Nearly 1 000 kids not placed

A shocking 925 children are still waiting to be placed in foster care by the Gauteng social development department, the Democratic Alliance said yesterday.

According to the department’s third quarter report, the delay in placing children was due to the delay in placing adverts and obtaining reports from psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as obtaining the legal documents from prospective foster parents, DA spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe said.

“This shows poor planning on the part of the department and that the placement of children in foster care is not a priority. According to the 2016-2017 annual report, the department failed to employ 130 social worker bursary holder graduates,” she said.

In addition to this, Gauteng only had 11 social workers who specialised in foster care placements. This was unsustainable considering the case load.

“This is unacceptable, as the core mandate of the department is to ensure the well-being of all vulnerable groups, particularly children. Social development is responsible for the heart of government and for looking after the well-being of the most vulnerable. By failing to place children, they are denying them the opportunity to be raised in a loving family environment,” Nt’sekhe said.

Children were instead left in institutions, namely child and youth care centres. The department also knew first-hand that children who flourished were those brought up in a loving home. This demonstrated once again that the ANC-led government “has become mired in its own inefficient and ineffective processes”.

The DA called on social development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza to ensure that all children in need of foster care be placed as a matter of urgency. She should also ensure that the department had measures in place to ensure the speedy placement of children in foster care. The MEC should fasttrack the specialised training and appointment of social workers.

“This means that they will have access to healthcare services, sufficient food, water, and social assistance if needed,” Nt’sekhe said. – ANA