Vishanthie Sewpaul

Global standards for social work education and training

The process of developing global standards for social work education and training is as important as the product, the actual standards that have been developed. In undertaking such an initiative it was also vital that minority opinions were considered and reflected in the development of the document. Thus, Appendix A describes fully the processes that were involved in developing the standards, and it documents the minority views that were expressed. Given the centrality of the process–product dialectic, and the fact that the principles underscoring the standards emerged, to a large extent, out of the processes, it is vital that the standards are read in conjunction with Appendices A and B. Appendix B provides the concluding comments and discusses the kinds of caution that must be exercised in the use of the document. Having duly considered all the concerns expressed in Appendices A and B, and having considered the need to take into account context specific realities, and the ambiguities surrounding social work education and practice, this document details nine sets of standards in respect of: the school’s core purpose or mission statement; programme objectives and outcomes; programme curricula including fieldwork; core curricula; professional staff; student social workers; structure, administration, governance and resources; cultural diversity; and social work values and ethics. As a point of departure, the international definition of social work is accepted, and the core purposes and functions of social work are summarised.

Global standards for the education and training of the social work profession

This is the final document adopted at the IASSW and IFSW General Assemblies in Adelaide, Australia, 2004. However, as the use, implementation and review of the Global Standards is to remain a dynamic process, please send your comments or recommendations to Vishanthie Sewpaul.

A STRUCTURAL SOCIAL JUSTICE APPROACH TO FAMILY POLICY: A CRITIQUE OF THE DRAFT SOUTH AFRICAN FAMILY POLICY

Sexist language aside, the following quotation aptly captures the power of the family: “The institution of the family stands in a peculiarly central, crucial position. It faces inward to the individual, outward toward society preparing each member to take his place in the wider social group by helping him to internalize its values and traditions as part of himself … It has enormous creative potential, including that of life itself, and it is not surprising that, when it becomes disordered, it possesses an equal potential for terrible destruction.” (Skinner cited in De Bruyn, 1992:21)

Social work education, training and standards in Africa

This paper describes the historical development of social work education in South Africa, paying particular attention to the transformation of social work education and training post‐1994, and provides some detail about the efforts being made toward the development of a regional qualifications framework. It also describes the constitution of the Social Work Standards Generation Body (SGB), its functions, the processes followed by the SGB, and details the outcomes generated by the SGB. The potential costs and benefits of the development of minimum standards are discussed, with specific reference to the debates around the ‘whole qualifications’ and ‘unit standards’ approaches to generating standards. Although the registration of social work qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is a statutory requirement of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), and was imposed, it holds promise and signifies an achievement by the social work profession. Since the inception of social work education and training in South Africa in the 1920s these are the first nationally formulated standards that have been accepted.

Modernism, postmodernism and global standards setting

This paper discusses the key features of modernism and postmodernism, and critiques global standards setting from a postmodern theoretical perspective. The main areas of critique consist of the possibility of the creation of yet another totalizing discourse or grand narrative; debates around the particular and the universal; issues around representation; and power, knowledge and discursive formations. We argue that to treat modernism and postmodernism as a linear progression and as a bi‐polar categorization is to fall within the traps of modernism itself. We have thus avoided making a choice between modernism and postmodernism—between justification, objectivity, reason, universalism, proof and unity of science on the one hand and the postmodern emphases on language, power, and the particular, contingent and relational on the other hand.

Inscribed in Our Blood Challenging the Ideology of Sexism and Racism

Drawing on my experiences and the work of emancipatory theorists, I argue that androcentric and patriarchal thinking is so entrenched in major social institutions that gender and racial discrimination seem to be inscribed in our blood. Confronting the influence of external systems on our thinking and engaging in an ideological critique are the first steps to understanding and undoing oppression and privilege and in working toward radical change. This article deals with the complex relationship between agency and structure. Although an alternative consciousness and praxis are central to dealing with gender and racial discrimination and inequality, so is dealing with their structural determinants.

On national identity, nationalism and Soccer 2010 Should social work be concerned?

English There is a wide spectrum of views on the potential socio-economic and socio-political consequences of South Africa hosting the Soccer 2010 World Cup. This article discusses whether this major sports event holds potential to contribute to a strengthened national identity and consciousness and/or to a narrow nationalism, and looks at possible implications for society and social work. French Il existe un large éventail de points de vue sur les conséquences socioéconomiques et sociopolitiques de la tenue du Mondial de football 2010 en Afrique du Sud. Cet article examine si cet événement sportif de grande envergure peut contribuer à renforcer la conscience et l’identité nationale ou au contraire donner lieu à un nationalisme étroit, et il envisage les conséquences possibles sur la société et le travail social. Spanish Son muchos los puntos de vista acerca de posibles consecuencias socioeconómicas y sociopolíticas de que la Copa Mundial del 2010 tenga lugar en Sudáfrica. Se explora si este importante evento deportivo tiene el potencial de contribuir a fortalecer la identidad y conciencia nacional, y/o un nacionalismo estrecho. Se examinan las posibles implicaciones para la sociedad y el trabajo social.

LIFE ON THE STREETS OF DURBAN: NO MILLIONAIRE ENDING

This article is based on two years of engagement with children and youths living on the streets of Durban. Our work was informed by critical and emancipatory frameworks and combined research and social work practice. This article reports specifically on research undertaken in respect of the experiences of children and youths living on the streets in the Durban Central Business District and the survival strategies that they adopted.1 MacDonald and Terblanche (2011:85) concluded from their study in the Western Cape that: “From the researchers’ point of view there was certainly no ‘millionaire’ ending to the story, yet from the participants’ perspective street life could be likened to a millionaire’s life in comparison with their home circumstances”. While our research in Durban supports the researchers’ view, it contests the latter assertion. Despite the extreme poverty and deprivation, often accompanied by alcoholism, violence and abuse in their family environments, the participants in our study did not believe that life on the streets was actually better than life at their homes. The words of one of the youths captured this most poignantly: “Ma’am, sometimes we talk about it in the shelter and we compare – home, shelter, street and we don’t know which one is worse.

Challenging Dominant Discourses on Abortion From a Radical Feminist Standpoint

The article, which is based on the narratives of 15 women in the Durban metropolitan area, contests liberal feminist views of abortion resting on the free choice of women. Adopting a radical feminist standpoint, it locates the abortion decision within structural constraints on women’s lives, raising the relationship between socioeconomic freedom and women’s reproductive health choices. The article also contests the popular pro-life/pro-choice dichotomy, interrogates the influence of popular pronatalism and discourses on motherhood on women’s choices, and highlights feminist relational ethical thinking that underscores women’s choices even as they acknowledge principled ethical concerns around the sanctity of life.

Transforming gendered relationships: Rural women in Africa

abstract Today the attention of the worlds policy makers is focused on sub-prime woes, and the financial crises. But the real crisis is that of hunger and malnutrition…Seventy five percent of the worlds poor people are rural and most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Agriculture is…a fundamental instrument for fighting hunger, malnutrition, and for supporting sustainable development and poverty reduction (Okonjo-Iweala cited in Magdoff, 2008). The drawback with the above axiomatic analysis, made by the managing director of the World Bank in 2008, is its lack of reference to the gendered dimensions of poverty, hunger and malnutrition and the significant roles that women play in agriculture. Recognition is given to the fact that there are huge diversities within and across countries on the African continent, and that Africa is not a monolithic entity. However, rural women in Africa do share some common characteristics and challenges; there is perhaps more that unites them than what separates them (Doss, 1999). Often subject to the most extreme forms of patriarchy, they are denied access to power and to decision-making both within and outside the home and they are denied access to education, land and to credit without collateral. The internal domestic and the external public worlds of women are inextricably linked in a number of complex ways (Sewpaul, 1994) and this personal-political identity link is the most pervasive theme of womens financial and political dependence (Millar and Glendinning, 1987). Recognising that womens positions are hardly likely to change dramatically without the decided involvement of men, this article makes recommendations, amongst others, for transforming relationships between men and women. Transforming gender relationships requires more radical interventions than the mere adoption of womens conventions and charters. This article begins with a brief analysis of rural women in Africa with the central argument being that globalisation, with its concomitant neoliberal capitalism—which is increasingly coming to be seen as the only socio-economic governance structure across the globe—has contributed to largely skewed development. While globalisation has contributed to making a few people across the globe ultra-rich, its benefits have eluded the majority of the worlds most marginalised populations, especially rural women and children. Aligned with globalisation is the impact of structural adjustment on the lives of women and children.