EMPLOYMENT ADVERTISEMENTS.....CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Some Facebook friends are sharp at spotting advertised vacancies for child and youth care workers in South Africa. The employment advertisements illustrate tellingly the status employers attach to child and youth care workers. Needless to say the advertisements raise indignant comment.

A recent advertisement sought a Youth Development Manager but stipulated a requirement of a degree and registration in Social work. It raised classic comment.  Outrage tinged with humour. "Do we exist?" "There ARE degrees in Child and Youth Development!".  There are degrees in Youth Development"!! Point is, the advertisement could at very least have advertised for a qualified, registered social services professional. Better still a  child and youth care worker with a degree in youth development.

"Do we exist?' .....good question....come the more senior posts, do we exist as child and youth care professionals?  OR.. In the minds of employers are we just bum wipers and underpants counters. Are they simply ignorant of what as professionals we are qualified and registered to do??....yes,... in knowledge, skill, AND MANAGEMENT!!
In my professional and personal capacity, I have had occasion to visit Governmental organisations, offices, agencies, regions and provinces In some, there are no child and youth care workers employed and in almost all, no child and youth care workers in senior management positions. I think that in the funding of posts     ( the post funding model), it is either believed that in management positions, child and youth care worker posts do not get government funding. Or again, there is employer or funding ignorance about what child and youth care workers are qualified to contribute. 

I heard an official say, "Social workers do "generic child care and child protection work".  What is generic child care?  I have learnt by hearing the nature of the cases in these districts and regions that there is unarguable evidence for the need of child and youth care workers as part of the social service practice. Surely there can't be territorial issues among social service professionals when nationally we are advocating for integrated case management and the best interests of the child.

Another feature in the advertisements for child and youth care workers is the requirement for a non graduate qualification, especially a diploma, at auxiliary level, when the key performance areas lean towards those of the professional. There is evidence of professional level child and youth care workers being supervised by auxiliary level workers and bottom heavy staffing structures, You don't have to be a brain surgeon to get that it's cheaper! No wonder social media spawns comment, "I'm a graduate and I'm unemployed".

We even see advertisements where no qualification requirement is stipulated. 

Now for a big one. Advertisements have been copied and posted on social media where no salary or salary range is advertised. Social media comment, "What's the salary?" Phone calls and Whatsapp queries, "Do you know what salary range they offer?" Rightly or wrongly, the suspicions among child and youth care workers are always that the employer does not want, or is too embarrassed to publically commit to salary.

Then we see employers advertisements which do not stipulate the requirement that the child and youth care worker be registered as such with the South African Council for Social Service Professions. (SACSSP). The law has required that a child and youth care worker be registered since 2013. This makes it an offence for an employer to employ an unregistered child and youth care worker....and an offence for a person to be employed as a child and youth care worker without registration What does this omission in the advertisements for employment say about the mindset of the employer around the recognition and status of the profession?  There is a call to take legal action against such employment practice

Recruitment procedures give the advertisement a place in hiring and contracting a new employee. It can't be taken lightly by employers, The advertisement is a point of referral for the letter of employment . It can be used s evidence if there is some kind of dispute.  Again, the advertisement for the employment of a child and youth care professional has to be given the consideration and the respect that is deserved by any social service professional.. By any professional for that matter.

Of course we exist. The issue is,  employers have set out, advertisements reproduced in the social media,that can and have, left child and youth care workers with the impression that they can be exploited. Some say blatantly, "We are exploited"

Of course we exist.... we exist as professional social service professional. We exist with qualifications, registration and an invaluable practice to reclaim the lives of children and young people. We exist to nation build......and it all starts at the very beginning.

CAVEAT to employers.... The employment advertisement is the beginning. ..... you are the beginning.  











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