Abstract
Military social workers in South Africa have developed distinctive ways of thinking about military social work. These developments have been influenced by various contextual factors, such as the transition of South Africa to a non-racial democracy in 1994 and the establishment of a military social work research capacity. These factors contributed to new ways of thinking, such as the recognition that military social work has a mandate to facilitate organizational change and the adoption of a resilience perspective. A central development in military social work thinking in South Africa was the formulation of a Military Social Work Practice Model, which is described and illustrated in some detail. This model emphasizes binocular vision (focusing on the interface between soldiers and the military organization) and four practice positions, derived from occupational social work theory. The author notes the importance of creating appropriate contexts that facilitate further developments in military social work theory.
Highlights
The ten to fifteen years since 1994 have evidenced substantial growth in thinking about military social work (MilSW) in South Africa
This paper is focused primarily on how military social workers in South Africa think about MilSW practice, rather than in describing the history, structures and staffing of MilSW
Few social workers were employed by the homeland state militaries; most social workers were employed by the South African Defence Force (SADF), MK and APLA
Summary
The ten to fifteen years since 1994 have evidenced substantial growth in thinking about military social work (MilSW) in South Africa. South Africa’s relative isolation from the rest of the world, due partly to our location on the southern tip of Africa and as a result of the sanctions during the dying years of Apartheid, resulted in the development of a rather distinctive approach to MilSW. This paper is focused primarily on how military social workers in South Africa think about MilSW practice, rather than in describing the history, structures and staffing of MilSW. It is the practice theories and approaches that are central to this paper. Prof. van Breda was an active duty military social worker, in uniform, from 1991 to 2007, leaving the SANDF with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
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