PERSPECTIVES ON THE FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDENT SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE EXECUTION OF THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS AT FOURTH LEVEL IN AN OPEN DISTANCE-LEARNING CONTEXT

The inability of the fourth-level student social workers to complete their research projects on time has a negative impact on the throughput of the Department of Social Work at UNISA and hampers the implementation of the recruitment and retention strategy of social workers initiated by the National Department of Social Development. With reference to the latter, Mr Mnguni, a policy developer in the Service Standards Directorate of the National Department of Social Development states that “The Recruitment and Retention Strategy for Social Workers has been adopted and implemented since 2004 by the Department of Social Development; it is now part of the bigger Human Resource Strategy in the department. The implementation of the following programmes bears reference to the implementation of the strategy: the regrading of social workers’ salaries in 2004, the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) in 2010, the scholarship programme, career fairs and now the exchange programme with the United Kingdom. The department is now preparing for evaluation of the strategy.