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BSW1503 TUT102 - notes
Social psychology
Tshwane University of Technology
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BSW1503/102/0/
Tutorial Letter 102/0/
Introduction to the Landscape of Social
Work Practice
BSW
Year module
Department of Social Work
This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.
BARCODE
CONTENTS
- 1 GENERAL INFORMATION Page
- 2 HOW TO USE THIS TUTORIAL LETTER AND HOW TO APPROACH TASKS
- 3 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES
- 4 CALCULATION OF THE MARKS FOR TASKS
- LEARNING UNIT 1: SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH INDIVIDUALS (CASEWORK)
- TASK 1: SELF-AWARENESS
- WORKERS TASK 2: PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND THE CODE OF ETHICS FOR SOCIAL
- TASK 3: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS
- TASK 4: DIVERSITY IN SOCIAL WORK
- TASK 5: THE HELPING RELATIONSHIP
- LEARNING UNIT 2: SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH GROUPS
- TASK 6: GROUP WORK
- LEARNING UNIT 3: SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN COMMUNITIES (COMMUNITY WORK)
- TASK 7: VISIT TO AN ORGANISATION
- TASK 8: CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES
- LEARNING UNIT 4: SOCIAL WORK MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH
- TASK 9: MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH
- ADDENDUM A: LETTER TO THE ORGANISATION
- ADDENDUM B: GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS AND SUPERVISORS - WORK FORM ADDENDUM C: REQUISITION OF APPOINTMENT DATES FOR OBSERVATION AND VOLUNTARY
- ADDENDUM D: TIME SHEET/LOGBOOK
- ADDENDUM E: CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT...............................................................................
Number of assignments
Submission date
Unique number
Coverage of assignment Percentage contributed to final mark Assignment 01
21 April 2023 Further communication to follow
Assignment 01 consists of 20 multiple-choice questions that are based on the information that is contained in the current tutorial letter (BSW1503 – Social Work Practical). The present assignment aims to assess your understanding in relation to this tutorial letter and to the Social Work Practical module as a whole.
Assignment 01 contributes 15% towards your final mark.
Assignment 02
05 June 2023 Further communication to follow
In Assignment 02, essay-type questions encourage you to reflect on your motivation to become a social worker and on your suitability for pursuing a career in social work, as well as on the principles and theories applied in social work practice.
Assignment 02 contributes 20% towards your final mark.
Assignment 03
31 July 2023 Further communication to follow
Assignment 03 consists of self- coaching conversations (discussions).
Assignment 03 counts 5% towards your final mark.
Assignment 04
22 September 2023
Further communication to follow
Assignment 04 consists of the portfolio compiled, based on the tasks to be executed, as set out in BSW1503 Tutorial Letter 102 (your Practical Workbook).
Assignment 04 contributes 60% towards your final mark.
Total percentage: 100%
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2 HOW TO USE THIS TUTORIAL LETTER AND HOW TO APPROACH TASKS
- Study the contents of all the set tasks thoroughly.
- Draw up a plan to enable you to work through the tasks systematically.
- Compile a PoE, using a file for all of the tasks, and use a divider to separate learning units 1 to 4.
- Start with task 7, while simultaneously doing other tasks, as the task is closely linked to some of the other tasks that you have to do. What to do with your Assignment 04 when complete:
- Make a photocopy of the entire assignment (this workbook) and keep it in a safe place for purposes of reference and examination preparation. Should you not keep a copy of the assignment, you will not be able to resubmit it if it gets lost, and you will, therefore, forfeit the mark awarded to you for the assignment.
- Submit your assignment/portfolio online – ALL ASSIGNMENTS should be submitted on myUnisa.
NB: Should you experience any difficulties with this assignment, feel free to contact your lecturers on any weekday (excluding public holidays) between 08:00 and 16:00. The contact details of your lecturers are given below:
Mrs MC Rammutla Tel: +2712 429 6485 Fax: +2712 429 6973 E-mail: rammumc@unisa.ac
Prof ML Shirindi Tel: +2712 429 6060 Fax: +2712 429 6973 E-mail: shiriml@unisa.ac
3 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES
ASSIGNMENT 04: PRACTICAL TASKS ON SELF-AWARENESS, COMMUNITY WORK,
GROUP WORK, DIVERSITY AND SELF-AWARENESS OF PREJUDICE, DISCRIMINATION
AND STEREOTYPICAL BEHAVIOUR OR ATTITUDES
DUE DATE: 22 September 2023
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LEARNING UNIT 1: SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH INDIVIDUALS (CASEWORK)
TASK 1: SELF-AWARENESS [Marks: 5]
1 Describe yourself in three words. 1 Discuss your reasons for choosing social work as a career/profession. (In answering this question, ask yourself how you came to this decision about your career and life. For example: What were the influences of your background, individual circumstances, experiences, observations of your own community and your personal values when you decided to become a social worker?) 1 With reference to the four basic professional social work values, do you subscribe to such values? Justify your answer.
TASK 2: PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND THE CODE OF ETHICS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS [Marks: 8]
Please read the case study below, adapted from the book titled Introduction to social work in the South African context by Schenck, Mbedzi, Qalinge, Schultz, Sekudu and Sesoko (2016), and answer the following questions.
TSAKANI’S STORY
Tsakani is a 55-year-old woman from a rural area in Limpopo, who recently had to relocate to Diepsloot, near Johannesburg, in search of improved economic opportunities. As a single mother, she cares for her four grandchildren, whose mothers are unable to secure employment, due to their lack of skills and the high unemployment rate in the country. The social worker concerned with Tsakani’s case is a young woman who was born and raised in an urban area, where the community members observed no strict cultural practices. She completed her schooling and tertiary education in an area where distinct cultures were diluted, due to the heterogenous (mixed) nature of the community. The unique culture that had emerged in this particular community had been adopted by the community members concerned, who considered it to be acceptable. Tsakani, who arrived at the social worker’s office in her traditional Xitsonga attire, when she was offered a chair, declined to take it, as she said that she preferred to sit on the floor. When the social worker tried to persuade Tsakani to accept the chair, she felt offended and told the social worker that she was being disrespectful. The social worker ignored the comment and tried to focus on the reason for the client’s visiting her office. In striving to use her social work skills to build the helping relationship desired, the social worker maintained eye contact with Tsakani, which also offended the latter, who saw such contact as disrespectful. Due to her becoming
annoyed with her client, the social worker’s tone of voice changed from the modulated tone of a professional to one that was loud and harsh.
Source: Adapted from Schenck, Mbedzi, Qalinge, Schultz, Sekudu and Sesoko (2016)
2 What would you expect from the above-mentioned social worker, on meeting her for the first time?
2 How would you like the social worker described to approach you?
2 Explore what your responses towards the social worker would be likely to be when meeting with him/her for the first time, and discuss your responses with a fellow student, so that you learn to verbalise them.
2 What characteristics were displayed by the social worker?
TASK 3: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS [Marks: 12]
3 Interview a family member using basic communication skills, and write a report on the process. Your report, which should be between 50 and 100 words long, should include a description of the skills that you used in the interview process.
TASK 4: DIVERSITY IN SOCIAL WORK [Marks: 20]
CRITICAL THINKING AND SELF-AWARENESS
Theoretical preparation: In your study guides for BSW1502 and BSW1503, study the description of the social worker’s/facilitator’s values before doing this exercise.
Introduction to the task: In a highly heterogeneous society (meaning a diverse society with different cultures) and a country like South Africa, it is difficult to develop genuine tolerance for, and acceptance of, others. Nonetheless, for the practice of social work, having acceptance of, and tolerance for, others is crucial. However, the capacity for approval is inevitably affected by the nature of our own prejudices and values. The nature of discrimination is, of course, closely related to our values and biases. We can define discrimination as “the prejudgment and negative treatment of people based on identifiable characteristics such as race, gender, religion, or ethnicity” (Zastrow 2007). As a student and social worker, you need to be aware of your own values and prejudices and to learn to genuinely accept others who are different in appearance, background, attitudes and behaviour to yourself. You must tolerate and value both similarity and diversity, and come to accept others on their own terms.
We are all guilty of discrimination, stereotyping and prejudice from time to time. What we believe about people and issues is so much part of us that we are often unaware of how such negative thinking can influence our interaction with others. For you to be a successful social work practitioner, it is important that you should become aware of the different ways in which you discriminate, stereotype or exhibit prejudice. Only then will you be able to start to grow as a person.
Instructions: This exercise has no right or wrong answer. The objective of the exercise is that you should start to think critically about yourself and about how you perceive and think about other people. In marking this exercise, we will consider your ability to think critically about yourself.
Based on the above information, answer the following questions.
4 What words, ideas or concepts automatically come to mind when you think of perpetrators of child abuse? Write them down. 4 In your opinion, can the perpetrators of child abuse be good people? Substantiate your answer. 4 To answer the following question, consult your study guide for BSW1501, learning unit 6. Do you believe that the perpetrators of child abuse deserve to be treated fairly, as it is stipulated that they should be in terms of the Constitution of South Africa? 4 Considering your own value system, do you think that you can work with the perpetrators of child abuse? Be as honest as possible. 4 Do you think of yourself as being different from people of other races? If so, in what ways? If not, why not? 4 Do you think that people who are not religious can cope with life? Do you think that they can cope as well as you do? Do you think that they are able to care about other people? After thinking about these questions, write down some of your ideas about them and explain what you mean.
EXERCISE 2: SELF-EXPOSURE AND EXPERIENCING SIMILARITY AND DIVERSITY WITHIN A DIFFERENT CONTEXT
Introduction In doing this exercise, we want you to experience diversity in a context that is different to that which you usually frequent. We want you to visit a place of which you don’t personally approve, or where you know that you will be likely to feel out of place, so that you can learn more about your own value systems and other belief systems than you might have done before. Many of you grew up in protective environments where you learnt to accept the
BSW1503/102/0/
system of values and beliefs of the family, group or community to which you belonged. However, yours is not the only value or belief system that exists. Even if you have, since then, chosen to accept a different belief system to that with which you grew up, your present belief system is still only one of many different belief systems. Through exposing yourself to different contexts, you can create an opportunity to become aware of your own and others’ similarities or differences. Allowing yourself to be exposed to another group of beliefs and opening yourself up to experiencing different meanings and realities should be a consistent part of your personal growth as a social worker. How do you start such a process? The following exercise could be a starting point.
Instructions: As best suits your circumstances, decide to which of the following areas you wish to expose yourself. During your visit, try to collect a booklet or a flyer with information about the venue.
NB: Please take a friend or a spouse with you on your visit, or visit the area as a group. Try not to be too obvious in your observation of the people present. Take no notes and try to join the group unobtrusively.
Visit a religious order that is entirely different to your own: If you are a Christian, visit a place of worship that is not closely related to the Christian belief system, such as a Muslim mosque or a Buddhist temple, and vice versa. Try to find such a place in the area in which you live.
OR Visit an area that is occupied by those with a sexual orientation entirely different to your own: For example, if you are heterosexual, you could go to a meeting or a club where members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), intersex and asexual (or allies) (LGBTQIA) people tend to gather, and vice versa. Find out where different groups of the LGBTQIA community tend to gather by consulting LGBTQIA-friendly magazines like SA City Life Magazine, which list such venues.
OR Other options: You might also visit a place which you would usually avoid because of your relatively conservative value system, such as a strippers’ bar, a rave party or a casino.
Decide for yourself on the area that you would like to visit. We can learn a great deal about our own value systems and about other belief systems by means of visiting those places of which we don’t personally approve, or where we tend to feel out of place.
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LEARNING UNIT 3: SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN COMMUNITIES (COMMUNITY WORK)
TASK 7: VISIT TO AN ORGANISATION [Marks: 20]
The following task is aimed at giving you an opportunity to visit a welfare organisation of your own choice. (The practicum hub at the Department of Social Work at Unisa will assist you with negotiating entry to the organisation for two separate/consecutive days). An official letter of introduction will be provided to all students, so that they can apply for permission to accomplish this task. The visit should enable you to understand the operationalisation of social work in practice. The task will also assist you to finalise your deciding about whether to join the social work profession. As the current module requires no actual practice, during your visit you are not expected to do any related social work tasks/duties, apart from observation.
SECTION A: AWARENESS OF WELFARE ORGANISATIONS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKER What is observation? Observation describes the process of watching, listening and taking note of what is seen, so as to be able to reflect on it, draw conclusions and learn. Learning is achieved by means of observing practice, and by means of reflecting on the effectiveness and the impact of what was observed. Before and after visiting a welfare organisation, you need to ask yourself the following questions: a) On what type of social work field do I want to focus? b) For what type of organisation do I want to work? For instance, do I want to work with children and families, or with people living with a disability? c) Do I want to work in the voluntary/independent sector or in a statutory agency?
Guidelines to consider Your observation may, among others, cover the following: - accompanying a social worker to court - observing a social worker facilitating a group - observing a social worker interviewing a client/doing an assessment - having a meeting/discussion with a social worker to discuss their roles and functions in a particular welfare organisation, the social work methods that are mostly used within the welfare organisation, the levels of service delivery used in the organisation, the caseload expectations, and the support granted to the social workers in such an environment - observing a formal meeting, like a core group meeting or a network meeting
- exploring how integrated services work for the benefit of a child’s needs
- understanding the fostering and adoption processes
Instructions:
Visit a welfare organisation of your choice for two separate/consecutive days (for a period of 16 hours in all). Ensure that the organisation employs a social worker.
NB: - Be punctual for your appointments, as well as being prompt and reliable. Phone the contact person concerned if you are unable, due to illness or an emergency, to attend an appointment made, and also inform your module leader of the problem. - Display a professional attitude; dress appropriately; cooperate with the organisation’s staff members; and follow the confidentiality rules closely and carefully. Sign the Confidentiality Agreement included in your workbook. - Provide the contact person with brief background information about yourself, as well as about your interests, and state what you would like to learn during your observation and voluntary work. - Respond appropriately to your supervisor’s suggestions. Perform the agreed upon duties that will provide you with experience, increase your competence and enable you to learn about the organisation itself.
Keep a workbook or a PoE, reflecting on the tasks undertaken.
Keep a logbook/timesheet, outlining your hours of attendance and the activities performed during your field placement. Ensure that this is signed by the contact person concerned (see the timesheet included in Tutorial Letter 102).
NB: WRITE A REPORT ON YOUR VISIT TO THE ORGANISATION. IN YOUR REPORT, INCLUDE THE DETAILS ENUMERATED BELOW.
IN ANSWERING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, WRITE A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT OF BETWEEN 300 AND 400 WORDS. INCLUDE THE HEADINGS GIVEN BELOW:
7 Write down the vision and the mission of the organisation that you have visited. 7 Write a short report on what you observed, for example the social worker’s facilitation of group work, and the purpose of the group, or the accompanying of a social worker to court, and the reason for attending court.
LEARNING UNIT 4: SOCIAL WORK MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH
TASK 9: MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH [Marks: 7]
Sthembile’s case study
Sthembile approaches the Department of Social Development located in Ackerville, Emalahleni. On meeting with the social worker (Mr Jabu), she describes her problem. She is having difficulty looking after her four grandchildren, aged 8, 10, 14 and 16 years old, respectively (two boys and two girls), whose mother passed away three years ago. Her main problem is that she cannot provide adequately for the children’s financial needs; therefore, she has come to apply for the children to be placed in foster care. After documenting the problem presented by the client, Mr Jabu schedules an appointment to visit Sthembile at her home, so that he can examine their domestic circumstances, and also meet with, and interview, the children involved. On the day of the home visit, Mr Jabu interviews all the children and establishes the following. Firstly, the mother of the children, who committed suicide, was found hanging from a tree by her sons when they returned from school. Secondly, the eldest boy has joined a gang that sells drugs at school, and he has taken over the role of providing financially for his siblings. Lastly, the 8- and 10-year-old children are becoming unruly; they play truant from school whenever they want to, and their grandmother is unable to discipline them.
9 Identify which level of intervention you would consider using when helping Sthembile’s different family members. Provide the reasons for your choices in each case. 9 If you were to conduct research on this case study, on which problem would you focus and which type of research would you conduct? 9 Discuss how, where and why administration and management are relevant in terms of this scenario.
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ADDENDUM A: LETTER TO THE ORGANISATION
The Manager Department of Social Development/ Welfare Organisation INTRODUCTION OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS TO SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE Social work students at Unisa are required to visit welfare organisations for two separate/consecutive days (for a period of 16 hours in all) between 1 July and 31 August 2023, so as to participate in the following activities:
Day 1 – The students are expected to observe social workers at work (for a period of 8 hours). Day 2 – The students are expected to be involved in a variety of activities at the welfare organisations concerned. The activities may include, among others, helping social workers with the planning of awareness campaigns, community work programmes or projects, and assisting in providing services to the clientele served (for a period of 8 hours). Please note that the two activities mentioned above form part of a portfolio, which counts towards the final mark for the Social Work Practical Module (BSW1503). Students are expected to follow the attached guidelines (Addendum B) during their two days of observation. Your organisation is requested to allow the first-year students to perform the tasks indicated above. Your willingness to assist in the education of future social workers is highly appreciated.
Yours truly Mrs MC Rammutla Dr RP Mbedzi Module leader CoD: Department of Social Work, Unisa Tel: 012 429 6485 Tel: 012 429 8759/3871/ E-mail: rammumc@unisa.ac E-mail: mbedzrp@unisa.ac
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Details of the voluntary work activities (noted in your workbook) will be agreed on by the supervisor, in consultation with you. Guidelines for you to consider Your observation may cover the following, among other matters: ➢ accompanying an experienced social worker to a formally structured seminar or workshop ➢ holding a meeting/discussion with the social worker to discuss the roles and functions of a social worker in the welfare organisation; the social work methods that are mostly used in the welfare organisation; the levels of service delivery used in the organisation; caseload expectations and the support provided for social workers ➢ observing a formal meeting, like a core group or network meeting ➢ exploring how integrated services are working to the benefit of a child’s needs ➢ understanding the foster care and adoption processes DAY TWO = Voluntary work The tasks undertaken on the second day could include the following: Students could undertake:
the photocopying, collating and filing of documents
assisting with reception, stamping and daily mail distribution
receiving and making phone calls on behalf of the agency
updating the contact list for the team
assisting with the preparation of folders or packages for meetings, conferences and workshops
writing up of the minutes after attending a meeting
NB: Don’t forget to sign the Confidentiality Agreement in your workbook.
Supervisors could undertake (with possible bearing on student observation):
supervising and mentoring of the student during performance of administrative tasks
giving the student appropriate and helpful feedback (with a positive approach working best)
contacting the module leader, if you have any questions or queries
signing the student’s logbook (timesheet), on the completion of each task/activity
supplying the student with the information required regarding your organisation
BSW1503 TUT102 - notes
Course: Social psychology
University: Tshwane University of Technology
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