Parents and teachers’ perceptions of the need for school social workers in South African underprivileged high schools

Abstract

School social work has become a globally recognized specialty, but its limited integration into South African schools risks worsening psychosocial issues among learners and increasing teachers' stress. The present research explored teachers' and parents' perceptions regarding the need for school social work services to address learners' psychosocial challenges and support teachers in two underprivileged schools in South Africa. Ten high school teachers and four parents from two underprivileged high schools participated in interviews as part of a qualitative research approach. The study employed reflexive thematic analysis to analyze the collected data. The findings revealed that teachers actively observed learners’ psychosocial problems and that current support structures were inadequate, as learners were referred to community-level social workers. While teachers attempted to support learners, learners were often reluctant to disclose sensitive issues; teachers lacked appropriate training in supporting learners and were overwhelmed by this non-academic role. School social workers were advocated for and viewed as offering dual benefits: providing individualized, holistic services to learners and their parents, and equipping educators with tools to better navigate learners’ psychosocial issues. We recommend the formal incorporation of school social workers in underprivileged schools to strengthen support systems, reduce pressure on teachers, and promote holistic learner development.