scholarly journals UNACCOMPANIED AND SEPARATED FOREIGN CHILDREN IN THE CARE SYSTEM IN THE WESTERN CAPE – A SOCIO-LEGAL STUDY

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Sloth-Nielsen ◽  
Marilize Ackermann
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Youth Care ◽  
Family Reunification ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Child And Youth Care ◽  
Residential Care Institutions ◽  
Institutional Placement ◽  
Documentation Status ◽  
Family Based ◽  
Care System

This article reports on the findings of a study of foreign children accommodated in the care system in the Western Cape, based on fieldwork conducted in child and youth care centres. The objectives of the study were firstly to map and quantify the number and demographics of foreign children placed in all CYCCs across the Western Cape. Secondly, the study aimed to analyse the reasons for children's migration and the circumstances around their placement in residential care institutions in order to establish whether family reunification was possible or desirable. Thirdly, the study explores the sufficiency of efforts made to trace and reunify the children with their families, whether in South Africa or across borders, as the institutional placement of children should not only be a last resort but it should preferably be temporary whilst family-based solutions are sought. Lastly, the documentation status of the children in the study was examined. Recommendations emanating from the research conclude the study.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Alternative Care in South Africa: Children’s Responses to the Pandemic. A Case Study from a Child and Youth Care Centre in Mogale City

2020 ◽  
pp. 234930032097592
Author(s):  
Rika Swanzen ◽  
Gert Jonker
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Youth Care ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Care Centre ◽  
Child And Youth Care ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Caregiver Burnout

The experiences from a case study are evaluated against the aspects such as emergency response to vulnerable populations and other sources from the literature to serve as guidelines for the management of an epidemic in a child and youth care centre (CYCC). To help understand the effects of the epidemic on the centre, this article describes experiences in terms of the meeting of needs. A discussion of the following are part of the article: • A reflection will be provided on the observed stages the children and child and youth care workers (CYCWs) went through during 177 days of a national lockdown; • Indications of caregiver burnout; • Experiences around the meeting of children’s needs through the lens of child and youth care (CYC) theory; and • Proposed areas needing attention in mitigating risks. Some lessons learnt from the daily routine established to manage the lockdown regulations, sometimes experienced as nonsensical, are shared. From these reflections, questions for research are provided from a practice-based evidence approach, mainly aimed at determining the readiness of a CYCC to manage a state of disaster, while needing to focus on meeting children’s needs.

scholarly journals THE THORNY ISSUE OF STATUS DISCLOSURE TO CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV: THE CASE OF HIV POSITIVE CHILDREN LIVING IN A CHILD AND YOUTH CARE FACILITY IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Nkosiyazi Dube ◽  
Linda Harms Smith
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Youth Care ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
Child And Youth Care ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Status Disclosure ◽  
Hiv Aids

There is a dilemma regarding HIV/AIDS disclosure to children born and living with HIV/AIDS in residential settings. Since the advent and accessibility of Anti-Retroviral Therapy, most children born HIV positive live longer and have healthier lives. Some of these children find themselves in Need of Care due to abandonment, orphanhood and neglect or abuse, and are placed in alternative care such as a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC). Social Service Workers are then faced with this dilemma around disclosure of their HIV status, due to the complexities around the consequences of such a disclosure, and the absence of clear policies in this regard. The study explored the perceptions of social service workers regarding disclosure of HIV status to children born HIV positive living in a CYCC in Ekurhuleni, South Africa. The findings indicate that HIV status disclosure is a complex but essential process as it reinforces children’s ability to adhere to medication and dispels anxiety and suspicion within themselves around their status. Recommendations relate to community education and awareness programmes, policy and practice changes and makes suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals (YOU GOTTA HAVE) FRIENDS: CARE LEAVING, FRIENDSHIPS, AND AGENCY INTERVENTION

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varda Mann-Feder
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Youth Care ◽  
Aging Out ◽  
Protective Mechanisms ◽  
Child And Youth Care ◽  
Youth In Care ◽  
Home Placement ◽  
Care System

This article is based on a presentation at FICE Austria in 2016 that reported on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the perceptions of friendships held by young people in and formerly in care. Eleven young people from the care system and three frontline child and youth care workers were interviewed with a focus on the effects of out-of-home placement on the development of peer relationships. Results suggest that there are significant obstacles to the development of age-appropriate friendships both within the care system and between youth in care and their community peers. These findings are discussed in light of the evidence that friendships are critical for healthy development and can serve as a buffer against stigma for youth who have been placed in out-of-home care. The study reported here is part of a larger program of research, the goal of which is to identify protective mechanisms or developmental assets in the transition to adulthood that could be better cultivated for youth aging out of placement.

Contributing Factors in Violent Youth Behaviour: A Study in the Limpopo Province, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 571-580
Author(s):  
Tshilidzi O. Ramakulukusha ◽  
Sunday S. Babalola ◽  
Ntsieni S. Mashau
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Youth Care ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Violent Behaviour ◽  
Child And Youth Care ◽  
Violent Youth ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Background: Violent behaviour in youth is regarded as a significant public health problem associated with severe physical and psychological consequences. Despite the availability of rehabilitation programmes rendered at child and youth care centres (CYCC's) in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, there is an escalation and repetition of violent behaviours among the youth due to some underlying socio-economic factors. Objective: The study sought to explore and describe the factors contributing to violent behaviours among the youth. Methods: A qualitative, explorative, and descriptive research design was used. A non-probability, purposive sampling method was used to select participants in this study. The study population consisted of youth, from the age of 15-20 years old, who were admitted to the child and youth care centres due to violent behaviours. Focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews were used to collect data from participants. A semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussion guide were used to collect data until data saturation which occurred after interviewing 48 participants. Data were analysed following Tesch’s open code data analysis technique. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical principles were adhered to. Results: Two themes emerged from the analysed data, namely, the socio-economic factors contributing to violent behaviours among the youth in CYCCs and the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes for violent youth behaviours in CYCCs. Eight sub-themes were derived from the two main themes. The home environment, the influence of delinquent peers, availability, and misuse of drugs and alcohol were most cited as the factors contributing to violent behaviours among the youth in CYCCs in the Limpopo Province. The study's findings revealed that youth had little knowledge of the impact that violent behaviour has on the victim, themselves, their families, and society. Conclusion: Rehabilitation programmes for violent behaviours among the youth will have better outcomes by involving the youth's family, especially the parents/guardians. Also, the child and youth care centres and youth violence policymakers need to emphasise family education as one of the most crucial violence prevention strategies in vulnerable youth.

Care Leavers’ and Their Care Workers’ Views of Preparation and Aftercare Services in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Bond
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Emerging Adulthood ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Youth Care ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Child And Youth Care ◽  
Aftercare Services ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Care Leavers

Emerging adulthood is an exciting time, filled with possibilities while remaining supported. However, care leavers’ journeys into adulthood are compressed and lacking educational, financial, and social support. In South Africa, this is exacerbated by contextual factors and the absence of mandated services for care leavers. A qualitative study was conducted with four Child and Youth Care Centers in a town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Focus groups were held with young people in care and their care workers. Discussions focused on preparation for leaving care and aftercare services and the evaluation of these by each group of participants. Care leaving preparation consisted of independent living skills programs. Aftercare services were provided on an ad hoc basis, and there was no policy with respect to services to care leavers. The findings suggest that ongoing experiential learning and implementation of in-house policies may better prepare care leavers for emerging adulthood.

The Way in Which Child and Youth Care Workers in South Africa Cope with Psychosocial Challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesiba Phineas Molepo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Youth Care ◽  
Collective Case Study ◽  
Child And Youth Care ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Psychosocial Challenges

Child and youth care workers deal with the psychosocial challenges experienced by young people in their care and may as a result themselves experience stress, anxiety and depression. This paper explores the psychosocial challenges experienced by child and youth care workers in South Africa, and the coping strategies that they apply. A collective case study design within a qualitative approach was used. Purposive sampling was used, with the sample consisting of 93 participants from government and non-governmental organisations based in rural, semi-urban and urban areas across the six provinces of South Africa. An interview schedule was designed to collect qualitative data from 11 focus group interviews. Data analysis was divided into data reduction, data display, and drawing and verifying conclusions. Psychosocial challenges identified by the participants were the inability to disengage from the work environment, disengagement from social activities, personal trauma, invasion of personal boundaries, and emotional well-being issues. The following broad coping strategies were identified: non-existent coping mechanisms, personal missions, substance abuse, withdrawal, and thoughts of quitting. Child and youth care workers experience a range of psychosocial challenges but have established a range of mostly adequate and contextually relevant coping strategies. The paper recommends that child and youth care workers find a healthy balance between their personal and professional life, timeously seek psychosocial support, and keep on developing themselves to acquire skills that will enhance their practice and broaden their scope of practice.

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