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According to Lerole (1994:9), practitioners in the health care and social services find themselves in the frontline regarding their attempt to prevent the spread of HIV as well as deal with its consequences. Having well-trained, knowledgeable and highly motivated professionals working in service delivery at all levels is crucial for effective management of the HIV epidemic. HIV and Aids present a significant problem at both societal and professional levels for social workers. Individuals who are affected by HIV or Aids have needs that may require a multitude of services including counselling, social services (Wexler, 1989), advocacy, community outreach and case management (Wiener & Siegel, 1990). At a broader level, there is a need for preventive programming, education and policy making. Social work has a significant role to fulfil in meeting the needs of individuals affected by HIV or Aids. The skills social workers perform in integrating people with larger systems, their focus on context and environment evolving from work with historically marginalised groups, and their commitment to human rights and fairness are critical in addressing the issues surrounding HIV and Aids. The overall aim of this research was to determine whether the evaluated Resilient Educators (REds) support programme can be adapted to become an effective empowerment programme for social work students in supporting people infected with and affected by the HIV and Aids pandemic. Attention was given to the following aims of the study as discussed in each chapter. Chapter 1 contains the problem statement, research objectives and a discussion on the strengths perspective as well as the procedures followed. Furthermore, the limitations of this study were discussed, the definitions of key words were given and an exposition of the composition of the research report was also given. Chapter 2 gives an overview of the research methodology and includes a discussion of the intervention research model applied. The concurrent embedded strategy was used in this study and was implemented with a mixed method design model. The single system design and interviewing procedures were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously. In Chapter 3 the nature and content of the REds programme for educators are discussed. REds was conceptualised as a potentially supportive, participatory group intervention for educators affected by the HIV and Aids pandemic to ensure educators excellence and sustainability. Group work as a research process was simultaneously offered, enabling intervention or leading to positive social change. An overview of the REds programme was provided by stating the aim of each session and documenting the process of each session as it occurred. This chapter provided a background for the next chapter that reported on the effectiveness of the REds programme. Chapter 4 reports on the effectiveness of REds. REds was presented to affected educators from two schools in the Matlosana district in the North West Province. The results of this study are based on a comparison of pre-test data and post-test data within both the qualitative and quantitative paradigm. The quantitative data was gained by using the Professional Quality of Life Screening questionnaire (Stamm, 2005). The qualitative data was gathered by way of in-depth interviewing where symbolic drawings, open-ended questions and participants' comments on each session, were integrated. The REds programme was evaluated as being successful for this group. However, a need for services from other health care professionals, such as nurses or social workers, was established. Chapter 5 focuses on the role of the social worker in providing empowerment to those infected with and affected by HIV and Aids and a literature study was conducted on the role of the social worker within an HIV and Aids reality. Chapter 6 focused on the development of an empowerment programme for fourth-year social work students regarding HIV and Aids, adapted from the REds programme. The HIV and Aids empowerment programme was developed to educate the social work student with the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that they are well-trained to deliver an effective service to those people infected with and affected by HIV and Aids, when they enter the social work practice. The programme consists of a detailed workbook designed as a practical toolkit to address the issue of HIV and Aids through the use of multi-media training methods. Chapter 7 evaluated the effectiveness of an empowerment programme regarding HIV and Aids -the adapted REds programme. Eleven fourth-year social work students at the Department of Social Work, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, participated in this research. Pre-and post-assessment were done and both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. However, the main focus in this study was on the qualitative data. The efficacy of the empowerment programme was evaluated, and implications for future educational preparation for students to work effectively in their roles as social workers regarding HIV and Aids were discussed. Chapter 8 provided a summary of the findings and conclusions of the research report, and some recommendations were made. Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010. According to Lerole (1994:9), practitioners in the health care and social services find themselves in the frontline regarding their attempt to prevent the spread of HIV as well as deal with its consequences. Having well-trained, knowledgeable and highly motivated professionals working in service delivery at all levels is crucial for effective management of the HIV epidemic. HIV and Aids present a significant problem at both societal and professional levels for social workers. Individuals who are affected by HIV or Aids have needs that may require a multitude of services including counselling, social services (Wexler, 1989), advocacy, community outreach and case management (Wiener & Siegel, 1990). At a broader level, there is a need for preventive programming, education and policy making. Social work has a significant role to fulfil in meeting the needs of individuals affected by HIV or Aids. The skills social workers perform in integrating people with larger systems, their focus on context and environment evolving from work with historically marginalised groups, and their commitment to human rights and fairness are critical in addressing the issues surrounding HIV and Aids. The overall aim of this research was to determine whether the evaluated Resilient Educators (REds) support programme can be adapted to become an effective empowerment programme for social work students in supporting people infected with and affected by the HIV and Aids pandemic. Attention was given to the following aims of the study as discussed in each chapter. Chapter 1 contains the problem statement, research objectives and a discussion on the strengths perspective as well as the procedures followed. Furthermore, the limitations of this study were discussed, the definitions of key words were given and an exposition of the composition of the research report was also given. Chapter 2 gives an overview of the research methodology and includes a discussion of the intervention research model applied. The concurrent embedded strategy was used in this study and was implemented with a mixed method design model. The single system design and interviewing procedures were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously. In Chapter 3 the nature and content of the REds programme for educators are discussed. REds was conceptualised as a potentially supportive, participatory group intervention for educators affected by the HIV and Aids pandemic to ensure educators excellence and sustainability. Group work as a research process was simultaneously offered, enabling intervention or leading to positive social change. An overview of the REds programme was provided by stating the aim of each session and documenting the process of each session as it occurred. This chapter provided a background for the next chapter that reported on the effectiveness of the REds programme. Chapter 4 reports on the effectiveness of REds. REds was presented to affected educators from two schools in the Matlosana district in the North West Province. The results of this study are based on a comparison of pre-test data and post-test data within both the qualitative and quantitative paradigm. The quantitative data was gained by using the Professional Quality of Life Screening questionnaire (Stamm, 2005). The qualitative data was gathered by way of in-depth interviewing where symbolic drawings, open-ended questions and participants' comments on each session, were integrated. The REds programme was evaluated as being successful for this group. However, a need for services from other health care professionals, such as nurses or social workers, was established. Chapter 5 focuses on the role of the social worker in providing empowerment to those infected with and affected by HIV and Aids and a literature study was conducted on the role of the social worker within an HIV and Aids reality. Chapter 6 focused on the development of an empowerment programme for fourth-year social work students regarding HIV and Aids, adapted from the REds programme. The HIV and Aids empowerment programme was developed to educate the social work student with the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that they are well-trained to deliver an effective service to those people infected with and affected by HIV and Aids, when they enter the social work practice. The programme consists of a detailed workbook designed as a practical toolkit to address the issue of HIV and Aids through the use of multi-media training methods. Chapter 7 evaluated the effectiveness of an empowerment programme regarding HIV and Aids -the adapted REds programme. Eleven fourth-year social work students at the Department of Social Work, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, participated in this research. Pre-and post-assessment were done and both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. However, the main focus in this study was on the qualitative data. The efficacy of the empowerment programme was evaluated, and implications for future educational preparation for students to work effectively in their roles as social workers regarding HIV and Aids were discussed. Chapter 8 provided a summary of the findings and conclusions of the research report, and some recommendations were made. Doctoral