Social Development

1. What immediate and targeted interventions is his Department implementing to address these child-protection challenges;

In response to the identified child protection challenges, the Department of Social Development is implementing a range of immediate and targeted interventions aimed at strengthening service delivery and supporting the non-profit sector.  These interventions include an increase in funding allocations to NGOs for the 26/27 financial year, as well as bailout funding to NGOs, subject to the availability of funds.  The Department of Social Development also assumes responsibility for service delivery where NGOs are no longer able to render services, ensuring continuity of care and protection for vulnerable children. In addition, the Department conducts regular monitoring and evaluation visits to NGOs to ensure legislative compliance and address service delivery and governance challenges.  Further to strengthen oversight and accountability, unannounced monitoring visits to NGOs will also be implemented during the 2026/2027 financial year.

2. whether specific measures are being implemented to reduce delays with foster-care placements and to ensure that children are not left in prolonged or unsafe transitional care situations; if so, what are the relevant details;

The Department of Social Development and Designated Child Protection Organisations are implementing the following measures to reduce the delay in foster care placements:

• The ongoing selection, recruitment, screening, and training of safety and foster parents is aimed at ensuring that foster placements are finalised without unnecessary delay, thereby promoting the timely care and protection of children requiring alternative care.
• The issuance of a Form 39 notice via the DSD canalisation services is to verify that safety parents and foster parent are fit, proper, and suitable to care for children, thereby ensuring that foster placements are safe, appropriate, and stable.
• The vetting of safety and foster parents is to ensure that they have been cleared against the National Child Protection Register as a safety measure for children in foster care.
• Social workers conduct a 90-day investigation, secure a court date, compile the report for submission to the Children’s Court, where a determination is made. If the court finds that the child needs care and protection, the child is immediately placed in foster care to ensure their safety without delay.
• Home visits to the last known address of biological parents and advertisements in local newspapers to track the whereabouts of biological parents to prevent the delays of foster placements, as well as the extension of foster care orders.
• The implementation of reunification services, where possible for a child in alternative care to be reintegrated with the family or community of origin serves the best interest of the child and to allow for new foster care placements.
• Independent living programmes for transitional care of young persons at Cluster Foster Care Schemes and DCPOs to allow for new foster care placements once the young person leaves the alternative care system.
• Social work supervisors track placements and ensure that matters are finalised within the required timeframes.
• Increased monitoring and supervision, case reviews, onsite monitoring, and unannounced visits to child protection organisations help ensure that children do not remain in temporary safe care longer than necessary.
• Continuous liaison and strengthening of collaboration with stakeholders such as the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), and Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) to address administrative challenges regarding court orders and birth certificates, which may delay foster care applications and foster care extensions.
• The Provincial Forum Meetings (Child Protection, Foster Care, and Cluster Foster Care) to address procedural challenges causing delays in foster care applications and foster care extensions.

3. whether steps are being taken to strengthen the capacity in local child-protection services and to enhance support for frontline social workers in order to ensure a more responsive and effective system; if so, what are the relevant details?

The Department of Social Development is taking several steps to enhance the capacity building and support for frontline social workers. These measures include providing training on the SWIMS system to reduce the administrative burden on social service practitioners and to improve operational efficiency.

In addition, the Department facilitates ongoing training on the provisions of the Children’s Act, as well as other relevant legislations, policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), trafficking in persons, and matters relating to unaccompanied and separate migrant children, etc.  These initiatives are aimed at ensuring that social workers deliver services in accordance with the legislative prescripts and established professional standards.