The role of the social worker in the interdisciplinary team providing statutory services to children and families in the cape metropole

Abstract

The role of statutory social workers is often misperceived by other role players in interdisciplinary teams; but even more so in the law fraternity spectrum. As such, social workers experience many challenges working with attorneys, magistrates and court clerks because they are often undermined by their counterparts in the interdisciplinary team. This places great strain on professional relationships in settings where these professions are required to work collaboratively, such as statutory services with children and families. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the role of the social worker in the interdisciplinary team providing statutory services to children and families in the Cape Metropole. The theoretical framework selected for this study is conflict theory, because it is suited to explain the often-strenuous relationship between social workers and the rest of the interdisciplinary team in the law fraternity.