WITHIN THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION
4.3 Section B
4.3.5 The Input of Welfare Organisations in the Training and Education of Social Workers and Social Work
4.3.5 The Input of Welfare Organisations in the Training
universities and in this way are able to impact on the training of the students. Universities, however, are at liberty to consult or not with the welfare organisations concerning the development and/or validation of their curriculum. It is true that the annual Joint University Committee of Social Work conference does invite social work practitioners from welfare organisations to be involved in the conference where the validity of curricula and other related matters are discussed, but this is a self- appointed body and not mandated by any other body than academics themselves, least of all by organised social work practice.
In analysing the existing relationship between education and field practice in general, Ramphal (1994:344) points out that tensions indeed sometimes arise between these two groups because the service goal of agencies is not always compatible with the educational goal of social work departments at universities. Practitioners sometimes challenge the appropriateness and effectiveness of social work education, while social work educators and students, in turn, question the appropriateness of certain goals and methods practised to address current problems and needs of clients.
Lombard (1997: 13) cites from various studies (McKendrick (1994,1980);
Comaroff (1997); Collins (1985); O'Brien (1990), and Ramphal & Moonilal (1993) which show that there is consistent evidence that a substantial body of informants (either employers, supervisors, or new graduates themselves) believe that there is gap between what is achieved by university training in preparation for professional social work practice and the knowledge and skills actually required in practice.
Since academics are powerful role players in education and training, the question is whether welfare organisations are at the mercy of powerful academic institutions. The answer should be no, especially in view of the new welfare dispensation. According to Van Delft (2000), this 'receiving
end' position in which welfare organisations find themselves will change in the near future owing inter alia, to the nature of welfare services in terms of the White Paper for Social Welfare (1997), as well as the financing policy of Developmental Social Welfare. The researcher agrees that welfare institutions are not at the mercy of academic institutions, but that academia needs to take into consideration that, with the introduction of other related occupational groups such as child care and youth care workers to the welfare scenario, welfare organisations are in no way any longer obliged to employ only social workers in order to deliver welfare services.
The new welfare dispensation requires welfare organisations to deliver developmental welfare services according to business plans within the policy-designated fields of child, youth and family care, the aged and women (White Paper for Social Welfare, 1997). This paradigm shift with the focus on development instead of therapy is embedded in the White Paper for Social Welfare. This is supported by the South African Council for Social Service Professions now registering other professional categories in the welfare field (for instance, child and youth care workers).
According to Van Delft (2000), welfare organisations have reached the stage where they can choose the people that will best implement the organisation's welfare programmes, provided that legal requirements are met concerning specific service delivery, such as statutory work. Letting the above discussion reach its full consequence, one arrives at the conclusion that universities will not necessarily, as was in the case in the past, have a guaranteed market for their product with social welfare organisations. Therefore welfare organisations will now have far more power in influencing the education and training curricula of universities because these organisations can choose to employ the persons best suited to their needs. According to Van Delft (2000), welfare organisations can therefore contribute significantly towards a balanced theoretical and
practical education and training curriculum for social workers in order to meet the needs of welfare organisations that are developing programmes in congruence with the developmental welfare policy of South Africa.
Hence departments of social work at universities will have to take serious note of the power welfare organisations are gaining. Training institutions will have to redefine their relationship with social welfare organisations so as to remain vital role players in the South African social welfare scenario.
The 2001 report to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Social Development by the Joint Universities Committee for Social Work has in fact identified co-operation with the public sector. The report indicated that all departments of social work in higher education are involved to some extent with local, provincial and national government departments.
In this regard, a common trend is the presentation of workshop, in respect of the continuing education of social workers employed by the government. Some training institutions have participated in the Department of Social Development's re-orientation programme for their social workers, while others have initiated their own continuing education programmes for social workers. Staff members of social work training institutions serve on government committees and planning teams (Joint Universities Committee for Social Work, 2001).
Similarly, social welfare organisations are equally confronted with the task of redefining their relationship with universities. Welfare organisations must ensure that the education and training of social workers and other welfare professionals take note of the practice realities of social work and build these into the curriculum (Patel, 1998). Of utmost importance for welfare organisations is to remain active partners in promoting research at universities in social welfare matters so as to empower social work practice with the necessary empirical and conceptual basis from which to operate.
In conclusion, the essence of what social work as an independent profession stands for, positioned within the parameters of developmental social welfare in South Africa, can benefit from a strong, trusting and productive partnership between practice and educational authorities. This partnership can meet the challenges confronting social work practice.