Strategic Agency in Service Provision: Promoting Pathways to Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods for Families and Children in South Africa

This phenomenological study explored how service providers at Future Families in South Africa understood and exercised strategic agency in supporting pathways to resilience and sustainable livelihoods among families and children facing adversity. Guided principally by the Pathways to Resilience Model and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, with strategic agency used as an interpretive concept, the study examined provider accounts of organisational practices, staff development and perceived changes among service users. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants: five care workers, five social auxiliary workers, five team leaders, five programme managers, one training manager and one executive director. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Participants described Future Families as an enabling organisational ecosystem in which staff wellbeing, reflective practice and professional development supported responsive service delivery. They also reported perceived improvements in parenting, relationships, coping and livelihood activities among families. Because no clients or family members were interviewed, these accounts are presented as service providers’ perceptions rather than independently verified outcomes. The findings suggest that social service organisations should invest in staff wellbeing, reflective supervision and professional development while integrating psychosocial and livelihood-strengthening support. The study contributes an organisation- and provider-centred account of how relational and material resources may support resilience-oriented practice in vulnerable family contexts.