​Social workers in rural areas do their utmost every day to help adults with a methamphetamine dependency (adults who are addicted to tik) onto the straight and narrow, but many challenges thwart their efforts.

“They experience burnout due to a lack of infrastructure, insufficient personnel, a lack of the necessary knowledge and skills, as well as unrealistic expectations regarding the services they have to render," says Dr Hannelie Krige, who recently obtained her doctorate in Social Work at Stellenbosch University.

Krige, who is a social worker herself, researched the challenges faced by social workers in rural areas who render services to adults with a tik addiction. She interviewed some of these social workers and held focus group discussions.

Krige says she has often witnessed the way in which tik not only destroys individuals, families and communities in rural areas, but also the negative impact it has on social workers.

According to her rural social workers struggle to render the necessary services (e.g., prevention services, early intervention, and statutory and aftercare services) because the demand is simply too high. “The demand for service delivery for adult tik addicts is much higher than the services currently offered.

“The overemphasis of procedures, non-governmental organisations' dependence on the state for funding, and the way in which funding agreements regulate their activities further hamper social workers' task.

Physically, social workers feel threatened by the behaviour of adult tik addicts. Psychologically, they feel inadequate in their service delivery because they do not have the necessary knowledge and skills to address the complex phenomenon of tik addiction among these adults effectively.

“Furthermore, there is a lack of enough service providers to render services to these adults in a multi-disciplinary team. Cooperation between and co-ordination of these services are also insufficient."

The state and non-governmental organisations expect social workers to render an effective service despite all these challenges, Krige adds.

“All these factors contribute to many social workers abandoning the profession and consequently the failure of the service to tik addicts, their families and the community."

Krige describes the situation as lamentable, especially since the most vulnerable are the very people whom social workers wish to enable to perform the tasks and activities necessary to provide in their basic needs and to fulfil everyday roles in society.

Assistance

Krige says the establishment of a multidisciplinary team (e.g., psychologists, psychiatric sisters, doctors) who can render holistic and specialised services to address the physical, psychological and social functioning of adult tik addicts can aid social workers.

“Such cooperation and coordination can relieve the pressure on social workers and prevent them from feeling inadequate."

Krige adds that social workers should be equipped with skills for trauma counselling and should be trained in psychosocial support and its relevance for service delivery to adult tik addicts.

“Training and ongoing professional development are necessary to develop specific skills and knowledge to enable identification of a drug disorder, referral and offering an effective treatment programme. Broadening social workers' knowledge and skills will empower them to render a more effective service."

According to Krige supervision is important for the ongoing professional development of social workers.

“Supervision can ensure ongoing professional development of social workers since the functions of supervision include training and support to foster emotional competency for practice."

Krige thinks local drug action committees should be strengthened by involving role players such as governmental and non-governmental organisations, the private sector, municipalities and churches to extend infrastructure and increase resources.

“Effective management of social workers' workloads and more funding will also help them to render more effective services to adult tik addicts," Krige adds.

• ​​Photo: A glass pipe used for smoking methamphetamine. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons