Family & Parenting | Western Cape Government

Family & Parenting

Adopting a child

(Service)
The decision to adopt is life changing for both the respective parents and the child. Whether you're battling with infertility or simply have a desire to expand your family, adoption might be the right decision for you. 

All you need to know about child maintenance

(Public Information)
When it comes to our children, strong commitment and love aren't negotiable.  Unfortunately, not all parents honour this duty, specifically their legal duty to maintain the well-being of their children. Considering this, the child maintenance system ensures that all parents honour their duty to maintain their children.

Cape Town Child Welfare Society Website

(Link)
The Help Kids site contains information on Child Welfare services and projects in the Cape Town area, including adoption and fostering.

Care Dependency Grant

(Service)

Enforcing a Maintenance Order

(Service)
If the court has ordered that a parent must pay child support, it's a criminal offence not to pay.

Fostering a child

(Service)
Foster care Children are placed in foster care for different reasons, which include abuse, deliberate neglect and exploitation. Foster care is a form of alternative care for a child who, as a result of a court order, is in the care of a person who is not his or her parent or guardian. Purpose of foster care

Getting a maintenance order

(Service)
Parents have a legal duty to provide financial support for their children. As the primary caregiver of a child, you have the right to apply to a maintenance court for an official demand that the other parent contributes monthly to support the child. Support can include necessities such as, food, clothing, housing, and paying for school fees. The court can order a parent to pay medical bills or register the child on their medical scheme as a dependent.

Giving up a child for adoption

(Service)
Giving a child up for adoption isn’t always easy, the decision requires a lot of thought to ensure that it will be in the best interest of the child. Child protection organisations and the Department of Social Development will provide guidance and support services to assist you throughout the process.

Grant for Fostering a Child (Foster Child Grant)

(Service)
A foster child is a child who is removed from their parents and legally placed in the care of foster parents, in terms of the Child Care Act. If you have been appointed a foster parent by a court, you can get a monthly payment from the government for your foster child. You (the foster parent) and the child must both be resident in South Africa at the time of making the application. However, you do not have to be South African citizens.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

(Service)

SASSA child support grant

(Service)