DSD and partners solidify prevention and early intervention strategies | Western Cape Government

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DSD and partners solidify prevention and early intervention strategies

25 September 2019

The Minister of Social Development, Sharna Fernandez, today engaged with experts in the field of Prevention and Early Intervention services from around the Province, in order to develop sustainable solutions to protect our children.

The need to address child protection at a systemic level, with a strong focus on the family, has been identified as a key priority area of the Department. The well-being of the family is critical for the overall functioning of society. Moreover, any breakdown in a family's functioning and its ability to provide care, increases the vulnerability of its members.

Minister Fernandez said: “In order to safeguard the future of this country, we must focus on integrated prevention and early intervention programmes for our children, that include both the boy and the girl child. Our government remains committed to investing in prevention and early intervention programmes. By making people more socially mobile, we are able to increase productivity, with the knock-on effect of reducing reliance on social welfare.

“In South Africa, child protection policy is inclusive and provides a legislative framework for promoting the well-being of families with children, especially poor and vulnerable children in need of care and protection. However, we need to ensure that resource allocation, programme landscape and practice in child protection, shift from predominantly reactive approaches to preventive approaches,” says Minister Fernandez.

The Children’s Act No 38 of 2005 provides a legal framework which covers all aspects of care, development and the protection of children’s rights. The Act serves to guide those involved in the care of children.

The Department of Social Development, and the social sector as a whole, remains fully cognisant of the need to adopt new approaches to designing child protection services in the radically changing environment that we now operate in.

R753.835 million of the total 2019/20 Social Development budget is allocated to Children and Families Programmes. This budget allocation is largely dedicated to Child Protection services, Child and Youth Care Centres, Families and Early Childhood Development Services.

The main aim of the Children and Families Programme is to help build families that function well and communities that care for, protect and develop children appropriately.

Under the leadership of Minister Sharna Fernandez, the Department of Social Development, remains dedicated to ensure that families and children at risk are identified early, and are given the opportunity and support to flourish.

Media Enquiries: 

Joshua Covenant Chigome

Spokesperson for the Minister of Social Development, Minister Sharna Fernandez

Tel: 021 483 9217

Cell: 083 661 4949

Email: Joshua.chigome@westerncape.gov.za­

 

Private Bag X9112, Cape Town, 8000

14 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, 8001