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PRESENTATION ON CHILD CARE AND PROTECTION SERVICES TO

THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE24 JANUARY 2007

CHIEF DIRECTORATE: CHILDREN

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PURPOSE• To brief the Portfolio Committee on the following

pertaining to policies and programme for children:– Situational analysis– Legislation– Child Abuse Neglect and Exploitation– Alternative care – ECD– Adoptions and International Social Services (ISS)– Orphans– Children Awaiting Trial– Related policies– Challenges– Opportunities

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Situation analysis

• Population of children in the country– 18,9m; • Children’s rights not adequately provided in

existing legislation;• Children and orphans made vulnerable by HIV

and AIDS, poverty and unemployment; • Child abuse, neglect and exploitation; • Children in conflict with the law; • Children working and living on the street;

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POPULATION OF CHILDREN

Provincial Departments 45.0%

Provincial Populations

Provincial Proportions

Number of Children

Children living in poverty

National 46888100 100.0% 18,990,071 8,545,532KZN 9651000 20.6% 4,246,440 1,910,898Gauteng 9018000 19.2% 2,975,940 1,339,173Free State 2953100 6.3% 1,181,240 531,558Limpopo 5635000 12.0% 2,592,100 1,166,445North West 3823900 8.2% 1,491,321 671,094Mpumalanga 3219900 6.9% 1,384,557 623,051North Cape 902300 1.9% 324,828 146,173West Cape 4645600 9.9% 1,625,960 731,682East Cape 7039300 15.0% 3,167,685 1,425,458

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Estimation of Orphans and Vulnerable Children using vital registration data

New maternal orphans by age - 2000 - 2005

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10- 11- 12- 13-

Year 2000

Year 2003

Year 2005

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• LEGISLATION FOR CHILD CARE AND PROTECTION

The broad framework for protection includes:

• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;

• African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child;

• SA Constitution (No 108/96) – Chapter 8;

• Child Care Act (No 74 of 1983);

• Children’s Act (No 38 of 2005);

• Children’s Amendment Bill

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Existing Programmes

• Social Welfare Services to children;• Services to orphans and vulnerable

children delivered through home community based care/ HIV and AIDS programmes;

• Social Security – Foster Care– Child Support Grant– Care Dependency Grant

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Policies and Programmes for Children

• Child Care Legislation;• National Policy Framework;• Monitoring and evaluation mechanism for legislation;• Policy Framework and Strategy for Prevention and Management of

Child Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation;• National Child Protection Register (CPR);• Early Childhood Development Programme and Expanded Public

Works Programme;• Alternative Care; • Adoptions; • International Social Services;• Orphans and vulnerable children; • Children working and living on the street;• Children in conflict with the law;• Family Policy;

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Intersectoral Collaboration

• Steering Committee on the children’s bill• National Child Protection Committee• Children’s Committee• NACCA: National Action Committee on Children Affected

by HIV&AIDS• NPA for Human Trafficking & Sexual Offences• Office on the Rights of the Child• ECD forum• HSWS: Heads of Social Welfare Services• HSD: Heads of Social Development• ISCCJ- Intersectoral Committee on Child Justice

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Child Care Legislation

• Children’s Act (No 38 of 2005)• Children’s Amendment Bill processes• Costing of the Children’s Bill• Implementation plans• Development of regulations • Development of the National Policy Framework• Development of the monitoring and evaluation system• Training guidelines• Implementation plans• Norms and standards

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Policy Framework and Strategy on Child Abuse, Neglect and

Exploitation• Ensuring an effective and holistic delivery system;• Ensuring an intersectoral and interdisciplinary approach;• Ensuring the development and implementation of

minimum standards;• Providing an appropriate legal environment;• Ensuring monitoring and evaluation;• Promoting and facilitating research and information

management;• Ensuring capacity building and training;• Ensuring the provision of adequate resources; • Mitigating the risk factors associated with child abuse,

neglect and exploitation;

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Progress • Implementation of the policy and strategy by continuing provision of

major services to children as outlined in the policy• Costing of the Policy • Provincial strategies and implementation plans• Development of the National Protocols• Development of Norms and Standards• Training on child protection• Surveillance system and research • Development of policy for children working and living on the street• Child trafficking and child abduction • National Child Protection Committee

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National Child Protection Register (CPR)

• Web Based Wireless Pilot Programme completed in WC, handed over to National;

• CPR system upgraded at National in preparation to roll out the web base in 8 provinces;

• 4 provinces appointed data captures and 4 provinces in process;

• National circular approved and circulated;• EC incorporating CPR in their community based

IMS;

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Early Childhood Development Programme and Expanded Public

Works Programme• It covers ages 0 – 9, critical formative years to invest in

children, to give them a head start;• 2006/07 provinces received R65,3 million;• Subsidies increased to an average of R7.00 per day per

child ranging from R11.00 in KZN to R4.50 in EC;• 310,311 children currently subsidized;• ECD guidelines launched on 1st June 2006 during Child

Protection Week;• Training manual on guidelines developed;• Integrated ECD Plan (Tshwaragano ka Bana) jointly

develop with the DOE and DH;

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Early Childhood Development Programme and Expanded Public

Works ProgrammeCont…

• M&E framework in process of approval;• 30 master trainers trained on Parenting

Programme;• Low literacy training manual developed on the

parental programme;• 24 officials trained at national and provinces on

M&E;

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Alternative CareFOSTER CARE• Currently 378 748 foster children in 247 705 foster families;• About 60 000 known cases awaiting foster care placement;• Draft Foster Care strategy to address foster care backlog;• Research on Foster Care currently in process;• Contract social workers appointed in provinces i.e. E Cape,

Gauteng and KZN to address backlog;• Working agreement with DOJ to prioritize Children's Court

inquiries;• Exemption of OVCs from paying for birth certificate fees;• Improvement to be introduced by Children’s Amendment Bill

proposals;

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Alternative Care Cont…

RESIDENTIAL CARE

• Study conducted in 2003 indicates approximately 245 registered Children’s Homes only four are state owned;

• An audit of children’s homes is currently in process with provinces;

• Consultative meetings to take place with provinces regarding gaps and challenges with regards to minimum standards and developmental quality assurance (DQA);

• Review and update of draft minimum standards for approval;

• Review and update of draft Developmental Quality Assurance tool for approval;

• HIV & AIDS unit developing a HIV/AIDS management programme for children in residential care;

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Number of children in children’s.homes

 No of Children’ Homes Government 

No  of  Children’s homes NGO

2006/07  - estimated  number of children Current Subsidy

EASTERN CAPE   32 1,923 1,000

FREE STATE   28 1,103 1,600

GAUTENG 0 64 3,792 1,300

KWAZULU-NTAL 0 58 3,154 1,500

LIMPOPO 1 6 445 1,000

MPUMALANGA 0 5 590 1,270

NORTHERN CAPE 0 6 495 1,500

NORTH WEST 1 2 412 900

WESTERN CAPE 0 40 2,070 1,100

SOUTH AFRICA 2 241 13,984  

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Adoptions • The new Children’s Act 38 of 2005 has two chapters on

local and intercountry adoptions;• A register of prospective adoptive parents and children

to be developed;• Qualifying adoptive parents to have access to grants;• Ensure placement of children within the country before

considering intercountry adoption endorsed at the National Conference in September 2006;

• Judgment against guardianship orders at the Johannesburg Supreme Court;

• Strategy for an awareness and recruitment drive to promote adoption as the ultimate alternative e.g pamphlets develop and distributed

• Interim Central Authority to be formalised;

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Adoptions

• Close working relationship established with NGOs doing adoptions;

• Guidelines for Intercountry Adoption drafted for consultation;

• The Hague meeting on Guidelines and accreditation of organizations attended September 2005 and draft guidelines developed;

• In 2006/01 to date: National 1500 Intercountry: 155 = 1655 Adoptions

• In 2005/06 National: 2252 Intercountry: 268 = 2520 Adoptions

• In 2004/05 National: 2278 Intercountry: 256 = 2534 Adoptions

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International Social Services (ISS)

• Affiliation to the ISS Bureau;

• Affiliation connecting the department to international network for ISS;

• 471 active cases referred by other countries;

• Initiating training of provincial staff on ISS;

• Ongoing information sharing with newly appointed diplomats at DOFA;

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Children working and living on the street

• Intersectoral task team established;

• Draft Policy being reviewed and updated by April 2007;

• Provincial departments providing financial support to shelters;

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Challenges

• Shortage of social workers at provincial level;• Shortage of staff at national; • Specialisation;• Intersectoral collaboration;• Allocation of adequate resources to services to children;• Lack of information management system;• Lack of monitoring and evaluation system;• Alignment of priorities;• Disparity amongst provinces• Appropriate funding for NGO especially for statutory

services;• Prevention Programmes

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Opportunities

• New Child Care Legislation; • Service Delivery Model;• EPWP funding from Treasury to provinces; • Upgrading of Social Workers; • New funding from treasury;• Upgrading to Chief Directorate Children and creation of

new directorates;• Strengthened intersectoral collaboration with NGOs and

partner Departments;• Support from international NGOs;• Progress made in the establishment of the monitoring

and information management systems;

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Other related policies

• Service Delivery Model;

• Financing Policy;

• Victim Empowerment Programmes;

• Drug Master Plan and Policy on Substance Abuse;

• Intersectoral collaboration;

• Youth development strategy;

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Orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and

AIDS

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Over the past years there has been an increased AIDS related mortality in the adult population;

The Department undertook a study to estimate the number orphans and vulnerable children using the vital registration data from Home Affairs;

Preliminary findings indicate that there are 650 000 orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa;

The data is based on registered death and births available from Dept of Home Affairs since 1994;

Background

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Departmental Response

• Partnerships with stakeholders and strong community mobilisation to assist communities to support affected individuals and families;

• Provide psychosocial care and support to families and individual family members;

• Coordinate community support efforts to the family as a whole while recognisisng the specific needs of individuals;

• Expand Home/Community-Based Care and Support and build capacity among NGOs,CBOs and FBOs;

• Assist individuals and communities to start and sustain income generation projects;

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Key Strategic Areas of Intervention recommended from the Conference

• Coordination of government, civil society organisations,NGOs, donor and development agencies to maximise impact of interventions

• Strengthen and supports the capacity of families affected by HIV and AIDS (psychosocial care and support, wills, succession planning, early identification)

• Ensures that legislation, policy, strategies and programmes are in place to protect the most vulnerable families

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Policy Implications

• Social services part of the country’s broader development agenda

• Provide psychosocial care and support to families and individual family members

• Focus of social services is to build social cohesion and social integration of the poor and vulnerable into the mainstream of society

• This call for intervention strategies that are adjusted to respond effectively to family and community needs

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Key Strategic Areas of Intervention cont…..

• Establishment of comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation system for HCBC

• Capacity Building of NGOs to enable them to respond to the burden of the epidemic on families and community as whole

• Ensure that intervention programmes contribute to strengthening family integration (family preservation)

• Expand and monitor HCBC and other interventions• Promote destigmatisation of HIV and AIDS within

families

and offer support group assistance

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