Government-funded programmes and services for vulnerable - Unicef

Children’s rights in South Africa
National policy frameworks guiding the development and
implementation of policies
There are a number of national policy frameworks that have been developed ‘to provide
an overarching framework to support stakeholders in the development of comprehensive,
age appropriate, integrated and quality responses’ to the different vulnerabilities
that children face in South Africa (DoSD 2005: 8). The frameworks in question are
multidisciplinary. They all recognise that vulnerable children require complex and
comprehensive responses which protect and nurture their full complement of rights. For
this reason, the overarching frameworks do not fall within one single department, but
embrace the full departmental spectrum that is responsible for the continuum of services
and benefits to ensure the holistic well-being and development of vulnerable children.
These policy frameworks include:
● The National Integrated Plan for Children and Youth Infected and Affected by HIV/
AIDS, 2000 (NIP)
● HIV & AIDS and STI National Strategic Plan, 2007–2011
● Policy Framework on Orphans and Other Children Made Vulnerable by HIV and
AIDS South Africa, 2005
● The National Action Plan for Orphans and Other Children Made Vulnerable by HIV
and AIDS South Africa, 2009–2012
● The National Integrated Plan for Early Childhood Development in South Africa,
2005–2010
Departmental interpretation of roles and responsibilities
Each department has interpreted the role assigned to it in terms of the overarching
frameworks in a series of departmental policy documents and legislative instruments.
These documents and laws make provision for the delivery of programmes and services
to vulnerable children and their families. It must be noted that the approach adopted
by all of the departments is primarily to provide programmes and services for all poor
children and/or their families, rather than targeting specific vulnerable groups of children.
In addition, many of the departmental responses do not target children specifically, but
are aimed at either the broader family or the caregiver. This review will include these
responses in so far as they benefit vulnerable children.
The objective of this review
The objective of this review is to identify and document the programmes and services
provided by the different departments for vulnerable children as defined thus far.
Specifically, the review aims, first, to identify within each relevant department what the
available government-funded statutory services and programmes are that are offered
to vulnerable children, or which have a beneficial impact on vulnerable children. The
second aim is to identify, through a review of existing literature, any overt policy/
legislative gaps and any gaps in the delivery of the programmes and services to
vulnerable children and their families.
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