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DESCRIPTION AND ASSESSMENT OF CARE LEAVERS’ APPLICATION OF SOCIAL SKILLS INTO INDEPENDENT LIVING by FATIMA IPILENG MMUSI 201139218 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Artium Socialis Scientiae (Clinical Social Work) in the Department of Social Work of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg Supervised by Prof Adrian D. van Breda Date of Submission July 2013 AFFIDAVIT This serves to confirm that I, Fatima Ipileng Mmusi, ID Number 780906 0543 086, Student Number 201139218, enrolled for the Qualification Masters in Clinical Social Work in the Faculty of Humanities herewith declare that my academic work is in line with the Plagiarism Policy of the University of Johannesburg, with which I am familiar. I further declare that the work presented in this minor dissertation is authentic and original unless clearly indicated otherwise, and in such instances full reference to the source is provided. I do not presume to receive any credit for such acknowledged quotations, and there is no copyright infringement in my work. I declare that no unethical research practices were used or material gained through dishonesty. I understand that plagiarism is a serious offence, and that should I contravene the Plagiarism Policy, notwithstanding signing this affidavit, I may be found guilty of a serious criminal offence (perjury). This would among other consequences compel the UJ to inform all other tertiary institutions of the offence and to issue a corresponding certificate of reprehensible academic conduct to whoever requests such a certificate from the institution. th Signed at Johannesburg on this 20 day of June 2013. Signature: ______________________________ Print name: ______________________________ STAMP COMMISSIONER OF OATHS Affidavit certified by a Commissioner of Oaths This affidavit conforms with the requirements of the JUSTICES OF THE PEACE AND COMMISSIONERS OF OATHS ACT 16 OF 1963 and the applicable Regulations published in the GG GNR 1258 of 21 July 1972; GN 903 of 10 July 1998; GN 109 of 2 February 2001 as amended. ii DEDICATION I dedicate this to my late parents especially my mom, Maria Mmusi, who remained the pillar of my strength until her untimely death in May 2011. THANK YOU for raising the strong woman in me, most importantly for loving my son and all your children unconditionally. Your spirit will continue to live inside me!!!! To my precious son, Ofentse, we have been through a lot together and unfortunately you had to grow faster than you should. You give me a reason to wake up when I do not feel like it. From the bottom of my heart you are everything I live for. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the midst of nightmares I went through, I thank God for keeping me steadfast and giving me the will to complete this study. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the following people:  To all participants: for allowing yourselves time, honesty and recognising the importance of this study. Without your cooperation and honesty, this would have never been possible. THANK YOU!  My supervisor, Professor Adrian van Breda: for your continuous support, guidance, and for making me work hard and believe that it was possible for me to successfully carry out this study. Your understanding and constant encouragement gave me the will to keep going in the times of crisis and despair that I went through during the process of completing this study. Without you this could have not been possible. Once again from the bottom of my heart, “a warm thank you”.  To my manager, Merilyn Pick: you have always believed in me even more than I did. You are a “remarkable woman”. You have always given me the reason to think things through. Your support, love, care and encouragement kept me going.  To Gladys Moiloanyane: your continuous spiritual support kept me sane and helped me establish a solid foundation with God and find my comfort in Him. THANK YOU for praying with me during difficult times.  To Mr. Cromwell Mteto: for mentoring me and making me realise that that I can go beyond my limitations.  To Sarie Dorling: for always being there to assist me with technical challenges.  To Girls and Boys Town South Africa, Ms Lee Loynes (CEO) and Tommie Veldman (Financial Manager) and Rorisang Kgampe (HR): THANK YOU for trusting and investing in me by affording me the opportunity to grow and develop within the organisation and taking my career to the next level.  To Zwelakhe Tsheko: for your understanding, encouragement and being there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on.  To my family and friends for being there and holding my hand when I felt I was not strong enough.  To all GBTSA, Magaliesburg staff: THANK YOU for being there for me. iv ABSTRACT This qualitative study focuses on the description and assessment of care leavers’ application of social skills into independent living. Information was gathered through semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. The sample comprised ten young men who had been in the care of GBTSA for at least two years and who left care at the age of 17-19 years between two and five years ago. Findings of the study indicate that care leavers are faced with ongoing challenges that force them to mature more quickly than their other peers. As a result, care leavers often have to rely on skills learned while in care in dealing with these challenges. Care leavers’ understanding of skills learned and how they have used the skills in their adult life were assed based on their lived experiences. This was done through care leavers identifying the skills they remember learning and reflecting on how they have applied these skills in their adult lives. Based on the objectives of the study and its findings, recommendations are made which include: GBTSA to explore and develop a structured mentoring programme that can be incorporated with its independent living programme to provide ongoing support to care leavers. Concerns were identified in areas such as generalisation and internalisation of skills learned, applicability of skills in “real life” contexts and a need for an ongoing support base to motivate and encourage care leavers. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Affidavit .............................................................................................................................................. ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................ iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Skills Programme at GBTSA ..................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Motivation of Study .................................................................................................................... 4 1.4. Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 4 1.5. Goal and Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................... 5 1.6. Overview of Research Methodology .......................................................................................... 6 1.6.1. Research Design ........................................................................................................... 6 1.6.2. Population and Sample ................................................................................................. 6 1.6.3. Data Collection ............................................................................................................. 7 1.6.4. Limitations of Research Methodology ......................................................................... 9 1.6.5. Data Analysis ............................................................................................................... 9 1.6.6. Rigour and Trustworthiness ....................................................................................... 10 1.6.7. Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................ 10 1.7. Definitions of Terms ................................................................................................................. 11 1.8. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................................................... 13 2.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 13 2.2. Human Development Theories ................................................................................................. 13 2.1.2. Erickson’s Psychosocial Theory ................................................................................ 14 2.1.3. Humanist Theory ........................................................................................................ 19 2.1.4. Attachment Theory ..................................................................................................... 21 2.1.5. Socio-Cultural Theory ................................................................................................ 22 2.3. Ecosystems Theory ................................................................................................................... 22 2.4. Care Leaving ............................................................................................................................. 24 2.4.1. Transition from Care .................................................................................................. 25 2.4.2. Historical Background on Care Leaving Research .................................................... 25 2.4.3. Resilience ................................................................................................................... 27 2.4.4. Independent Living Programmes ............................................................................... 29 2.4.5. The Concept of Self-Reliance .................................................................................... 31 2.4.6. Mentoring Care Leavers ............................................................................................. 32 2.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 33 Chapter 3: Methodology .................................................................................................................. 35 3.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 35 3.2. Research Goal and Objectives .................................................................................................. 35 3.3. Research Assumptions .............................................................................................................. 35 3.4. Research Approach ................................................................................................................... 36 3.5. Research Design ....................................................................................................................... 37 vi 3.6. Research Population and Sampling .......................................................................................... 37 3.7. Data Collection Methods and Tool ........................................................................................... 39 3.7.1. Interview Schedule ..................................................................................................... 40 3.7.2. Semi-Structured Interview ......................................................................................... 41 3.7.3. Pilot Study .................................................................................................................. 42 3.7.4. Audio Recording ........................................................................................................ 43 3.7.5. Field Notes and Observations ..................................................................................... 43 3.7.6. Transcription of Interviews ........................................................................................ 45 3.8. Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 45 3.9. Working for Rigour .................................................................................................................. 47 3.10. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 48 Chapter 4: Research Findings ........................................................................................................ 49 4.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 49 4.2. Introduction to Participants ...................................................................................................... 49 4.2.1. Participants’ Identifying Details ................................................................................. 49 4.2.2. Participants’ Background Information ....................................................................... 50 4.3. Skills Remembered by Participants .......................................................................................... 52 4.3.1. The Process of Learning Skills at GBTSA ................................................................. 53 4.3.2. Knowledge and Understanding of Skills Learned at GBTSA .................................... 54 4.4. Skills Learned While in the Care of GBTSA and Used in Adult Life ..................................... 57 4.4.1. Accepting Consequences (Skill no. 11) ..................................................................... 57 4.4.2. Dealing with Peer Pressure (Skill no. 53) .................................................................. 61 4.4.3. Self-Control (Skill no. 83) .......................................................................................... 65 4.4.4. Taking Responsibility for Own Actions or Decision-Making (Skill no. 102) ........... 67 4.4.5. Building and Maintaining Trustworthy Relationships (Skill no. 168) ....................... 70 4.4.6. Self-Acceptance (Skill no. 146) ................................................................................. 71 4.4.7. Following Instructions (Skill no. 1) ........................................................................... 72 4.4.8. Honesty (Skill no. 79) ................................................................................................ 74 4.4.9. Refraining from Illegal Substances (Skill no. 50) ...................................................... 75 4.5. Skills Learned at GBTSA, but Not Used in Adult Life ............................................................ 77 4.5.1. Asking for Help (Skill no. 19) .................................................................................... 77 4.5.2. Self-Control (Skill no. 83) .......................................................................................... 78 4.5.3. Choosing the Right Friends (Skill no. 76) .................................................................. 79 4.5.4. Self-Reporting Own Behaviours (Skill no. 133) ........................................................ 79 4.5.5. Conflict Resolution (Skill no. 155) ............................................................................ 81 4.6. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 83 Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations .......................................................... 86 5.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 86 5.2. Aim, Objectives and a Summary of the Research Method ....................................................... 86 5.3. Discussion of Major Findings................................................................................................... 86 5.4. Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 88 5.4.1. Practice Recommendations ........................................................................................ 88 5.4.2. Research Recommendations ....................................................................................... 90 5.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 91 Reference list .................................................................................................................................... 92 Appendix A: Interview Schedule .................................................................................................... 99 Appendix B: Subject Information Sheet ...................................................................................... 105 vii Appendix C: Consent Form for Participants .............................................................................. 106 viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Introduction This chapter, firstly, introduces the concept of adolescence. Secondly, gives a brief background and overview of Girls and Boys Town South Africa (GBTSA) and its social skills teaching programme. Thirdly, the reader is introduced to how the researcher developed this study, its objectives, as well as the data collection processes used to conduct this study. Lastly, definitions of terms used in the study are followed by a conclusion. To place children in institutions is seen as a last resort intervention, globally. It is to be used when no other options are available (Tweddle, 2005). Despite the general reluctance, there seem to be alarming circumstances where placement in residential facilities is still indicated (Jahnukainen, 2007, p. 637). In South Africa currently, there have been ongoing debates regarding children being placed in alternative care, specifically, in long term residential care. Amongst other issues, it is argued that most residential care facilities lack programmes able to adequately respond to children’s therapeutic needs while in care. This led to a number of stakeholders making recommendations regarding a need for the Minister of Social Development to develop comprehensive strategies on how to best respond to such a need. The Department of Social Development generated the idea of a “Developmental Quality Assurance process” (DQA). The DQA objective is to ensure that all children homes assign an internal assessment team to conduct ongoing evaluation on services rendered to young people. This will be done in conjunction with evaluators from the Department of Social Development. The assumption is that this will allow opportunities for all stakeholders to generate a long- term developmental plan, and necessary support will be given to organisations through a mentor appointed by DQA. The aim is to ensure that children’s homes implement programmes that are effective, sustainable and responsive to children’s needs while in care (South African Law Commission, 2002). Adolescence is unique in its process of growth and development. It is a period in a human life cycle characterised by profound developmental transition from childhood to adulthood. (Papalia and Feldman, 2011, p. 396). Girls and Boys Town South Africa (GBTSA) (2013) is a non-governmental organisation which provides residential care to adolescents presenting with challenging behaviours with which their families cannot cope. GBTSA established eight registered homes nationally, comprising of four 1