Question NW1737 to the Minister of Social Development

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25 June 2021 - NW1737

Profile picture: van der Merwe, Ms LL

van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Social Development

Whether, in light of the loss of life due to COVID-19, her department has been able to identify children orphaned by the pandemic from 1 January 2021 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, what is the Government strategy to address the gap; if so, (a) what is the total number of children identified, (b) what kind of support has her department rendered to such children and (c) how long after the identification have the children received Government support?

Reply:

(a) No. The Department renders services to orphand and vulnerable children irrespective of the cause of orphanhood.

(b) The department has developed a core package of services (CPS), which are central to the delivery of Community-Based Prevention and Early Intervention services (CBPEI). This core package of services is provided to all orphaned and vulnerable children a irrespective of the cause of the vulnerability to address different needs that they are presenting. The CPS was developed to operationalise community-based services by identifying and mobilizing the protective resources within children, families and communities to reduce risks and build resilient children.

(c) The department utilise the Prioritisation Framework of the CPS to identify the level of risk children find themselves in. This Framework provides guidance on the risk categorisation, expected actions and timeframes for service initiation based on escalating seriousness of the circumstances of the child. The Framework also ensures continuous support to children receiving CBPEI services form the time they are identified as being at risk and requiring services to the time they exit the system. Continuous assessment is done throughout the process of rendering services to establish their level of resilience.

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