Roundtable Discussion on Foster Care held on 6 March 2015
During March, the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office together with the Western Cape Department of Social Development hosted a roundtable on Foster Care. The roundtable was addressed by Dr Usang Maria Assim (Community Law Centre – UWC); Ms Tozama Ngcongolo (Child Care and Protection Services – Western Cape Department of Social Development); Ms Thandiwe Zulu (Regional Manager, Gauteng – Black Sash) and Mr Elroy Paulus (National Advocacy Manager – Black Sash)
Foster care is a way of providing a family life for children who cannot, for whatever reason, live with their parents. It has long been one of the strategies used as an alternative placement for the care for children found to be in need of care by a Children’s Court as “ a result of being orphaned, abandoned abused, neglected, or at risk”. It is an alternative to institutional care. However, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its devastating consequences have resulted in a huge increase in the number of vulnerable children in need of care.
During the course of various fora the issue of foster care was raised as beset with difficulties and that these were impacting negatively on Child Protection Services and that those children in kinship foster placements whose access to social grants was compromised due to delays in Children’s Court hearings. While the term kinship foster care is in the Children’s Act it is not defined, which results in much confusion. The roundtable sought to address these issues.
L-R: Mr Elroy Paulus (National Advocacy Manager – Black Sash), Thandiwe Zulu (Regional Manager, Gauteng – Black Sash), Dr Usang Maria Assim (Community Law Centre – UWC), Ms Tozama Ngcongolo (Child Care and Protection Services – Western Cape Department of Social Development)