Government-funded programmes and services for vulnerable - Unicef

Department of Social Development
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Prevention and early intervention services
Programme/
services
Description of the
programmes/actual
service provided
Targeted beneficiaries/
qualifying criteria/how to
obtain the service
Delivery mechanism/
service providers
Prevention
and early
intervention
programmes xli
The Children’s Act compels
the MEC for social
development to provide
and fund prevention
and early intervention
programmes in each
province (s146(1)). The
obligation is mandatory
and not discretionary.
Prevention programmes
are provided to families
with children in order to
strengthen and build their
capacity and self-reliance
to address problems
that may or are bound
to occur in the family
environment which, if not
attended to, may lead to
statutory intervention.
Early intervention
programmes are provided
to families where there are
children identified as being
vulnerable to or at risk
of harm or removal into
alternative care. xlii
Targeted beneficiaries
Families with children,
parents, caregivers and
children across the
Republic of South Africa
(s145(1)). The provision
of these services must be
prioritised in communities
where families lack the
means to provide proper
shelter, food and other
basic necessities of life
to their children and for
children with disabilities
(s146(4)).
Prevention and
early intervention
programmes can either
be provided directly by
the provincial DoSDs
or the provincial
departments can fund
NGOs and communitybased
organisations to
provide the services
and programmes
(s146(1)).
Section 146(3) provides
that prevention and
early intervention
services will only
qualify for funding
if the programmes
comply with the
national norms and
standards prescribed
for prevention and
early interventions
services. The norms
and standards are spelt
out in the Regulations
to the Children’s Act.
‘While prevention
programmes are more
general in nature in that
they seek to ensure the
wellbeing of all children
in a community, early
intervention programmes
target specific families
and children who have
been identified as “at
risk” or vulnerable in this
regard. These therapeutic
and developmental
programmes are provided
to individual children and
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