Enablers and Barriers Faced by Social Workers in Undertaking Advocacy in Johannesburg, South Africa

Authors

  • Wilma C Chibonore University of the Witwatersrand
  • Victor Chikadzi University of the Witwatersarand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2415-5829/2394

Keywords:

advocacy, child welfare sector, social workers, social justice, enablers and barriers

Abstract

Advocacy is one of the key roles of social workers when fighting for change in the lives of the vulnerable and marginalised groupings in society. The fight for social justice is a key feature in the mandate of social work globally, and advocacy is vital to the attainment of the social justice mission of social work. Using primary qualitative data, this article offers insights into the enablers and barriers faced by social workers in undertaking advocacy within child welfare settings in Johannesburg, South Africa. The results show that factors such as scarcity of resources and lack of partnerships and collaborative efforts hinder the practice of effective advocacy especially at macro level. Networking forums and collaborative efforts among social workers and people from other related professions are given as some of the key recommendations to strengthen advocacy efforts.

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Published

2017-11-22

How to Cite

Chibonore, Wilma C, and Victor Chikadzi. 2017. “Enablers and Barriers Faced by Social Workers in Undertaking Advocacy in Johannesburg, South Africa”. Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development 29 (2):19 pages. https://doi.org/10.25159/2415-5829/2394.

Issue

Section

Articles
Received 2017-03-31
Accepted 2017-05-18
Published 2017-11-22