A Study of Shelters for Street Children from an Organizational ...

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living or working on the streets does not differ from any other child in need of care. The second view holds that children on the streets exemplify unique characteristics, which make them different from ordinary children (Ennew, 1994). Shelters see children living or working on the street as a special category that need special but phased programs aimed at first getting rid of the street life habits. Secondly shelters endeavourer to evaluate the family Circumstances, which drove children into the streets. The process is done before and after reintegrating children with their families or communities of origin. Shelters hold the view that the Childcare Act 1983 should reflect this notion and see children living and/or working on the streets to have been exposed to special situations which require special treatment. In this regard, the Childcare Act of 1983 in its present state does not fully address the needs of children living or working on the streets. The Children's Draft Bill 2002 recognises the role of shelters and hence categorises children living and/or working on the streets as being in need of special care (http://www.polity.org.zalDraftChildrens Bill: 27/5/2003). The contents of the bill has changed so much within time and one need to wait to see the final draft before commenting on the contents referring to children living or working on the streets. 1.4 Motivation for the Study The study was conceptualised to study the organizational structures of shelters, the range of services, programs of intervention and reintegration and their objectives to see how staff and children interface and interact in the shelters environments. Children in the shelters are shelter residents and recipients of shelters services. It's worth noting how they view service delivery, and how they participate in the shelters programs. Studies on shelters for children living or working on the street in South Africa have been undertaken previously (Biderman-Pam, and Gonnon, 1990; Bernstein and Gray 1991). This study contributes insights on how staff and children views and experiences shelter programs of interventionlintegration and service delivery. The study details how children, shelter staff and managers interface, how shelters are organised and structured, how services are delivered and received, and how intervention and reintegration programs are developed, implemented and sustained. 7
1.5 The Purpose and Objective of the Study The purpose of this study is derived from the fact that shelters are entrusted with the task of designing, developing, and implementing intervention and re-integration strategies with a view to meeting the needs of children living and/or working on the streets. In this light, shelters set their criteria on children's intake as well as their own standards on the service delivery cognisant of the policy guidelines. This study makes the assumption and proposes that the institutional programs coupled with children's internalised street survival culture may facilitate or hamper the desired goals of reintegration and the re-orientation of children into the mainstream society. The research suggests a way forward for intervention and reintegration strategies. Consequently, the study stresses that there is a need to understand the organisational and managerial structures of the shelters, the views and experiences of managers, staff, and of children on service delivery and the programs of intervention and reintegration. Shelters needed resources and capacity to be able to deliver services and meet the challenges of children living and/or working on the street. Intervention/reintegration programs should be aligned with the broader constitutional frame works of the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child (1996) and The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1998). 1.5.1 Objectives The inquiry is a study of shelters from the organizational perspective measuring the views and experiences of staff as service providers and of children as recipients of the shelter services. The main objectives are: • The Organisational structures of the shelters. • The types of intervention and reintegration programs they run and the services they render. • The Views and experiences of shelter Managers, staff and children. 1.6 Problem Formulation The study conceptualised the problem in two perspectives: first, shelters formulate and implement intervention programs together with service delivery independently but cognisant of the requirements enshrined in the South African Minimum Standards of Child and Youth Care (1993). Second, the impact intervention strategies have on the growing and increasing numbers of children living and/or working on the street. These 8
Page 1: A Study of Shelters for Street Chil
Page 4 and 5: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I extend my sincer
Page 6: TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 0 NE 1 IN
Page 9 and 10: LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Showing the
Page 11 and 12: children's homes. In 1996 the Europ
Page 13 and 14: specifically in its policies (http:
Page 15: Hosken, (2004) in an article titled
Page 19 and 20: names of the shelters have been ren
Page 21 and 22: 1.8.2 Organizationalll1eory Shelter
Page 23 and 24: Chapter Four: Data analysis. The ch
Page 25 and 26: communities posing enormous challen
Page 27 and 28: To perceive human social reality as
Page 29 and 30: Shelter's intervention/reintegratio
Page 32 and 33: 2.4 Definitions The focus of the re
Page 35: enforcement officers, outreach work
Page 40 and 41: 3.1 Introduction CHAPTER THREE RESE
Page 42 and 43: given to the demands of shelter pro
Page 44 and 45: views and perceptions over the topi
Page 46 and 47: 3.4 The Researcher in Qualitative I
Page 48 and 49: which means children there, are sta
Page 51 and 52: paid to the recording devices. The
Page 53 and 54: esearchers need to agree or disagre
Page 55 and 56: • Staff morale was high when moti
Page 57 and 58: 3.11 Ethical Considerations Babbie
Page 59 and 60: 4.1 Introduction CHAPTER FOUR OATA
Page 61 and 62: 4.2. Shelters Services and Programs
Page 63 and 64: children with their families where
Page 65 and 66: y the shelter's philosophy, goals,
Page 67 and 68:
4.2.5 Shelter Routine and Regulatio
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4.2.6 Policy on Visitors The four s
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children played; this was done depe
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living and/or working on the street
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4.3.1 Structure and physical locati
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Apart from management of shelters,
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Regarding transparency, accountabil
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Staff expressed that children shoul
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was immediately reassuring to child
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will to choose whether to or not li
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Sangoma (traditional doctor) and I
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Look at this shelter look at the do
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preferable. Participants continued
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It is okay when one is going with a
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5.1 Introduction CHAPTER FIVE DISCU
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The challenges of children living a
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differed greatly from the feelings
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een on the streets for a very long
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from the overseas. Some of the loca
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programs to communities and familie
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explained, was their priority. It i
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streets, consequently, shelters int
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perspectives, understanding, and ca
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understand such discourses. Through
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6.1.3 Conclusions Regarding Researc
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and appreciation that the children
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Shelters could endeavour to reinfor
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The effort is to move the children
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macroeconomic factors, the local mi
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REFERENCES Acker, A. (1986). Childr
Page 130 and 131:
Brown, D. C. (1996). 'Why ask why:
Page 132 and 133:
Gronbjen, K. A. (1992). Nonprofit H
Page 134 and 135:
Mills C. W. (1971). The Sociologica
Page 136 and 137:
Swart, J. (1987). 'Street Children:
Page 138 and 139:
Street children in http://allafrica
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3.1.5. Does the shelter have any re
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4. Social and Recreation 4.1. How a
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Follow-up questions What are the sh
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APPENDIX 3 FOCUS GROUPS CHILDREN Pl
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6. Shelter routine and Discipline:
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