What becomes of grant support children after 18?

SOUTH Africa introduced a child support grant 21 years ago in 1998, four years after the advent of democracy. The grant has been a human rights milestone and a mark of progress in the full realisation of children’s rights.

It is one of the most comprehensive social protection systems in the developing world, reaching over 12 million children a month. It has evolved over the years to include children up to 18 years old.

But, what happens to those over 18 who have “graduated” from receiving the child support grant? We term these young people post-child support grant beneficiaries. In our study we wanted to know what the longer-term outcomes for them are.

While the monthly child support grant of R420 per child has several positive effects during childhood, especially on nutritional status, the study found that these effects don’t thread through into early adulthood. This is likely because of failures of other human capital investments in the childhood years.

The grant, as a policy instrument, cannot work alone in ensuring that young people thrive and succeed. While it is a critical investment and has contributed to alleviating the effects of childhood poverty, more is needed to realise the “demographic dividend” -– a time of economic productivity realised as a result of a large young population – provided that population is healthy and well educated.

South Africa is essentially a hostile place for youth, particularly those from poor households, due to high youth unemployment, inaccessible, unaffordable post-secondary education and sustained multidimensional poverty. Long-standing inequalities on the basis of race, gender and geographic location also persist. So it is not realistic to expect young people to fully support themselves once they turn 18.

Currently, the lack of support services to complement the child support grant undermines the childhood gains of the grant, and keeps young people stuck in poverty.

Our research was framed by two questions: What effect does the child support grant have on education, health and employment outcomes later in life? And what factors in the life course of an individual shape these outcomes?

The study showed that the postchild support grant beneficiaries were no more likely to report better health, be employed or have completed high school, than their counterparts who did not receive the grant (but were eligible).

Our study argues that, in addition to addressing the structural factors mentioned above, three support service interventions should complement the provision of the child support grant. These interventions should:

Target children who experience the death of a caregiver in the home, providing support at school and in accessing mental health services;

Invest in employment support. Our other research shows that this could support more effective transitions to jobs.

Ensure that child support grant beneficiaries are speedily identified when they are at risk of failing or repeating grades and given necessary support. Once beneficiaries complete high school, they should be automatically linked to services (such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme) so they can pursue tertiary studies.

Child support grant beneficiaries are managed in two systems across two departments – the Social Development and Basic Education systems. This provides an opportunity to flag children who are at risk, provided these systems are linked. Partnerships between these government departments, as well as between schools themselves and local welfare and support services, are critical to ensuring holistic support to youth who struggle at school.

Realising the demographic dividend in South Africa relies on investments to alleviate the effects of childhood poverty but also, to develop human capital through quality education.

The recommendations arising from this research need political will to be realised.

Human capital development should be prioritised for youth (through the education system). Further cash transfers, like the child support grant, can be bolstered by additional support services to ensure that children move with ease into young adulthood.