the lives of millions of children worldwide. However, the identification of victims of trafficking continues to be a challenge in the fight against trafficking, yet it is the first step towards recovery for victims. This article reflects the outcomes of a study that aimed to identify mechanisms for the rapid identification of victims of trafficking in South Africa. A qualitative approach was applied to get rich details from the study participants. Purposive sampling was used to select 32 study participants, including key informants and trafficked children, who were individually interviewed for the study. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Possible mechanisms suggested for improving the rapid identification of child victims of trafficking by the study participants included policy reforms, social mobilisation in communities, strengthening access to justice, and the development and training of practitioners. In the application of these mechanisms, a child-centric, victim-centred and time-sensitive approach needs to be adopted. The lack of rapid identification leads to invisibility of trafficked children that subsequently perpetuates the exploitation of children. To increase the identification and visibility of trafficked children and thereby improve psychosocial assistance, the walls of silence need to be broken down.

Challenges of Social Work Students from Historically Disadvantaged Universities during Placements in Semi-Rural Areas in South Africa

This study highlights the challenges faced by social work students during their fourth-year field placements. The research was conducted among social work students at two historically disadvantaged universities in South Africa. The aim of the study was to understand the field experiences of final-year Bachelor of Social Work students from historically disadvantaged universities. It was anticipated that these students were placed at rural or semi-rural communities that were close to the university. Students in the fourth and final year of their undergraduate study are expected to receive training that would generate advanced field practice experience in specialised settings to prepare them for the reality of social work practice in the workplace. A qualitative study was undertaken among current and past social work students. The findings highlighted issues pertaining to limited placements, poorly managed student placements, access to communities, and supervision challenges. However, the key findings indicate that once placed, the students felt abandoned by their training institutions and left to rely solely on their field supervisors for academic, administrative and developmental guidance. The study recommends that universities be more adept at fulfilling the needs of students and providing comprehensive support. The study also recommends that a suitably administered system of communication between the university, student and placement agency be implemented as part of the comprehensive support to students.