Government-funded programmes and services for vulnerable - Unicef

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Introduction Families under stress vary in their access to government-funded social protection, such as grants and quality services, as well as to different kinds of community support. This variability in access has implications for their well-being and that of their children. Grants are social cash transfers like the old-age pension (OAP) and the child support grant (CSG). Other social protection mechanisms include government-provided schooling, healthcare and social welfare services. Community support includes assistance provided by civil society organisations, community groups, neighbours and families. This review was undertaken as one of the preparatory activities for a study that aims to describe how children, families and communities cope with the combined challenges of poverty and HIV/AIDS; how and why families and children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty vary in their access to grants, services and community support; the links between poverty and HIV/AIDS and children’s well-being; and the influence of grants and services on families and children, and what families need from the state, civil society and their communities to assist them to support children’s well-being in conditions of poverty and HIV/AIDS. South Africa is a middle-income country, yet two-thirds of all children live in households with incomes below the poverty line. In addition, many of these poor children do not have access to good-quality education, health and social services. Since the advent of the South African democratic state in 1994, a number of policies and programmes have been put in place to support children and families. Despite this, most South African children still live in very difficult circumstances. Large numbers of South African children are being adversely affected by poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. South Africa has the largest number of HIV infections in the world. In 2009 alone, 310 000 people are estimated to have died of AIDS-related illnesses. Approximately 11 per cent of South African adults are estimated to be living with HIV, more than half of whom are resident in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The prevalence rises to nearly 40 per cent among women attending public antenatal services in the worst affected areas. The most recent estimates are that 12.9 per cent of all children aged 2–18 years have lost one or both parents, and that close to half of all parental deaths are due to AIDS-related mortality. When adults get sick, become unable to work, do household chores or care for children, and perhaps even die, children may lose not only the care provided by parents but also income and livelihood security, as well as their prospects of remaining in school and in their home. It is agreed at the international level that social protection, particularly income support paid to the poorest families in communities affected by HIV/AIDS, is a strong policy option for mitigating the combined effects of poverty and HIV/AIDS on children. In budget and beneficiary terms, the CSG is one of the largest programmes targeted at children in low- and middle-income countries. More than 8 million children benefit from the CSG, with eligible (income means-tested) caregivers receiving R240 per month for children 16 years and younger. Although access to the CSG is improving, available research indicates that approximately 20 per cent of eligible families, mostly the poorest, are not yet receiving grants for which they are eligible. 1
Government-funded programmes and services for vulnerable children in SA Enrolment in education, at least until the compulsory age of 15 years, is estimated to be over 85 per cent and most South Africans now live within five kilometres of a health service. But the poorest families, some labour constrained by age and/or disability, socially isolated and in other ways disadvantaged, continue to fall between the cracks and do not receive grants such as the OAP and the CSG, which help children to enrol and attend school, or receive the preventive health services prescribed for young children, such as immunisations and nutritional supplements. SIZE, 1 a study of the well-being of children, aims to provide some answers to these very important questions. SIZE is a longitudinal study that follows children and their families for two and a half years. Children are enrolled in the study in the first few years of school, when they are between 7 and 10 years of age. The study is being undertaken by a team of researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa, New York University (NYU) in the United States and collaborators locally and internationally. Professor Linda Richter HSRC Professor Lawrence Aber NYU Ms Vuyiswa Mathambo HSRC 1 SIZE is an acronym for sibhekelela izingane zethu, Zulu for ‘we look out for our children’. 2
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Government-funded programmes and services for vulnerable - Unicef

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