Social Development

Question by: 
Hon Fransie Kamfer
Answered by: 
Hon Jaco Londt
Question Number: 
27
Question Body: 

With reference to his reply to question 29 of 3 October 2025:

  1. Why has his Department not developed a provincial methodology for estimating the number of children living on the streets;
  2. whether his Department disputes the necessity of having baseline data to design targeted interventions; if not, why approximate estimates are not collected through municipalities, NGOs, the SAPS, schools, clinics and outreach workers;
  3. when does his Department plan to implement a centralised strategy for collecting data on homeless children, including their age, gender, municipality and risk factors;
  4. what prevents his Department from using administrative sources (schools, clinics, shelters, the SAPS and NGOs) to produce indicative numbers of homeless children;
  5. how does his Department monitor risk hotspots for homeless children in the absence of municipality-level data;
  6. (a) which municipalities have formally reported concerns or trends relating to homeless children since 2019 and (b) can copies of these reports be made available?
Answer Body: 
  1. The Children’s Act is clear on what constitutes as a child living on the streets.  Furthermore, the Children’s Act regulation as well as social work norms and standards provide guidance to promote the best interest of the child.  Once the child has been found on the streets Section 150 (1)(c) of the Children’s Act will determine whether the child is in need of care and protection.  The social work investigation will determine whether the child lives or work on the streets or begs for a living.  After completion of the statutory process the child will be regarded as a child in need of care and protection.  The approved generic interventions processes provide problem codes which make provision for Children living/working on the streets/begging on the streets (Problem Code 53).  Therefor there is no need for other systems and tools to be developed.
  2. The Children’s Act provides guidance on the interventions and designated organisations (Section 105(4) - organisation) with children.  The current monthly Generic Intervention Process report provides baseline data. The monthly data/stats report of the Social Work Integrated Management System (SWIMS) application indicates that during the reporting period of November the department provided interventions to 25 street children.
  3. The SWIMS report reflects this information.
  4. The local child protection/children and families forums, Area Based Teams, meetings with District and local municipalities are some of the platforms where all departments/spheres of government discuss issues related to all children in the Western Cape.
  5. The Department collaborate with all law enforcement agencies/SAPS to protect all children at risk across the Western Cape and not only homeless children.
  6. City of Cape Town – CBD & Atlantic Seaboard area are the dominant areas reporting street children. Goodwood area as well as Oudtshoorn Municipality also reported cases.  There are no reports available.  The Department respond to any report on a child in need of care and protection, whether it is reported via a form 22 or telephonically or any other means of communication.
Date: 
Friday, November 28, 2025
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