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Academic support for first-year social work students in South Africa

- Collins, K., Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Collins, K. , Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2010
  • Subjects: First year students , Social work - Study and teaching
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:6010 , ISSN 0037-8054 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8908
  • Description: This article sets out the context for first-year social work students in South Africa, explaining particular needs of the typical student and the facilities available for support. The expectation of deep learning required of university students raises many questions and a proposal for a research project is suggested on teaching and learning in social work, to be carried out collaboratively by South African universities. A literature survey, with extrapolation and application of relevant principles to serve as foundation for the project, is presented.
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Experiences of young people preparing to transition out of cluster foster care in South Africa

- Goemans, Monica, Van Breda, Adrian D., Kessi, Shose

  • Authors: Goemans, Monica , Van Breda, Adrian D. , Kessi, Shose
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: Foster care , Group home care , Youth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/476403 , uj:43011 , Citation: Goemans, M., Van Breda, A. D., & Kessi, S. (2021). Experiences of young people preparing to transition out of cluster foster care in South Africa. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 38(2), 227–237. doi:10.1007/s10560-020-00704-1
  • Description: Abstract: Purpose. Research on young people transitioning out of care due to reaching the age of majority (referred to as care-leaving or aging out of care) is still emerging in South Africa. To date, almost all research on leaving care has focused on the transition out of residential care, with little attention to the transition out of foster care, including cluster foster care (roughly equivalent to group homes in other countries). This paper aims to describe the experiences of youth preparing to age out of cluster foster care in South Africa. Methods. Individual interviews were conducted with nine youth preparing to leave a cluster foster organization called Home from Home. In addition, a semi-structured focus group was run with six of their foster mothers. Findings. Thematic analysis generated four themes: the desire for independence; the centrality of meeting material and physical needs at the time of transition; the continuity of emotional care during the transition; and the supported development of the capacity for self-determination. Discussion. Self-determination theory, ambiguous loss and ubuntu (or interdependence) were found to be useful theories to interpret the findings. Recommendations are proposed to better prepare foster children for leaving care and for creating a social environment that is receptive to and conducive for foster care-leavers.
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School dropout among female learners in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa

- Mokoena, Prince, Van Breda, Adrian D.

Nonhuman systems as a source of interactional resilience among university students raised by alcohol-abusing caregivers in Lesotho

- Mushonga, Simbai, Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Mushonga, Simbai , Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: Adult children of alcoholics , Alcohol-abusing , Caregivers
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/495371 , uj:44991 , Citation: Mushonga, S. & Van Breda, A.D. 2021. Nonhuman systems as a source of interactional resilience among university students raised by alcohol-abusing caregivers in Lesotho.
  • Description: Abstract: Research on the resilience of young people who were raised by substance-abusing caregivers is limited. This study aims to explore the internal interactional processes between nonhuman systems and young adults raised by alcohol-abusing caregivers in Lesotho. Multiple in-depth interviews were conducted and a draw-and-write technique applied with 15 university students, six of whom described having interacted with diverse nonhuman systems in their environment. A grounded theory analysis generated two themes: (1) interacting with empowering messages from non-present writers (through songs and books) and inspirational speakers (through videos) and (2) interacting with imaginary friends and inanimate objects (dolls and tattoos) in order to enhance their resilience. Van Breda’s interactional resilience approach, developed from person-in-the-environment perspective, and Margaret Archer’s theory of agency were found to be useful in interpreting the findings. The implications of the study include the need for social workers’ greater focus on young people’s interactions with nonhuman systems for resilience building.
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Reclaiming resilience for social work : a reply to Garrett

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

A critical review of resilience theory and its relevance for social work

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

The contribution of resilience to one-year independent living outcomes of care-leavers in South Africa

- Van Breda, Adrian D., Dickens, Lisa

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D. , Dickens, Lisa
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Leaving care , Transition to adulthood , Foster care
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/247659 , uj:25721 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. & Dickens, L. 2017. The contribution of resilience to one-year independent living outcomes of care-leavers in South Africa.
  • Description: Abstract: The journey out of residential care towards independent living in South Africa is significantly under-researched. This article draws on data from the only longitudinal study on care-leaving in South Africa. It uses resilience theory to explain the differences observed in independent living outcomes of care-leavers, one year after leaving the residential care of Girls and Boys Town. A sample of 52 young people completed the Youth Ecological Resilience Scale just before disengaging from care between 2012 and 2015 and participated in a follow-up interview one year later, focused on assessing a range of independent living outcomes. Nonparametric bivariate analyses were used to determine which resilience variables predicted better outcomes for the careleavers. The results reveal that resilience processes help to understand transitional outcomes related to housing, education, employment, well-being and relationships with family and friends. The most prominent resilience processes for promoting better outcomes are located in the person-inenvironment domains of the social environment (community safety, family financial security and social activities) and social relationships (with family, friends and community), with fewer in the interactional (teamwork) and personal (optimism) domains, and, surprisingly, none in the in-care service domain. This supports a social-ecological view of resilience, and has important implications for child and youth care practice.
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Research review : aging out of residential care in South Africa

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Leaving care , Youth aging out of care , South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/271932 , uj:28931 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. 2018. Research review : aging out of residential care in South Africa.
  • Description: Abstract: Approximately 21,000 children were accommodated in residential care in South Africa in 2011/2. Despite this large number, and the state’s substantial financial investment in residential care, there has, until recently, been little research on care-leaving: the transition out of care due to reaching adulthood. Furthermore, much of the research available has not been published in international journals. This article reports on a systematic review of research on residential care-leaving in South Africa, from 2003 to 2016. A thematic analysis of the resulting 40 research outputs maps the scope of findings from South African research, in relation to theory of leaving care, measurement tools developed, young people’s experiences of leaving care, transitional outcomes, processes of leaving care, facilitators of improved outcomes, care-leaving services and policy on leaving care. Critical gaps in the current research opus are identified, with a view to refining future research on young people aging out of care in South Africa.
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Developmental social case work : a process model

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

The first two years out of residential care in South Africa : A critical period for care-leaving services

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

The Youth Ecological-Resilience Scale : a partial validation

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Ecometrics , Youth Ecological-Resilience Scale , Resilience (Personality trait) in adolescence
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/222885 , uj:22402 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. 2017. The Youth Ecological-Resilience Scale : a partial validation.
  • Description: Abstract: Purpose: In South Africa, the field of scale development and utilisation in social work is referred to as ‘ecometrics’, i.e. the measurement of ecological constructs. There is, however, a lack of ecometric tools available for use by social workers, particularly in the area of measuring strengths or resilience. Given the high vulnerability of South African youth, this paper describes the design and validation of a youth resilience measure. Method: The Youth Ecological-Resilience Scale (YERS), a multidimensional, summated rating scale that measures youth resilience within an ecological framework, was designed and validated with a diverse sample of 575 young people, using ecometric techniques. Results: The YERS shows good levels of reliability and validity. Conclusions: The YERS is suitable for group administration and research, and also for assessment of individuals when triangulated with other assessment methods. Several studies of youth transitions using the YERS are described, as well as suggestions for its use in social work practice.
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Resilience of vulnerable students transitioning into a South African University

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Youth transitions , Student vulnerability , students at risk
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/268733 , uj:28531 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. (2018). Resilience of vulnerable students transitioning into a South African university. Higher Education, 75(6):1109-1124. doi:10.1007/s10734-017-0188-z
  • Description: Abstract: Youth transitioning into university face numerous life challenges, particularly in South Africa with its high levels of poverty and inequality. This article, recognising the vulnerability of many students, sets out to identify the resilience processes that facilitate the resilient outcomes of life satisfaction and academic progress. Using a sample of 232 psychosocially vulnerable undergraduate students, a quantitative survey was conducted and analysed using multivariate procedures. Results indicate that 27% of the variance in life satisfaction was accounted for by 19 resilience variables, with community relationships and family financial security being individually significant, and that 18% of the variance in academic progress was accounted for, with learning orientation being individually significant. Family relationships also emerged as important for both outcomes. The findings suggest that, during times of adversity, South African students drawn in particular on relational resources in their home communities, and that academic progress is protected from deterioration by vulnerable students’ love for learning. Practice implications for universities are proposed that go beyond reactive, therapeutic services towards creating a supportive academic community.
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A comparison of youth resilience across seven South African sites

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Resilience , Children in care , Poverty
  • Language: English
  • Type: Articles
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/241261 , uj:24834 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. 2017. A comparison of youth resilience across seven South African sites.
  • Description: Abstract: The resilience of children and youth is an increasingly important area of research. Young people growing up in distressed communities, characterised by poverty, crime and family troubles, are particularly vulnerable. Resilience can assist these young people in navigating through these challenges towards independent living, particularly as they transition out of adolescence and into young adulthood. Children in South Africa are almost universally vulnerable, but children growing up in residential care facilities and children from poverty stricken communities are particularly in need of resilience. This quantitative study of 575 South African children compared their resilience in terms of individual, family and community protective factors across seven sites, including child and youth care centres, schools in poor communities and schools in middle class suburban communities. Contrary to expectations, the study found that children in one of the children’s homes and one of the poor communities had the highest levels of resilience. Moreover, all but one of the sites scored very high on at least one of the resilience variables, suggesting unique profiles of resilience across the sites. Practice implications for child and family social work are discussed.
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Journey towards independent living : resilience processes of women leaving residential care in South Africa

- Van Breda, Adrian D., Hlungwani, Joyce

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D. , Hlungwani, Joyce
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Care-leaving , Resilience , Child and youth care
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/397823 , uj:33083 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. & Hlungwani, J. 2019. Journey towards independent living : resilience processes of women leaving residential care in South Africa.
  • Description: Abstract: Among the many youth transitioning to young adulthood, a group that has been found to be particularly vulnerable is young people transitioning out of care, particularly residential care. Research on this population of youth has burgeoned over the past few decades, but in South Africa it remains limited. This article focuses on the resilience processes that facilitate better transitions of young women out of care and towards independent living. It replicates the research design of a previous study with young men, with the aim of determining to what extent the resilience process of young women are similar to those of men. A sample of nine women was purposively selected, interviewed in-depth and data analysed using grounded theory methods. The findings indicate that the same resilience process found among male care-leavers are evident also in the narratives of female care-leavers, confirming the findings of the previous study. However, these processes had a slightly stronger relational focus among women than was seen among men. The authors conclude that similar resilience-building programmes can be implemented to prepare both males and females for leaving care.
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Developing the concept of ubuntu as African theory for social work practice

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Ubuntu , Indigenous , Decoloniality
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/402699 , uj:33713 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. 2019. Developing the concept of ubuntu as African theory for social work practice.
  • Description: Abstract: Ubuntu is an African concept referring to humanness. It gives expression to deeply-held African ideals of one’s personhood being rooted in one’s interconnectedness with others. Social workers seeking to develop an African framework for decolonial social work practice turn repeatedly to ubuntu for aid. But the term has, for the most part, been limited to the idea of mutual aid – people helping each other in a spirit of solidarity. This article endeavours to extend and deepen the ubuntu concept to strengthen its potential as a theory informing social work practice. This is done by interweaving other African ideas with ubuntu in three domains: ethics, sustainable development and ecospirituality.
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Patterns of criminal activity among residential care-leavers in South Africa

- Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Criminal subgroups , Crime , Offending
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/431933 , uj:37290 , Citation: Van Breda, A. D. (2020). Patterns of criminal activity among residential care-leavers in South Africa. Children and Youth Services Review, 109, 104706. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104706
  • Description: Abstarct: Research on care-leaving internationally suggests that young adults with experience of residential or foster care are disproportionately likely to engage in criminal activity and to come into conflict with the law. There is, however, no research on this population in South Africa. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of young people transitioning out of care and journeying towards young adulthood over a period of five years. The sample included 51 participants who had had at least two (and up to five) interviews (spaced approximately a year apart) since leaving care. A mixed methods design was utilised to investigate their patterns of criminal engagement over time. Results suggest three pattern among this sample of care-leavers: those who are ‘crime free’, reporting no criminal activity over two or more post-care interviews (73% of the sample); those reporting ‘incidental crime’, viz. criminal activity in just one follow-up interview, with the crime being of low severity and seldom having conflict with the law (10% of participants); and those reporting ‘regular crime’, viz. criminal activity in two or more follow-up interviews, with more severe types of crime and greater likelihood of coming into conflict with the law (including being found guilty of a crime in court and spending a night or more in jail) and an increase in frequency and severity of crime over the years out of care (18% of participants). Findings are discussed in relation to international literature and implications for practice are proposed.
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Care-leaving as emerging adulthood : raising an African voice in the global dialogue

- Van Breda, Adrian D., Pinkerton, John

  • Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D. , Pinkerton, John
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/431941 , uj:37291 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696819870356 , Citation: Van Breda, A.D. & Pinkerton, J. 2020. Care-leaving as emerging adulthood : raising an African voice in the global dialogue.
  • Description: Abstract: Until recently, literature on leaving care has emerged primarily from the Global North, with very little from the Global South, including from Africa. The special issue of Emerging Adulthood titled ‘Care-leaving processes and services in Africa’ is the first collection of essays on care-leaving by African scholars. It presents both care-leaving and emerging adulthood scholars from the Global North a unique opportunity to consider the implications of a rising African voice for global dialogue. This article, co-authored by scholars from North and South, argues in favour of North-South dialogue, but highlights several challenges inherent in this, including the privileging of Northern knowledge and voice, the indigenising and thus marginalising of African experience and scholarship, and divergent constructions of key social concepts. The authors argue the need for mutually-respectful discourse between North and South and present specific guidelines for fostering such global dialogue.
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Extended care : global dialogue on policy, practice and research

- Van Breda, Adrian D., Munro, Emily R., Gilligan, Robbie, Anghel, Roxana, Harder, Annemiek, Incarnato, Mariana, Mann-Feder, Varda, Refaeli, Tehila, Stohler, Renate, Storø, Jan

An exploratory study on the use of eye movement integration therapy for treating trauma in early childhood in South Africa

- Van Der Spuy, Charmaine, Van Breda, Adrian D.

  • Authors: Van Der Spuy, Charmaine , Van Breda, Adrian D.
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Trauma , EMI , Neurotherapy
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/397807 , uj:33081 , Citation: Van Der Spuy, C. & Van Breda, A.D. 2019. An exploratory study on the use of eye movement integration therapy for treating trauma in early childhood in South Africa.
  • Description: Abstract: Eye Movement Integration (EMI) is a neurobiological therapeutic technique that aims to reduce trauma symptoms by utilizing specific eye movements. This article contributes to the understanding of EMI by determining its utility with a diverse sample of 12 traumatized children, aged 5-7 years, in South Africa. The study is a replication of a previous study on the use of EMI with adolescents by Struwig and van Breda (2012), but with a sample of much younger children. A one-group, pretest-posttest, mixed methods, exploratory design was used to explore the reduction in trauma symptoms following a single session of EMI and to identify important clinical considerations in utilizing EMI with young children. The results indicate a significant reduction in all but one of the symptoms of posttraumatic stress, as measured by the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) and triangulated with qualitative feedback from caregivers. Clinical considerations emerged regarding the management of the concentration span of small children, their somatic experiences and dissociation, and strong emotional reactions. The authors conclude that EMI may be a useful brief therapeutic intervention for young children in resource-constrained settings.
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