Employee substance abuse in the SAPS : strengthening the collaborative working relationship between first line managers and police social workers by evaluating the Sober Workplace Programme for Managers
Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: An intoxicated police employee can never keep the community safe and secure, as \nmandated by law enforcement prescripts. However, limited attention is given to \nharmful or hazardous substance abuse or the binge drinking habits of police \nemployees. Substance abuse being a ‘culture’ in law enforcement agencies and the \nmaintenance of the blue wall of silence as a protective measure necessitates \nscientific research to explore how a collaborative working relationship between the \noccupational social worker and especially First Line Managers (FLMs) can \ncontribute to addressing this phenomenon in a timeous manner. \nThe researcher applied a quantitative research approach and utilised a switching \nreplication quasi-experimental design to determine whether the collaborative \nworking relationship between South African Police Service (SAPS) FLMs and Police \nSocial Workers (PSWs) can be strengthened to the extent that they effectively and \nefficiently deal with the harmful or hazardous substance abuse or binge drinking \nhabits of SAPS employees by exposing the FLMs to a social work intervention, \nnamely the Sober Workplace Programme for Managers. The pre-, mid-, and posttest measurements are based on knowledge, attitude, and behaviour constructs to \ndetermine if the two hypotheses formulated were supported. The study, however, \ndid not indicate that the Sober Workplace Programme for Managers strengthens the \ncollaborative working relationship between the FLMs and PSWs to address the \nharmful or hazardous substance abuse or binge drinking habits of employees in the \nworkplace. Alternative research and occupational social work strategies are \nrecommended to establish if and how the Sober Workplace Programme for \nManagers can be implemented to strengthen the collaborative working relationship \nbetween the FLMs and PSWs to address the harmful or hazardous substance abuse \nor binge drinking habits of employees.
Authors: Van Rensburg, Maria Magrietha Janse.
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3043034059