Social work changes lives

Throughout the month of March, we will be celebrating and honouring all those in the social service profession as part of Social Work Month. This goes for the social workers, social auxiliary workers, social work managers, probation officers, community development workers, and child and youth care workers, to name a few.

Many of the individuals we have spoken to say they joined the profession to help people.

“I saw many challenges growing up in poverty-stricken areas, like teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and people with disabilities needing support. People wanted social workers around because they were seen as agents of change. Their example made me want to be a social worker so I can touch someone’s life, make that difference,” says Rose Ntoyanto, a Social Work Supervisor in Cape Town.

The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) employs 754 social workers, 263 social auxiliary workers, and 712 social work professionals on various levels, such as social work supervisors and child and youth care workers.

DSD also funds or subsidizes over 1200 social service professionals at Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs), and over 700 child and youth care workers at NPOs.

“The work by social service professionals changes lives. It is not a career that is often in the spotlight, as these individuals simply roll up their sleeves and try to help as many vulnerable people as possible. The clients DSD assists are usually those who live in abject poverty, children or the elderly who have been abused or neglected, or survivors of gender-based violence in need of counseling. To them, social service professionals are a beacon of hope and a lifeline in dark times,” says Acting Minister of Social Development Professor Nomafrench Mbombo.

This was true for Patricia Hendricks, who grew up in the foster system. During the opening of the Stellenbosch DSD office in September last year, Hendricks shared her story by thanking staff for walking a journey with her.

Hendricks says the love and care she received from her foster parents, and the social workers who worked with her, motivated her to study social work. She is currently in her second year at Stellenbosch University.

“Having a love of people was the first step in me realizing I want to help those in need. Since I was a foster child, I was helped by social workers to see that there is more to the world than just being a foster child. I initially wanted to study psychology, but then I decided to go into social work because I would get to be more hands-on by going into communities and helping people,” says Hendricks.

Her message to other young people thinking of going into the field: “It is about sacrifice, being able to help people and in the end, equipping them to help themselves. You need to be able to enter someone’s world without judging them and have a passion to help people in need.”