Barriers Faced by Social Workers in Providing Substance Use Services to Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2708-9355/18903Keywords:
adolescents, barriers, social workers, substance use, servicesAbstract
Substance use among adolescents is prevalent in South Africa. Social workers are instrumental in the provision of substance use services to adolescents. Among other services, social workers provide counselling and link adolescents to treatment programmes. As frontline workers, social workers face enormous challenges in their efforts to provide effective substance use services to adolescents. The study aimed to identify the barriers faced by social workers providing substance use services to adolescents. The study setting was the 10 service points of the Department of Social Development within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. The study employed a qualitative research methodology incorporating both explorative and descriptive research designs. This approach allowed the researchers to gain in-depth insights into the subject matter while providing rich, detailed descriptions of the phenomena under investigation. Data were collected through face-to-face, individual semi-structured interviews with 11 social workers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Established strategies to ensure rigour were applied to enhance the trustworthiness of the findings. Three themes emerged from the study: (1) barriers faced by social workers within the employer organisation, (2) the behaviour of adolescents during professional encounters, and (3) the lack of skills development centres. It concludes that social workers face a range of challenges that limit their ability to provide comprehensive substance use services to adolescents. It addresses a gap in the literature by highlighting the specific barriers that social workers encounter in delivering these services.
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