Finding a place for children
COUNTLESS people have been through Durban’s child welfare system. Some successfully, rising above their misfortunes and picking themselves up by the bootstraps. Others have not had the same destinies.
While the organisation intervenes as directly as possible, placing children in foster care and facilitating adoptions as well as looking after children in shelters, its staff also busy themselves with trying to prevent things getting out of hand in homes.
Its prevention service is aimed at assisting families who have children and are in crisis, to strengthen and build their capacity and self-reliance.
“In 2016/2017, 33 366 community members benefited from preventative programmes focusing on child protection, while 8 241 benefited from programmes focusing on HIV/ Aids,” the organisation said.
An early intervention service is provided to families where there are children identified as being vulnerable to or at risk of harm. It includes counselling, therapy and mediation.
Last year, 28 092 clients benefited from early intervention services through visits at home and office interviews, Child Welfare said.
Enquiry
Then there are statutory services when early intervention services have not been successful and a child becomes subject to a children’s court enquiry for statutory placement.
Placements are either family/ alternate care, foster care, residential care or adoption. Last year, 110 foster placements were finalised and 40 local adoptions.
“We supervise and monitor the placement of children through our four child and youth care centres caring for 260 children. We are also responsible for nine community family homes, catering for 54 orphans, including siblings, whose family ties have been severed,” the organisation said.
Child Welfare has a specialised adoption department, committed to finding homes for abandoned babies, nationally and internationally.
The organisation monitors 4 940 foster placements, ensuring the children are safe, and ensuring the validity of court orders to affect the continual payment of the foster care grant.
Recently, poverty has overshadowed the scourge of HIV/ Aids in the services the organisation is called on to offer.
Adoptions in greater Durban and the number of Aids orphans have decreased thanks to the availability of antiretroviral drugs that have enabled mothers to live longer, said Shere Khan, a senior manager for community services.
“The focus has now gone back to abuse and neglect and, often, poverty is a major cause of circumstantial neglect.
“In addition we see children who are grossly underweight and are lacking in good nutrition, which leads to immune deficiencies. Often parents fail to keep medical appointments for their children and fail to send them to school,” she said.
Khan said teen mothers were often not mature enough to carry out the responsibilities of motherhood and the lack of the father figure as a role model was still an area of concern.
In June, Child Welfare in Durban facilitated its first direct international adoption to the UK.
Such inter-country adoptions are regulated by the Hague Convention.
Overseas
“The Central Authority of the Department of Social Development monitors these adoptions,” said Khan.
“Only children who cannot be placed locally or nationally can be adopted overseas.
“If a child is abandoned and all avenues to find their families and local support structures have been exhausted, the child could be adopted.”
It’s a lengthy process involving the birth registration of the child, advertisements to seek family if the child was abandoned, medical assessments as well as police reports.
The collation of the information from the various role players delays the placement of a child in adoption.
Once the child is placed with the prospective adoptive parents, further delays are experienced in receiving a letter from the Department of Social Development supporting the adoption.
A court decision finally follows.
Khan said the Child Welfare Durban and District’s adoptions, which were required to be approved by the Children’s Court, were very inclusive.
“No one is turned away on the grounds of race, religion or sexual orientation.
“As long as there is a father or a mother in the picture, it makes it difficult to move forward. Consent is necessary.
“Sometimes it is easier if the parents are unknown.” ULTRA trail runner Zoe Papadakis came second in last week’s Umgeni River Run to raise funds for Child Welfare. She covered the 50km course in five hours and 22 minutes.
“You really face up to who you are running for out in the mountains,” said the podium finisher of previous trail runs.
“You think about life. It gets to be really raw. It hurts. You have to be strong and persevere.”
Papadakis is a brand ambassador for Child Welfare Durban and District, as is Mohammed Moorad, best known as Mo Magic.
Papadakis said she liked to inspire children to find their inner strength to keep at it. “Everybody has their mountain to climb.”
Moorad said: “As a magician I am bringing out the inner child in people, giving childhood back to children.“Child Welfare is giving children something very magical. I use the platform to create a message around Child Welfare.”
He said his father had died when he was three.
“My mum had the responsibility of raising three kids on her own and I am very thankful for the phenomenal work she has done.
“I am thankful and understand that many did not have that support.
“I believe we – the more fortunate – are able to support them.”
Other ambassadors are environmentalist and Miss Earth South Africa finalist Mireesha Narsai, a civil engineer working on biodiesel.
Child Welfare also has a brand association with the Dolphins Cricket Club.
Sponsorship donations for Papadakis’s run can be made until the end of the month. Call Glenda Arends on 031 312 9313, or visit www.cwdd.org.za