# A Conceptual Framework for Psychosocial Support of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in the Vhembe District, South Africa

## TL;DR

This paper presents a new framework to improve psychosocial support for orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa's Vhembe district.

## Contribution

The study introduces a conceptual framework for psychosocial support of orphans and vulnerable children in the Vhembe district.

## Key findings

- Orphaned and vulnerable children face challenges like parental loss, neglect, and abuse.
- Community workers and social workers lack resources, training, and funding to support these children.
- A conceptual framework was developed to guide psychosocial support for orphans and vulnerable children.

## Abstract

The lack of a conceptual framework (CF) that can be utilized to manage the psychosocial well‐being of orphans and vulnerable children present a challenge in the Vhembe district, South Africa.

This article sought to provide a CF for psychosocial support of OVC in the Vhembe district, South Africa using Practice‐Oriented Theory and Donabedian's structure Outcome Model features.

The study incorporated a four‐phased research strategy using a multiphase mixed methods approach. An exploratory, descriptive design was used for the study. The practice‐oriented theory of Dickoff et al. and Donabedian's SPO model provided a starting point in the ultimate development of the framework. Data were collected from three sources, orphans and vulnerable children n = 34, to explore and describe the experiences conducted with community‐based workers working with orphaned and vulnerable children within the Vhembe district to explore possible approaches for psychosocial support towards orphans and vulnerable children n = 4, CBOS, and social workers n = 10 working with OVC in the Vhembe district to explore the possible approaches for psychosocial support towards OVC until data saturation.

The study revealed that OVC faces many challenges including loss/absence of parents, living arrangements, deprivation and neglect, abuse and alienation. Challenges exist and this was confirmed by the qualitative findings with community‐based workers and social workers, including lack of resources, lack of proper training, lack of funding and poor relationship between stakeholders and the absence of the CF that guide the provision of psychosocial support to OVC.

The study findings were conceptualized to describe and develop a framework for psychosocial support of OVC in order to improve the psychosocial well‐being of OVC.

The study revealed that OVC faces many challenges, including loss/absence of parents, living arrangements, deprivation and neglect, abuse and alienation. Challenges exist and this was confirmed by the qualitative findings with community‐based workers and social workers, including lack of resources, lack of proper training, lack of funding and poor relationship between stakeholders and the absence of the conceptual framework that guide the provision of psychosocial support to OVC.