Enablers and Barriers Faced by Social Workers in Undertaking Advocacy in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Advocacy is one of the key roles of social workers when fighting for change in the lives of the vulnerable and marginalised groupings in society. The fight for social justice is a key feature in the mandate of social work globally, and advocacy is vital to the attainment of the social justice mission of social work. Using primary qualitative data, this article offers insights into the enablers and barriers faced by social workers in undertaking advocacy within child welfare settings in Johannesburg, South Africa. The results show that factors such as scarcity of resources and lack of partnerships and collaborative efforts hinder the practice of effective advocacy especially at macro level. Networking forums and collaborative efforts among social workers and people from other related professions are given as some of the key recommendations to strengthen advocacy efforts.