THE SILENT SCREAM FINDS VOICE......THE SALARY ISSUE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Social media this week swarmed with comments on the salary issue of child and youth care workers in South Africa. I have no doubt that two social media  threads in particular, unleashed  the barrage of comment. One was the release of the petition mentioned in my last blog. The other, possibly my last blog. The two resonate. Full credit to the child and youth care worker/s who initiated the petition.

A comment on social media I thought was pertinent was that child and youth care workers have not been voiceless,........ they have been silent for a long time. Well, they are not silent now.    I am getting report that in every forum and gathering of child and youth care workers, the silent scream has voice. The petition is gaining momentum and there is a call for all the so called principal role players to address the issue as a matter of urgency. 

The petition is fast gaining momentum. I did say that I looked forward to the wording. 
Here it is:....and I quote...
                               " Better working conditions and salaries for child and youth care workers.
                                   Child and youth care workers in South Africa have hit a stumbling block and are frustrated by their working conditions. At the same time they are grossly underpaid  and some departments don't even recognise them as professionals.
                                     Most of these child and youth care workers/professionals don't have a voice in the sector. A number of child and youth care workers/ professionals have come together from different provinces. We seek to meet the Minister of Social Development face to face in parliament to get answers about:
          *professionalisation of the field
          *implementing the regulations that were signed in 2014
          *clarity about the representatives and their roles in the child and youth care sector
           *clarity on the registration of child and youth care workers
           *hiring child and youth care workers in Government Departments e.g we cannot have professionals speak our child and youth care language to manage us
            *how long do internships last and permanent employment commence?"  End of quote.

The wording of the petition does cover the issues that have , over the last weeks, been raised in the social media. It captures the mind of South African child and youth care workers.

What I like about it is its diplomacy. Petitions are most frequently couched in the language of demand. This calls for clarity and an opportunity to have a voice heard directly by the Minister.

I have signed the petition

Last year there was a strike of social workers and child and youth care workers which lasted six weeks. It was a legitimately recognised strike and initiated by a trade union in support and within the constitutional right to strike and collectively bargain . There were 13 demands addressed  to the Department of Social Development. I don't remember the detail, but I do remember that the demands covered the issues of salaries, salary levels and the working conditions of social workers and child and youth care workers. These demands were agreed  and a date set for implementation. It didn't materialise. Indications were that funding was not available for implementation. '

We are approaching a new financial year in the next few days. This coincides with the timing of the groundswell voice of child and youth care workers and their petition. The profession and its petition come together at a critical moment.

Again, what I like about the petition is its unthreatening style. It doesn't put out the message ...."and if not... then!!!!"  No immediate threats of strikes or other protest action which is a constitutional right but, for child and youth care workers in South Africa, has implications as professionals regulated by a code of ethical conduct and the labour regulations for their catagorisation as an essential service. (.....a subject for another blog)

 Child and youth care workers in South Africa are not without voice.   The silent scream has found voice. Child and youth care workers are talking for themselves. 

 From the very beginning of the child and youth care struggle in South Africa there has been an emphasis on empowerment......Way to go....VIVA!       



           
          
          
  

THE SALARY ISSUE.republish... SOUTH AFRICAN CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKERS SEEKING A VOICE

THE MAIIN ROLE PLAYERS

This was published as a blog of 21st March 2018. It is republished, partly on request and partly as the moment is again right to talk on this issue for Child and Youth Care in South Africa then again to set out the differences in the part played be the main role players in the South African Child and Youth Care field.

I have in mind a follow-up next week with a plot for our hopes, aspirations and dare I say demands as professional child and youth care workers in South Africa.  

Again this week the salary issue was foremost on the mind of child and youth care workers in the social media. Until salaries are paid that match the status and profession practice of child and youth care workers in this country...we all know that this issue wont go away. The question that is contained or implied in the social media comment is ,"Other than mass action or leaving the profession, how and through whom is our voice to be heard"?

MY VIEW ON THE SALARY ISSUE
There can be absolutely NO EXCUSE for the salaries of social service professionals and in particular, child and youth care workers to be as low as they are, nor to experience delays in payment. State seems to be aware of the issue and is sympathetic with it, but imply an inability to address it as a result of the unavailability of state funds to cover the cost. Child and youth care posts have been frozen for a very long time now. Thing is also, that the salaries paid to government employees has a trickle down effect to the non-governmental organisations [NGO's] who tend to use them as a benchmark in the fear of losing staff to government employ.
I have a sense that child and youth care workers in South Africa feel trapped. They say that they love what they do, but struggle with a reality that in providing services to children, their own children are disadvantaged

THE VOICE OF THE CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKER
Because the child and youth care workers feel unheard and not   spoken for, the social media has become a means of having a voice. The problem is; social media strengthens opinion among the professionals "in the same whatsapp group" as it were.   Oft-times its heard only among themselves and is taken to be a less than legitimate basis for action outside of that closed group. 
There are three established organisational structures to which the child and youth care professional are, or should, be connected as members. Each of which in the social media, is regarded, through expectation, to be a voice on the salary issue. The Professional Association, which in South Africa is but one, the National Association of Child and Youth Care Workers (NACCW), the South African Council for Social Services Professions (SACSSP) and the Trade Unions, of which there are a number.
Frustration and expectation frequently blurs the perception of the role and mandate of each of these.

THE ROLE AND MANDATE OF THE MAIN ORGANISATIONS 
The Professional Association 
The National Association of Child and Youth Care Workers (NACCW), as its name implies, has a nation wide  membership. This in itself, gives it credibility. It, as does any other professional association, empower encourage and support the professional in their professionality in order that the client's best interests are served. Through developing the child and worker, the children reap the benefit. It is not suprising then that its constitutional objectives, and so, its mandate is to:
    disseminate information regarding the field of child and youth care
    promote the optimum care and development of children and youth at risk
    provide opportunities for training
    protect and uphold the rights of children and young persons 
    support efforts to eradicate hardships and suffering of children
    liase and co-operate with stakeholders nationally and internationally.
All this is achieved through the growth and development of the profession and the professional, the acquisition and spread of knowledge, opinion and international contact. It is the South African arm if the international body of Child and Youth Care Workers (FICE).
The key words in its mandate is to inform. educate, advise. develop.

The South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP)
This is the body with which social service are required by law to register in order to practice. It "regulates" the profession.
A profession that is regulated is a guarantee to the client that the service received will be and is, of a high ethical standard and that the professional holds accredited and appropriate qualifications. In this the professional is given recognition and the client a safegaurd against malpractice. The regulating body has a mandate to apply sanctions on a professional that does not comply with the regulations that govern it.

The key words are: regulate, sanction. advise, uphold ethics and qualifications
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The Trade Union
Membership to a Trade Union is voluntary and reliant on the selected Union being contractually recognised by the employer as a voice for the worker on matters of fair labour practice and conditions of service. The Union deals with the employer directly on matters of salary, bargaining and negotiation. If government is the employer then negotiations often in the form of demand will be undertaken at government level. How ultimately successful this will be may rely on the availability of funds

Child and youth care workers in South Africa are encouraged to be members of all three of these organisational structures as together they form a multi-sided approach to the issues of the field and the worker in practice and in the workplace

OTHER FORUMS AND APPROACHES

Government employees have and again are encouraging state employed child and youth care workers to, on a regional and district basis, form forums as a means to have their voice heard by the employer. The salary issue is clearly a driving issue behind the growth of these forums. It is in any case good labour practice that staff meet in forums in the workplace. Child and youth worker forums can provide a voice directly to the employer . In the case of the Professional Association, these child and youth care worker forums are organised regionally and provincially with a mechanism in place for their issues to reach the National Executive ear for consideration and approach.

In yesterdays social media there was a kind of notice given that a child and youth care worker, or a group, were today to meet with a member of parliament to draft a petition on the salary issue to be signed in support by child and youth care workers throughout the country and to be handed to parliament. It will be done electronically with a link to gain access. This is a collective but one voice approach directed to the  an appropriate address
Child and youth care workers in South Africa have NEVER been silent nor silenced on its issues, which in the final analysis have as much to do with the well-being of the children as they do in the interests of the profession. An undisruptive approach such as this is a measure of professionality.  I look forward to seeing this petition.

MORE  APPROACHES
Social media have not ruled out... go-slow, work to rule, mass action, protest marches and strike action. I will engage with these approaches in a future blog. 



    
    
     
   





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CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA...PERCEPTIONS OF DISPARITY IN STATUS BETWEEN SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS

CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA.....PERCEPTIONS OF DISPARITY IN STATUS BETWEEN SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONALS

I must again emphasise that I write this blog in my personal capacity and NOT as a representative of any organisation, structure or body. I write as Barrie talking child and youth care.

Child and youth care workers in South Africa are forcefully expressing, through social media and  in various forums, their perception and in many instances, their experience, that there is disparity in status between child and youth care workers and social workers.

Child and youth care workers are saying that they are being regarded as the lessor profession.

The child and youth care workers support their view by saying that:

       1. they are still being supervised by social workers in the workplace in state and in non-governmental organisations

       2. the Department of Social Development has social workers in senior positions in its structure and so policy and status is coloured by a social work mindset. This, they say, has a trickle down mindset effect to the workplace.

        3. .....and this..  probably the most vocalised of their comments;... there is not equality of salaries between the professions.....again in both government and non governmental organisations.

TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE PERCEPTIONS AND REALITIES
The purpose of this blog is not to justify, nor judge, but an attempt to provide some kind of background of understanding around the perceived and experienced issues raised today by child and youth care workers in this country and then to set out an argument for the view that the social service professions have an equality of status.

MISBELIEF AROUND THE ROOTS OF CHILD AND YOUTH CARE AS A PROFESSION
There is for some reason, a belief among some, that child and youth care work has "grown out of " social work and so, is a sub-set of social work, This misunderstanding has led to child and youth care work being regarded as an emerging practice striving for an independence it has no real right to have.
This  view is based on a misunderstanding and misinformation.

Child and youth care work has grown out of its very own pioneers, their theories,practice and sometimes their heroic acts in the best interests of children, their lives and their wellbeing The pioneers of child and youth care work are mainly, faith-based people, also psychologists, psychiatrists, educationalists,and heroes and heroines acting to protect and develop children at risk. Students of child and youth care work know and can name these pioneers, their theories, actions, practice and philosophies. From these pioneers grew the field of child and youth care work as it is practiced today.

THE STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION
Historically, then, child and youth care work has struggled to  establish itself to be recognised a a profession in its own right.,,, independent but obviously connected to other social service professions as a helping profession.
Its been a long hard struggle in South Africa....one in which, for decades, hard working activists have fought the fight in that struggle. The professional recognition of social work  long preceded the registration of child and youth care workers. The  registration of child and youth care workers as professionals only really occurred when the minister of social development signed the regulations on the 13th October 2014.
This meant that in the workplace, and in Government structures,  social workers as the only recognised social service professionals, were employed in senior, supervisory, management and directorship positions.
It is this legacy that child and youth care workers, now registered as professionals in South Africa, have inherited. It will take time for this legacy to work itself into a situation when positions are filled by a professional supervising a person from their own profession.
The salary and mindset issues appear also to flow from this legacy.

CURRENTLY
In the meantime, in the field, the advocacy continues to speed up that process and to ensure it. Current regulations for the registration of child and youth care workers do contain clauses to regulate that persons are supervised by professionals in their own fields.

THE EQUALITY OF THE TWO PROFESSIONS
Child and youth care workers and social workers in South Africa are registered as professionals at the same two levels ....auxiliary and professional. This in itself implies professional equality.
Equality and professional interdependence is underscored in the professional practice of multi-disciplinary case management and the multi disciplinary team (MDT).. It is here that developmental assessment and the Individual (or family) Development Plan (IDP) is jointly formulated and tasks within our different professional fields are allocated in the best interests of the young person. Each profession has a unique but equal contribution to make in this.

There is no argument that supports the view that one profession is dominant in the social service professions.

Misbelief and legacy issues will be resolved    






    
   

 

CURRENT ISSUES AMONG CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

CURRENT ISSUES AMONG CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

I am not writing in any other than my private capacity. I am not writing to defend any organisation but in the spirit of STRAIGHT TALK and toward an understanding of the facts that surround these issues when that is applicable. What is set out in this blog are the views of a number of child and youth care workers in the field right now.

This is the first in a series of blogs that consider these issues and sets out to engage with the issues that are being expressed by child and youth care workers in the social media.

The issues that are expressed are genuine, serious,real issues for child and youth care workers and are frequently accompanied with reason to leave the profession.

STIPENDS DELAYED
Most frequently expressed is the issue that child and youth care workers in a number of projects in some provinces are experiencing long delays in receiving their stipends and in some instances that they are experiencing non payment.

STIPENDS vs SALARIES
Also is an issue as to whether payment should be in the form of a stipend or a salary. The issue centres around the form of understanding with the Department of Social Development when in the first instance it appears  that child and youth care workers are "employed"by the Department of Social Development then in the period of training do the work within the scope of practice of a child and youth care worker at the Auxiliary level..

RATIO OF PAY

Firstly,child and youth care workers are saying that the rate of pay varies from one province to the other. Secondly the issue expressed is that its not a livable salary having obtained an FETC qualification at level 4 or a degree in child and youth care work. Further comment is that the salaries of Social Workers and that of child and youth care workers are not within the policy of the polic of parity of equal salaries for equal qualifications and equal work.

NEED TO SUBMIT A PORTFOLIO OF EVIDENCE TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICES PROFESSIONS ( SACSSP)
The current regulations for the registration of a child and youth care worker to register at the professional level with the SACSSP requires that graduates with a level 7 degree submit a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates competence to practice at Level8.. At the time of their graduation the degree was available only at level 7.and they had an understanding that it would be a qualification leading to registration and practice at the professional level

THE IMPRESSION THAT CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IS A LESSER VALUED PROFESSION THAN SOCIAL WORK
 Social work, it is said is being regarded as the dominant social service profession with child and youth care being regarded as no more that being a nanny to children.The impression that some child and youth care workers have is the this enhanced value to Social Work is perpetuated also by the Professional Board for Child and Youth Care who, it is alleged lean toward this view.


THE UNAVAILABILITY OF UNIVERSITY STUDY AFTER OBTAINING AN INITIAL QUALIFICATION
Only two Universities offer a level 6 qualification in child and youth care work. The one is residential and the other a private university. Career pathways appear to be limited.

THIS BLOG
Barrie talks child and youth care will engage with these issues over the next few weeks

BARRIE