Browsing by Author "Zwane, Celimpilo Anitta"

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    The use of crisis intervention with parents of children identified as in need of care and protection: experiences of social workers.
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12-08) Zwane, Celimpilo Anitta; Green, Sulina; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Child maltreatment is a challenge of global concern. Definitions of child maltreatment usually are stipulated in a country’s policies and legislations such as the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 in South Africa. It is generally accepted that family dysfunctioning is a consequence of factors such as poverty, environmental stressors, feelings of powerlessness as well as frustration in parents. Parents of children in need of care may often experience an existential crisis when they are confronted with a variety of internal and interpersonal challenges in resource-limited environments. Various factors such as parents’ history of abuse, substance abuse, parental stress and mental illness can be the cause of parents’ abuse of their children. Child neglect and abuse is escalating in South Africa. This alarming increase calls for the utilisation of social work models such as the crisis intervention model with parents of children identified to be in need of care and protection. Social workers are equipped to provide intervention that enable clients to find solutions for their problems, such as child maltreatment. The goal of the study, therefore, was to obtain the social worker’s understanding of and experiences with the use of crisis intervention with parents of children identified to be in need of care and protection. A qualitative approach was used together with an exploratory and descriptive design. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect data from twenty social workers employed by the Department of Social Development. The findings of the study revealed that social workers are experiencing challenges such as parents’ aggressive behaviour and lack of cooperation, during the intervention process. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that social workers need to reflect more purposefully on their experiences of how and why they utilise crisis intervention with parents of children identified to be in need of care and protection.