Managers in the Eastern Cape’s perspectives on
the integration of forensic social work in the
South African Police Service
SK Mnguni
orcid.org 0000-0002-4060-7697
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree Master of Social Work in Forensic Practice at the
North-West University
Supervisor:
Dr S Smith
Graduation May 2018
i
Mr SK Mnguni is a Masters student in social work (Forensic Practice) at the North-West University.
Dr S. Smith is a senior lecturer at the School of Psychosocial Behavioural Sciences, Social Work
division, at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Research is conducted under the
research focus area, Community Psychosocial Research (COMPRES).
Key words: FCS Manager, Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, perspective, forensic social work, South African Police Service
ii DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this study to my parents: my late father Bhekabanguni and my mother Gabazile Mnguni. I am sincerely thankful to both my parents for raising me and instilling discipline in me.
This is also dedicated to my late firstborn son, Kwenama and his two surviving siblings, Senamile and Anama, whom I hope will follow in my footprints.
iii
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to place on record my sincere gratitude to the following people:
The Almighty God for keeping me safe and giving me the strength to come this far.
My wife, Nelisiwe Mnguni for her unconditional love and support through good and bad
times.
My supervisor, Dr Sufran Smith for meticulously reading several drafts of this dissertation.
Her guidance, penetrating criticisms and insights have greatly helped in enhancing the quality
of this work. I sincerely thank you for not giving up on me even when I felt like giving up. My two lovely children, Senamile and Anama for giving me the inspiration to see this study
through.
The South African Police Service for granting me permission to interview FCS commanders,
who took part in this study.
v DECLARATION
I, Sabelo Mnguni hereby state that this dissertation entitled:
Managers in the Eastern Cape’s perspectives on the integration of forensic social work in the South African Police Service
is my own work.
……… ………
vi FOREWORD
This dissertation is presented in article format according to the guidelines set out in the Manual for
Postgraduate Studies (2016) of the North-West University.
The article will be submitted to: Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk. See the guidelines for submission
vii
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must be arranged in alphabetical order according to the surnames of the authors.
viii SUMMARY
TITLE: Managers in the Eastern Cape’s perspectives on the integration of forensic social work in the South African Police Service
KEY WORDS: FCS Manager, Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS), perspective, forensic social work, South African Police Service (SAPS). This article discusses empirical data obtained from a qualitative study that focused on exploring the
integration of forensic social work services in the South African Police Service. In reviewing literature
on the role of forensic social workers from the past ten years, the researcher discovered that there has
been an increase in the number of empirical studies on the role of forensic social workers in South
Africa. Most of these studies are primarily focused in the South African Police Service. However,
none of the studies focused specifically on the perspectives of police management towards the role of
forensic social workers in the South African Police Service. Bearing in mind that forensic social work
is a developing field in South Africa as well as the South African Police Services, there was a need to
explore how police management views this specialty and its integration as a support service to FCS
detectives.
In response to this, a qualitative study based in the Eastern Cape Province was conducted. The aim of
the study was to gain an understanding about the perspectives of SAPS management with regards to
integration of forensic social workers. Data was collected from FCS unit commanders in the Eastern
Cape Province using semi-structured interviewing. From the findings of the study, it was clear that
there is a shortage of forensic social workers. The study also revealed that forensic social workers
make a valuable contribution in the investigation of child sexual abuse cases within the South African
Police Service. However, contributing factors such as the absence of adequate resources contribute to
a failure in providing a proficient service. The researcher came to a conclusion that if police
management is not entirely familiar with what forensic social work entails, it could impact on the
integration of forensic social work services and could also mean that this valuable service is not
ix TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION A: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION……….. 1
1. INTRODUCTION………... 1
2. AIM OF THE RESEARCH………... 3
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……….. 3
3.1 Literature review……… 4
3.2 Research approach/design……….. 4
3.3 Population………. 5
3.4 Sample size and motivation……… 6
3.5 Sampling process………. 6
3.6 Sampling method………. 7
3.7 Sample inclusion criteria………. 7
3.8 Sample exclusion criteria……… 8
3.9 Data collection methods……….. 8
3.10 Trustworthiness………... 9
3.11 Data analysis methods………. 10
4. ETHICAL ASPECTS……….. 12
4.1 Informed consent………. 12
4.2 Misleading of participants……….. 14
4.3 Announcement of both the individual and study results to participants………... 14
4.4 Privacy/confidentiality……… 14
x
4.6 Legal authorisation and goodwill permission………... 16
5. TERMINOLOGY……….. 16
5.1 Perspective………. 16
5.2 Forensic Social Work……….. 17
5.3 South African Police Service……….. 17
5.4 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit……….. 17
5.5 FCS Manager...………. 17
6. CHOICE AND STRUCTURE OF REPORT………... 18
7. REFERENCES……… 19
SECTION B: MANAGERS IN THE EASTERN CAPE’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE INTEGRATION OF FORENSIC SOCIAL WORK IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE……… 23
ABSTRACT……… 23
1. INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM FORMULATION……… 24
2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY………... 26
3. RESEARCH FINDINGS……… 28
3.1 Profile of the participants……….. 28
3.2 Experience in the management of FCS Units……….. 30
3.3 Themes and sub-themes from the interviews……… 31
4. CONCLUSION………. 44
5. REFERENCES………. 45
SECTION C: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS………... 50
xi
2. CONCLUSIONS………... 50
3. RECOMMENDATIONS………. 52
4. TESTING THE CENTRAL THEORETICAL ARGUMENT……… 53
5. CONTRIBUTION OF THIS RESEARCH……… 53
6. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY……….. 53
SECTION D: ADDENDA……….. 54
ADDENDUM A: SAPS PERMISSION AND APPROVAL………. 54
ADDENDUM B: ETHICS APPROVAL OF THE STUDY………... 57
ADDENDUM C: CONSENT FORMS…....………. 59
1 SECTION A
INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION
1. INTRODUCTION
Forensic social work is a relatively new addition to the detective service of the South African Police
Service (SAPS) and is not clearly understood and effectively integrated at grassroots level. For instance,
the study by Jonkers (2012:36) concluded that investigating officers at the unit for Family Violence,
Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) had a poor understanding of forensic social work. She also
concluded that such a lack of understanding could have an impact on the effective utilization of forensic
social workers. Forensic social work became a special focus in the SAPS due to the rise of sexual crimes
against children as well as the need for specialised social work service that would assist FCS members in the investigation of child sexual abuse cases (Stutterheim & Weyers, 1999:17). To this day, the SAPS has
maintained its commitment to the protection of children through the contribution of forensic social
workers (SAPS, 2015: 12). According to Stutterheim and Weyers (1999:18), forensic social work service
became operational in 1997 with the aim of assisting in the investigation of cases of child sexual abuse
and to provide expert testimony in court. Since then, the SAPS has been in great strides to improve the
services of the forensic social workers throughout the country. In 2013, the SAPS had in its employment
75 forensic social workers (Wakefield, 2014). This number has grown significantly from the
twenty-seven forensic social workers that were functional in 2007.
The introduction of forensic social work services in the SAPS took place amidst much transformation or
transitions taking place in the police organisation as a whole. These transformations include
democratisation of the SAPS, new policing priorities and objectives, demilitarisation of the rank
structures and the introduction of revised training curricula for training police incumbents (Van Graan,
2008:2-3). The Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units, which are the
vehicle through which SAPS tackles issues of child sexual abuse and child abuse in general, have also
2
professionalising an organisation which was previously military in nature is by no means an easy task.
The introduction of forensic social work service in the SAPS occurs within that context and it comes as a
supportive speciality to the already existing detective service, under which it falls. Challenges such as non-recognition of forensic social work as a specialised field by the South African Council for Social
Services Professions (SACSSP, 2008), poor resource allocation, ambiguous and unclear roles necessitate
an investigation into the integration and coordination of forensic social work services into the SAPS
(Iffley, 2012:14). Heath and Staudenmayer (2000:165) recognize the importance of introducing
specialists in an organisation. However, they warn that it could have negative effects if the task of
integrating such speciality with other components is ignored. These authors argue that communication is
the key in successful integration and coordination of any component of an organisation (Heath &
Staudenmayer, 2000:174). Osifo (2012:1-2) supports this notion when he states that coordination is not
possible in an organisation without interdependence, and interdependence requires effective
communication. To this effect, Daft (2015:94-95) identified two forms of communication during
integration of any department or component in an organisation, namely: vertical and horizontal
communication linkages. Whilst horizontal communication refers to communication and coordination
horizontally across organisational departments/components, vertical communication linkages speak to
hierarchy referrals, rules and plans, as well as vertical information systems.
According to the 2009/2010 Annual Report of the Department of Police (2010:8), the SAPS has a
responsibility to deliver a competent and professional service to the victims of child sexual abuse and
child abuse in general. This commitment is reemphasised in the 2010-2014 strategic plan of the SAPS
(SAPS, 2010:12-13) and the Procedure Manual for Forensic Social Work (SAPS, 2011:12-13). The
introduction of forensic social work services in the SAPS goes hand in hand with fulfilling this mandate.
However, no empirical study has been conducted to explore perspectives of police management regarding
the process of integrating forensic social work services into SAPS. Several studies have been done on forensic social work in the SAPS (Jonkers, 2012; Iffley, 2012; Cussons, 2011). However, none of these
studies have focused on the perspectives of management in respect of forensic social work. It is
3
regarding theintegration of forensic social work in the SAPS from the lens of organisational development
theory. Mofomme (2001:1) emphasises this crucial role of management in any organisation, which he
describes as a lifeless entity that requires people to give it life and make things happen. Hence, the role of management is to “give meaning to organisations by creating rules, regulations and conditions in order to
create uniformity”. Mofomme (2001) makes a case about the role of management in ensuring that
different units in the organisation work together and give life to the otherwise lifeless organisation. If the
role of forensic social workers in the SAPS is then not explored from management’s frame of reference,
the gap in research exists.
From the foregoing, it is clear that a gap exists in the literature regarding the perspectives of police
management on the integration of forensic social work services into the SAPS. There is no empirical
research done so far within the context of South Africa and the SAPS to explore and describe the
perspectives of police management regarding the integration of forensic social work services into the
SAPS. In order to address this gap, the following research question arose: What are the perspectives of
Eastern Cape FCS managers regarding the integration of forensic social work in the SAPS?
2. AIM OF THE RESEARCH
The aim of the research was to develop an understanding of the perspectives of the FCS managers of the
SAPS in the Eastern Cape regarding the integration of forensic social work services in the SAPS and
identify the gaps that exist.
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research attempted to explore and describe the perspectives of the FCS managers of the SAPS in the Eastern Cape regarding the integration of forensic social work services in the SAPS by means of
4 3.1 Literature review
The literature review is a written argument that supports a thesis position by building a case from
credible evidence obtained from previous research. It provides context and background about the current knowledge of the topic and lays out a logical case to defend the conclusions it draws. The goal of a
literature review is to demonstrate the researcher’s familiarity with a body of knowledge in order to
establish credibility, to show a path of prior knowledge to integrate and summarise what is known in the
area of research and to learn from others while creating new ideas (Neuman, 2000:446). A literature
review was conducted by the researcher in order to provide a theoretical background for the study, to
contextualize core concepts and to explain how the study will add to the existing body of knowledge
(Silverman, 2004:84). A literature review took place in the beginning of the research with the aim of
contributing to a clearer understanding of the nature and meaning of the research problem identified
(Fouché & Delport, 2011:134).
3.2 Research approach/design
The researcher pursued a qualitative research methodology approach. The rationale for using a
qualitative research approach was based on the philosophical underpinnings of this approach in allowing
for description and exploration of the phenomenon from the frame of reference of the participants. The
qualitative research approach facilitated the most suited means of expression for an in-depth
understanding of the perceptions police commanders regarding the integration of forensic social work
services in the SAPS. Qualitative research attempts to understand rather than explain human action
(Stommel & Wills, 2004:179).
The researcher was interested in developing an understanding of the perspectives of FCS commanders
regarding the integration of forensic social workers in the SAPS. For this kind of topic, the researcher was required to step into the shoes of the participants in order to make meaning of the process from the
frame of reference of the participants.
In order to achieve the goal of this research project, the researcher made use of the exploratory research
5
“the aim is to investigate phenomena where there is little or no information, with a view to finding
patterns or developing propositions, rather than testing them. The focus is on gaining insights prior to a more rigorous investigation”.
The researcher also employed a descriptive research design to supplement the exploratory design and
enable the researcher to make inferences about some characteristics or behaviours of the researched population. According to Tripodi and Bender (2010:120), descriptive research tries to describe the
characteristics of a sample and the relationships between phenomena, situations, and events observed by the researcher. It aims to answer the “who, what, when, where, and how” questions. Both explorative and
descriptive research designs work hand in hand and feed off each other. The researcher explores and then
describes. The descriptive design complements the explorative design in that it seeks to get a better understanding of the “what”.
The researcher employed the exploratory-descriptive research design for this research project because
this design would help the researcher to explore, describe and gain an in-depth understanding of the
perceptions of forensic social work commanders regarding the integration of forensic social workers and
their roles in the SAPS.
3.3 Population
Monette et al. (2008:136) define population in a research as all possible cases the researcher is interested
in studying and people with common characteristics which are relevant to the study to be undertaken. To
define a population then, the researcher needs to specify a set of variables or characteristics. The
population for the study consisted of the FCS unit commanders at cluster level within the Eastern Cape
Province of the SAPS. The FCS unit commanders at cluster level are the SAPS employees responsible
to managing FCS, hence FCS managers. The SAPS has a total number of nine (9) provincial FCS commanders spread across the different nine provinces in the country. Each province comprises of
different clusters, depending on the size of the province. According to Wakefield (2014:6), there are 176
FCS units serving the entire country and these are divided into regions or clusters per geographical area
6
unit is managed by an FCS unit commander. The Eastern Cape Province has a total number of 27 FCS
units serving about 194 policing stations. (Wakefield, 2014:60). The 27 FCS unit commanders formed
the total population for the study.
3.4 Sample size and motivation
A sample can be defined as a subset of measurements drawn for the population in which a researcher is
interested, and should be representative of the population of the study (Strydom & Venter, in De Vos et
al., 2002:199). Due to the fact that there are about 27 FCS unit commanders, it would not be realistic,
financially and time wise for this study to interview all of them and include them in this research project.
Participants were selected on the basis of their significance to the study and sampling continued until
data saturation was reached. Data saturation can be described (Strydom & Delport, 2011:393) as the
collection of data to the point where a sense of closure is attained because new data provides information
that is redundant. The researcher selected 12 participants to ensure data saturation.
3.5 Sampling process
3.5.1 The role of the researcher
- The researcher first sought authorisation from the General Research and Curriculum
Development Committee of the SAPS to conduct the research.
- The researcher contacted the FCS provincial head office in the Eastern Cape in order to obtain a list of FCS commanders in the province.
- FCS commanders were contacted and invited to participate in the study.
- The researcher shared and discussed the following information with willing and interested FCS
commanders: purpose of research project, criteria for inclusion, method of data collection, issues
of anonymity and confidentiality, consent forms, list of questions.
- The place and time of each interview was scheduled with the willing participants. - The researcher obtained written consent from each participant.
7 3.6 Sampling method
In qualitative research a number of sampling techniques are used to select a sample, namely:
convenience sampling, purposive sampling, quota sampling, snowball sampling, etc. The type of sampling technique used for this study was a purposive sampling technique. The rationale for choosing
this sampling technique is the fact that it complemented this kind of research. The researcher took into consideration factors such as the researcher’s access to the target population and the characteristics of the
chosen sample when selecting the sampling techniques. Purposive sampling is defined as a non-random
sampling in which the researcher uses a wide range of methods to locate all possible cases of a highly
specific and difficult to reach population by handpicking the suitable participants from the population.
According to Adler and Clark (2010:123), purposive sampling involves selecting elements based on the researcher’s judgement about which elements will facilitate his/her investigation. In other words, the
researcher used his own judgement in the selection of participants, bearing in mind the limited overall
population as well. The researcher is of the opinion that FCS unit commanders would provide rich data
and enhance the study.
3.7 Sample inclusion criteria
Selected participants had to meet the following criteria:
- FCS commanders from the Eastern Cape Province of the SAPS
- Participants who work directly or indirectly with forensic social workers in different police
clusters of the Eastern Cape Province
- Participants had to be fluent in English, that is, to be able to speak and understand English
- Participants who were willing to be audio recorded
- Participants who had given their informed consent
8 3.8 Sample exclusion criteria
The following participants were excluded from the study:
- FCS commanders who could not give written informed consent - FCS unit commanders already involved in other research.
- FCS commander in charge of the FCS unit where the researcher is stationed
3.9 Data collection methods
A number of methods can be used to collect data for a qualitative research study from the participants,
namely interviewing, focus groups, questionnaires, and participant observations (Kothari, 2004:97). For
this research project, data was gathered by means of qualitative interviewing. Schoeman (2011:40) defines qualitative interviewing as “in-depth conversations between a researcher and participants for the
purpose of collecting information (data) in research”. Qualitative interviewing is also seen to be in line
with characteristics of qualitative research mentioned above in that it aims to explore, describe and evaluate (Sewell, 2006:1). It also approaches the topic from the participant’s point of view. The
researcher bears in mind that a number of FCS commanders live far apart from each other. Even though
focus groups would have contributed significantly to the study, it would not be ideal in this case. Getting FCS managers in one venue would prove to be difficult task and would limit the time extensively.
Another method that the researcher could apply but would not be convenient or suitable is
questionnaires, most especially since other FCS unit commanders have very busy schedules.
There are three types of interviews, namely structured, semi-structured and in-depth interviews. In this
research project, the researcher utilized semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviewing is used mainly to gain a detailed picture of a participant’s beliefs, or perception, or accounts of a particular
topic while giving the researcher and the participant flexibility (Greef, in De Vos, 2002:302). It is also
referred to as an open-ended interview. This method of data collection chosen by the researcher was well
suited for this research project as it facilitated opportunities, which were necessary for the participants to
9
gave the researcher enough room to probe, rephrase or ask other questions related to the topic, which
were not necessarily included in the interview guide.
The theoretical body of knowledge that was studied concerned the “integration” processes and
organisational culture, communication patterns and specialist application in the SAPS. After consulting
the literature in this regard, the researcher compiled a set of predetermined questions on interview schedules to guide the interview. These questions were used to gather the data in this study. The
interview guide is an outline of topics or issues to be covered by the research (Sewell, 2006:4). Questions
that were included in the interview guide were theory driven, in that they were derived from theory. The
following questions were used as a guide to facilitate the process of face-to-face interviewing: What do you regard as forensic social work?
What do you see as the role and responsibilities of forensic social workers in the SAPS?
To what extent do you think integration of forensic social work is achieved and applied in the SAPS?
What is your opinion on how the forensic social worker can assist with the investigation of cases of child sexual abuse?
What needs to be done to improve and facilitate effective integration of forensic social work services in SAPS?
Is there anything else you would like to add? 3.10 Trustworthiness
To affirm the accuracy and truthfulness of the study, the researcher used various data verification
strategies. Whittaker (2002:252) refers to the credibility or truth-value of the study where the researcher
records faithful descriptions and interpretations of data which need to be recognisable by the participants
with trustworthiness being enhanced by the member checking back to the participants. Participant
validation was thus useful as a method to verify the descriptions and interpretations of data. The data
collected was taken back to the participants for validation. The data collected was thus clarified and
confirmed and a clear audit trail was ensured by means of transcribed interviews. The same questions were asked to all participants. A copy of the research findings was also presented as a hard copy to the
10
participants in order to confirm the meanings and interpretation in the report. The researcher also
interpreted the results using the literature. The researcher consulted more sources in order to ensure that
the theory is tested in more than one way. The researcher also used several frames of reference or perspectives in the analysis of the same data so as to provide new insights. For example, the data was
analysed using organisational culture theory.
To ensure trustworthiness of the study, the researcher also sought the opinions of the study leader who is
Dr Smith and other experts at the Department of Social Work, such as Prof Roestenburg (Maree & Van
der Westhuizen, 2007:38). The researcher obtained feedback from the university’s Research and Ethics
Committee, as well as other forensic social workers who are well-versed in qualitative research. Both
Prof Roestenburg and Dr Smith are experts in qualitative research, mentoring various doctoral and masters’ studies. Their experiences and expertise, guidance, advice, and suggestions contributed
extensively to the trustworthiness of the study.
The credibility of the research findings was further ensured through the use of an independent coder who
will conduct the data analysis independently from the researcher. The researcher worked hand in hand
with an independent social worker who is knowledgeable about qualitative research to exchange data and
to analyse the collected data. The independent coder was oriented towards the nature of the study prior to
performing independent coding to ensure validity of independent coding. Findings from the independent
coder were compared with the researcher’s findings during a consensus discussion.
3.11 Data analysis methods
Once data collection had been completed, data need to be analysed to look for patterns and themes
recurrent in behaviour, emotions, objects or a body of knowledge. Once these patterns were found the
researcher was then ready to interpret the data. This process is referred to as data analysis. According to
Polit and Beck (2004:570) the aim of analysing data is to organise and structure the collected data in
such a manner that a meaningful conclusion can be reached. In qualitative research, this is a very time
consuming and laborious exercise due to the amount of data that has been collected. This process does not follow a fixed linear approach but moves in analytical circles (Creswell, 2007:150). In other words,
11
the researcher began to transcribe, analyse and interpret the data from the transcripts even before the
process of data collection had been completed. The researcher analysed data using the eight steps
proposed by Tesch (in Creswell, 2009:186):
- The researcher first transcribed all the interviews. Once this was done, the researcher read all the
transcripts of the interviews so as to gain the whole picture and jotted down on the margin ideas relevant to the topic as they came to mind.
- The researcher selected one transcript from the transcribed interviews with the richest and interesting
narrative, read through it and asked the question what it is that he was reading. The focus was on the
underlying meaning or implied message and not the substance of data. The researcher tried to
determine the essence of the interview.
- The researcher repeated this process for most of the interview transcripts, if not all, whilst making a
list of topics until a theme or themes was/were identified. Identified topics were clustered together
into columns or baskets which were labelled as major topics, unique topics and leftovers.
- The researcher kept this list in hand, revisited the data once more and gave each topic an abbreviation
to code it. These codes were written next to the appropriate segments of the text and used to see if no
new codes arose.
- The researcher tried to find the most descriptive wording for the topics and then turned them into
categories. All topics that related to each other were then grouped together.
- The researcher made the final decision about abbreviating each theme or category and furnished each
code with an alphabet.
- All data belonging to each category was assembled together using a cut-and-paste method and then a
preliminary analysis was done.
- After analysing the data, the findings were reflected against literature for the purpose of literature
12
- Where necessary, the existing data was re-coded to verify data. The report of the results was then
presented in a descriptive or narrative form.
4 ETHICAL ASPECTS
Ethical clearance for the specific research project was granted by the Ethics Committee of the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus) and approval number NWU-00033-16-A1 was allocated to the
project. Written consent was obtained from the SAPS Organisational Development and Strategic
Management Division. The researcher strived to continuously maintain the following ethical principles
(Strydom, 2011:113-130):
4.1 Informed consent
The participants were given written and signed agreements to obtain informed written consent from them
to participate in the study. The person who obtained the informed written consent from the participants
was an independent person. The researcher appointed an independent person as a mediator who is
experienced in research to assist with obtaining informed written consent from participants and such an
independent person was also required to sign confidentiality agreements. The mediator communicated to
the participants detailed information on the goal of the study, the procedures to be followed during the
study, advantages and disadvantages of participating in the study, as well as the credibility of the
researcher. The participants were also informed that their participation in the study was voluntary and
that they are at liberty to withdraw at any time. This ethical consideration required that each research
participant is informed about the purpose and nature of the research, and should be given a choice to
either participate or not. This information was conveyed in clear and understandable language. Other
information that the participants received were the goal of the research, the procedures that would be
followed, the advantages and possible disadvantages and risks of participation, the credibility and role of
the researcher, the assurance of self-determination, the availability of support after the data were collected, and the opportunity to ask questions (Louw & Edwards, 1998:50). Additionally, Cherry
13
participants sign a consent form. Participants were granted at least two days to consider whether they
wanted to participate in the study.
The researcher ensured that informed written consent formed part of this study by addressing the
following aspects. Participants were informed regarding the purpose and nature of the research and that
they had a choice of either participating or not in clear and understandable language. Other information
that the participants received included the goal of the research, the procedures that would be followed,
the advantages and possible disadvantages and risks of participation, the credibility and role of the
researcher, the assurance of self-determination, availability of support after the data were collected and
the opportunity to ask questions. Additionally, the researcher asked for permission to tape-record the
interviews. The researcher shared this information with the participants during the introduction
interviews. In support of moral and legal reasons, participants were not coerced into participating in this
research project. Not only must subjects understand that their participation is voluntary, they must also
be given enough information about the research to make an informed decision about whether to
participate or not (Singleton & Straits, 1999:517). Stated differently, De Vos and Schulze (2002:65) are
of the opinion that emphasis must be placed on accurate and complete information, so that participants
will fully comprehend the investigation and consequently be able to make a voluntary, thoroughly
reasoned decision about their possible participation. Kutchins (1991:111) goes further, stating that the
researcher remains obliged at all times to give a complete explanation of the total investigation, without
pressure or unnecessary interference, in clear and intelligible language.
Each participant was informed of the reasons for the research, and the principle of voluntary participation
was also emphasised. As a result, no participant was forced to participate in the study and their voluntary
consent was obtained.
4.2 Misleading of participants
Participants were clearly informed about the aim and purpose of the research before signing consent forms. The researcher emphasised that participants had a right to withdraw from the study at any time,
14
to participants, the researcher did not restrain any information or provide wrong information to the
participants.
4.3 Announcement of both the individual and study results to participants
The data collected were taken back to the participants for validation. The data collected were thus
clarified and confirmed and a clear audit trail was ensured by means of transcribed interviews. A copy of
the research findings will also be presented as a hard copy to the participants in order to confirm the
meanings and interpretation in the report. Once the study has been completed and a report has been
written, the researcher will communicate with the research participant to make available the research
report. Each participant will also be personally emailed a summary of the research findings once the
research has been completed.
4.4 Privacy/confidentiality
The participants’ right to privacy or confidentiality as well as anonymity were also maintained in this
study. These terms are often used interchangeably in research literature. Privacy refers to the participants’ ability “to control when and under what conditions others will have access to [their] beliefs, values, or
behaviour” (Monette et al., 2008:57). With anonymity, the participants’ identity was protected in that no
one would be able to identify any participant afterwards by removing any identifiable information of
participants from interview transcripts or quotations used (Hennink et al., 2011:71). Although the
participants are likely to know each other as part of their social work practice within the same
organisation, participants will have the right and will be informed of their right to withdraw from the process if they so wished, with their data then being omitted. All identifying information of participants
in relation to the content of the study was kept confidential and anonymous by using alphabetic coding in
order to refer to the participants. Pseudonyms were used during the face-to-face semi-structured
interviews. In support of moral and legal reasons, participants were not coerced into participating in this
research project. The mediator as well as the co-coder were also asked to sign an agreement of
confidentiality.
Confidentiality has implications for the management of information and the researcher, therefore,
15
audiotapes were secured in a locked drawer at the researcher home with accessibility only to the
researcher. For the purpose of this study, privacy and confidentiality were maintained, in that no participant’s name will be disclosed or linked with a particular response. This will be mostly recognized
during the analysis and interpretation of data. Participants were only identified by numbers and case files
were depersonalised by removing all identifying particulars. Particular information or responses were not
publicly linked to any specific individual who participated in the study. Confidentiality was maintained by keeping the collected data confidential and not revealing the respondents’ identity when reporting and
publishing the study. (Babbie & Mouton, 2010:523; Creswell, 2009:91). After the research was
completed, the obtained data will also be kept safely at the North-West University’s Compress offices in
a locked, fireproof cabinet for seven years, and soft copies will be stored on a compact disk (CD) that is
password protected.
When using semi-structured interviews as data collection method, the researcher did not write any names
down of the respondents, but assigned a code to each respondent. Semi-structured interviews took place
in a confidential setting where there were no interruptions. The researcher recorded all the interviews, but
did not record the identity of the respondent. All recorded interviews were destroyed after the research
was completed and the transcribed data was saved as previously mentioned. The interviews did not
reflect any names or identifying characteristics of the actual respondents. Information about the
participants in the study was password protected and kept strictly confidential. The researcher gave a
number to the participants beforehand, such as participant A; participant B, in order to maintain their
confidentiality. Confidentiality was also maintained by carefully explaining the general aim of the study
and the procedures to be followed.
4.5 Facilities
According to Fouché and Schurinck (2011:308) qualitative research uses an emerging qualitative approach to collect data in a natural setting sensitive to the people and places under study. The researcher
is mainly concerned with naturalistic observation as opposed to control measurement. Hence, the
researcher conducted interviews to collect data from the natural setting of the participants. The
16
ensured that the setting for the collection of data was private, confidential and without any disruptions.
However, the interviews were conducted during the personal time of the participants.
4.6 Legal authorisation and goodwill permission
The researcher applied for ethical clearance at the Health and Research Ethics Committee (HREC) at the
North-West University’s Potchefstroom Campus. Participants who wanted to enquire about the research
project could also at any time contact Ms Carolien van Zyl from the Health Sciences Ethics Office for
Research, Training and Support on (018) 299-1206 or email her on Carolien.VanZyl@nwu.ac.za. The study leader of the researcher, Dr Sufran Smith, could also be contacted at any time on (018) 299- 1682
or an email can be sent to Sufran.Smith@nwu.ac.za.
Legal authorisation to conduct research was sought from the SAPS Research Division at head office in
Pretoria. To do this, the researcher and study leader prepared a letter of application to conduct research
and sent it to Research Division as a means of negotiating entry into the organisation. Once permission
had been obtained from the SAPS Research Division, the researcher approached the SAPS provincial
commander as well as the provincial FCS heads in the Eastern Cape for permission to visit different FCS
offices in the province. Due to time constraints the process of obtaining legal authorisation and goodwill
permission had to overlap.
5. TERMINOLOGY
KEY WORDS: FCS manager, Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, perspective, forensic social work, South African Police Service.
5.1 Perspective
Perspective refers to a person’s outlook or way of viewing something. In reality, people do not have the
exact same thoughts and feelings about everything. People have different ideas and opinions based on
their experiences in life. Individuals inherit perspectives by being members of a particular society, which
17
definition, the researcher is, therefore, of the opinion that one cannot simply assume that managers in the
SAPS have similar perspectives about forensic social work. This is particularly true since forensic social
work is a fairly new specialty in South Africa and within SAPS.
5.2 Forensic Social Work
According to the South African Council for Service Professions (2008:11) forensic social work is defined as a “specialized field of social work that focuses on the interface between society’s legal and human
systems and is characterized by the social worker’s primary function of providing expert testimonies in courts of law with the primary client being the judiciary system”. On the 1st
September 2017, the Minister
of Social Development officially recognised forensic social work as a specialist field of social work in
South Africa (Government Gazette, 2017:47-52).
5.3 South African Police Service
The SAPS is a law enforcement agency within the government of South Africa as contemplated in
Chapter 11, Section 205 of the Constitution of South Africa and established in terms of the SAPS Act 68
of 1995. The constitution lays down that that the SAPS has a responsibility to prevent, combat and
investigate crime, maintain public order, uphold and enforce the law, protect the citizens as well as create
a safe environment for the citizens of South Africa.
5.4 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit
The Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit is a specialized unit within the
SAPS established to handle crimes of domestic violence and sexual abuse committed against adults and
children and to render sensitive services to victims of such crimes. The FCS unit operates according to a
structured protocol called the SAPS National Instruction (SAPS, 2008:1)
5.5 FCS Manager
The SAPS Standing Order (SAPS, 2012:1) defines a unit commander as any member of the SAPS
18
etc.). For the purpose of this research, a FCS Manager refers to a unit commander in the SAPS who is
responsible for the command of an FCS unit in a given police cluster.
6. CHOICE AND STRUCTURE OF REPORT
The researcher aims to submit the research findings as an article to the Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk
journal for potential publication in the journal and the authors adhered to those instructions.
The research report is divided into four sections: Section A: Introduction and orientation
Section B: Managers in the Eastern Cape’s perspectives on the integration of forensic social work in the South African Police Service (Article)
Section C: Conclusions and recommendations Section D: Addenda
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SECTION B: MANAGERS IN THE EASTERN CAPE’S PERSPECTIVES ON THE INTEGRATION OF FORENSIC SOCIAL WORK IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE
SERVICE
Mr SK Mnguni is a Social Worker practising forensic social work at Butterworth FCS Unit, South African Police Service.
Dr S Smith is a senior lecturer in the School of Psychosocial Behavioural Sciences, Social Work Division, Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University.
Email: Sufran.smith@nwu.ac.za ABSTRACT
Forensic social work is a developing field in South Africa and the SAPS. In reviewing the literature on
the role of forensic social workers from the past ten years, the researcher discovered that there has been
an increase in the number of empirical studies on the role of forensic social workers in South Africa.
However, none of the studies focused specifically on the perspectives of police management towards the
role of forensic social workers in the SAPS. This article discusses empirical data obtained from a
qualitative study that focused on exploring the integration of forensic social work services in the SAPS.
From the findings, it was clear that there is a shortage of forensic social workers. The study also revealed
that forensic social workers make a valuable contribution in the investigation of child sexual abuse cases
within the SAPS. However, contributing factors such as the absence of adequate resources contribute to a
failure in providing a proficient service.
Keywords: FCS manager, Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS), perspective, forensic social work, South African Police Service (SAPS).
24
1. INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM FORMULATION
Forensic social work is a fairly new speciality in the South African Police Service (SAPS) and is not
clearly understood and effectively integrated at all levels. For instance, the study by Jonkers (2012:36) concluded that investigating officers at the unit for Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual
Offences (FCS) had a poor understanding of forensic social work. She also concluded that such a lack of
understanding could have an impact on the effective utilization of forensic social workers. Forensic
social work has been introduced at the time when the SAPS organisations including FCS units were
transforming. Challenges such as non-recognition of forensic social work as a specialised field by the
South African Council for Social Services Professions (SACSSP), poor resource allocation, ambiguous
and unclear roles (Iffley, 2000:14), necessitate an investigation into the integration and coordination of
forensic social work services into the SAPS.
Forensic social work has a long history dating back to the nineteenth century (Maschi & Killian, 2011:14)
and has developed extensively in countries such as the United States of America, Canada and Australia
during the twentieth century (Roberts & Brownwell, 1999:360). However, within the context of South
Africa, forensic social work is a fairly new and developing field of social work, such that it has not been
properly regulated. However, the South African Council for Social Services Professions (SACSSP)
recommended that forensic social work should be acknowledged as one of the fields of specialisation in
social work and defines it as a specialised field of social work that focuses on the interface between society’s legal and human systems (SACSSP, 2008:1). On the 1st
September 2017, the Minister of Social
Development officially recognised forensic social work as a specialist field of social work in South
Africa (Government Gazette, 2017:47-52).
SAPS has been in the forefront in the utilisation of specialised services of forensic social workers to
investigate the offences of sexual abuse against children. SAPS is a law enforcement agent charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order in South Africa, and derives its powers from section 199
of the Constitution, Act 108 of 1996 and the SAPS Act 68 of 1995. The forensic social work service in
the SAPS was established on 6 May 1997 and became operational in November 1997 (Stutterheim &
well-25
functioning forensic social work service. More forensic social workers have been employed by the SAPS
in order to strengthen the support for the investigating officers in the investigation of sexual abuse cases.
According to Stutterheim and Weyers (1999:19), in 1999 the SAPS had only 20 forensic social workers in their employment. In 2013, the number of forensic social workers in the SAPS had largely grown to 75
and was still expected to grow to about 131 forensic social workers in 2014 (Wakefield, 2014:15).
The forensic social work service was established by the SAPS to assist FCS detectives and to provide
expertise in the investigation of child sexual abuse investigations. Even though forensic social workers
can fulfil a number of broad functions (Barker & Branson, 1993:8-10) in the SAPS a decision was made
to limit the scope of forensic social work services to crimes against children (Stutterheim & Weyers,
1999:18). The scope of forensic social workers in the SAPS is also outlined in the SAPS Forensic Social
Work Procedure Manual (SAPS, 2011:4-5). In terms of the procedure manual, forensic social workers
play a role of a forensic evaluator and expert witness and their functions are limited to providing expert
testimony to courts of law based on investigations of persons involved and testimony (opinion evidence)
that is not based on investigation of persons involved (Department of Police, 2010:100). However, in
practice, forensic social workers are called to perform roles that do not meet the core functions of
forensic social work as outlined in the SAPS Forensic Social Work Procedure Manual. For instance, the
scope of forensic social workers has been expanded to include obtaining statements from child victims as
well as preparing child witnesses for court (Department of Police, 2015:213).
The FCS, which is the vehicle through which SAPS tackles issues of child sexual abuse, child abuse in
general and women abuse, have also been going through transitions (Van Graan, 2008:7). FCS units were
disbanded and their functions relegated to police stations. However, this decision was reversed and FCS
units were reintroduced once again (Department of Police, 2010:100). The introduction of forensic social
work service in the SAPS occurs within that context and it comes as a supportive speciality to the already existing detective service, under which it falls. Heath and Staudenmayer (2000:165) recognize the
importance of introducing specialists in an organisation. However, they warn that it could have negative
effects if the task of integrating such speciality with other components is ignored. Axelsson and Axelsson
26
for management. This is so because organisations consist of different divisions of labour and
responsibilities as well as differences in attitudes and behaviours among the different functional
departments. These authors refer to these differences as functional and structural differentiation. Such
differentiation exists between forensic social work services and the detective services.
Forensic social work services have been introduced as a supporting unit to the already long existing detective service in the SAPS. Iffley (2012:14) noted that forensic social workers experience a number of
challenges including skills shortages and non-recognition of their speciality. The challenges noted by Iffley (2012:14) resonate with what Axelsson and Axelsson (2006:78) term as fragmentation, “a state of
differentiation without the integration that is required to achieve unity of effort”. Such a fragmentation of
responsibilities leads to different kinds of problems with efficiency and quality. This can be seen through
cases that are not finalised in time, reports that do not get to court in time for trial, and so on (Ntlantleng,
2011:4). In their research, Schiller and Spies (2006:37-47) reported that in working with child sexual
abuse cases integration (in a form of coordination) fails in practice because nobody takes responsibility (“fragmentation of responsibility”). Molwedi (2004:5) also concurred that in practice a huge
communication gap exists between the police and social workers amongst others during the investigation
of child sexual abuse cases. This also has an impact on cooperation, which is another form of integration.
From the foregoing information, it becomes clear that a gap exists in literature regarding the perspectives
of the SAPS management in relation to forensic social work services and its integration in the SAPS. In
order to address this gap, the following research question arose: What are the perspectives of Eastern
Cape FCS managers regarding the integration of forensic social work in the SAPS?
2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the perspectives of FCS unit commanders regarding the integration of forensic social work in the SAPS. The researcher adopted an
exploratory-descriptive research design for this study within a qualitative paradigm. The rationale for using the
qualitative research approach was based on the philosophical underpinnings of this approach in allowing
