Child Welfare celebrates 40 years of serving vulnerable children

Kwatsaduza – The Tsakani/Geluksdal Child Welfare held its 40th AGM on August 12 at the Tsakani customer care centre.
Its services include facilitating foster care applications, providing psychological support and conducting workshops for foster care parents to promote better skills in caring for vulnerable children.
Assistant general manager Melinda Cupido detailed some of the organisation’s achievements over the past year during the meeting.
“It is an honour to acknowledge the 40-year existence of the organisation for which we are grateful and blessed.
“Between April 1, 2021, and March 31, we took pride in providing care to a total of 5 233 children, a demonstration of our continued passion for caring for children,” she said.

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Some of their accomplishments include:
• 2 113 foster care cases were opened
• 514 foster care cases were supervised
• 11 parents received mediation for parental planning
• 443 parents participated in a parenting skills training
• 165 foster care children who turned 18 received support to remain in care pending completion of their studies
• 2 581 children received other care services
• 568 children took part in child protection awareness activities
• 50 children in foster care participated in life skills programmes
• Other programmes carried out during the past year included crisis intervention, family preservation, facilitation of foster care applications and review of existing foster care applications.
Cupido attributed the organisation’s success over the years to support given by the Department of Social Development, its staff, board members, volunteers, partners in the child protection field and foster care parents, who were honoured with certificates during the AGM.
She said the organisation continues to face challenges over the lapsing of foster care orders as a result of delays in receiving outcomes of form 30 enquiries from the National Child Protection Register, difficulties in tracing biological parents and lack of cooperation from foster care parents in renewing orders.
Cupido expressed concern over the safety of social workers while making their rounds in the communities.
“We have considered obtaining uniforms to ensure that our staff is identifiable and to enhance support from the community, but this has been a struggle.
“We are pleading with the community to assist in this regard and we would like to extend our gratitude to the supportive community members.
“We remain dedicated in our commitment towards promoting the well-being of children. We do not take for granted how the community has supported us during the past 40 years,” she stated.
They may be contacted on 011 732 3024 or 011 732 3048.

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