Abstract

205 submissions

# Sort descending	Operations	Status	Status	Title	Lastname	Firstname	eMail	Institution	Title of Presentatation	Theme Selection	Abstract
85	View	Accepted	Accepted	Ms.	Ntlatleng	Kgomotso	[email protected]	South African College of Applied Psychology	An Indigenised Parenting Skills Development Programme Guided by Ubuntu-Based Principles	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	Social work professionals are challenged to decolonise group work practice and incorporate indigenous modalities. Not much has been written on the use of the Ubuntu Bowl with a diverse group of parents who are experiencing challenges in raising adolescents. Observations from practice suggest a need for Ubuntu-based principles to be incorporated in working with diverse parents. An integrative review methodology was used to conduct a bibliographic search on parenting skills development programmes and decolonial/indigenised approaches. The Ubuntu-based principles and the Collective Fingers Theory (CFT) informed the design of the programme. It is recommended that group work curriculum should be indigenised to empower social work students and practitioners to work in diverse contexts. Considering the need to integrate indigenous knowledge systems and practice, the Ubuntu-based principles and the Ubuntu Bowl has proven to be effective in facilitating sharing of knowledge and skills between group members to navigate parenting.
86	View	Accepted	Accepted	Ms.	Ndamba	Felistus	[email protected]	University of Pretoria	Moving with the times- Embracing technology in delivering social work services in healthcare settings	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	Social workers are seen as ports of entry for patients and their families in healthcare with regard to meeting their social, economic, psychological and emotional needs. The role of the social worker is to make sure that the patient and his/her family receive the best care and support as possible. Findings from the study on the resilience of caregivers of cancer patients showed that social workers in hospitals are not able to do follow up visits on discharged patients. This leads to patients and families not aware of the role and services of social workers. Embracing technology such as using websites and social medial accounts is crucial in enhancing the marketing and delivery of services to patients and families. This paper will critically look into the impact of caregiving on caregivers of cancer patients, social work services and provides recommendations thereof focusing on the adoption of technology in rendering services.
87	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Bhuda	Gladys	[email protected]	University of South Africa	Supportive social work supervision: A model for social work supervisors	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	Social work practice is demanding on practitioners. Social workers handle high workloads and are often exasperated by the administrative demands associated with their duties. Dwindling resources further frustrate them and so do the ever-changing landscapes of social, political and health aspects brought forth by globalisation, technological ties, emigration and environmental challenges. Against this backdrop, there is a need for purposeful and constructive supportive social work supervision in practice. Consequently, this paper presents the supportive social work supervision model. The model was developed using the intervention design and development (D&D) methodology. The model is derived from findings of exploring the nature and the extent of supportive social work supervision amongst social workers employed in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. During the exploration, the mixed method approach, i.e. the QUAN-qual sequential dominant status-design, was adopted and data was collected through a self-developed questionnaire from social workers and through semi-structured interviews from supervisors.
88	View	Accepted	Accepted	Mr.	RAMOSHABA	DILLO JUSTIN	[email protected]	University of Limpopo	• THE DISORIENTATION OF FAMILIES BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA	THEME 2: Building sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant communities through indigenous modalities, inter-sectoral collaborations, and partnerships	Several studies show that during natural disasters, individuals and families face challenges such as exacerbation of existing family problems or new difficulties accompanied by stress related to job loss, injury or illness, and parenting concerns. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s lives was also reported to be instigated by the safety measures such as isolation strategies and lockdown which led to more challenges such as change in activities and livelihoods. It is from this background that the researchers developed a hunch to explore the disorientation of selected families by the COVID-19 pandemic in Polokwane which is located in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The researchers adopted a qualitative approach wherein a case study design was used. Data was collected through semi structure interviews wherein convenient and Snowball sampling techniques were used to select the respondents. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study show that loss of family bonds, Job loss and domestic violence are what disorientated the selected families in Polokwane. Conclusions and recommendations are also provided in this study.
89	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Jacobs	Susanne	[email protected]	NWU	Culturally responsive marriage enrichment interventions: Strengthening relational well-being	THEME 2: Building sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant communities through indigenous modalities, inter-sectoral collaborations, and partnerships	Traditional African marriage systems, rooted in indigenous governance systems, carried from generation to generation, reinforce satisfactory spousal healthy family outcomes. However, modernisation, neglecting core values of indigenous practices, upsurges divorce and vast falling apart of family structures. Marriage enrichment programs (MEPs) provide the necessary skills to eliminate future problems. Black Africans, hitherto, lack instruction on healthy functioning marriages, seeking help primarily once problems escalate. Empirically evaluated culturally relevant programs, blending indigenous with current systems, are scarce. Often unskilled and lacking in numbers, practitioners face challenges addressing the high one-on-one need. This mixed method three-phase research, grounded on current empirical international and South African data, builds on the strengths of the Royal Bafokeng Nation indigenous community and reports on preventative education interventions to sustain, support, strengthen and preserve marriages, promoting sustainable, resilient societal structures, individually, collectively and cross-culturally. Findings can adapt and expand interventions to advance and direct practice and policy application.
90	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Perumal	Nevashnee	[email protected]	Nelson Mandela University	African knowledge production incubators: Approaching indigenous and decolonised social work from the ground up through stories of our lived experiences	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	African knowledge production incubators: Approaching indigenous and decolonised social work from the ground up through stories of our lived experiences Nevashnee Perumal, Veonna Goliath, Mbongeni Sithole, Thanduxolo Nomngcoyiya, Motlalepule Nathane and Priscalia Khosa In keeping with the social work principles of doing no harm, respect for diversity and upholding human rights and social justice, it is imperative to decolonize the social work curricula in universities with the goal of shifting Euro American centric knowledge systems to the fringes and centering African knowledge. Six social work academics from five universities in South Africa embarked on an African Knowledge Production Incubators project using PALAR methodology. This paper reports on our first incubation aligned to the project’s first objective viz. telling stories of our lived experiences of being an African. Our stories reflected the richness in the traditions and rituals we inherited from our ancestral and local knowledge holders and wisdom bearers. The key learnings translated into guidelines for the extended incubation and the decolonisation of the social work curriculum.
91	View	Accepted	Accepted	Mr.	Singwane	Thembinkosi	[email protected]	University of Limpopo	Social Work with Vulnerable Groups Within the Criminal Justice System: Challenges and Opportunities Emerging in Practice	THEME 1: Promoting stakeholder partnerships that protect, support and enhance resilience during adverse events and trauma	The social work profession has a chequered history of working with vulnerable groups within the criminal justice system. In South Africa, the president recently signed legislation aimed at strengthening efforts to protect distinct vulnerable groups while also expanding the list of persons who are to be protected to include other vulnerable persons. Through the phenomenological study design, this paper aimed at exploring and describing the challenges and opportunities of social workers working with diverse vulnerable groups within the criminal justice system. The authors triangulated the purposive, convenience and snowball sampling techniques to select social workers. The qualitative data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews.Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The findings of the study indicated that the prevention of secondary victimization of vulnerable children within the justice system was a major challenge for some social workers working as court preparation officers and court intermediaries.
92	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Farchi	Moshe	[email protected]	Research Center for Innovation in Social, Social Work Department, Tel-Hai College, Israel	The SIX Cs model for Psychological First Aid (PFA): Empirical Evidence	THEME 1: Promoting stakeholder partnerships that protect, support and enhance resilience during adverse events and trauma	The acute stress responses (ASR) following traumatic events predicts post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD. There is a need for a short psychological first aid (PFA) that non-professionals can learn, to help mass casualties. This study tested the Six Cs model (Cognitive, Communication, Commitment, Continuity, Challenging and Control) in an experimental design on ASR signs. Sixty-three participants were randomly assigned to the Six Cs intervention or to supportive emotional expression (controls). They listened to an emergency phone call. Before, immediately after, and 5min later participants' anxiety, heart-rate variability (HRV) and mental resilience were measured. All Time x Group interactions were statistically significant: The Six Cs participants showed lower anxiety and less reductions in HRV and resilience than controls immediately after the stressor, and they recovered faster than controls on all three outcomes. The results clearly demonstrate a profound superior effect of the SIX C's method over the control method, in all outcomes, immediately after a simulated stressor and 7min later, thus truly showing a better effect on resilience. This study has implications for training people worldwide in a simple, effective and evidence-based method as a new form of PFA.
93	View	Accepted	Accepted	Mr.	Ntloko	Nkqubela Aphiwe Jackson	[email protected]	Nelson Mandela University	Black African social workers' historical and contemporary understanding of the social development approach.	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	Colonialism and apartheid influenced South African social welfare policies. After 1994, democratic laws like the White Paper for Social Welfare were implemented. However, poverty, unemployment, and inequality still marginalise most South Africans. This study (PALAR) uses participatory action learning action research to develop a social work practice approach for African social systems in South Africa—a critical, transformational, and democratic research method. This paper reports on one objective, to understand social workers, and social work educators' historical and contemporary conceptualisations of the social development approach, focusing on Black African social workers. Preliminary findings suggest that social development in South Africa fails to address structural inequalities like race and land, leading to large-scale poverty and unemployment. The approach is welfarist, disempowering, and insensitive to African culture. It also fails to consider the holistic needs of African clients and is not community-based. Social development services are not adequately integrated. South African social work needs to be reimagined.
94	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Naicker	Pat	[email protected]	SASSA	Factors influencing the decision-making processes of social workers rendering foster care services	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	This paper examines the factors that influence the decision-making processes of social workers providing foster care services, with a focus on quality management and enhanced social services. Evidence shows that social workers adopt a mixed approach, leaning strongly toward intuition in decision-making. The study on which this paper is based is qualitative namely a case study design, informed by the explorative, descriptive and contextual designs. The populations of the study were social workers rendering foster care services in government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their supervisors. Triangulation of data collection methods were utilised, namely, case file analysis and semi-structured interviews with social workers and supervisors. This paper aims to shed light on the decision-making processes of social workers in all phases of rendering foster care services, contributing to the improvement of services and outcomes in this critical domain.
95	View	Accepted	Accepted	Ms.	Murugen	Carmel	[email protected]	The Association for the Aged	National initiative to support older persons traumatized by elder abuse	THEME 1: Promoting stakeholder partnerships that protect, support and enhance resilience during adverse events and trauma	Studies indicate that while 1 in 6 persons over the age of 60 have experienced elder abuse (Yon Y, 2017) only 4 % of cases are reported. (STRIDE 2020) The high rate of abuse within this vulnerable age group is exacerbated by socio economic factors such as poverty, unemployment, substance abuse and lifestyle stress. Under-reporting is attributed to various factors, including fear of retaliation, inaccessible reporting structures and complexity of the reporting process. This paper will outline how Tafta’s intervention, the National Toll-free Elder Abuse Helpline: - is designed to provide an uncomplicated platform for older persons, in all communities of South Africa, to report abusive behaviour inflicted by family, community members or organizations, receive crises counselling and be linked to appropriate service providers. - facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration between health care professionals, social work, legal and police services in strengthening stakeholders’ response to protecting and supporting older persons experiencing elder abuse.
96	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Mthembu	Maud	[email protected]	University of KwaZulu-Natal	The value of using a storybook to protect the psychological health of children during COVID-19 in resource-limited communities in South Africa	THEME 1: Promoting stakeholder partnerships that protect, support and enhance resilience during adverse events and trauma	Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused poor mental health, parental loss and food insecurity in children. At the pandemic's peak, context-relevant and child-friendly COVID-19 tools for child counselling and education were limited in low-income communities. Researchers and social work practitioners created the Uhambo Lwami storybook in isiZulu to initiate conversations with children about COVID-19. Using the Afrocentric framework, the authors present evidence from interviews with 13 purposively selected community-based social workers and child and youth workers who integrated the storybook into child counselling during the pandemic. The central theme discussed is the value of using the storybook to educate and support children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicated that the storybook could be helpful for grief and bereavement counselling and communicating COVID-19 information in a child-friendly way. The storybook further promoted child engagement and participation in sessions, strengthening the school's response to support children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper suggests that well-designed Afrocentric storybooks are a cost-effective communication tool to support counselling with children.
97	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Cornelissen-Nordien	Tasneemah	[email protected]	Stellenbosch University	Child Sexual Abuse: Indicative of social inequality and a failure to translate policy into practice	THEME 3: Strategies toward the normative development of society	Child sexual abuse in South Africa is astronomical, although the SAPS 2019/2020 statistics shows a decrease in the number of reported cases, an approximately 60 children succumb to abuse daily. Despite the array of policy and legislative frameworks aimed at protecting children and promoting an equal society in which children’s rights are recognised as human rights, child sexual abuse remains amongst the highest in the world. This paper thus reports on the views of service providers regarding the policy and legislative frameworks guiding service provision to sexually abused children. The findings highlight the disjuncture between macro and micro level practice from an ecological perspective as policy and legislation are far removed for the realities of practice and insufficient resources impede service delivery. Recommendations include addressing the disjunction between macro level practice and direct service provision at micro and messo levels and calling for improved collaborations between service providers.
98	View	Accepted	Accepted	Mr.	Safodien	Mohamed	[email protected]	University of the Western Cape	SOCIAL WORK EDUCATORS AND PRACTITIONERS EXPERIENCES AND PERCEPTIONS OF E-SOCIAL WORK TRAINING WITHIN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIAL WORK CONTEXT	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	The later part of the 20th century the world witnessed the unprecedented emergence of the digital age and its impact on human functioning. Traditionally social work practice has a strong “face-to-face” practice foundation, and the digital era is now presenting a review of this approach to service rendering with the emergence of e-social work. A qualitative study was conducted that explored social work educators and practitioners’ perceptions and experiences of e-social work and its infusion in social work curriculum and further training. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with social work educators and practitioners. The findings indicate that there exists limited understanding and experience with e-social work. Capacity-building is thus crucial in order to engage with client systems both in the offline world and online spaces that people inhabit.
99	View	Accepted	Accepted	Ms.	MAGEBA	SILINDILE	[email protected]	King Dinuzulu Hospital	Meeting the multifaceted needs of patients with drug-resistant TB	THEME 1: Promoting stakeholder partnerships that protect, support and enhance resilience during adverse events and trauma	MEETING THE MULTIFACETED NEEDS OF PATIENTS WITH DRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS While TB can have detrimental effects on a person’s health, the social ramifications of such a diagnosis and the treatment process may have devastating implications. Disruptions in a patient’s life facing a chronic and stigmatized disease like DR TB may hinder work or opportunities to earn an income, care for family members, social isolation and lower self-esteem. Although social workers give psycho-social support such as patient and family counselling, support groups, and make referrals to external agencies for ongoing and relevant long-term support, patient material and financial support is often a pressing need. Availability of the disability grant can compensate for income loss, and meet patient material and financial needs. However, the strict qualifying criteria exclude many patients and must be challenged. There is a further need for social workers in all government and NPO agencies to work collaboratively to enhance the journey of the patient as they travel through the healthcare system.
100	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Wittenberg	Nir	[email protected]	Ariel University	Big Five Personality Traits and Elective Co-Parenting among LGBTQ Populations	THEME 1: Promoting stakeholder partnerships that protect, support and enhance resilience during adverse events and trauma	This presentation discusses a study examining the mediating role of perceived social support and subjective well-being in the relationship between Big Five personality traits and actively seeking an elective co-parenting (ECP) partner. The study includes a vulnerable population facing challenges due to societal norms and a lack of professional knowledge in marital and family counseling. Data from 212 participants in Israel were collected using questionnaires to assess the ECP. The results indicated positive correlations between conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion with perceived social support. Perceived social support, in turn, was positively related to seeking an ECP partner. Emotional stability and extraversion were also positively related to subjective well-being, which was also positively associated with seeking ECP partners. These findings suggest that specific personality traits may influence perceptions and potentially explain the decision to seek ECP.
101	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Wittenberg	Nir	[email protected]	Ariel University	Online Support for Youth at Risk: Reaching Out Through Technology	THEME 2: Building sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant communities through indigenous modalities, inter-sectoral collaborations, and partnerships	This lecture presents research on the use of the Internet as a source of support for youth at risk experiencing distress, providing insights into online communication and help-seeking behaviors. Due to a lack of knowledge, fear of exposure, and stigma, many adolescents avoid seeking help. However, the online world offers unique opportunities for information, support, and a sense of belonging, and has proven to be equally effective in establishing therapeutic alliances as those conducted in person. The study employed a Grounded Theory approach with a sample of 602 young people aged 12-25. The data collection methods included interviews, questionnaires, and support group messaging. Five main patterns of online help-seeking behavior were identified: self-reliance, problem solving, self-discovery, social engagement, and the need for counseling relationships. This study enhances the understanding of online support for youth and has organizational and clinical implications for internet-based outreach, counseling, and the development of therapeutic alliance.
102	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Wittenberg	Nir	[email protected]	Ariel University	The Role of Digital Tools in Social Work: A Hybrid Perspective	THEME 4: Quality management and enhancement of social services	Social workers are now able to expand their services by utilizing digital tools, such as online community management and therapeutic interventions. While these tools can enhance service quality and customer satisfaction, they also pose professional, ethical, and organizational challenges. Finally, they raised the topic of how social workers' roles change in a digital culture where services and knowledge are readily available. This lecture is based on empirical and theoretical literature that evaluates the current state of the social work profession while forecasting future changes, such as the rise of artificial intelligence and big data. I underline the significance of social workers acknowledging how to plan and conduct interventions using modern technologies from a hybrid perspective, in which digital tools are utilized to supplement and expand "traditional" face-to-face practices. This approach views the use of digital means to enrich "traditional" face-to-face practices and to expand their boundaries.
103	View	Accepted	Accepted	Dr.	Ramphabana	Livhuwani	[email protected]	University of KwaZulu-Natal	The intersection of culture, tradition, and delayed disclosure of child sexual abuse: insights from the Vhavenda Tribe	THEME 2: Building sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant communities through indigenous modalities, inter-sectoral collaborations, and partnerships	Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global problem that interrupts the willpower to encourage the healthy development of children in societies. Although CSA is a global issue, culture and tradition play a significant role on how people perceive and respond to the abuse. This qualitative study used an exploratory design to understand the intersection of culture, tradition, and delayed disclosure in the context of the Vhavenda tribe. Five adult survivors of CSA, seven caregivers of survivors of CSA, four social workers, and two traditional leaders were purposively sampled to participate in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and thereafter, it was arranged and analysed thematically. The findings of the study contribute to a deeper understanding of the cultural dynamics at play and highlights the need for culturally sensitive interventions to facilitate timely disclosure, support survivors, and foster protective environments. Indigenous systems should be recognised and strengthened to fight, preserve and protect children from sexual abuse.
104	View	Accepted	Accepted	Ms.	Gambushe	Sphokazi	[email protected]	NICRO	Enhancing Resilience in the Face of Climate Change: The Role of Social Workers in Durban Floods	THEME 1: Promoting stakeholder partnerships that protect, support and enhance resilience during adverse events and trauma	The Durban floods that occurred in April 2022 and June 2023 serve as a reminder of the devastating consequences of climate change. In response to such catastrophic events, a collaborative effort among stakeholders is essential to protect, support, and enhance resilience in affected communities. It is recommended that social workers be employed as part of the first responders' team. These social workers can provide vital counselling and debriefing services to individuals who have witnessed and experienced the destructive power of climate change. The integration of social works into the emergency response system will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 11, which emphasize sustainable economic growth and resilient infrastructure, respectively. Furthermore, to reduce carbon emissions, social workers can play a role by adopting environmentally conscious practices. Shifting from physical assessment tools to digital alternatives. Such change aligns with the broader global efforts to promote sustainable development and combat climate change. Fostering stakeholder partnerships and empowering social workers, community resilience can be enhanced and support those affected by traumatic events can be provided. Integrating social workers as first responders and adopting environmentally friendly practices will contribute to a sustainable and resilient future in the face of climate change.

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2023 Conference