Parents' experiences of family reunification implications for play therapy

Abstract

Already in 2008, data gathered by the South Africa Social Security Agency showed that close to half million children were placed in child and youth care centres, shelters and foster care due to several reasons. Some of these reasons includes abuse, neglect, HIV/AIDS, abandonment, parents not capable of looking after their children, relationship problems in the family, and problems and difficulties displayed by the child. Recent data indicated that 4.2 million children in South Africa are not living with their parents. Even if a child is removed from parental care, the Children`s Act (38 of 2005) as amended, requires that the designated social worker should render reunification services so that the child can return back to parental care as soon as possible. Removing the child may be a traumatic experience, for both the child and the parents. However through engaging both parents and child in play therapy intervention may rebuild attachments and address the existing trauma. Children in residential care that are not reunified with their parents, face a risk of harm that is associated with long term residential care. Reunification should therefore take place to avoid the risk of harm and requires that the designated social worker and the parents work together for reunification to take place. Throughout the study it was clear that parents should be involved from the beginning of the reunification process and should work together with the designated social worker. However, parents did express the challenges when it comes to family reunification, explaining that they do not experience the designated social workers as available and accessible and as a result affected their involvement in family reunification. The aim of this study was to explore parental experiences of family reunification and the implications thereof for play therapy. A qualitative approach was implemented utilising a descriptive design. The ten participants, who gave consent, took part in the semi-structured interviews and had to draw a communication map of people with who they communicate with. Section B presents the finding of parents’ experience of family reunification and the implications thereof for play therapy. Key words: Family reunification; family; parent; play therapy; gestalt play therapy; statutory care; designated social worker; child and youth care worker