The Current Landscape of Child Protection Services in South Africa: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Child protection services are seen as the largest field of social work service delivery in South Africa. Repeated warnings of the 'crisis state' of child protection services have gone unheeded. The aim of this article is to determine the current landscape of child protection service delivery and research within the South African context. The developmental social welfare approach was used as the epistemological framework for this systematic review. Findings indicated a significant emphasis on statutory services and a lack of resources for family preservation efforts. Appropriate costing models should be generated to specify critical needs and garner support from stakeholders.

An Analysis of Policies and Legislation Relating to Child Participation by Children in Alternative Care in South Africa

“…In a systematic review done by Strydom, Schiller and Orme (2020) of the current landscape of child protection services in South Africa, they indicated that research in the field of child protection places a strong emphasis on statutory services relying heavily on a child protection typology by using legislation and policy to protect children. This review also outlines the human capital and organisational constraints in rendering child protection services.…”

Progress of the social service professions in South Africa's developmental social welfare system: Social work, and child and youth care work

“…In South Africa, child and youth care fall within the broad umbrella of child welfare, though intersect with child protection, running residential institutions (homes) and aftercare centres for children placed there under the Children's Act 38 of 2005. The developmental child welfare approach calls for integrated service delivery focused on prevention, early intervention, statutory child protection, and re‐integration and aftercare services (Strydom et al, 2020). However, the service‐delivery system leaned heavily towards child protection with a strong focus ‘on legislation and statutory pressure to shield children from maltreatment’ (Strydom et al, 2020, p. 384).…”

“…The developmental child welfare approach calls for integrated service delivery focused on prevention, early intervention, statutory child protection, and re‐integration and aftercare services (Strydom et al, 2020). However, the service‐delivery system leaned heavily towards child protection with a strong focus ‘on legislation and statutory pressure to shield children from maltreatment’ (Strydom et al, 2020, p. 384). Within this complex system, delineating who does what, or who should be doing what, has proved a thorny task.…”

“…In the 1980s, most CYCWs found employment in residential institutions, though, in the 1990s, in keeping with developmental child welfare extended their services to vulnerable children and young people in the community, who lacked access to institutional care. However, as the following discussion shows, while adopted in theory, a lack of adequate funding and resourcing for public and private services, compounded by an absence of coordinated, integrated service delivery hampered a developmental child welfare approach (Strydom et al, 2020). This section shows that, despite a strong push towards professionalisation, CYC has been unable to develop a strong professionally trained and registered workforce to the extent that it is now a profession in crisis.…”

Implementation of Child Protection Implementation, Somba Opu District, Gowa Regency

“…Therefore, children are also like adults who need others to be able to help develop their abilities because children are born with all their weaknesses so that without others the child cannot possibly reach a normal level of humanity (Bijlsma et al, 2021;Forslund et al, 2022;White et al, 2019). In essence, children cannot protect themselves from various kinds that cause mental, physical, social losses in various areas of life and livelihood (Middel et al, 2021;Strydom et al, 2020;Wessells, 2015). The child must be assisted by others in protecting himself, given his situation and condition, especially in the implementation of the Juvenile Criminal Justice that is unfamiliar to him.…”