Browsing by Subject "Social Planning and Social Administration"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    A critical analysis of preschool educare in South Africa : towards effective provision for the preschool child
    (1989) Atmore, Eric; Tshabalala, Mandla
    This study is a critical analysis of educare policy in South Africa with recommendations towards effective provision for the preschool child. The need for a radically revised policy, structure and provision system is based on the inadequacies, inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the present system. A quantitative descriptive research design is used in which use is made predominantly of secondary data and field experience of the writer. Data collection was hindered by the lack of information available and the reluctance of certain authorities to provide information as requested. The historical development of educare in South Africa is outlined. Legislation which, impacts on educare is recorded and the present education and care policies and structures are described. The extent of educare provision is quantified focusing on who is provided for and who is not. Gil's (1981) framework for Analysis and Synthesis of Social Policies is used in analysing educare policy within the Social Planning and Administration paradigm. The study contends that there is no clear unitary discernible educare policy in existence and this has resulted in fragmented structures controlling educare in this country. Particular attention is made to the ideological and value underpinnings of educare policy, structure and provision. The result is an array of services which are uncoordinated and inadequate in terms of the need and demand. The study concludes by making recommendations aimed at eliminating the inadequacies highlighted. A radically revised educare policy is proposed. A three-tier structure with defined responsibilities and functions at each level is suggested. It is the writers belief that implementation of these recommendations will contribute to the solution of problems faced in the educare field today.
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    An examination of the response of the Cape Mental Health Society to the mental health needs of blacks in the Western Cape
    (1989) Mangwana, Thobeka Cikizwa; Taylor, Viviene
    This study examined the response of the Cape Mental Health Society to the mental health problems of Blacks in the Western Cape. This response has been examined against the organisational and the community contexts in which such services are provided. Environmental constraints which surround service provision were examined at macro- and micro-level. The macro-level covered the unfavourable political, social and economic aspects as experienced by both the organisation and its clientele. The micro-level covered those aspects which impinge on service delivery but are within the scope of the organisation. It is agreed that these aspects affect the nature of the response of the organisation to mental health needs of blacks negatively. The study emphasizes the need to define mental health within the South African context from a psychiatric and socio-political perspective as such a definition allows for appropriate service provision. Data was collected from primary and secondary sources. Interviewing was used as a technique for collecting primary data. Structured and unstructured interviews were carried out with people from various disciplines, community members, and present and prospective service consumers. The exploratory-descriptive approach was used. The problems and needs of clients were quantified in terms of the organisation's waiting lists and other criteria. Services rendered by the Society were quantified in terms of clients being served and the number of projects and programmes undertaken to meet different mental health needs. Ideas have been developed about mental health services amongst the black communities and their cultural perception of mental health needs. The findings emphasize inadequacy of the response of the Cape Mental Health Society to mental health needs of blacks. The present facilities are insufficient and inappropriate to mental health needs of blacks. They are characterised by inaccessibility, inefficiency and ineffectiveness where they do exist. A marked inequality in the provision of services to the two population groups, that is, Coloureds and Blacks, has been identified. A framework for developing mental health services for blacks in the Western Cape has been recommended. This framework proposed various steps which can be taken in such development.
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    An ordinary house on an ordinary street : a community-based alternative model for housing the aged in South Africa
    (1987) Mercorio, Gaetano Anthony; Eckley, S C A; Smit, Andre de V
    This study proposes an alternative model for housing and caring for the aged, without admitting them to the care of total institutions. Ordinary houses on ordinary streets are converted into neighbourhood old age homes in which a small number of elderly people live together. The home may be sponsored by any body, and, other than the cost of purchasing the house and furniture, it can be financially self-sufficient. The study seeks to examine the difficulty of defining old age, the phenomenon of ageing populations and discrimination against the aged. It provides a brief history of old age homes. Issues in the care of the elderly are discussed, including the role of the state and the individual, and categories of the aged and housing for these groups. Some major controversies in the field, notably the question of age-segregated or age-integrated housing, institutional versus community care and the dangers of moving the aged, are described. The study analyses the South African system of care for the elderly, and highlights the problem of the present focus on expensive institutional care. The suitability of this model of care is questioned and it is recommended that the small neighbourhood old age home model be introduced to broaden the existing continuum of care. The Abbeyfield Society of Great Britain, which pioneered this model of housing and caring for the elderly is described. The model is examined in detail. Finally, the study explores the work of the Catholic Welfare Bureau in Cape Town, which has implemented and adapted this model in South Africa. This agency's network of neighbourhood old age homes will be extended to include care for the frail aged, and the basis of its planning proposed for this phase is examined.
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    Social work theory and community development practice : a case analysis of community issues and problems of implementation in Rehoboth, Namibia
    (1989) Lambert, Wesley Engela
    The many social problems in Rehoboth could be ascribed to the economic under-development of the region as well structures established for social service delivery. The present context in which the social worker practices community development, the theories which are used as an approach for community development and the methods used for community development cause a conundrum in the practical field. This dilemma leads the social worker to question the specific social work theories and models used for community development, especially when implemented to bring about expectant social change. The need for re-evaluating social work theory and community development practice is pointed out by means of redefining the role of the social worker, the functions and purpose of community development, the approaches used as well as indicating the direction of a more relevant practice towards solving social problems inherent in an under-developed community.
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    A study of child labour with regard to Black newspaper vendors in the Cape Peninsula
    (1989) Moerat, Fuad; Tshabalala, Mandla
    The study was designed to investigate child labour with particular regard to Black newsvendors in the Cape Peninsula. Data was gathered from interviews with local organisations active in the field of child labour and the employment conditions of newsvendors, as well as a field study carried out in the Cape Peninsula. A review of local and international literature was also undertaken. A brief account of child labour in the Western Cape is given which provided the necessary backdrop to the study. The field study involved in-depth interviews with 52 Black newsvendors in the Cape Peninsula. This comprised interviews with the first available four newsvendors in each of the 13 areas in the Cape Peninsula in which newspapers are sold by vendors. Respondents completed an interview schedule administered by the researcher. The interview schedule furnished information on the employment conditions of newsvendors, their role as wage-earners, their education and training, their safety, health and welfare. Analysis of the data revealed that the majority of newsvendors worked as child labourers under deplorable working conditions. The findings demonstrated that young Black newsvendors comprised a pool of cheap and exploited labour. Their exploitation is evident in their deprivation of family life, of reasonable working hours, of time to pursue social and leisure interests as children, of a negotiated wage, of favourable working conditions, of dignity, of the acknowledgement of the value of their labour, of legal protection, of membership in an effective worker organisation, of further acquisition of knowledge and skills, of opportunities and scope for advancement. The findings reveal that young Black newsvendors work under conditions detrimental to their health, safety and welfare. Many young Black newsvendors who sell newspapers in the early hours of the morning often start to work without breakfast. They spend a considerable amount of time on the streets without any rest periods, leading to irregular mealtimes, while many survive on food of inferior nutritional value. These young newsvendors have to survive in occupational circumstances where robberies and assaults frequently occur. In these circumstances the peer group begins to play an important role. Young newsvendors are often induced to succumb to the influences of co-workers. The newsvendors in this study also expressed a deep sense of hopelessness and despondency about their own lives. Any prospects of a better future are seriously curtailed by the lack of formal education and industrial skills. The majority of the newsvendors said that they enjoyed going to school but had to leave in order to support the family income. The recommendations draw attention to the need for the improvement of working conditions, training and supportive services, but recognises that this is only possible once newsvendors are organised in an effective worker organisation.