An investigation into the developmental model of social welfare service delivery: a Western Cape case study

Abstract

This study explores the extent to which welfare policy in South Africa is suitable to the country's needs and is translated into practice. lt focuses on the White Paper for Social Welfare and looks specifically at the developmental model of welfare. The study draws on the experiences of various stakeholders within the welfare sector, such as social work lecturers, social work students, social welfare practitioners and the director of developmental social welfare. The study indicates that the developmental approach has potential to the address the welfare needs in South Africa. However, factors such as confusion about the meaning of the term developmental social work and the lack of resources have limited the extent to which this approach is translated into practice and consequently it's potential to transform social welfare in South Africa. 1l