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Faculty of Health Sciences

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Child and youth care

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    Behaviour management challenges : the relationship between preparedness and practice experiences of Child and Youth Care Workers in KwaZulu-Natal
    (2021-05-27) Mkhize, Lindelwa Vernon; Sibiya, Nokuthula M.; Hlengwa, R. T.
    Background The Child and Youth Care (CYC) profession entails caring for children and youth at risk. The provision of this care includes various challenges with behaviour management being one of the main challenges. Children at risk are known to experience challenges in managing their own behaviours, thus needing Child and Youth Care workers (CYCWs) to assist in this area. Various studies have proven that CYCWs struggle with behaviour management. This study therefore intended to explore whether CYCWs are adequately and effectively trained and prepared to successfully cope with behaviour management challenges. This study focused on CYCWs educational preparation to assist children in residential care centres with behaviour management challenges. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between preparedness and practice of CYC workers in relation to managing the behaviours of children at risk. Methodology This study used a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design. The population of this study was CYCWs in KwaZulu-Natal who are working in residential Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs). Two CYCCs were approached for data collection, with 11 participants from one CYCC and 10 from the other CYCC. Data was collected via individual interviews which were conducted telephonically due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The collected data was analysed by the researcher using Tesch’s eight steps of analysis. Findings The following four major themes emerged from the interviews: The most common challenging behaviours displayed by children in CYC residential centres; integration of theory and practice; children’s response to behaviour management and the use of alternatives in managing children’s challenging behaviours. Conclusion The growth of the CYC profession is dependent on the type of individuals professionalised for practice in the field. Hence, putting effort in developing the best type of training may contribute towards achieving the level of care and growth needed in children at risk.
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    Child and youth care work in the South African context : towards a model for education and practice
    (2021-05-27) Allsopp, Janet Merle; Bhagwan, Raisuyah
    Child and youth care work is a new profession in South Africa, regulated by the South African Council for Social Service Professions. Practitioners work in the life-space of young people in different settings. This study sought to document the current reality and contribute to future improvements in child and youth care work. The aim of the study was to develop a model to guide child and youth care practice and education in South Africa. Using the theoretical underpinning of the ecological systems theory, a qualitative methodology was adopted in an exploratory descriptive design. This allowed participants to provide perspectives on the roles and functions of child and youth care workers and the nature of child and youth care work in a South African context. The study sought participants’ understanding of the educational preparation of professional level child and youth care workers, and the further knowledge and skills that may be required. Conducted in three provinces of South Africa, the study also included four international participants from the North American context who were familiar with the local child and youth care work sector. Five samples were selected and included a total of 57 participants. One of the samples was child and youth care workers functioning at the auxiliary level, and another was child and youth care workers functioning at the professional level of registration. Six focus groups were run with these samples, including 44 participants in total. Individual in-depth interviews were held with participants in the three other samples. These samples comprised employers of child and youth care workers, local child and youth care work experts, and international child and youth care work experts within this experience of child and youth care work in South Africa. Thirteen in-depth interviews were held in total. Seventeen primary themes and 50 sub-themes emerged. The findings revealed that child and youth care work in South Africa is founded on a knowledge base from the North American context, but is affected by the local context of poverty, and the framework of children’s rights within which child and youth care workers function. South African child and youth care workers were found to work with children as well as families in community-based settings, health settings, education settings, and in child and youth care centres. The roles and functions of child and youth care workers are aligned to the local scope of practice as articulated in legislation. The study found that a role undertaken by child and youth care workers not included in the scope of practice is that of stakeholder and referral management. The nature of child and youth care work included life-space work as the central context of the work, which is further characterised by relationshipbuilding and a spiritedness in caring. Child and youth care workers are negatively impacted by the limited knowledge of their role on the part of other professionals and community members, and the continued struggle for professional recognition in the field. The education of child and youth care workers was found to be constrained by Western theoretical frameworks and to be insufficiently contextualised in the South African practice reality. Child and youth care workers would be better prepared through the application of an Afrocentric curriculum and the enhanced teaching of complex child and youth care work practice. Access to tertiary level education in child and youth care work was found to be limited. A schematic model representing key elements of South African child and youth care work practice and education was presented.
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    Towards the development of a theoretical framework to guide child and youth care practice in South Africa
    (2021-05-27) Thumbadoo, Zenuella Sugantha; Bhagwan, Raisuyah; Anglin, James
    There has been limited scholarly research undertaken to understand child and youth care practice in South Africa. While there have been research studies undertaken on the Isibindi model, the focus on the actual practice of child and youth care workers has been minimal. The Isibindi model was developed to provide child and youth care services to vulnerable children in the context of their families and communities in South Africa. The core components of the Isibindi model focussed on the recruitment, training, and deployment of unemployed women and men in rural communities as paraprofessional or auxiliary level child and youth care workers. The roles of these child and youth care workers were to visit vulnerable families in local communities and provide children and families with a broad range of child and youth care services. The aim of this study was to identify the unique needs of children and their families within different community contexts across South Africa, and to develop a theoretical framework for understanding how child and youth care practice within the Isibindi model responded to these needs. A qualitative research inquiry was used to implement this study, with a grounded theory approach to guide the inquiry and to understand how Isibindi child and youth care workers practised with children and families in South African communities. The samples of child and youth care workers, children and youth, and community members who were selected as research participants came from three provinces in three specific Isibindi projects that demonstrated good practices according to identified criteria (Alice – Eastern Cape, Naas – Mpumalanga, and Hlabisa – KwaZulu-Natal). Three participants from each of the three research samples were interviewed through a semi-structured interviewing process. In addition, focus group discussions were held with the child and youth care workers in the Isibindi projects that were selected. The study presents the process of data analysis that underlies the emergence of the theoretical framework with the grounded theory concepts of theoretical sampling, memoing, coding, and constant comparison being discussed herein. The search for patterns and connections in the data through the constant comparison approach resulted in the identification of the core category and basic social processes in the child and youth care practice. The findings are discussed with the core category of practising intentionally and its unique properties are presented. This is followed by a discussion of the basic social processes, viz. embedding spirit in practice and embedding love in care, encompassing their respective categories. The integrated elements of practice, namely, practising relationally, creating a child rights culture, and championing social justice and equity are also deliberated, along with their particular properties. The thesis concludes with a discussion on the research findings in relation to the weave of the core category practising intentionally through the theoretical framework discovered. The theoretical framework Inhlanganisela: Integrated Patterns of Practice that emerged from the study was one that in Barney Glaser’s (1998: 68) words: “fits, works and is relevant” for practice, education, policy, and further research. Inhlanganisela is an IsiZulu word referring to a “multi-pronged system of activities which results in a web of movements all with differing directions but all aimed at a singular outcome”.
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    An exploratory study of the potential roles of child and youth care work in a hospital context
    (2020-11-30) Heeralal, Celest Castelina; Bhagwan, Raisuyah
    INTRODUCTION A hospital can be regarded as a place of healing, that strives to offer holistic care to patients and the requisite support to families. Children who are faced with hospitalization encounter immense distress due to being separated from their parents and due to painful medical procedures. Equally important is the need to support parents who face the trauma of their child’s illness or injuries. It is within this context that the need for helping professionals particularly child and youth care workers are crucial to supporting both children and their families. This study explored how hospitalization affected children and family members but more importantly what support children and family members needed during this time. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of the study was to explore then the challenges that children and their families face, when children are hospitalized as well as the psychosocial support that is needed during this time. The study also looked to explore the potential role of child and youth care workers in terms of providing developmental and therapeutic programmes in a hospital context and how child and youth care workers can work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team in a hospital context. METHODOLOGY The study used a qualitative research approach. This was to secure rich and in-depth information with regards to the challenges children and their families faced during hospitalization and what support and other holistic therapeutic interventions could be used to support their recovery. It also helped the researcher to understand what therapeutic activities and interventions could be levelled, by social service professionals, in a hospital setting. The study was conducted at RK Khan Hospital which is a public hospital. Two samples were used, which included eleven health care professionals from RK Khan Hospital and ten senior child and youth care workers from the National Association of Child Care Workers. Participants were selected using non-probability purposive sampling techniques. The data collection method used for both samples were semi-structured interviews. The interviews for health care professionals took place at RK Khan Hospital and the interviews with the senior child care workers were conducted at NACCW. Both settings were in the Ethekwini region. Data was then analysed using the process of thematic analysis. Themes and subthemes were then generated and the data discussed accordingly. FINDINGS From the data, three main themes emerged and fourteen subthemes. The main themes were inclusive of the hospitalization experience, nature of psychosocial support of children in hospital and their families and lastly, the roles of social service professionals in a hospital context. The study found that children and their families experience many challenges whilst they are hospitalized which included namely parent-child separation anxiety, fear of medical staff, difficulty understanding medical jargon, inadequate infrastructure and inadequate support services. These challenges created fear and anxiety in children during their stay at the hospital. Medical staff were found to try their best to minimize such effects but this was not adequate in terms of providing psycho-social care to children and their families. Data also reflected that children receive some psychosocial support in the hospital and that families are offered counselling although this is minimal and very superficially done. The need for social service professionals in the hospital context is beneficial. The study found the need for social service professionals to be present in the hospital environment so that therapeutic interventions could be undertaken with children and their families as well as such as group therapy, multidisciplinary teamwork, liaison with community stakeholders and spiritual support. CONCLUSION The need for social service professionals particularly child and youth care workers and social workers are crucial to provide a holistic health service within the hospital context.
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    The development of a training programme for child and youth care student volunteers at the Durban University of Technology
    (2020-11-30) Chetty, Kimberly Ellen; Bhagwan, Raisuyah
    Many universities have recruited student volunteers to become involved in community outreach and service activities to assist non-governmental organisations and communities. Student volunteers have become important intermediaries, establishing and embedding bridges between universities and communities, helping build local communities. Students within the Child and Youth Care Programme at the Durban University of Technology volunteered at different organisations such as schools, community centres, children‘s homes and development centres to initiate volunteer projects that would contribute to these community partners. These projects included creating food gardens, fundraising initiatives, conducting skills workshops and assistance with local food drives. Hence, this study sought to understand the nature of their student volunteer experiences as well as explore the values, principles and skills used in undertaking their volunteer work. Furthermore, it sought to determine aspects that underpin a training programme for student volunteers. A qualitative research methodology was used to guide the study and collect data from one purposively selected sample, namely the BTech students within the Child and Youth Care programme at the Durban University of Technology. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion was held with these fourteen participants. The data was then analysed thematically. Findings from the study showed that students valued their volunteer projects and made a connection with the experience they had, being that it enabled social responsibility and heightened their levels of altruism. In addition, students viewed themselves as change agents within the community and found volunteering to be a process of co-learning. The interviews with participants also reinforced the need for ongoing partnerships between universities and communities and the role each of these stakeholders play in eliciting and strengthening community engagement. Furthermore, students highlighted that volunteerism enhances graduate attributes and prepared them for working in the field. As students ventured into communities, it was pertinent to discover how these students could be further supported, equipped and managed, to fulfil their volunteer role purposively but also to represent the university meaningfully. Together with the data collected, a review of international and local university volunteer programmes was compiled in order to deduce the most crucial and relevant information needed for sufficient student training. This facilitated the development of a student volunteer training handbook which can be used to empower, motivate and recruit future volunteers within the university.