An Assessment of ProBono.Org’s Maintenance Project at Four Courts in Gauteng: Methodology

1. An Assessment of ProBono.Org’s Maintenance Project at Four Courts in Gauteng: Methodology Community Agency for Social Enquiry

2. Outline of presentation • Method of inquiry: qualitative approach - used to gain in-depth knowledge about particular issue; enables informed assertions • Documentary review • In-depth interviews with ProBono.Org staff • In-depth interviews with maintenance court officials • Focus group discussions with women using the maintenance courts

3. Document review • Purpose • To collect information about the functioning of and associated problems at the courts • To inform design of research instruments • Examples of documents reviewed • Research instruments were also informed by instruments used in similar research conducted by C A S E.

4. In-depth interviews • Interviews with relevant staff: • Advancement director • Maintenance project manager • The interns staffing the helpdesks: • One worked at Alberton and Roodepoort • The other worked at Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark • Interviews with maintenance staff at each court.

5. Purpose of interviews • Interviews with ProBono.Org staff: • Background on how maintenance project came about • Implementation of the Maintenance project at courts • In-depth interviews with officials at courts: • Information about the implementation of the Act, and • To explore factors that prevent efficient access to justice for women • All interviews: • Background information about ProBono.Org’s interventions and implementation of the Act

6. Court-based interviews • Selection of interviewees : • Attempted to interview one official occupying each position in maintenance department of court. • Some courts did not have an official in each position. • One or two officials too “busy” to be interviewed. • Initially planned to interview NGOs working on maintenance in the area of the court. • Did not do this as could not find NGOs.

7. Distribution of interviewees • Cash hall department not specified as part of maintenance department • * Clerk acting as maintenance officer was interviewed

8. Focus group discussions 1 • At each court: • One discussion with women assisted by ProBono.Org • One discussion with women selected from the maintenance queue • Purpose of the discussions: • Women assisted by ProBono.Org: • How they came to know about organisation • Perceptions about effectiveness of assistance received • Women selected from the maintenance queues: • How the maintenance courts assisted women

9. Focus group discussions 2 • Selection of participants: • Women selected from the maintenance queues: • Recruited at four courts by C A S E fieldworkers • Recruitment took place on different days of the week to include women dealing with different stages and aspects • Recruitment screener used to select participants • General enquiries and women accompanying someone else were excluded from study

10. Focus group discussions 3 • Selection of participants: • Women assisted by ProBono.Org: • ProBono.Org interns keep a record of all women assisted and nature of their issues • Interns contacted possible participants and explained research to them and requested their participation • Interns were asked to select women assisted on various issues related to maintenance • Each focus group discussion consisted of 6-10 women • All participants were women and African

11. Challenges • Women selected from maintenance queues: • Some did not show up for groups even though they previously agreed to participate. • Women were despondent because of the difficulties in their cases. This made it more challenging to make them see the value in participating in the research. • Court officials: • Prosecutors and magistrates are difficult to pin down for interviews because of their hectic court schedules. • Skilled C A S E (male) moderators were trained to ensure that they were sensitised and non-judgemental. This was important because of the sensitive nature of this project. Methodology concluded, thank you!