Southern New Hampshire University Locating an Empirical Research Discussion

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Pyhpvyyr22

Humanities

Southern New Hampshire University

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Assignment: Locating an Empirical Research Article

Empirical research articles document a study that is either quantitative, qualitative or a mixed methods research design. When authors write an empirical research article they typically follow a format that looks like this: Introduction/Background, Literature Review, Methodology, Findings, and Discussion. The authors recount literature on their specific research topic and describe in a systematic manner how the data was collected and then analyzed in order to answer the research question(s). Once the data is analyzed, they present the findings. Finally, they interpret the findings using past literature to help understand the findings.

What we broadly describe as a “quantitative study” includes numerical summaries that involve descriptive statistics (averages, standard deviations), correlations, and inferential statistics (such as T-tests, Chi Squares and other kinds of analyses). These kinds of studies can include certain elements such as per- and post-tests or survey results looking at correlations between variables.

Qualitative articles, on the other hand, use interviews, focus groups, observations, and written answers to questions. Rather than using statistics to summarize the study, these studies look at themes and present the material using words, phrases and often paragraphs to illustrate what they are representing.

To prepare for this assignment, review Week 1’s readings and resources on how to locate an empirical research article using the library’s databases.

For this Assignment,

  • Locate an EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ARTICLE that is either a quantitative or qualitative study from a peer reviewed social work journal for the final assignment. Download the PDF copy of the article.
    • Do not select an empirical research article that describes a mixed methods study. The reason is a mixed method study involves both a quantitative and qualitative component. You would have to do two reviews – one for the quantitative component and one for the qualitative component -- for the final assignment.
  • Attach the PDF of the article to the assignment link. Your instructor will review the article to make sure it is an empirical research article and will evaluate it for approval for use in your final assignment due in Week 10.

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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Practice
Social Work in Action

ISSN: 0950-3153 (Print) 1742-4909 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cpra20

Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: Challenges
Faced by Social Workers in Child Protection
Organisations
Ulene Schiller
To cite this article: Ulene Schiller (2017): Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: Challenges Faced by
Social Workers in Child Protection Organisations, Practice, DOI: 10.1080/09503153.2016.1269884
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09503153.2016.1269884

Published online: 05 Jan 2017.

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http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=cpra20
Download by: [Pepperdine University]

Date: 12 August 2017, At: 20:09

PRACTICE: SOCIAL WORK IN ACTION, 2017

Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: Challenges
Faced by Social Workers in Child
Protection Organisations

Downloaded by [Pepperdine University] at 20:09 12 August 2017

Ulene Schiller

Social workers employed in Child Protection Organisations (CPOs) are frequently
confronted with child sexual abuse cases. This paper aims to determine the
challenges faced by social workers employed by CPOs when dealing with allegations of child sexual abuse. A qualitative study was done using focus group discussions with 71 social workers as participants. The social developmental
welfare approach and legislative mandates were used to analyse the research
problem of challenges that social workers experience when dealing with allegations of child sexual abuse allegations. The findings indicate that existing South
African policies, conventions and legislation do not always complement each
other, but rather create challenges and uncertainties amongst social workers in
this field. This, together with insufficient resources for service delivery, often
leads to re-victimisation of the child who has been sexually abused. This paper
concludes with recommendations based on the social developmental principles
that suggest integrated and collaborative partnerships to ensure effective
responses to child sexual abuse cases. Secondly, it urges universities to relook
their curricula to ensure sufficient training for undergraduate social worker students takes place to deal with sexual abuse allegations.
Keywords: child sexual abuse; child protection organisations; non-governmental
organisations; investigations; allegations

Introduction
Challenges experienced by social workers in Child Protection Organisations
(CPOs) when needing to respond to allegations of child sexual abuse are often
compounded by the extremely high caseloads that they have to deal with.
CPOs in this paper refer to Non-Governmental Organisations delivering child
protection services in South Africa and are seen as one of the partners in the
social welfare sector (South African Department of Social Development 2005).
Statistics from the South African Police Services revealed that in 2013/2014,
18,524 child rape cases were reported (Wilkinson 2014). This translates into 51

Ó 2017 British Association of Social Workers
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09503153.2016.1269884

Downloaded by [Pepperdine University] at 20:09 12 August 2017

2

SCHILLER

cases reported per day and noted that child rape is mostly under reported
(Wilkinson 2014). This high incidence of sexual abuse places a lot of strain on
an already overburdened social services sector. Loffell, Allsopp, and Atmore
(2008) state that the social services sector lacks the capacity to adequately
respond to all the reports, with the end result that children are not being sufficiently protected against such abuse. Social workers employed at CPOs are
required to do generic social work services. When they are confronted with
child sexual abuse cases they are often expected to do forensic assessments
and are not trained to do so. Forensic social work is seen as a specialised field
and there is a need for postgraduate forensic training when dealing with such
investigations (Ludwig 2007).
However, sexual crimes perpetrated against children are alarmingly high and
in some instances the social worker employed at CPOs in a specific community
is the only resource to which that community can respond to and often these
social workers are required to deal with these allegations (Hendricks 2014).
Thus, the aim of this paper was to determine the challenges faced by social
workers employed by CPOs when dealing with allegations of child sexual
abuse.
A qualitative research approach was used and focus group discussions as a
data collection method was employed (De Vos et al. 2011). The social developmental welfare approach to social service delivery was utilised as the theoretical framework. This approach is human rights based and aligns with all
international conventions that South Africa has ratified as well as with the aim
of the South African Children’s Act (38 of 2005) to protect the rights of the
children in South Africa (South African Department of Social Development
2005). To contextualise the study, it is important to understand the social
development welfare approach as theoretical framework as augmented by the
relevant national and international legislative frameworks and conventions on
the rights of the child. This directs child protection services in South Africa
and at times possibly contributes to some of the challenges that social workers
experience during investigations.

Social Developmental Welfare Approach as Theoretical Foundation
The social developmental welfare approach is based on the recognition of the
strengths of the individual, groups or communities and their capacity for
growth and development (South African Department of Social Development
2005). Patel (2015) describes developmental social work as a pro-poor strategy
promoting participation of the socially excluded in development activities to
achieve social and economic justice, human rights, social solidarity and active
citizenship.
The developmental social welfare approach consists of two core but interlinking components that are central to its design. These core elements are sets
of theoretical principles and a broad framework of reference for the practice

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CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

3

of social welfare in reality. The elements of the approach focus on five
themes: a rights-based approach; socio-economic development together with
building human capacity for people to participate in this socio-economic development; democracy and participation; pluralistic social development that
engages role-players across diverse economic, social and institutional sectors;
and the holistic analysis of social problems that go beyond local levels to consider global forces as well (South African Department of Social Development
2013).
For the purposes of this paper, the focus will be on the rights based element
and the pluralist social development element as well as on bridging services
from a micro to mezzo or macro levels. The motivation for such a focus is
because this approach creates the concept, values, and principles of social
development and the legislation serves to guide these frameworks for welfare
services for children and families (Patel 2015, 216). Principles that guide service delivery should centre on self-determination, empowerment, and participation in service delivery (South African Department of Social Development
2005). The emphasis for social workers is thus to facilitate their investigations
in such a way that the child is protected against re-victimisation and is
empowered through age appropriate participation in the service delivery process. This at times might be conflict with the police investigation, court proceedings, and the legislative mandate. In managing cases that are in the best
interest of the child the importance of collaborative partnerships cannot over
emphasised.

Legislative Frameworks Pertaining to Child Sexual Abuse
Emphasi...


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