Abstract
Crime in South Africa is currently a high priority topic discussed by politicians, professionals and the general public since violence has become part of everyday life. Trauma has become a fact of life. When trauma hits, it is usually sudden and unexpected. Traumatic events could include acts of human cruelty, a car or plane crash, an untimely death or natural disasters like a tornado or a flood. A traumatic incident abruptly rips a person out of their comfort zone and thrusts that person into the depths of loss and despair.
Unfortunately many people live their lives under the shadows of trauma. Trauma does not have to be a life sentence, it can be healed, through intensive counselling (as the researcher experienced at the trauma centre where she is affiliated).
There are individuals who are thankful that they have survived their traumatic experience. These individuals would often like to help and support others who have gone through similar experiences. These individuals are often linked to a centre or organisation that renders a service to a victim with the aim of empowering and equipping him/her if he/she was exposed to a similar situation.
It was the willingness of these individuals to help and the researcher’s involvement at a trauma centre that motivated her to undertake this research study. The researcher became aware, in her everyday contact with these willing individuals who wanted to help others who were traumatised through crime, how important it was that these people should be recruited, screened and trained. These “volunteers” should be under the supervision of a manager of a victim empowerment programme.
Therefore, the focus of this research study was on the volunteer who renders a service to the traumatised victim of crime.
The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of service rendering within the victim empowerment programmes on the victim of crime, with the emphasis on the role of the volunteer. To achieve this goal the researcher established the following objectives:
• To explore the literature with regard to stress, crisis and trauma, with specific reference to the definitions of stress, crisis and trauma, as well as their related signs and symptoms, as specifically related to victims of crime
• To discuss victim empowerment services in South Africa, with specific reference to Gauteng
• To explore the available literature with regard to the recruiting, screening, training and supervision of volunteers in general, but with specific reference to volunteers who render a service to victims of crime
• To evaluate qualitatively the recruiting, screening, training and supervision of volunteers who rendered a service to victims of crime
• To evaluate quantitatively the effect of intervention by volunteers on the victims of crime, in terms of:
the level of satisfaction with the victim of crime was experiencing with regard to the services rendered by the volunteer
the level of satisfaction the victim of crime was experiencing with regard to the services rendered by the professional (although this aspect was included as an objective of this study, the focus of this study was on the volunteer who renders a service to the traumatised victim of crime)
the symptoms the victim of crime was experiencing when the volunteers rendered trauma debriefing services
• Based on the results, to formalise guidelines for the managers of the victim empowerment programmes, who manage volunteers, to improve their service rendering to victims of crime.
The methodology of programme evaluation, as a combined quantitative and qualitative research approach, was implemented to achieve the goal and objectives set for this research study.
The quantitative data was collected by questionnaires that were completed by victims who utilised the services rendered by various victim empowerment centres. This data was then analysed by utilising the SPSS computer programme. Frequencies between the variables was described and interpreted.
The qualitative data was collected through interview schedules. Interviews were conducted with 10 management members and 10 volunteers from 10 selected centres in Gauteng, which utilised volunteers to render services to victims of crime. The qualitative data was analysed by identifying various responses and placing these responses into categories and themes. All the responses were transcribed.
The main results derived from the quantitative data indicated that the victims were satisfied with the level of service rendering from the volunteers.
The main results from the qualitative data indicated that volunteers who rendered services to victims of crime were recruited, screened, trained and supervised according to the requirements of the specific victim empowerment programme where this service was rendered.
Victims of crime that received trauma debriefing appeared to experience less symptoms, with specific reference to physiological symptoms (reliving the trauma), than those who did not receive trauma debriefing.
From the three literature chapters of this study the following main conclusions were made, namely:
• Trauma (Chapter 2)
It was imperative to discuss stress, crisis and trauma as they lie on a continuum of severity. The volunteer had to be aware of this and the effects thereof. Since each individual experienced the effects differently, knowledge of the effects would determine the volunteers’ level of service delivery to the victims of crime.
• Victim Empowerment (Chapter 3)
The victim empowerment literature for this study was relevant, since victim empowerment programmes are seen as the “umbrella” of the services rendered to victims of crime.
• Volunteers (Chapter 4)
The researcher wanted to highlight that the research results proved that volunteers played an imperative role in service delivery to victims of crime. The lack of relevant literature and research that has been completed with specific reference to the recruitment, screening, training and supervision of volunteers who rendered a service to victims of crime limited the study, especially with regard to the compilation of the guidelines for the managers of the victim empowerment programmes.
These guidelines include advice on the recruitment, screening, training and supervision of volunteers who render a victim empowerment service to victims of crime. This advice is focussed on the mangers of the victim empowerment programmes that were responsible for the volunteers who rendered a service to victims of crime.
With the completion of the guidelines, the researcher added value to the social work profession, since this profession increasingly utilises volunteers in their service rendering to victims of crime.
Prof. J.B.S. Nel
Dr. E. Oliphant