Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
Fatherhood intervention programmes seek to redress fundamental issues that prevent men from succe... more Fatherhood intervention programmes seek to redress fundamental issues that prevent men from succeeding in their fathering role. An understanding and evidence of the influence of fatherhood interventions on the role of the father in the family are thus required. This study, conducted in South Africa, explored the perceptions and experiences of fathers and their partners after the fathers’ exposure to a fatherhood intervention programme. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was utilised to this end. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and three main themes emerged from the analysis. The study found that fathers and their partners perceived and experienced the fathers to be more involved, responsible, and sharing in parenthood after exposure to the fatherhood intervention programme. This led to an increase of father involvement with children – childcare activities, schoolwork, the well-being of the children, and an increase in involvement in the home.
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
Social work services globally started as a result of society’s response to basic human needs, and... more Social work services globally started as a result of society’s response to basic human needs, and thus facilitated alleviating, based on doing good, the plight of those in need. Since its inception as a professional discipline, social work has always been associated with poverty relief and services to persons with substance use disorders (SUDs). The high prevalence of SUDs in South Africa makes it one of the top 10 substance abusing countries globally. As such, the demand for social work services, aimed at substance abuse intervention, has increased rapidly over the past 20 years, resulting in the emergence of many non-profit organisations (NPOs). However, there are gaps in evidence-based research on social work services provided by NPOs to persons with SUDs. The focus of the article is on the nature and scope of social work services provided by NPOs to adults with SUDs. The population for the study was supplied by NPOs across the Cape Metropole, offering services to persons with SU...
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
In this study, we focused on the effects of parental substance abuse on family well-being in a se... more In this study, we focused on the effects of parental substance abuse on family well-being in a selected rural area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, because of the lack of research in this community. The farm workers in this community were paid partially with alcohol, which is historically associated with the tot system. In this study, we used a qualitative approach to conduct semi-structured individual interviews with six known substance-abusing parents and six family members of substance-abusing parents. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit the participants from farms in the rural community. The themes centred on the effects of parental substance use on intimate relationships, parenting, children and family functioning. The findings confirm that parental substance abuse in the selected rural area seemed no different to the effects in an urban setting. We therefore suggest that the sociocultural setting of the rural area underscore the ways in which thes...
IntroductionThere are presently over four million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the South Afr... more IntroductionThere are presently over four million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the South African national antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme. However, some ART programmes are battling poor ART adherence emanating from patient-related factors, including their religious beliefs. In this paper, we outline a study protocol to understand the adherence behaviours of Pentecostal Christians living with HIV to ART and to develop guidelines that can be used to strengthen ART adherence.Methods and analysisWe propose an exploratory multimethod research design. In phase 1, a scoping review will be conducted. The data captured in this phase will be put into charting forms, analysed qualitatively, and then collated and summarised to hypothesise the relationship between religious beliefs and ART adherence. In phase 2, an explanatory qualitative approach will be used. Semistructured interviews will be conducted with purposefully selected religious leaders, Pentecostal Christians living with...
This scoping review provides the available evidence on support interventions and networks for you... more This scoping review provides the available evidence on support interventions and networks for youths aging out of child and youth care centres (CYCCs), and makes recommendations for best practice to alleviate the plight of youths leaving CYCCs. Thirteen databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 80 articles, 26 of which met the review criteria: English, full-text, peer-reviewed, open-access studies conducted between 2015 and 2020 on social networks and transitional services to youths aging out of residential care. Recommendations are made for policy changes, extending the age of eligibility and strengthening social support networks for youths transitioning into independent living. Keywords: child and youth care centres, positive transition outcomes, residential care, support interventions, social support networks, youths aging out of care
IntroductionSub-Saharan Africa continues to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. As such, ... more IntroductionSub-Saharan Africa continues to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. As such, several countries in sub-Saharan Africa are implementing the UNAIDS’ recommendation to test and treat people living with HIV (PLHIV) irrespective of their CD4 count. However, most of the antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes, in this region, continue to struggle with poor adherence to treatment stemming from patient-related factors including their religious beliefs. Unfortunately, the role of religious beliefs on ART adherence has been underexplored in the literature. In this study protocol, we propose the steps of a scoping review to explore, identify and map the literature on the impact of religious beliefs on adherence to ART among Pentecostals living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods and analysisWe will use Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology guidelines to conduct this scoping review. The following databases will be searched for releva...
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
The process of screening prospective foster parents is a requirement before a child in need of ca... more The process of screening prospective foster parents is a requirement before a child in need of care and protection is placed in foster care. This is to ensure that the prospective foster parents fit the criteria for fostering children. The aim of this scoping review was to review current literature on guidelines for the screening of prospective foster parents. The six steps of Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was used. A total of 13 databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 75 studies, 11 of which met the inclusion criteria: English, full text, peer reviewed, open access studies conducted between 2017 and 2021 on guidelines for screening prospective foster parents. The data were analysed thematically. This study revealed six key components that are included in the screening of prospective foster parents, namely, personal factors relating to values and beliefs, social networks, interpersonal communication, personality characteristics, prospective foster parent–foster chil...
Substance abuse is a universal challenge which places strain on the demand for a country’s social... more Substance abuse is a universal challenge which places strain on the demand for a country’s social welfare resources. In South Africa – one of the countries with the highest number of methamphetamine (MA) users in the world – the demand for substance abuse services has increased rapidly in the past 20 years. Using the framework of ecological systems theory, the study’s main aim was to gain an understanding of the nature, scope and utilisation of social work services that non-profit organisations (NPOs) provide to adult MA users, in order to make informed recommendations in line with current policy directives to NPOs in the Cape metropolitan area. A qualitative case study approach was used together with an exploratory and descriptive case study design. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 10 service providers and 10 service users The eight-step approach to thematic data analysis by Tesch (in Creswell, 1994) was used in combination with Atlas Ti. Key findings were ...
INTRODUCTION Teaching (in any discipline) is rewarding when students show the required growth and... more INTRODUCTION Teaching (in any discipline) is rewarding when students show the required growth and development in terms of their knowledge, skills and attitude (within the social work context) (Kadushin & Harkness, 2002). So it is disappointing when, in completing various assessment tasks, some students do not achieve the learning objectives set for a given task. The most troubling within the UWC context was the challenges students experienced on the third year level in integrating their theoretical knowledge with their practice learning.
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
Fatherhood intervention programmes seek to redress fundamental issues that prevent men from succe... more Fatherhood intervention programmes seek to redress fundamental issues that prevent men from succeeding in their fathering role. An understanding and evidence of the influence of fatherhood interventions on the role of the father in the family are thus required. This study, conducted in South Africa, explored the perceptions and experiences of fathers and their partners after the fathers’ exposure to a fatherhood intervention programme. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was utilised to this end. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and three main themes emerged from the analysis. The study found that fathers and their partners perceived and experienced the fathers to be more involved, responsible, and sharing in parenthood after exposure to the fatherhood intervention programme. This led to an increase of father involvement with children – childcare activities, schoolwork, the well-being of the children, and an increase in involvement in the home.
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
Social work services globally started as a result of society’s response to basic human needs, and... more Social work services globally started as a result of society’s response to basic human needs, and thus facilitated alleviating, based on doing good, the plight of those in need. Since its inception as a professional discipline, social work has always been associated with poverty relief and services to persons with substance use disorders (SUDs). The high prevalence of SUDs in South Africa makes it one of the top 10 substance abusing countries globally. As such, the demand for social work services, aimed at substance abuse intervention, has increased rapidly over the past 20 years, resulting in the emergence of many non-profit organisations (NPOs). However, there are gaps in evidence-based research on social work services provided by NPOs to persons with SUDs. The focus of the article is on the nature and scope of social work services provided by NPOs to adults with SUDs. The population for the study was supplied by NPOs across the Cape Metropole, offering services to persons with SU...
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
In this study, we focused on the effects of parental substance abuse on family well-being in a se... more In this study, we focused on the effects of parental substance abuse on family well-being in a selected rural area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, because of the lack of research in this community. The farm workers in this community were paid partially with alcohol, which is historically associated with the tot system. In this study, we used a qualitative approach to conduct semi-structured individual interviews with six known substance-abusing parents and six family members of substance-abusing parents. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit the participants from farms in the rural community. The themes centred on the effects of parental substance use on intimate relationships, parenting, children and family functioning. The findings confirm that parental substance abuse in the selected rural area seemed no different to the effects in an urban setting. We therefore suggest that the sociocultural setting of the rural area underscore the ways in which thes...
IntroductionThere are presently over four million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the South Afr... more IntroductionThere are presently over four million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the South African national antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme. However, some ART programmes are battling poor ART adherence emanating from patient-related factors, including their religious beliefs. In this paper, we outline a study protocol to understand the adherence behaviours of Pentecostal Christians living with HIV to ART and to develop guidelines that can be used to strengthen ART adherence.Methods and analysisWe propose an exploratory multimethod research design. In phase 1, a scoping review will be conducted. The data captured in this phase will be put into charting forms, analysed qualitatively, and then collated and summarised to hypothesise the relationship between religious beliefs and ART adherence. In phase 2, an explanatory qualitative approach will be used. Semistructured interviews will be conducted with purposefully selected religious leaders, Pentecostal Christians living with...
This scoping review provides the available evidence on support interventions and networks for you... more This scoping review provides the available evidence on support interventions and networks for youths aging out of child and youth care centres (CYCCs), and makes recommendations for best practice to alleviate the plight of youths leaving CYCCs. Thirteen databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 80 articles, 26 of which met the review criteria: English, full-text, peer-reviewed, open-access studies conducted between 2015 and 2020 on social networks and transitional services to youths aging out of residential care. Recommendations are made for policy changes, extending the age of eligibility and strengthening social support networks for youths transitioning into independent living. Keywords: child and youth care centres, positive transition outcomes, residential care, support interventions, social support networks, youths aging out of care
IntroductionSub-Saharan Africa continues to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. As such, ... more IntroductionSub-Saharan Africa continues to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. As such, several countries in sub-Saharan Africa are implementing the UNAIDS’ recommendation to test and treat people living with HIV (PLHIV) irrespective of their CD4 count. However, most of the antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes, in this region, continue to struggle with poor adherence to treatment stemming from patient-related factors including their religious beliefs. Unfortunately, the role of religious beliefs on ART adherence has been underexplored in the literature. In this study protocol, we propose the steps of a scoping review to explore, identify and map the literature on the impact of religious beliefs on adherence to ART among Pentecostals living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods and analysisWe will use Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology guidelines to conduct this scoping review. The following databases will be searched for releva...
Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development
The process of screening prospective foster parents is a requirement before a child in need of ca... more The process of screening prospective foster parents is a requirement before a child in need of care and protection is placed in foster care. This is to ensure that the prospective foster parents fit the criteria for fostering children. The aim of this scoping review was to review current literature on guidelines for the screening of prospective foster parents. The six steps of Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was used. A total of 13 databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 75 studies, 11 of which met the inclusion criteria: English, full text, peer reviewed, open access studies conducted between 2017 and 2021 on guidelines for screening prospective foster parents. The data were analysed thematically. This study revealed six key components that are included in the screening of prospective foster parents, namely, personal factors relating to values and beliefs, social networks, interpersonal communication, personality characteristics, prospective foster parent–foster chil...
Substance abuse is a universal challenge which places strain on the demand for a country’s social... more Substance abuse is a universal challenge which places strain on the demand for a country’s social welfare resources. In South Africa – one of the countries with the highest number of methamphetamine (MA) users in the world – the demand for substance abuse services has increased rapidly in the past 20 years. Using the framework of ecological systems theory, the study’s main aim was to gain an understanding of the nature, scope and utilisation of social work services that non-profit organisations (NPOs) provide to adult MA users, in order to make informed recommendations in line with current policy directives to NPOs in the Cape metropolitan area. A qualitative case study approach was used together with an exploratory and descriptive case study design. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 10 service providers and 10 service users The eight-step approach to thematic data analysis by Tesch (in Creswell, 1994) was used in combination with Atlas Ti. Key findings were ...
INTRODUCTION Teaching (in any discipline) is rewarding when students show the required growth and... more INTRODUCTION Teaching (in any discipline) is rewarding when students show the required growth and development in terms of their knowledge, skills and attitude (within the social work context) (Kadushin & Harkness, 2002). So it is disappointing when, in completing various assessment tasks, some students do not achieve the learning objectives set for a given task. The most troubling within the UWC context was the challenges students experienced on the third year level in integrating their theoretical knowledge with their practice learning.
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Papers by Shernaaz Carelse