National Children’s Day: Over R650 million in DSD support for WC children

The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) has prioritized the development and protection of the province’s 1 739 425 children.

Our Children and Families programme receives R651.5-million, which is the second largest funding allocation.

The province is estimated to have approximately 570 000 children aged 0 - 4 years, who would make up the Early Childhood Development (ECD) population. There are over 2099 registered ECD centre’s which receive funding from the department’s overall ECD budget of R314.4-million.

This budget also allows DSD to identify and register the estimated 1889 unregistered ECD centres across the province. Registration ensures their compliance with health and safety requirements, as per the Children’s Act.

In addition to early childhood development, the Children’s Programme has focused on the following interventions in responding to the needs of the community:

• Finalised the policy on Temporary Safe Care (a service for children-at-risk);
• Finalised the Provincial Child Protection Strategy;
• Developed a training package and tools for quality assurance at Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) to ensure compliance to Norms and Standards, and this has been successfully piloted at four of our CYCC’s;
• Through our designation of Child Protection organizations, the Western Cape was the first province to register CYCCs for a further 5 year period;
• Implemented a provincial strategy to manage the foster care backlog, reducing it 140 cases, a 70% reduction since the beginning of 2017.

If we are truly to ensure every child is protected and raised in an enabling environment, then government, civil society and parents need to work in partnership. We can honour our children on National Children’s Day, and every day, if we work ‘Better Together’.