Financial literacy education training of frontline social workers in South Africa: need, content, and scope

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dc.contributor.advisorEngelbrecht, L. K.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorJordaan, Adriaanen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-10-18T10:01:58Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-08T13:33:35Z
dc.date.available2023-10-18T10:01:58Z
dc.date.available2024-01-08T13:33:35Z
dc.date.issued2023-12
dc.descriptionThesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poverty remains a key challenge in South Africa. Though social work is to be conducted from within a social developmental paradigm in South Africa, data elucidates that social workers continue to feel unprepared, unequipped, or irresponsible for assisting service users with challenges of a financial nature. As such, the study sought to explore the views of social workers and financial professionals on the need for-, content of-, and scope of financial literacy education training (FLET) of social workers as a means of striving towards more sustainable social developmental practice, and ultimately, poverty alleviation. A qualitative research approach was utilised in this study. Descriptive-, explorative-, and instrumental case study designs were applied, and purposive- and snowball sampling was utilised to recruit 25 participants from two cohorts. All participants were interviewed via semi-structured interviews conducted over Microsoft Teams. Thereafter, reflexive thematic analysis was used to examine the collected data, which resulted in the generation of eight themes, associated with the study’s first three objectives, which pertains to the investigating views of social workers and financial professionals on the need for-, content of-, and scope of FLET of social workers in South Africa. Key conclusions drawn regarding the first objective are that service users continue to display a dire need for financial literacy, social workers remain largely financially illiterate, and debt continues to be a pervasive challenge. Conclusions pertaining to the second objective were found to point to the notion that the content of FLET of social workers would need to teach basics of personal financial management (PFM), most notably pertaining to budgeting, savings, debt and interest, alongside other non-financial themes that impact upon financial wellbeing such as social- and psychological factors. Finally, pertaining to objective three, conclusions were found to indicate that operational barriers may hinder the operationalisation of FLET of social workers, but that there may be ways of circumnavigating them. Various recommendations were presented as well. Most notably, they pertained to the earlier incorporation and exposure of social workers to FLET, a fierier approach when advocating for the importance of FLET of social workers, and the incorporation of financial literacy in conversations at a policy level.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Armoede bly 'n sleuteluitdaging in Suid-Afrika. Alhoewel maatskaplike werk vanuit 'n maatskaplike ontwikkelingsparadigma in Suid-Afrika uitgevoer moet word, toon data aan dat maatskaplike werkers steeds onvoorbereid, ontoegerus of onverantwoordelik voel om diensgebruikers met uitdagings van 'n finansiële aard by te staan. As sodanig het die studie gepoog om die sienings van maatskaplike werkers en finansiële professionele persone oor die behoefte aan-, inhoud van- en omvang van finansiële geletterdheidsopleiding (FLET) van maatskaplike werkers te verken as 'n manier om na meer volhoubare maatskaplike ontwikkelingspraktyk, en uiteindelik, armoedeverligting, te streef. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering was in hierdie studie toegepas. Beskrywende-, verkennende- en instrumentele gevallestudie-ontwerpe is toegepas, en doelgerigte- en sneeubalsteekproefneming is gebruik om 25 deelnemers uit twee kohorte te werf. Alle deelnemers is ondervra via semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude wat oor Microsoft-Teams gevoer was. Daarna is refleksiewe tematiese analise gebruik om die ingesamelde data te ondersoek, wat gelei het tot die generering van agt temas, geassosieer met die studie se eerste drie doelwitte, wat betrekking het op die ondersoekende sienings van maatskaplike werkers en finansiële professionele persone oor die behoefte aan-, inhoud van -, en omvang van FLET van maatskaplike werkers in Suid-Afrika. Sleutelgevolgtrekkings wat gemaak word met betrekking tot die eerste doelwit is dat diensgebruikers steeds 'n groot behoefte aan finansiële geletterdheid toon, maatskaplike werkers grootliks finansieel ongeletterd bly en skuld steeds 'n deurdringende uitdaging is. Gevolgtrekkings met betrekking tot die tweede doelwit is gevind om te wys dat die inhoud van FLET van maatskaplike werkers basiese beginsels van persoonlike finansiële bestuur (PFM) moet behels, veral met betrekking tot begroting, spaargeld, skuld en rente, saam met ander nie- finansiële temas wat 'n impak het op finansiële welstand soos sosiale- en sielkundige faktore. Ten slotte, met betrekking tot doelwit drie, is gevolgtrekkings gevind wat aandui dat operasionele hindernisse die operasionalisering van FLET van maatskaplike werkers kan belemmer, maar dat daar maniere kan bestaan om dit te omseil. Verskeie aanbevelings is ook aangebied. Dit het veral betrekking op die vroeëre inlywing en blootstelling van maatskaplike werkers aan FLET, 'n vurige benadering rakend die pleit vir die belangrikheid van die FLET van maatskaplike werkers, as ook die inkorporering van finansiële geletterdheid in gesprekke op 'n beleidsvlak.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoral
dc.format.extentxvii, 290 pages : illustrations
dc.identifier.urihttps://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128856
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSocial workers -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshFinance -- Study and teachingen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshFinance, Personal -- South Africa Poor -- Economic aspects -- South Africa Social service -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshFinancial literacy -- Study and teachingen_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleFinancial literacy education training of frontline social workers in South Africa: need, content, and scopeen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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