SWINGS, ROUNDABOUTS, ALUTA CONTINUA .. CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Social media has been unusually quiet on child and youth care issues this week. Winnie Mandela's death, Memorial and funeral dominate.
 UP..... A significant function outside her house in Soweto was the gathering of social workers to pay their respects to South Africa's first black social worker. They took together the oath/declaration of ethical practice lead by the Registrar of the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP). On the swings and roundabouts, this was a huge "UP".
DOWN.... Made me think however that this is yet to be done by child and youth care workers. 

The silent week is an opportunity to visit some previous weeks comments.

Reviewing these, my impression is that social media reflected swings "ups", "downs"and "roundabouts"in the child and youth care field in South Africa.
DOWN...The struggle to have child and youth care recognised in South Africa started well before 1998 when the then Social Council for Social Work (SACSW) became the South African Social Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP). Even then, the recognition of child and youth care as a profession was formally recognised by the installation of the Professional Board for Child and Youth Care only in 2005... seven years later!
ROUNDABOUTS...  the regulations for the registration of child and youth care workers signed by the Minister for Social Development in October of 2014. 
UP ....today we are recognised!!

Child and youth care workers over the last weeks have been using the Winnie Mandela language and activist cries of the struggle and its icon... Amandla!, Viva!. Aluta Continua! (the struggle continues!).

Pity... Why? - - Let's explore some of the ups downs and roundabouts as expressed in the social media

EDUCATION  QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING.
THE UP   -  The Further Education and Training Certificate in child and youth care work (FETC CYC) at NQF level 4 has been completed by many thousands of child and youth care workers. The training continues and it is the minimum qualification in the regulations for the registration of child and youth care workers at the auxiliary level. A number of service providers have been accredited to provide this qualification and have been accredited to do so by the SACSSP, The Health and Welfare Standards, Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) as well as SAQA (the South African Qualifications Authority). Learners credits are captured on the NQF (National department for social Qualifications Framework)..... BIG UP!!!
THE DOWN - The state through the then Minister of Social Development undertook to train 10,000  child and youth care workers in 400 Isibindi projects in a period of five years. These targets were however not fully reached.   
Child and youth care workers, having completed the qualification,  are frustrated by the long delays in the issuing of certificates Some say the have been waiting since 2016 and some even longer.  The hold up is not due to the service provider but in the processes of validation and accreditation by the quality Assurance Authorities and their final issuing of certificates.
THE ROUNDABOUT
Standards for the recognition of professional qualifications are under constant review and the trend is to set the bar higher. The Council for Higher Education raised the entry qualification into its professional degree structures from Level 4  to Level 5. The original intention of government was always that the level 4 would give university entrance to certificate holders. 
. End result....thousands of child and youth care workers at the auxiliary level expressing the view that they do not have clear career pathways. This is coupled by the present situation in which there are only two universities offering a degree in child and care (more of this later).
 The requirements for a professional degree into the Social Service Professions was raised from Level 7 to Level 8. The Regulations for the registration of child and youth care workers at the professional level was therefor set at level 8 with an escape clause allowing for Level 7 graduates to submit a PoE (portfolio of evidence).  It resulted in 4 year degree holders at level 7 registering at the auxiliary level. There has been considerable frustration expressed by child and youth care workers caught on this roundabout.
A level 5 FETC qualification curriculum framework has been approved and course material has been approved as has the assessment guide for that material. There is as yet no indication as to when it will be introduced, The Level 5 qualification will allow for university entrance and opportunity to upgrade will undoubtedly be made available .....ROUNDABOUT.

UNIVERSITIES
DOWN......as was mentioned there are only two Universities offering a four year degree in child and youth care . They have both upgraded the degree from level 7 to Level 8. the result is a rather obvious paucity of child and youth care workers with senior degrees in the field. It means that when other Universities come to offer the Level 8 degree there may be difficulty experienced in finding child and youth care workers to positions of lectureships and senior lectureships. The cry on social media is a cry of child and youth care workers feeling trapped in static career paths

UP....The University of South Africa UNISA which offers degrees through distance learning has committed to the project of offering an integrated four year degree in child and youth care. The University of the Western Cape has shown considerable interest in doing the same.
ROUNDABOUT
It can take a university up to 5 years to have a degree approved and ready to admit students.

CONFERENCE
BIG UP ! Social Media in the last few weeks has featured news of the upcoming 22nd NACCW Conference to be held in early July in Durban... warm sunny Durban. The organisation for this conference as reflected in the social media is obviously well underway. A recent Facebook announcement was that it will be coupled with the 4th CYC-Net World Conference. I quote "delegates can look forward to a spirited professional experience blending diverse child and youth care work experiences from across the globe in engagements on practice, programs and child care work policy " end of quote.
DOWN...- Child and youth care workers express their interest in attending the conference but express reservations connected with the cost of travel accommodation and attendance.
ROUNDABOUT... The only roundabout is he comment in social media that Durban has summer all the year round.

OTHER UPS DOWNS AND ROUNDABOUTS
The other social media comments over the last few weeks which express the ups downs and roundabouts  have to do with the termination of government contracts with the NACCW , Issues around the demand of employers for registration and frustrations with that process, and issues connected with residential care centres being put on the back burner whilst there are concerns about inappropriate placements and the quality of service.

 All these seem to be issues for another blog

SO THERE IT IS....UPS DOWNS SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS

ALUTE CONTINUA.....VITORIA  E  CERTA