The Department of Correctional Services will be hosting an Indaba for social workers themed “enhancing rehabilitation through social work services” to tap more into the profession in the greater course of understanding issues that are impacting negatively on service delivery.
The Social Work Indaba will run from 8 to 11 May 2012 at the OR Tambo Premier Hotel, Kempton Park. The Indaba will be attended by social workers representing different grades from the department's six regions. Also expected to attend the Indaba is the National Commissioner, CDC's Development and Care, Corrections, DRC's, RH Development and Care and External Stakeholders.
Charged with the primary goal of protecting and ensuring a just, safe and peaceful environment for all people in South Africa, the correctional system remains a complex and yet dynamic setting. This point of departure requires that social workers in this security collective are geared up to immensely contribute towards identifying security threats for the offender and the entire system of corrections.
Social workers have been trained to unearth the undiscovered, deep rooted immoral factors that contribute to offending behavior. Therefore refining social work practice to complement the situational challenges of the correctional system is critical, hence this Indaba. Their presence in the system of corrections has become increasingly critical and as a result, job opportunities for social workers within the correctional system are growing at an unprecedented rate. This need also calls for policy shifting and institutional changes.
It is within this context that social workers within the correctional system should epitomise the professional image and define their role, within the professionally convincing led services influenced by the ideological perspective of the noble profession of social work.
The Social Work Indaba will seek to redefine the position of social workers in the service more substantially to execute the mandate given by the department and boost their moral by giving them an opportunity to air or voice their concerns, ethical issues and other challenges.
Correctional Services hosts Social Work Indaba to enhance rehabilitation through the “profession”
