Vanuit 'n leerstoel in die maatskaplike werk

Inaugural lecture--Department of Social Work, Rand Afrikaans University, 21 October 1980@@In this lecture arguments in respect of the distinct nature of social work as a discipline and a profession are exemplified with special attention to: a differential view of social problems providing for various client systems the field model as a useful frame of reference for the planning of social welfare services historical and contemporary linkages with social welfare diversity in venues of operation contributions to knowledge on man in stressful and deprived environments. Some of the main conclusions on the nature of social work are: Social problems are experienced by individuals, couples, families, other groups, neighbourhoods, communities and society at large. Social work subsequently operates on various levels of intervention. Clinical work is acknowledged as a necessity, yet more active concern with broad social issues affecting each of the client systems is propagated. More adequate professional attention to families of origin, neighbourhoods, immigrants, divorcees and single parent families is required. Multi-disciplinary services on the clinical level should be extended to intervention on the macro level: sociology, architecture, town planning, law, medicine and other disciplines should increasingly be represented in various stages of planning for and implementation of social welfare programmes.Contact between a Department of Social Work and the profession should not be limited to co-operation in regard to the practice training of students and extra-curricular programmes. Feedback on the design and content of syllabi, co-joint research, consultation on social issues, and the conceptualization and systematization of practice wisdom are more of the areas in which the lecture theatre and the field of practice could meet. Social work research is on the whole as yet not sufficiently distinctive. Relatively neglected topics for research include: the effect and affect of a particular social problem on one of the client systems; a clinical analysis of a stressful environment; aspects of the social work service delivery system, (effectivity studies in particular); client participation in various professional activities; student response to university education and professional preparation, and continuous study by practising social workers. Social work operates at the intersection where man and environment meet. Farreaching changes in present-day South Africa are visible in environments in which people think, feel and act. True to its principles endorsing human worth and dignity and equipped with knowledge on and insight into reciprocal relationships between people and social systems, social work can make a distinct and irreplacable contribution to the viability and quality of life of all peoples in this country