Child and youth care work in the South African context : towards a model for education and practice

Abstract

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.