The ‘Rainbow Nation’ way of teaching sensitivity to diversity for social work with groups

Because social work clients are often members of oppressed, vulnerable and disempowered groups, teaching sensitivity to diversity and empowering social work students to be culturally competent is of the utmost importance. South Africa’s history of apartheid has had detrimental effects on personal, social, economic, and political development. A department of social work at a university in South Africa introduced specific study units within its Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programme to address the influence of this particularly vicious form of discrimination. The units help students to confront their own prejudices, enhance their self-awareness, and obtain knowledge of and exposure to diverse client populations. This paper discusses the need for coursework in this area, and describes the process of teaching these study units.http://www.whitingbirch.net/cgi-bin/scribe?showinfo=ip001gv201

Strengths-based groupwork with alcohol dependent older persons

While most groupwork programmes offered to older people with alcohol dependencies are problem-centred, strengths-based philosophies suggest that following a strengths perspective could be more effective. However, in South Africa, which adopted a developmental approach towards social welfare, there is a lack of groupwork programmes specifically designed for alcohol dependent older people. This paper reports on the outcomes of a strengths-based groupwork programme for alcohol dependency in older people. The programme is unique in that it is based on a strengths perspective and it is reconcilable with South Africa's welfare approach. The study followed a mixed methods research approach in order to evaluate the programme holistically. Participants included eight older men, with an average age of 60 years, who were administered a group questionnaire. The findings revealed that the respondents' psychosocial functioning improved, in that their range of strengths increased and they had achieved, or were on a path towards, “ego integrity”. This programme is considered to complement existing treatment programmes. Recommendations for practice are discussed.http://www.whitingbirch.net/cgi-bin/scribe?showinfo=ip001hb2013gv201