The factors predisposing social workers to burnout in the social services organizations of the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Ramphele, Thamaga Zacharia
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Burn out (Psychology) , Social workers -- Psychology , Job stress , Social service -- Research , Social workers -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:6059 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006667 , Burn out (Psychology) , Social workers -- Psychology , Job stress , Social service -- Research , Social workers -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: This work was based on an investigation of the subject of burnout, as observed by the researcher among social workers that worked for various social services organizations - both Government Departments and Non-Governmental Organizations - based in the Eastern Cape Province. The study of burnout was conducted with the aim to obtain information from the respondents about their conditions at work, and how those conditions contributed, as alleged, to burnout experienced by them. A qualitative research method was used as an approach that the researcher found best in that it allowed for an in-depth probe into the circumstances of the respondents (including the attitudes and emotions of the respondents), to give a broad picture of the situation as experienced by the respondents at work. A qualitative method was handled through the exploratory research principle of sampling and gathering of data, as the researcher felt it a sufficiently appropriate route to help yield the required outcomes of the study. The researcher's motivation to pursue the research was prompted by several indicators which included an article in the Daily Dispatch of 26 August 2003 that wrote 'Social workers quit in droves' and some personal contact with graduated students of social work, recently employed as social workers in various settings. Interesting dynamics about social work practice and its frustrations surfaced, and out of that premise, the researcher felt that it was an opportune moment to carry out an investigation to discover the facts about burnout as experienced by social workers. The findings on the research would be published, and the researcher intended to inform the social work community about the outcomes of research, hoping that the information would become useful to them in curtailing or preventing future encounters of burnout as experienced by them at the work place. In other words, recommendations for solutions would be provided based on the findings as an outcome of that investigation. To allow for the success of the research process, the researcher planned to draw from several resource centers and other researchers' data, any valuable piece of information, record, or existing data that could assist in evaluating information that became available during data collection. Such information was seen as very important since it helped in making the data analysis process easier and more than enough information could thus be obtained. Finally the researcher had found the study quite fascinating in that it addressed human concerns in the form of social work issues at work, which the researcher personally considered important and shared as one of the issues affecting social work professionals.
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- Date Issued: 2005
Public relations in community work : a public relations programme for direct service organisations
- Authors: Carmichael-Kathan, Averil Margaret
- Date: 1992 , 2012-11-28
- Subjects: Social service -- Public relations -- Research , Community organization -- Research , Social service -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:692 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006375 , Social service -- Public relations -- Research , Community organization -- Research , Social service -- Research
- Description: The community work method of social work is a method requiring creativity, application of specialised skills and knowledge, sound planning and administration and a persuasiveness to reach the various sectors of the community in order to accomplish broad based goals. Public relations is an occupation that has a sound body of literature and theory, a code of ethics or conduct, a host of tools and methods and also requires sound planning and administration, bound together with persuasiveness to reach the various publics in order to accomplish goals affecting image, quality of service rendering and marketing of services. The present study was concerned with identifying the commonalities and the differences between the profession of community work and the occupation of public relations in order to enhance the content of community work theory for practical application by community workers. The differences between the two would, in fact, teach content to community work. It was hypothesised that public relations has a necessary function and is an occupation that can be internalised with and applied to community work for the effective marketing of organisational services. A model for incorporating public relations into community work was designed and implemented in a direct service welfare organisation with positive results. This design is applicable to other direct service welfare organisations with innovative and flexible management teams. The results of an empirical research study, making use of random sampling and questionnaires, was analysed. The results indicated that public relations and community work were comparable entities with reference to knowledge bases, values, skills, tools, methods, techniques, ethics and programmes. A third group of respondents emerged in this study - community workers practising public relations firmly within the realm of community work. This group advocated the use of marketing and communication strategies in applying the community work method effectively. The primary difference to emerge from the work research was one of emphasis in applying methods and subsequently, community work can learn a great deal from these differences which will enhance service rendering correspondingly. The culmination of this study led to several highly relevant conclusions and recommendations for welfare organisations in a Post-apartheid South Africa. The most worthwhile conclusion was that community work has a great deal to learn from public relations, and that they are combinable entities at every level. , KMBT_223
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- Date Issued: 1992