’n Ekologiese perspektief op pleegsorg as alternatiewe sorg vir kinders

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Date
2009-11
Authors
Böning, Anna Elizabeth
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: The aim of this research was to undertake a holistic exploration and description of the practice of foster care in order to develop a more scientifically based approach to service delivery. By means of the literature study and empirical investigation, which included qualitative as well as quantative methods, a comprehensive analysis were undertaken at all levels of the ecological analysis systems. Not only were specific obstacles identified that are detrimental to service delivery in the practice of service delivery, but the objective also was to come up with strengths and solutions by integrating the strengths perspective with the conceptual framework of the ecological perspective. To this end, frameworks for the assessment of the individual, family, structures and institutions, as well as socio-cultural aspects were each presented individually, where after an integrated assessment framework for holistic assessment was compiled. By means of the empirical qualitative and quantative investigations it was confirmed that the practice of foster care is overburdened with the incidence of serious social phenomena like poverty, AIDS-related deaths, dysfunctional families and inadequate parental functioning. It was confirmed that social workers are confronted with high case loads and that service delivery centres on administrative and statutory procedures, while very little comes of intervention and prevention services in particular. Further demands are made on the practice by the implementation of new children’s legislation, which is aimed at prevention and early intervention programmes, before any statutory intervention en foster-care placing can be justified. Much more manpower and resources are needed and the subsidising of prevention and development programmes, as well as better remuneration of social workers, should seriously be considered by non-governmental organisations in particular. The development of foster-care group schemes could alleviate the demands made on the practice of foster care, because monitoring and supervisory services could be implemented in group context as well as by other social services groups. Furthermore, it also lessens the demand for foster parents, of which there is a huge shortage. Proposals are made regarding better coordination at regional level regarding the recruiting, selection and training of foster parents, which can be dealt with more economically as a speciality area. A greater awareness is awarded to the role and function of other social services professions such as the social auxiliary worker and child and youth careworkers, in order to enable social workers to focus more on the professional performance of their duties. The composition of multi-disciplinary teams and the promotion of interdepartmental collaboration are also emphasised, enabling service delivery to the foster child to be spread across a wider spectrum. The little success that is achieved with services dealing with the reuniting of families also points at the lack of real rehabilitation services in the case of biological parents. Foster placing on a long-term basis mostly takes place with relatives, which is mainly only monitored statutorily. Children placed in foster care with grandmothers and in child-headed households are also particularly vulnerable and therefore support systems in communities in particular should be applied by volunteers in order to offer placing stability and extra support to enable the child to remain within a family context for as long as possible. The outcomes of foster care are therefore dependent upon the interaction between different role players and institutions, and should be better managed and controlled. Thus policy directives and legislature, which currently have unrealistic expectations in many respects measured against the realities in practice can be realised better. The information in the research report is regarded as comprehensive and holistic with regard to the reciprocal influence of risky and protective factors in the practice of foster care. The focus is not specifically on intervention or assistance, but rather a description and exploration of the current state of the practice of foster care. Valuable information was obtained from the literature study and the qualitative and quantative empirical study, which can be regarded as reliable and valid to utilise as resource for further research, adjustments to policy and training in theory as well as in practice.
Afrikaans: Met hierdie navorsing is gepoog om ʼn holistiese verkenning en beskrywing van die pleegsorgpraktyk te doen, sodat meer wet enskaplik-gefundeerde dienslewering daaruit kan ontwikkel. Deur die literatuurstudie en empiriese ondersoek, wat kwalitatiewe sowel as kwantitatiewe metodes insluit, is ʼn omvattende analise op al die vlakke van die ekologiese ontledingsisteme gedoen. Nie alleen is bepaalde st ruikelblokke geïdentifiseer wat dienslewering in die pleegsorgpraktyk benadeel nie, maar daar is ook gepoog om met sterktes en oplossings na vore te kom deur die integrasie van die sterkte perspektief by die konseptuele raamwerk van die ekologiese perspektief. Vir dié doeleindes is raamwerke vir die assessering van die individu, gesin, strukture en instellings sowel as sosiokulturele aspekte afsonderlik voorgestel, waarna ʼn geïntegreerde assesseringsraamwerk vir holistiese assessering saamgestel is. Deur die empiriese kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe ondersoeke is bevestig dat die pleegsorgpraktyk oorlaai is deur die voorkoms van ernstige maatskaplike verskynsels soos armoede, VIGS-verwante sterftes, disfunksionele gesinne en ontoereikende ouerskapsfunksionering. Dit is bevestig dat maatskaplike werkers gekonfronteer word met hoë gevalleladings en dat dienslewering sentreer rondom administratiewe en statutêre prosedures, terwyl daar nie veel teregkom van intervensie en veral voorkomingsdienste nie. Verdere praktykeise word gestel deur die implementering van nuwe kinderwetgewing, wat ingestel is op voorkoming en vroeë intervensieprogramme alvorens statutêre toetrede en pleegsorgplasings geregverdig kan word. Hiervoor word egter veel meer mensekrag en hulpbronne benodig sowel as beter subsidiëring vir voorkomings- en ontwikkelingsprogramme wat deur veral nieregeringsorganisasies aangebied word, asook beter vergoeding van maatskaplike werkers. Daar behoort ook aandag geskenk te word aan bestaansbeveiliging aan gesinne en kinders sodat pleegsorg nie gebruik word om toegang tot groter toelae te bekom nie. Die ontwikkeling van pleegsorggroepskemas kan die druk op die pleegsorgpraktyk verlig deurdat monitering en toesigdienste in groepverband en ook deur ander maatskaplike beroepsgroepe beoefen kan word. Verder verminder dit ook die aanvraag na pleegouers waaraan daar ʼn groot tekort is. Voorstelle word gemaak oor beter koördinering op streekvlak betreffende die werwing, keuring en opleiding van pleegouers, wat meer ekonomies as ʼn spesialiteitsterrein hanteer kan word. ʼn Groter bewustheid word verleen aan die rol en funksie van ander maatskaplike diensberoepe soos die maatskaplike hulpwerker en kinder- en jeugsorgwerkers, sodat maatskaplike werkers meer op professionele taakvervulling kan fokus. Die samestelling van multidissiplinêre spanne en die bevordering van interdepartementele samewerking word ook beklemtoon, sodat dienslewering oor ʼn breër spektrum aan die pleegkind versprei kan word. Die min sukses wat met gesinsherenigingsdienste behaal word, wys ook heen na die gebrek aan werklike rehabilitasiedienste by biologiese ouers. Pleegsorgplasings vind meestal op die lang termyn by familie plaas, wat grootliks net statutêr gemonitor word. Pleegkinders by grootmoeders en in kinderhoofhuishoudings is ook veral kwesbaar en daarom behoort ondersteuningsisteme in gemeenskappe deur veral vrywilligers aangewend te word om plasingstabiliteit en ekstra ondersteuning te bied sodat die kind so lank as moontlik in familieverband kan aanbly. Die uitkomste van pleegsorg is dus afhanklik van die wisselwerking tussen verskillende rolspelers en instansies, wat beter bestuur en beheer behoort te word. Sodoende kan ook beter uitvoering gegee word aan beleidsvoorskrifte en wetgewing wat tans in baie opsigte onrealistiese verwagtinge, gemeet aan praktykwerklikhede, stel. Die inligting in die navorsingsverslag word as omvattend en holisties beskou betreffende die wisselwerkende invloed van riskante en beskermingsfaktore in die pleegsorgpraktyk. Dit fokus nie spesifiek op intervensie of hulpverlening nie, maar is ʼn beskrywing en verkenning van die huidige stand van die pleegsorgpraktyk. Waardevolle inligting is bekom vanuit die literatuurstudie en die kwalitatiewe en kwalitatiewe empiriese studie, wat as betroubaar en geldig beskou kan word om as naslaanbron te dien vir verdere navorsing, beleidsaanpassings en opleiding in teorie sowel as die praktyk.
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Keywords
Foster home care -- South Africa, Family social work -- South Africa, Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--University of the Free State, 2009
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