Reply:

 

The Department of Social Development (DSD) is implementing a range of protective, preventative, promotive, transformative and developmental programmes to ensure that the needs of children in child headed households are addressed holistically. Amongst these range of services is psychosocial support, educational support, health services, HIV and AIDS support, social grants, food and nutrition.

The department developed the Guidelines and Strategy for Statutory Services to Child Headed Households which highlight the rights, care and protection services to children in child headed households, as well as processes to access such services.

In addition, the department mobilized Community-Based Organisations to partner with the department in the provision of services to child headed households as a mechanism to maximise accessibility of services linking children with available services within their communities. There is also a strong Intersectoral collaboration with various departments and stakeholders to ensure that there is a seamless process for access of services by children in child headed households. The Social Assistance Act has provision for children in child headed households to be beneficiaries of social grants for themselves and their siblings.

The Department also deployed trained Child and Youth Care Workers in the communities to provide developmental support to children in child headed households. The Child and Youth Care Workers work in the life-space of children in child headed households addressing children’s immediate needs such as accompanying children to health care facilities to access medical treatment and immunisation, assist with cooking, cleaning and homework supervision, assist with application for birth certificate for those whose parents died without these documents, as well as social grants. For those children who have passed matric, they are assisted with applications to Institutions of Higher Learning and also accompanied to these Institutions for registration.