The Influence of the Child Support Grant on Education and Health Capabilities of Children

This article describes research which sought to understand how the Child Support Grant, an unconditional cash transfer in South Africa, influences children’s capabilities in education and health. Of children aged five to 14 years, who are legally required to attend school, the presence of the grant was found to enhance enrolment in the early years of education and resulted in healthier body mass indices. This finding was despite child beneficiaries residing in poorer households with lower access to services than children not receiving the grant. Some services, however, such as water and electricity proved vital to the promotion of school enrolment and the health of these children. The research highlighted the need for resources in the form of basic services to supplement household income in order to enhance child capabilities required for development.

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Does The Unconditional Cash Transfer Program in South Africa Provide Support for Women After Child Birth? Barriers To Accessing The Child Support Grant Among Women in Informal Work in Durban, South Africa

10.21203/rs.3.rs-871452/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Silondile Luthuli ◽

Lyn Haskins ◽

Sphindile Mapumulo ◽

Christiane Horwood

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Low Income ◽

Child Support ◽

Working Women ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

Transfer Program ◽

Application Process ◽

Informal Workers ◽

Child Support Grant ◽

Unconditional Cash Transfer

Abstract Background The child support grant (CSG) is the largest unconditional cash transfer program in Africa and aims to alleviate poverty and improve child health and nutrition in low-income families in South Africa. Among informal working women, the CSG is an important source of income after childbirth when informal workers are unable to work, but reports suggest that women experience delays in accessing the CSG. We explore experiences and challenges accessing the CSG among informal workers in Durban, South Africa Methods We undertook a longitudinal mixed-methods cohort study. Women informal workers were recruited during pregnancy and followed-up for up to one year after the baby was born. Quantitative questionnaires and semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data about women’s plans for applying for the CSG, the application process, use of the CSG in the household, and household food insecurity. Interviews were conducted in IsiZulu by experienced researchers. Descriptive analysis of quantitative data used SPSS v26, and framework analysis using NVIVO v12.3 was used for qualitative analysis. Results Twenty-four informal working women were enrolled. The CSG received for older children was reported as an important and reliable source of income for mothers after childbirth. However, delays receiving the CSG for the new baby meant this support was unavailable to first-time mothers. The complex application process for the CSG required mothers to go to various government departments to complete the required documentation, often taking the baby with them. This was costly and time-consuming for mothers who were already vulnerable, and led to delays in obtaining CSG funds. Many women experienced moderate or severe food insecurity before and after the baby was born. As a result, some mothers had to return to work earlier than planned, disrupting childcare and breastfeeding. Conclusion Cash transfer programmes can effectively support low income households and improve outcomes for mothers and children. In South Africa there is a need for innovative approaches to streamline CSG applications, so women can access the funds immediately post-delivery to fill a resource gap and provide support at a vulnerable time for mothers and their children.

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Does the unconditional cash transfer program in South Africa provide support for women after child birth? Barriers to accessing the child support grant among women in informal work in Durban, South Africa

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-022-12503-7 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Silondile Luthuli ◽

Lyn Haskins ◽

Sphindile Mapumulo ◽

Christiane Horwood

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Low Income ◽

Child Support ◽

Working Women ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

Transfer Program ◽

Application Process ◽

Informal Workers ◽

Child Support Grant ◽

Unconditional Cash Transfer

Abstract Background The child support grant (CSG) is the largest unconditional cash transfer program in Africa and aims to alleviate poverty and improve child health and nutrition in low-income families in South Africa. Among informal working women, the CSG is an important source of income after childbirth when informal workers are unable to work, but reports suggest that women experience delays in accessing the CSG. We explore experiences and challenges of accessing the CSG among informal workers in Durban, South Africa. Methods We undertook a longitudinal mixed-methods cohort study. Women informal workers were recruited during pregnancy and followed-up for up to one year after the baby was born. Quantitative questionnaires and semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data about women’s plans for applying for the CSG, the application process, use of the CSG in the household, and household food insecurity. Interviews were conducted in IsiZulu by experienced researchers. Descriptive analysis of quantitative data used SPSS v26, and framework analysis using NVIVO v12.3 was used for qualitative analysis. Results Twenty-four informal working women were enrolled. The CSG received for older children was reported as an important and reliable source of income for mothers after childbirth. However, delays receiving the CSG for the new baby meant this support was unavailable to first-time mothers. The complex application process for the CSG required mothers to travel to various government departments to complete the required documentation, often taking the baby with them. This was costly and time-consuming for mothers who were already vulnerable, and led to delays in obtaining CSG funds. Many women experienced moderate or severe food insecurity before and after the baby was born. As a result, some mothers had to return to work earlier than planned, disrupting childcare and breastfeeding. Conclusions Cash transfer programmes can effectively support low income households and improve outcomes for mothers and children. In South Africa there is a need for innovative approaches to streamline CSG applications, so women can access the funds immediately post-delivery to fill a resource gap and provide support at a vulnerable time for mothers and their children.

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Children, Citizenship and Child Support: The Child Support Grant in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Registration and Recognition ◽

10.5871/bacad/9780197265314.003.0019 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Francie Lund

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Child Support ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

African Government ◽

Poor Households ◽

Identity Document ◽

National Welfare ◽

Child Support Grant ◽

State Pension ◽

Opening Up

In April 1998, the post-apartheid South African government introduced a monthly cash transfer for children in poor households. A requirement for getting the grant was that the birth of the child had to be registered, and the adult primary caregiver had to have the citizen identity document. The success of the system of support was contingent on the new democratic government's ability to integrate into one national welfare system what had been fragmented under apartheid into many racially separated systems; it also, ironically, built on the apartheid-era state pension delivery system. Within a decade the grant reached more than ten million children, and was associated with a rapid increase in birth registrations, marking the poorest children's first step into citizenship, and opening up the possibility of later access to other programmes and entitlements.

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A simple analysis of the effect of the child support grant on school enrolment in South Africa

Public and Municipal Finance ◽

10.21511/pmf.05(1).2016.02 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 14-17

Author(s):

Mduduzi Biyase

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Child Support ◽

National Income ◽

Probit Model ◽

Income Dynamics ◽

Simple Analysis ◽

School Enrolment ◽

Data Set ◽

Child Support Grant ◽

The Impact

This paper studies the impact of the child support grant on school enrolment in South Africa. It is based on the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) data set for South Africa for the year 2008. Using the probit model, the author find some encouraging evidence to suggest that indeed the child support grant helps in the way of improving school enrolment in South Africa. More specifically, the author found that the child support grant increases school enrolment by about 10 percentage points

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How family and child cash transfers can empower women: Comparative lessons from Brazil and South Africa

Global Social Policy ◽

10.1177/1468018120981421 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 146801812098142

Author(s):

Wendy Hunter ◽

Leila Patel ◽

Natasha Borges Sugiyama

Keyword(s):

Social Service ◽

Child Support ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

Transfer Program ◽

Income Transfer ◽

Transfer Programs ◽

Economic Decision Making ◽

Bolsa Familia ◽

Child Support Grant ◽

Income Assistance

By leveraging a comparison of Brazil’s Bolsa Família and South Africa’s Child Support Grant, this article probes whether and how income transfer programs enhance the standing of women recipients. Empowerment is assessed according to economic decision making, bodily protection and integrity, and psycho-social wellbeing and growth. The comparative analysis determines that regular income assistance boosts the self-esteem and agency of women recipients in both countries. At the same time, it underscores the heightened benefits obtained in Brazil as a result of the cash transfer program being embedded in a stronger public health and social service network. That Bolsa recipients interact with these associated institutions generates multiple downstream benefits. The broader lesson is that income transfer programs need to operate in deliberate coordination with an array of ancillary social service institutions to deliver the maximum benefits for women’s empowerment.

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The dynamic relationship between cash transfers and child health: can the child support grant in South Africa make a difference to child nutrition?

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980015001147 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 356-362 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Wanga Zembe-Mkabile ◽

Vundli Ramokolo ◽

David Sanders ◽

Debra Jackson ◽

Tanya Doherty

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Child Health ◽

Social Services ◽

Child Support ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Child Poverty ◽

Child Growth ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

Price Inflation ◽

Child Support Grant

AbstractObjectiveCash transfer programmes targeting children are considered an effective strategy for addressing child poverty and for improving child health outcomes in developing countries. In South Africa, the Child Support Grant (CSG) is the largest cash transfer programme targeting children from poor households. The present paper investigates the association of the duration of CSG receipt with child growth at 2 years in three diverse areas of South Africa.DesignThe study analysed data on CSG receipt and anthropometric measurements from children. Predictors of stunting were assessed using a backward regression model.SettingPaarl (peri-urban), Rietvlei (rural) and Umlazi (urban township), South Africa, 2008.SubjectsChildren (n746), median age 22 months.ResultsHigh rates of stunting were observed in Umlazi (28 %), Rietvlei (20 %) and Paarl (17 %). Duration of CSG receipt had no effect on stunting. HIV exposure (adjusted OR=2·30; 95 % CI 1·31, 4·03) and low birth weight (adjusted=OR 2·01, 95 % CI 1·02, 3·96) were associated with stunting, and maternal education had a protective effect on stunting.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that, despite the presence of the CSG, high rates of stunting among poor children continue unabated in South Africa. We argue that the effect of the CSG on nutritional status may have been eroded by food price inflation and limited progress in the provision of other important interventions and social services.

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Tamlīk-proper to Quasi-tamlīk: Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) of Zakat Money, Empowering the Poor and Contemporary Modes of Distributing Zakat Money with Special Reference to British Muslim Charities

Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs ◽

10.1080/13602004.2021.1894388 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-23

Author(s):

Shahrul Hussain

Keyword(s):

Special Reference ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

The Poor ◽

Unconditional Cash Transfer

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Assessing the impact of a combined nutrition counselling and cash transfer intervention on women’s empowerment in rural Bangladesh: a randomised control trial protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044263 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e044263

Author(s):

Elizabeth K Kirkwood ◽

Michael John Dibley ◽

John Frederick Hoddinott ◽

Tanvir Huda ◽

Tracey Lea Laba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Data ◽

Women's Empowerment ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

Women’S Empowerment ◽

Randomised Control Trial ◽

Call Centre ◽

Rural Bangladesh ◽

Nutrition Counselling ◽

The Impact ◽

Unconditional Cash Transfer

IntroductionThere is growing interest in assessing the impact of health interventions, particularly when women are the focus of the intervention, on women’s empowerment. Globally, research has shown that interventions targeting nutrition, health and economic development can affect women’s empowerment. Evidence suggests that women’s empowerment is also an underlying determinant of nutrition outcomes. Depending on the focus of the intervention, different domains of women’s empowerment will be influenced, for example, an increase in nutritional knowledge, or greater control over income and access to resources.ObjectiveThis study evaluates the impact of the Shonjibon Cash and Counselling (SCC) Trial that combines nutrition counselling and an unconditional cash transfer, delivered on a mobile platform, on women’s empowerment in rural Bangladesh.Methods and analysisWe will use a mixed-methods approach, combining statistical analysis of quantitative data from 2840 women in a cluster randomised controlled trial examining the impact of nutrition behaviour change communications (BCCs) and cash transfers on child undernutrition. Pregnant participants will be given a smartphone with a customised app, delivering nutrition BCC messages, and will receive nutrition counselling via a call centre and an unconditional cash transfer. This study is a component of the SCC Trial and will measure women’s empowerment using a composite indicator based on the Project-Level Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index, with quantitative data collection at baseline and endline. Thematic analysis of qualitative data, collected through longitudinal interviews with women, husbands and mothers-in-law, will elicit a local understanding of women’s empowerment and the linkages between the intervention and women’s empowerment outcomes. This paper describes the study protocol to evaluate women’s empowerment in a nutrition-specific and sensitive intervention using internationally validated, innovative tools and will help fill the evidence gap on pathways of impact, highlighting areas to target for future programming.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (Ref. PR 17106) and The University of Sydney (Ref: 2019/840). Findings from this study will be shared in Bangladesh with dissemination sessions in-country and internationally at conferences, and will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

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