Social Workers Day (March 17) is an important day that acknowledges and celebrates the meaningful impact social workers make in the community.
Speaking to Rekord, a local social worker, Carol Hlamalani Mavhungu, provided some insight into her daily life. She said that social workers play a vital role in strengthening communities and supporting vulnerable individuals. This is done through professional interventions such as case work, group work and community work.
“Social workers assist individuals, families and communities to navigate social challenges within their environments,” Mavhungu said, who resides in Atteridgeville.
“They address issues such as poverty, gender-based violence, neglect, family conflict and social inequality. Social workers serve as bridges between people and resources they need to improve their well-being.”
Mavhungu highlighted unemployment among social workers as the biggest challenge in the field.
She said social workers do not gain enough recognition because people in communities are not well informed about the field and don’t know the difference between social workers and other therapists or psychologists.
“When people learn more about social workers and acknowledge they require social workers’ services, more will be employed. When people think of a social worker, they think of someone who takes children away from their parents, but there are procedures followed before a child is taken away,” she said.
When asked about Social Workers Day, Mavhungu mentioned that her awareness of the day began during her studies at the University of Witwatersrand, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and received the Ellen Kuzwayo Award in 2018.
“It was the first time I’d heard about the day. Since then, I have remained passionate about celebrating and promoting the profession. In 2019, while completing my internship in Limpopo Province, I initiated a Social Workers Day celebration at the clinic I was stationed at,” she said.
From that moment, it became something she carries with pride. Regardless of whether she is employed or volunteering, she makes sure Social Workers Day is celebrated.
“The spirit of social work is something that lives within me,” she added.
The Tshwane metro will commemorate the day over a two-day programme taking place on March 16–17.
The event is organised in partnership with Unisa and the Gauteng Department of Social Development.
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