| dc.description.abstract | SOCIAL WORK SERVICES FOR THE PREVENTION OF FAMILY DISINTEGRATION
IN WHITES
Social work services have developed to provide auxilliary services as regards man's
social needs. Social work services are aimed at developing the individual, the family,
the group and community's effective social functioning and to prevent and treat
malfunctioning.
The family forms a part of God's plan in creation and should therefore find its calling
and destination in its Creator. The nuclear family fulfils important functions in the
community. The foundation for an effective social functioning is laid in the family.
Characteristic obstacles increase the risk of the family system disintegrating. Family
disintegration is a painful experience which has to be prevented at all levels. Family
disintegration manifests itself in divorce, abandonment, cohabitation, death, child
negligence and abuse.
Social work services are rendered to prevent the disintegration of families on primary,
secondary and tertiary level. In the social work practice there is a deficiency as
regards the primary prevention of family disintegration. Focus falls on the treatment
and after-care of family disintegration after it has already taken on serious dimensions. There are also obstacles which handicap preventative services.
Primary prevention focuses on potentially undesirable conditions and the strengthening of existing positive conditions. Increased attention, especially through community
work, should be given in this regard. Secondary preventative services include the
early identification and treatment of family disintegration. Secondary preventative
services enjoy high priority, but can be extended. Tertiary preventative services are
rendered after the family has disintegrated.
The prevention of family disintegration on primary level is not the exclusive task of
the social worker and sound connections with other professions and instances are
essential. Existing gaps in the social work practice should be regarded as a challenge
so that family disintegration should not only be treated, but also be prevented at all
levels. | en_US |
