The interaction of local and international child welfare agendas: A South African case

Abstract

This article assesses the interaction between international and local influences in South African child welfare practice and education between 2001 and 2010. Based on a mixed methods study, it finds that the primary mechanism for international exchange occurred through funding. Professional imperialism continued to be evidenced in the domination of Northern agendas in local curricula and the lack of critical interrogation of external practices. A disjuncture between research and practice priorities was found with some areas of intersection. The article provides insight into the local/global nexus in child welfare and recommends further investigation into more authentic and egalitarian international relationships of exchange.

South African Child and Family Welfare Services: Changing Times or Business as Usual?

“…Adequate financial resources are a crucial aspect of the development of a successful community-based resource. Increasingly international funding is actually channelled through the state instead of NGOs in contrast to circumstances before 1994 and critics argue that government often delivers too slowly to communities (Schmid & Patel, 2014).…”

Experiences and Challenges Related to Residential Care and the Expression of Cultural Identity of Adolescent Boys at a Child and Youth Care Centre (Cycc) in Johannesburg

“…It is ideal for CYCCs, including staff members, to always render services of an acceptable standard to children, and the interaction between staff members should be accommodating enough to deal with the needs of every child, irrespective of their culture or heritage (Rankopo & Osei-Hwedi, 2011;Schmid & Patel, 2016;Smith et al, 2013). Furthermore, children should be provided with adequate nutrition and clothing, and every child should be given the same quality of treatment as other children in the home (Schmid & Patel, 2016;Schmid, 2006). However, this is not always the case because of resource constraints (Schmid, 2006).…”

“…According to South African Statistical Services (2011), the South African population consists of more than 18.6 million children, with more than 100 000 of them being cared for in residential care facilities throughout the country. The status of children in South Africa is understood in different ways; however, various scholars understand the vulnerability of children in line with the history of the country (Richter & Dawes, 2008;Schmid & Patel, 2016). During the apartheid period certain groups of people were denied education and skills that could improve their lives, and that is the reason why there are still some people who are regarded as unemployable after 1994; as a result, some are unable to provide for their children and this has led to their admission into alternative care (De Vos, 1997;Patel, 2005).…”

Comparing International Approaches to Safeguarding Children: Global Lesson Learning

“…In turn, we have begun to see a growing body of literature that has started to provide data and insight into areas such as prevalence rates and developing models of safeguarding as they emerge across an expanding range of countries (e.g. Fang et al, 2015;Hutchinson et al, 2015;Leung et al, 2008;Schmid and Patel, 2016;Sidebotham, 2016).However, the dearth of international literature specifically comparing approaches to safeguarding children demonstrates how challenging it is to undertake research in this field and draw cross-national comparisons of models of child protection (Munro et al, 2011). The difficulty has largely arisen from a lack of common definitions and inconsistency in the way in which child maltreatment is classified, reported, recorded and managed.…”

“…In turn, we have begun to see a growing body of literature that has started to provide data and insight into areas such as prevalence rates and developing models of safeguarding as they emerge across an expanding range of countries (e.g. Fang et al, 2015;Hutchinson et al, 2015;Leung et al, 2008;Schmid and Patel, 2016;Sidebotham, 2016).…”