A descriptive study of the role of the children's home in the treatment and management of the abused child

Londt, Marcel P

A descriptive study of the role of the children's home in the treatment and management of the abused child

Thesis / Dissertation

1988

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Social Development

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The researcher believes that childhood should be a time of joy and discovery in which children are nurtured and loved so that they may grow up into responsible and caring adults. For some children, this does not occur and they are subsequently admitted to residential care settings because of child assault, traumatic experiences and severe neglect. This descriptive study explores the management and treatment of abused children in residential care. The researcher based the investigation on the assumptions that carefully constructed treatment programmes exist, which involve the abuser, the Child Care Worker and the Social Worker in order to help the abuser and attempt to break the vicious future cycle of abuse. The researcher approached 17 Children's Homes in the Western Cape to participate in the study and seven. of these Children's Homes constituted the sample used in the research. Permission was obtained from the principals of the Children's Homes to interview the Social Worker and a Child Care Worker individually. A questionnaire was constructed which would be used in a structured interview. Two of the selected Children's Homes were chosen randomly for a pilot study in order to test the questionnaire. The findings of this study reflected that individualized treatment programmes are available for all children in residential care. The treatment and management of abused children do not differ since most children in residential care are regarded as having suff eredlsome form of abuse prior to admission. The study further highlights that the Child Care Worker and the Social Worker assume significant roles in the treatment and management of all children in care. While their tasks and roles differ, a degree of complementarity exists between the Social Worker and the Child Care Worker.

Keywords

Clinical Social Work

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Masters

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