Abstract
M.A.
In 1994 the South African government provided a framework and a philosophical context for social development in the form of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). This programme serves as a basis for policy-making across a wide spectrum of social institutions, among them social welfare. The White Paper on Social Welfare (1997) provides a framework in which to debate the future of social work in the developmental welfare system it advocates. It is a system that requires a sincere commitment to working towards minimising poverty in South Africa. Community development is one of the methods used to address poverty, inequality and developmental problems.
From this new dispensation, the Department of Social Work at RAU developed a community development training programme to help social service workers become more community oriented in their daily service approach. Although this programme was developed eight years ago, no formal evaluation has been done on the effectiveness of this programme.
The study was undertaken among social workers and community developers employed by the City of Johannesburg Social Services department, Regions 7, 9 and 11. It was undertaken in order to empower them with knowledge of community development for implementation in their work setting.
The goal of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Community Leadership Training Programme on the staff in the Social Services department in the City of Johannesburg.
The objectives were to:
„X Conduct a literature study on community development.
„X Conduct a process evaluation of the programme.
„X Conduct an outcome evaluation directly after the completion of the programme and 12 months later.
„X Make recommendations based on the research findings for trainers, social workers, community developers and any related profession working in the community.
The evaluation research model followed in this study is programme evaluation as described by De Vos, (1998:368). In order to execute this study, the model as proposed by McKendreck in De Vos (1998:368) is applied.Evaluation research is chosen because a programme is evaluated. The study is qualitative and quantitative in nature and focuses on phases of evaluation, namely process evaluation and outcome evaluation.
From the main findings, it was found that:
The application of the Integrated Model of Programme Education
(IMPE) as described by De Vos (1998:368) was successfully applied in evaluating the training programme.
From the process evaluation, it was found that:
- Managers lack participatory management and leadership skills and this leads to mistrust and conflict in the workplace.
- Adults preferred experiential learning rather than writing or submitting assignments.
- The majority of the participants felt that the objectives of the workshop were clear and that the workshop met their expectations. They indicated further that the workshop was practical enough to
implement what they learned in their work.
- The participants were satisfied with the facilitating skills of the
facilitators in that they were not prescriptive but patient in understanding the content of the modules at their own pace.
- Skills demonstrations improved their skills in relation to
community development, for example, problem-solving skills, giving feedback to the community, and conflict handling. The skills demonstrations assisted them with their own personal growth and to be positive about themselves.
- The results of the tests, assignments and skills demonstrations indicated that they had broadened their knowledge base and could feel empowered to implement what they had learned.
From the impact evaluation, it was found that:
- A new approach to Community development exists called the asset-based model that focusses on the anticipatory needs, assets, capacity building and visionary leadership development in communities. It means that this development strategy starts with what is present in the community, the skills of the residents, and the institutions. It does not start with what is problematic or absent or what the community needs.
- The participants felt that the time frame of presenting the programme was appropriate because it did not have a negative impact on their day to day work. The two full days during the week once a month suited the participants.
- The participants indicated that the content was relevant to the workplace and that they could implement what they had learned in the community.
- The facilitators were excellent in facilitating, but the participants were not happy with the facilitator in project management due her soft-spoken voice and she could not express herself clearly.
- The first venue was not appropriate for the workshop due to its impractical setting. However, the second venue was practical and appropriate for the workshop.
The following main recommendations were made:
(1) The Integrated Model of Programme Education (IMPE) is recommended for programme evaluation not only to evaluate programme monitoring or outcome evaluation, but also for all the phases in the model.
(2) The asset-based model is recommended to replace the so-called expert model, not only to bring improvement, but also change.
(3) Staff including management must attend the community leadership programme to have a better understanding of participatory management and leadership.
(4) Adult learning principles and experiential learning techniques must be applied in the implementation of the programme and minimise written assignments. Hope and Timmel (1994:103) stress that education should stress learning more than teaching in situations where adults could discover answers and solutions for themselves.
Prof. J.B.S. Nel