A Study of Shelters for Street Children from an Organizational ...

3.11.3 Trustworthiness
In focus group discussions trustworthiness is a concern. How much an individual
participant could disclose in a discussion was addressed. Participant fears of witch­
hunting and intimidation arising from such disclosures were appreciated as real
concerns. Shelter staff and children have little or no trust for each other. Some
participants felt disquiet to discuss issues, which they felt would reveal their personal
characters in the presence of other members of the group. For example the younger
participants were reluctant to discuss the behaviour of the older participants in front of
every one else. They considered the information would jeopardize their interaction and
relationship thereafter. So too some staff members were apprehensive discussing
issues while a senior staff member was present. Participants and the researcher
agreed that no names should be mentioned and issues would be discussed in general
rather than in reference to a particular person or incidence. Participants also agreed
that total confidentiality is a problem they grapple with as a community in the shelters
and in this regard felt that as long as their concerns were treated with carefulness they
were happy to participate. Discussing the issue of ethical considerations, Henning, et at
(2003:70) admits that guaranteed anonymity is a problem in cases and issues of sexual
orientation or disease, and argues that the researcher must make sure that participants
consent are treated with utmost discretion. The respondents were assured of
confidentiality and reassured of the purposes of the research, that it was not designed
to report to the management or directors for their use to intimidate but rather to reveal
their views and experiences as staff the service providers and children as service
recipients on shelter programs of intervention and reintegration and service delivery.
3.12 Conclusion
The debates between quantitative methods and qualitative approach in research is in
the researchers view heuristic and serves certain purposes of the academic world while
leaving the concerns of the children living and/or working on the streets unattended. In
this regard, the methodological debate was critical to ensure that the researcher was
immersed with vital learning process of learning and doing (Silverman, 2000; Holliday,
2002). The principles of qualitative research were made real in the real world of
shelters for children living and/or working on the streets, The researcher's dedication to
the plight of children living and/or working on the streets has ensured that all data
collection, recording, and analysis were designed to divulge information telling a story
of the experiences of the shelter staff and residents, service delivery programs, the
design and implementation of intervention and reintegration strategies.
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