EDITORIAL

Editorial

Prof Sulina Green

Department of Social Work, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The articles in this issue of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk address a range of topics from school social work as a field of practice to the role of social service providers to protect vulnerable women and children in society.

The opening article discusses the dilemma faced by South African non-profit organisations in dealing with the high turnover of social workers and suggests that the retention strategy adopted by the government should be revisited.

The next three articles offer insights into school social work as a field of practice in social work in South Africa. The first article covers the background, development and current state of school social work in South Africa. Focusing on the social context of South African school-going children, the second article analyses the lack of collaboration between school social workers and educators. The last article explains some of the legal and ethical obligations of school social workers as determined by the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) and the South African Council for Educators (SACE).

The following four articles deal with the role of social service providers to protect vulnerable women and children. The first article explains shortcomings in existing policies, programmes and initiatives in addressing violence against women, inequality, poverty and unemployment in the South African context. The second article examines a case study of the Families and Marriage Society of South Africa (FAMSA) which explores and emphasises how social workers can use the developmental approach in curbing girl marriages. The third article, dealing with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Zambia, highlights the need to take the views of African traditional leaders into account in an integrated support and care model. The final article reports on the family characteristics and resources that enable families to adapt after their children have been diagnosed with intellectual disability.