The article provides the background for judging the current and future roles and functions of school social workers in South Africa. It covers the history and nature of South African school social work and the policy dictates that govern local practice, as well as the challenges faced by learners and the roles, tasks and functions practitioners could, and should, perform to address these challenges. Moreover, the article attempts to indicate the basis for the further development of this speciality within the local profession, as well as promote research in this field

中文翻译：

---

南非学校社会工作的基础和性质：概述

本文为判断南非学校社会工作者当前和未来的角色和功能提供了背景。它涵盖了南非学校社会工作的历史和性质以及管理当地实践的政策规定，以及学习者面临的挑战以及从业者可以并且应该为应对这些挑战而发挥的作用、任务和职能。此外，文章试图指出在当地专业内进一步发展该专业的基础，并促进该领域的研究。