Question NW2582 to the Minister of Social Development
09 October 2023 - NW2582
Bilankulu, Ms NK to ask the Minister of Social Development
What measures and mechanisms are in place to curb the practice of parents who do not use child support grants for the children’s needs which contributes to the proliferation of child stunting?
Reply:
The Child Support Grant was introduced specifically to ensure the best interest of the child at all times and to address child poverty, including malnutrition and stunting. The person who receives the CSG must be the primary caregiver of the child.
We encourage members of the public to report cases of the abuse of the CSG SASSA and social workers who will investigate and based on the findings, the grant may then be transferred to a new primary caregiver.
The Department has developed draft policies on integration of children’s grants with other services and maternal support. The two draft policies emphasise the need of building linkages between children’s grants and other developmental services for children amongst others education, health and early childhood development. We are currently preparing to initiate Cabinet approval processes for the policy, which will be followed by amendment of relevant legislation to enable the Department to share data with the Department of Health and Basic Education, amongst others. In this manner, the Department will be empowered to monitor and track health indicators including the prevention of stunting.