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The educational and social inclusion of children and youth at risk: A case study of a child and youth care centre in the Western Cape, South Africa
Author(s)
Balie, Lorna Yolande
Date Issued
2019
Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
There exists a variety of explanations for why children and youth become ‘at risk’ of school
disengagement, violent victimisation, institutionalisation (including imprisonment) and premature
mortality (Abrams & Terry, 2014). However, few explanations help to understand how children and
youth at risk can be better included within education and society, how educational and social inclusion
programmes for children and youth at risk can improve, or where it is best placed to provide such
interventions or programmes. Using an ecological and multi-dimensional approach, the current study
utilised a Western Cape residential care institution for children and youth at risk as a case study by which
to conceptually and vividly show the connections between the backgrounds of South African
children/youths that are at risk, the cultures and practices of residential institutions in accommodating
the needs of children and youth, and the teaching approaches that are adopted within the institution to
socially and educationally include learners under their charge. The main purpose of this is to highlight
the notable complexities in addressing the short-term and long-term individual needs of children and
youth ‘at risk’ - both within institutions and outside institutions once they are discharged - and the
contradictory challenges that are attached to structural and relational forms of risk and risk-taking. The
study questions whether institutions and programmes can be expected to address social and structural
dimensions of inclusion and human connection that inevitably and invariably fall outside of their
educational scope and capabilities and seeks to understand what this means for the conceptualisation of
issues of inclusion within the educational realm in South Africa.
The main research question that arises from this research is: In what ways are care of and education for
children and youth at risk provided by a child and youth care centre in order to promote their educational
and social inclusion? This question is further divided into three research subsidiary questions which are
a) What are the risk factors experienced by youth, found in the previous institution(s), the family, the
communities/neighbourhoods and among their peers that contribute to their being referred to the child
and youth care centre? b) How do the child and youth care centre’s rules, norms and values promote the
social inclusion of children and youth at risk? and c) How do the teachers’ teaching approaches promote
the educational inclusion of children and youth at risk? In order to answer these questions, this study developed a case study of a child and youth care centre located in the Western Cape in order to understand how it works towards the educational and social
inclusion of children and youth at risk. The following data was therefore collected at the institution
through: one focus group with five teachers; in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine teachers,
seven youths, one principal, one social worker, one educational psychologist, one occupational therapist,
three childcare workers, and two residential care workers; observations of classes and the institutional
environment; and institutional documents. In addition to data collected at the institution, three experts
(in their own respective fields which are Inclusive Education, Gangs and Teacher Wellness at the
institution in question) and three government officials from the Western Cape Education Department
were interviewed. The study found that risk and risk taking was tied to a variety of social and institutional factors that
shaped how vulnerable children and youth were socially included or excluded within society and within
schools, and that led to their needs being addressed through residential care. The findings reveal that the
factors that contribute towards youth being at high risk of the outcomes mentioned earlier include the
lack of safety and security in schools, school cultures that are alienating, once disengaged from school
children and youth experience many non-normative transfers between different kinds of institutions,
domestic and gang violence, and unsafe and under-resourced neighbourhoods. The study further found
that the child and youth care centre promotes social inclusion through its rules, norms and values by
providing protection for children and youth (aided by legal and policy documents), by advocating and
embedding the Circle of Courage in its programmes, and by promoting the values of reintegration into
the family and community, and the values of care and family. These efforts, however, did not coalesce
in ways that could fundamentally change how youth saw themselves or their risk taking in relation to
their subsequent lives. Furthermore, this view was reinforced by data that showed that educational inclusion is promoted by
children and youth forming emotional attachments to their teachers, through teachers using sensitive
and appropriate teaching methods, and implementing an adapted curriculum and structured, relational
and developmental disciplinary techniques. These findings reveal that the child and youth care centre is
able to promote educational and social inclusion in the short term but is unable translate these efforts
into durable life lessons to prepare youth adequately for life outside the institution and long-term social
inclusion, owing to the structural (De Finney et al., 2011) and relational nature of risk, which is beyond
the scope and capabilities of the institution. This informed the extent to which youth could be ‘included’
and de-stigmatised’. Recommendations include the DBE equipping schools and teachers adequately to deliver the CAPS
curriculum especially for the needs of children and youth at risk; the Provincial Education Department
providing schools with educational psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists to address
the therapeutic and affective needs of children and youth, the provision of mentors and child and youth
care workers to support teaching and learning; teacher trainers equipping teachers with appropriate and
effective disciplinary techniques; child and youth care centres (schools and intervention facilities)
applying developmental, empowering and inclusive philosophies to address emotional and behavioural
problems among children and youth; a more intense focus on academic achievement; and more inclusive
school cultures. The study’s key contribution is to show how conceptualisations, processes, and practices of educational
inclusion play out in relation to the institutional programmes of one Western Cape child and youth care
centre, and how the views, and professional practices of a variety of professional role-players inform
the ways in which the needs of children and youth that are deemed to be ‘at risk’ are addressed and
provided for. This reveals the complex intersection of home, community, geographical space, institution,
legal framework, educational programme, policy architecture, and policy objective in determining how
risk and educational inclusion is understood, and how it is addressed within society and within the
educational realm. It also highlights the complexity, and the structural and relational nature of risk
experienced by children and youth in marginalised communities in contemporary South Africa.
disengagement, violent victimisation, institutionalisation (including imprisonment) and premature
mortality (Abrams & Terry, 2014). However, few explanations help to understand how children and
youth at risk can be better included within education and society, how educational and social inclusion
programmes for children and youth at risk can improve, or where it is best placed to provide such
interventions or programmes. Using an ecological and multi-dimensional approach, the current study
utilised a Western Cape residential care institution for children and youth at risk as a case study by which
to conceptually and vividly show the connections between the backgrounds of South African
children/youths that are at risk, the cultures and practices of residential institutions in accommodating
the needs of children and youth, and the teaching approaches that are adopted within the institution to
socially and educationally include learners under their charge. The main purpose of this is to highlight
the notable complexities in addressing the short-term and long-term individual needs of children and
youth ‘at risk’ - both within institutions and outside institutions once they are discharged - and the
contradictory challenges that are attached to structural and relational forms of risk and risk-taking. The
study questions whether institutions and programmes can be expected to address social and structural
dimensions of inclusion and human connection that inevitably and invariably fall outside of their
educational scope and capabilities and seeks to understand what this means for the conceptualisation of
issues of inclusion within the educational realm in South Africa.
The main research question that arises from this research is: In what ways are care of and education for
children and youth at risk provided by a child and youth care centre in order to promote their educational
and social inclusion? This question is further divided into three research subsidiary questions which are
a) What are the risk factors experienced by youth, found in the previous institution(s), the family, the
communities/neighbourhoods and among their peers that contribute to their being referred to the child
and youth care centre? b) How do the child and youth care centre’s rules, norms and values promote the
social inclusion of children and youth at risk? and c) How do the teachers’ teaching approaches promote
the educational inclusion of children and youth at risk? In order to answer these questions, this study developed a case study of a child and youth care centre located in the Western Cape in order to understand how it works towards the educational and social
inclusion of children and youth at risk. The following data was therefore collected at the institution
through: one focus group with five teachers; in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine teachers,
seven youths, one principal, one social worker, one educational psychologist, one occupational therapist,
three childcare workers, and two residential care workers; observations of classes and the institutional
environment; and institutional documents. In addition to data collected at the institution, three experts
(in their own respective fields which are Inclusive Education, Gangs and Teacher Wellness at the
institution in question) and three government officials from the Western Cape Education Department
were interviewed. The study found that risk and risk taking was tied to a variety of social and institutional factors that
shaped how vulnerable children and youth were socially included or excluded within society and within
schools, and that led to their needs being addressed through residential care. The findings reveal that the
factors that contribute towards youth being at high risk of the outcomes mentioned earlier include the
lack of safety and security in schools, school cultures that are alienating, once disengaged from school
children and youth experience many non-normative transfers between different kinds of institutions,
domestic and gang violence, and unsafe and under-resourced neighbourhoods. The study further found
that the child and youth care centre promotes social inclusion through its rules, norms and values by
providing protection for children and youth (aided by legal and policy documents), by advocating and
embedding the Circle of Courage in its programmes, and by promoting the values of reintegration into
the family and community, and the values of care and family. These efforts, however, did not coalesce
in ways that could fundamentally change how youth saw themselves or their risk taking in relation to
their subsequent lives. Furthermore, this view was reinforced by data that showed that educational inclusion is promoted by
children and youth forming emotional attachments to their teachers, through teachers using sensitive
and appropriate teaching methods, and implementing an adapted curriculum and structured, relational
and developmental disciplinary techniques. These findings reveal that the child and youth care centre is
able to promote educational and social inclusion in the short term but is unable translate these efforts
into durable life lessons to prepare youth adequately for life outside the institution and long-term social
inclusion, owing to the structural (De Finney et al., 2011) and relational nature of risk, which is beyond
the scope and capabilities of the institution. This informed the extent to which youth could be ‘included’
and de-stigmatised’. Recommendations include the DBE equipping schools and teachers adequately to deliver the CAPS
curriculum especially for the needs of children and youth at risk; the Provincial Education Department
providing schools with educational psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists to address
the therapeutic and affective needs of children and youth, the provision of mentors and child and youth
care workers to support teaching and learning; teacher trainers equipping teachers with appropriate and
effective disciplinary techniques; child and youth care centres (schools and intervention facilities)
applying developmental, empowering and inclusive philosophies to address emotional and behavioural
problems among children and youth; a more intense focus on academic achievement; and more inclusive
school cultures. The study’s key contribution is to show how conceptualisations, processes, and practices of educational
inclusion play out in relation to the institutional programmes of one Western Cape child and youth care
centre, and how the views, and professional practices of a variety of professional role-players inform
the ways in which the needs of children and youth that are deemed to be ‘at risk’ are addressed and
provided for. This reveals the complex intersection of home, community, geographical space, institution,
legal framework, educational programme, policy architecture, and policy objective in determining how
risk and educational inclusion is understood, and how it is addressed within society and within the
educational realm. It also highlights the complexity, and the structural and relational nature of risk
experienced by children and youth in marginalised communities in contemporary South Africa.
Additional information
Thesis (DEd)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019
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