The paradox of professional social work service delivery in a resource deprived environment: a critical assessment of the factors that promote or impede the implementation of the Batho Pele principles in Buffalo City Municipality

Abstract

Like all civil servants, social work professionals are mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa to provide a high quality service standard to the citizens following the guidelines of the Batho Pele principles. Further, social work professionals are required to adhere to the ethical standards and guidelines stemming from community values. This study explores service delivery issues in a resource deprived environment using Moyo’s (2020) conceptual framework of power analysis, arguing for an understanding of the socio-political processes and social-political infrastructure of societies to advance the quality of life. Moyo (2020) asserts that social workers must understand the context of power in societies, as power is sustained through beliefs, values and attitudes that operate at a personal level, interpersonal, institutional and cultural levels and how social workers use power as agency for change. Using this conceptual method of seeing the use of power at an intrapersonal, interpersonally, institutional and cultural level, this study seeks to understand the roles and experiences of social work professional’s efforts in service delivery by critically assessing the factors that promote or impede the implementation of the Batho Pele principles in Buffalo City using a social work lens. The study highlights the importance of social work a profession in the context of service delivery discourse. Whilst service delivery has always centred on the issue of water and other social amenities, the main question for this study is: how do social workers deal with service delivery issues especially in a resource deprived environment? More so, the study highlights the paradox of social work service delivery at micro-, mezzo and macro levels by drawing the reader to the different approaches in social work. Furthermore, the study’s literature critically shows that the adoption of the Batho Pele by the government of South Africa was to herald a new era in the service delivery especially given the historical nature of inequities in service delivery during apartheid. However, given the lopsided resource environment, the paradoxes emerge in service delivery where on one hand social workers try to balance the address of needs of the clients and citizens as outlined in the Batho Pele principles, while also, trying to adhere to resource shortages and the requirements of their agencies. Such a paradox does not only highlight the demanding nature of the profession of social work as the literature shows but also shows the nature of environment that social workers have to contend with to advance services and improve quality of life. Social work is highly affected by the political, economic and social conditions prevailing in a country and some problems require a political and economic approach. The empowerment,resilience and social development theories were used in the study and were extended to the discussion and interpretation of findings. The study used the empowerment theory at intrapersonal level of social work, resilience theory at interpersonal level, and social development approach at institutional level and at cultural level used analysis of power. The study utilised a qualitative methodology through the adoption of the interpretive paradigm. Interviews were conducted using an interview guide. Fifteen social workers participated in the study and were selected using the purposive sampling procedure. Data analysis was done using content thematic analysis. The study’s findings indicate that few of the interviewed participants are aware of the existence of Batho Pele and out of fifteen, nine participants also indicated that they did not understand all of the principles. More so, because of lack of resources to support Batho Pele, participants reported a discharge of their duties, which reflects poorly on the BathoPele. In other words the shortage of resources reflects negatively on participants and it would appear as if they do not adhere to the principles of Batho Pele. Moreover, the study findings also show that there is political interference in service delivery and this disturbs the flow of work by social workers. The study recommends that there should be a reorientation of the public service, including social workers in South Africa so that it reflects the needs of the people. Further, a relook at the fiscal policy so that the public service can be retooled since it lacks resources which in end affects the majority of the people. There is also need to revisit the social policy and capacitate the department of social development so that it carries out its activities.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 202