CASE WORK

A method of direct practice in social work typically conducted on a face-to-face basis with individuals, couples and/or families; it often involves case advocacy in that the social worker seeks to secure resources in the best interests of people that they are engaged with.   
Case work at Greater Benoni Child Welfare entails rendering the following services to our clients:

Early intervention:

Services delivered at this level focus on the early identification of risks, behaviour and symptoms in individuals, groups and organisations that could negatively impact on social well-being. The services are aimed at limiting the impact of the risk and preventing the development/progression of social problems. The interventions are designed to facilitate change in individual, environment and societal factors that could impact negatively on wellness

Preventative services:

This level of service delivery focuses on strengthening and building the capacity, self-reliance and resilience of service beneficiaries while addressing individual, environmental and societal factors to create conditions that enhance or support wellness. Services are focused on preventing development needs from developing into social challenges or risks. This level of service delivery includes the developmental services dealt with in the White Paper and the primary prevention of the development of a ‘disease’ or problem.

Crisis Intervention:

This is a service provided for children believed to be abused or neglected by their caretakers, and remain at risk even after initial services have been concluded. Service is designed to enable families to provide at least the minimum essentials of care for children in order to provide a safe and protective environment. This program need not be voluntary and court intervention is common. Continuing Protective Services is provided until the safety of each child can be assured or the minor is removed to a safer living arrangement.  In this intervention we remove a perpetrator or victim from the situation that is negatively impacting on their social wellbeing.

Assessment:

Assess the circumstances of each client holistically and establish their immediate needs in order to ensure that optimum psychosocial services are rendered to the client and or family.  This assessment can 

Mediation Services:

Our mediator is trained in family and divorce mediation. Mediation services include the process of agreeing to and drawing up a memorandum of understanding, parenting plans and any other family and divorce related disputes. 

Statutory Services:

At this level, service beneficiaries’ quality of life or social functioning is compromised. It could require some form of statutory intervention or it could require the movement of service beneficiaries from the most empowering to the most restrictive environment as they can no longer function adequately in the community. They may have to be removed from their normal place of residence, either by court order or on the recommendation of a service provider, to alternative care (e.g. foster care) or placed in a residential facility. This level of service includes protection services that endeavour to safeguard the well-being of service beneficiaries.

Counselling:

Counselling, whilst being a catch-all term, used for describing of various professions, is, an important component of social work practice. (Rowland, 1993) It is a developmental process in which one individual (the social work counsellor) provides to another individual or group (the client), guidance and encouragement, as well as challenge and inspiration, in creatively managing and resolving practical, personal and relationship issues, in achieving goals, and in self realisation. (Rowland, 1993) Whilst the relationship of social work with poverty and deprivation necessitates that most counselling activities relate to such issues, counselling has now become an active and interventionist method to achieve change in social situations and empower people to improve the quality of their lives. (Rowland, 1993) The activity depends upon client-counsellor relationships and includes a range of theoretical approaches, skills and modes of practice.

Reunification Services:

The aim of this level of service delivery is to enable service beneficiaries to regain self-reliance and optimal social functioning in the least restrictive environment possible. It facilitates reintegration into family and community life after separation. It also refers to the building of optimal self-reliance and social functioning in residential care

Foster care supervision Services:

A foster child is a child who is removed from their parents and legally placed in the care of foster parents, in terms of the Child Care Act, through a court order. If you have been appointed a foster parent by a court, you can get a monthly payment from the government for your foster child.  Not all foster parents receive a grant as some foster parents has the means to support the child/ren without the help of a grant.  A foster care placement is renewed every two years after an assessment.  We currently have 1430 foster children in the care of 1765 foster families that we render psychosocial services to.