Caroline Elston, Foster Care Social Worker at Badisa Tygerberg knew from the age of 16 that she wanted to be a social worker.
She says, “After school, I studied at Stellenbosch University and graduated in 1977 – a long time ago!
“My first place of employment was Child Welfare in Pinetown, Kwa-Zulu Natal. I had just turned 21 years old when I travelled to Natal in my little VW Beetle. At the time I was expected to do casework, group work and community work amongst people who were forced to relocate to a new housing development just outside Pinetown. Supervision took place only once every three months, so I suppose I did my own brand of social work as a result.”
Caroline has vivid memories of spending most of her days issuing food parcels. She also tried to get a few community projects off the ground with very little success. “I was a young person who knew nothing about life and the struggles people had to endure.”
Valuable life lessons learnt
During that time, one of the projects she tried to get off the ground was the establishment of a youth group. Soon she was organising a camping trip to a nature reserve on the North Coast. “I eagerly (and with a great sense of achievement) secured sponsorship and planned everything perfectly.”
“When the day arrived for us to depart,” she continues. “Not one person, other than the group leader, showed up.” When she questioned the leader about what was happening the leader calmly explained that sleeping on the ground, and cooking on an open fire was not an adventure for a township child. “That was a very early lesson in ‘understanding your client’s needs’ that I have never forgotten,” says Caroline.
After working for two years in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Caroline returned to Cape Town where she found employment as a social worker in a large clothing factory. She enjoyed working with the staff and management and soon developed an interest in Labour Relations and Human Resource Management. She continued working in the clothing industry for approximately 20 years and then joined Cape Peninsula University of Technology as an Industry Liaison Officer for the Clothing and Textiles Department.
“I wanted to do something meaningful with my life”
Caroline continues, “Sixteen years later and at the age of 60 I decided that I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life and knew that a return to social work was the way to find that elusive feeling of self-fulfilment. I had a strong sense that I wanted to leave my mark by doing something for others.”
For Caroline, there was only one way to get back into social work and that was to volunteer her services for one year. “I picked up the phone and called Badisa, and the rest is history. A year later I was offered employment and haven’t looked back since then.”
Adjusting to changing times
Caroline says that working at Badisa Tygerberg has truly been a wonderful experience for her and has given her the sense of fulfilment she longed for.
“After my baptism of fire as a social worker in Risk Assessment, I was moved to Foster Care Supervision which essentially means that I am required to assist children in becoming successful and well-adjusted adults.
In the three years that I have been in foster care, I have been blown away by how resilient our children are and how just a little bit of recognition and understanding can have a lasting impact.”
“All our children need is hope.
Hope that they will not be abandoned.
Hope that the gangs will not target them.
Hope that they will not be bullied, raped, or sodomised.
Hope that someone will see them, love them and that one day they will be successful and happy.”
Caroline Elston
Caroline explains that the changes in social work have been great since she qualified all those years ago. “However, I think the biggest change has come from within. I am wiser, more human, more compassionate, more caring and much older which somehow makes it easier to see my clients as people who simply need someone to guide, motivate, support and genuinely care about them.”
The industry itself has moved from a directive approach – with social workers acting as experts who provided solutions – to a more client-centred approach. Clients participate in their own care and the emphasis has shifted to empowering them to become independent.
Another big change she has witnessed in recent years is the emphasis on trauma–informed care, which has become the cornerstone of social work and of particular importance when working with children in foster care. Trauma always precedes foster placement and simply recognising the pain makes a difference. For Badisa Tygerberg, creating trauma groups in communities has been well-received and is a step in the right direction. “Even a simple thing like holding the hand of a young girl who misses the presence of her mother can have a positive impact and make a difference.”
Empowering teens and foster parents
In her work, Caroline focuses on helping clients build their skills and resources to effectively address their problems. “One can witness the growth when clients have attended one of our skills workshops. Many of our foster parents have a very basic level of education, and attending classes is a nerve wracking experience for them, but they shine with pride when they get through it and are able to ‘do the right things’.”
Teenagers are sent to Bright Star programs while foster parents are expected to attend classes on how to be an effective foster parent.
Badisa Tygerberg’s parenting classes and monthly foster care support groups are aimed at building clients’ confidence to manage their problems and to be better parents. This is particularly crucial in those difficult teenage years when foster parents typically struggle.
“My favourite activity is our monthly birthday outings for foster children”
Says Caroline, “I get so excited when it’s my turn to take the children out for the day. Table Mountain or the Aquarium are our chosen destinations and weather permitting, they are also taken to the beach or to Green Point Park afterwards. I am always overwhelmed by their spontaneity and sense of freedom when out and about.
On every trip, I have had children who have never been to the sea or seen the city even though they live 17 km away from the city centre. Our day usually ends with an ice cream or a slice of birthday cake and almost everyone falls asleep on the way home – exhausted but happy that they have experienced something different. These moments make being a social worker at Badisa Tygerberg so special and rewarding.”
“Together we make a difference”
When asked whether she feels she has made a difference in the community, Caroline said, “The day all my foster children matriculate and self-assuredly go out and ‘conquer the world’ I will confidently answer ‘yes’ to that question. Badisa Tygerberg as a whole has made a big difference in the lives of the people it serves.”
She recently attended a client’s matric farewell send-off party and it was a joyful occasion for the client, the family, the entire street and for her who held the client’s hand through some tough times.
“This time has been the proverbial ‘cherry on the cake’ for me”
Caroline says, “When I returned to social work in 2017 I told myself, ‘just five years’. I am heading towards my eighth year of service and if it were not for the fact that my only daughter, who lives in the United Kingdom, wants some ‘mama time’, I would love to continue working at Badisa Tygerberg.
This time has been the proverbial ‘cherry on the cake’ and it is hard to give up something that you enjoy – purely because you have found the maturity and capacity to care.”
