Behavioural challenges among foster children in South Africa: Social Workers’ perspectives on the contributing factors

Abstract

Foster care remains one of the forms of alternative care for orphans and vulnerable children in several countries across the globe. Social workers play a key role in placing children in foster care and supervising them. Some foster children exhibit behavioral problems for various reasons. Therefore, this study sought to explore and describe the perspectives of social workers on factors influencing behavioral problems among foster children. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, with two research designs: exploratory and descriptive. Data were collected from 16 social workers of the Department of Social Development, Mahikeng Service Point, North West Province, South Africa, using semi-structured, in-person interviews, guided by a developed interview guide. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. The findings of this study showed that participants had different perspectives on factors that contribute to problematic behaviour displayed by foster children. These factors included poor parenting, family dynamics, environmental factors and peer pressure. The study recommends that further research be undertaken on the experiences and perspectives of foster parents who live with foster children with problematic behaviours and how social workers may need to adjust their intervention measures to address the identified behavioural problems. This study contributed valuable information from the social workers’ perspectives regarding the factors that play a role in behavioural problems among foster children in South Africa. Additionally, the study included challenges encountered by social workers when working with foster children who display problematic behaviour.