Training occupational social work students in South Africa to address the contextual challenges of their practice
Generic social work training and practice in South Africa have had to transform in response to political democratisation and an evolving developmental orientation in social welfare policy. Education of occupational social workers has similarly been transforming in order to address the complexities of the workplace environment. However, further evolvement of occupational social work practice in both the public and private sectors is inhibited by various factors. These include a preponderence of employee assistance practitioners still focussing on the "troubled employee", which raises ethical questions in a context where it is often the environment that is troubled rather than the individual. Furthermore, many of the existing developmental models of occupational social work practice which originate from First World countries and are commonly offered as conceptual tools by social work educators, do not incorporate the broader community as a focus of change. This is a strikingly narrow view when one considers the socio-economic impact of globalisation and the devastation that HIV/AIDS is wreaking in sub-Saharan Africa, amongst other challenges.
This paper aims to explore the potential contribution of occupational social work in a developing country plagued by socio-economic challenges. The role of educators in facilitating the development of relevant competencies in students will be analysed. The writer will argue that it is essential to raise critical awareness amongst occupational social work students about the relationship between socio-economic and environmental issues. This incorporates an appropriate level of skepticism regarding neo-liberal ideology, as well as the specific need for competence in intervening at a macro level.