Heiletje Marili Williams
@unisa.ac.za
Associate Professor, Social Work
University of South Africa
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Social Sciences, Social Sciences
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Marili Williams
Stellenbosch University
The core business of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is “to create a safe and secure environment for all citizens of South Africa” (SAPS, 2011:i). Social workers applying occupational social work practice fundamentals are expected to address both the organisational wellbeing of the SAPS and the social wellbeing of the personnel, but as a secondary entity within a structured, semi-military environment. This article elaborates critically on the position of police social work and argues why social workers employed by the SAPS should be acknowledged as specialists in the field of occupational social work.
Michael L. Weyers, Arnel Huisamen, Christelle Kleingeld, and Marili Williams
Informa UK Limited
Abstract The transformation of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the post-apartheid era brought new pressures to bear on the organization's social workers. They had to change their curative approach to service delivery and prove the new service's effectiveness. This led to the development of seven so-called personnel capacity-building programs and a comprehensive study on their effect. This study involved 11 researchers, 3,437 members of experimental groups and 720 comparison group participants. The measurements and triangulation showed that the new programs had a practical significant effect on personnel's knowledge, attitudes and behavior, and empowered them on both a professional and personal level. These findings have implications that go far beyond the narrower ambit of South African social work. It shows that such interventions could be an effective addition to the curative services that are commonplace in EAP and occupational social work settings.