Examining the effectiveness of foster child grant in South Africa: a case study of Richmond.

Abstract

The intention of this case study was to examine the effectiveness of the foster child grant in the Richmond area of South Africa. Social workers who administer the “foster child grant” are study participants. The foster child grant was initially meant to help kids who had been taken from their biological families and placed in alternative care because of either their vulnerability, neglect, or abuse. The case study of Richmond area was to examine the effectiveness of the foster child grant in South Africa. The study used a mixed-methods approach to research. The Richmond Service Office's social workers who are directly involved in the management of the foster child grant provided information through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The study also employed secondary data from the Central Foster Child Register Annexe D of Richmond Service Office. Total purpose sampling, a non-probability sampling method, was utilized in the study. Based on the research 18 social workers who are directly involved in the management of the foster child grant in Richmond service office were chosen for the study. Out of 18 social workers in Richmond Service Office only 13 social workers availed themselves for the study. The study's outcomes discovered that the grant is adequate for meeting the Richmond area beneficiaries' needs for food, clothes, and education. The following suggestions were provided by social workers who are directly involved in the administration of foster child grants in the Richmond area: regularly check on academic investments and Richmond Children's court's compliance with application of “Section 186 of the Children's Act No. 38 of 2005”. According to research conducted in the Richmond area, foster parents can be as young as 21 or as old as 93, and the youngest foster children is 2 years old. The most foster parents in the Richmond area are generally female. Based on the study's outcomes, the grant is adequate for beneficiaries in the Richmond area, but it may be increased to cover some additional expenses like savings plans, which are necessary to ensure that these kids have a bright future.