Scope of Presentation The prevention and management of child abuse
· Legislative and policy framework
· Draft Strategy to manage on child Abuse and Neglect
· Protocol Development (provincial and national)
· Prevention I Early Intervention
· Training
The development of new child care legislation
Partnerships
Funding and human resources
Challenges
The prevention and management of child abuse
Child abuse management implies an inter-sectoral approach
The following key Stakeholders are involved:
Department of Justice and
Constitutional Development Education,
Health, Home Affairs, Child Labour,
Safety and Security, Foreign Affairs,
Office on the Rights of the Child (OP)
and the national Prosecuting Authority
Civil Society
The prevention and management of child abuse - legislative and policy framework
· Legislation
- Child Care Act 74 of 1983
The Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998
- Sexual Offences Act 23 of 1957
- The Film and Publications Act 65 of 1996
- New Children's Bill
The prevention and management of child abuse - legislative and policy framework
· Policy Framework
- National Programme of Action for children
- Social Crime Prevention Strategy
- Victim Empowerment Programme
- Revised Strategic Plan on Child Abuse
- Protocols on the management of child abuse and neglect
- Child Protection Register
- draft policy on notification of suspicions of possible ill treatment of or injury to children and of children suffering from nutritional deficiency diseases
Protocols on the management of child abuse
Main Purpose To ensure standardized procedures in dealing
with abused and neglected children
To ensure immediate intervention in all cases of abuse and ,neglect.
To promote and emphasize a multi - disciplinary approach in order to ensure for most effective services to children
To clarify the respective roles and responsibilities of all role-player in the process. multi - disciplinary
To ensure accountability of all role-players within multi-disciplinary approach
PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION
· Child Protection Week
- To inform, educate and mobile the general public in
respect of efforts to create a child-friendly Socio-economic
and political environment that s~ill facilitate
the optional development and well-being of children
· After hour services
- Support to SAPS
- DSD in Western Cape
· Family Preservation Projects
· Partnerships - NGO sector programmes
- "Child Welfare Society - Eve on the child"
- National Child Line
TRAINING Training of trainers
Training of all professionals
- Core Course in Child Protection
- Multi-disciplinary case management
- Protecting children during court proceedings
- Domestic violence and the implication for child abuse
- Therapeutic work with children, families and offenders
Audit of training needs
The development of new child care legislation Introduction
Consultation Process - workshop outcomes
· Response by Cabinet Committee
- Appointment of Steering Committee to deal with issues raised by other national departments
· Proposed way forward and timeframes
New Child Care Legislation
Background
· Request to SALC in 1997
· Extensive consultation and research driven process
· Report and zero-draft bill developed in July 2002
· Further deliberations between SALC project committee and DSD
· Final Works hop - Oct 2002
Consultations - Final SALC Workshop in October 2002
Workshop was structured in such a way as to enable the participating Departments, organisations and institutions the opportunity to raise concerns and issues relating to their particular line function/area of responsibility before the envisaged Parliamentary process commences
Important concerns were raised
(Listed in submission)
Response by Cabinet -Appointment of Steering Committee
· To deal with concerns raised by Ministers and their departments
· Oversee refining of draft children's
bill
- Integrated costing of bill
- Appointment of Legal Drafter
- Development of Regulations (Later)
Concerns raised by national departments
National Treasury - costing of Bill Justice
- no formal consultations were held with magistrate.
- Fragmentation of the courts
Bill might increase the burden if the judiciary
Education
Shifting of resonsibitities
- Proposed name changes to education facilities
- The different ages mentioned in the draft Bill should be synchronised
Concerns raised by national departments
Safety and Security
- Changes in processes related to child victims and offenders
- Definitions
- Bill excludes law enforcers in the employ of municipalities
· Health
- Confidentiality issues
- Age of consent
- Legal guardians
Partnerships
· Legislature
· Between Government departments
· National and provincial departments
· Local Authorities
· Civil Society
· Business
· Labour
· Communities
· Families
· Individuals
RESOURCES
· Financial and Human resources
- Roles and responsibilities will determine type of posts required
- Insufficient needs to be substantiated by a detailed situation analysis and an
integrated costing exercise
- Filling of'acant posts
- Creation of additional posts
CHALLENGES
· The finalisation of the Draft Strategy on Child Abuse and Neglect. (Strategic Plan)
Simultaneously, critical issues within the Strategic Plan need to be addressed immediately.
The final programme of the Child Protection Register be loaded at least in each provincial head office, one regional and one district office level.
· Strengthening of current services to families.
· Continuation of provincial training programmes.
· Norms and standards and costing of services.
CHALLENGES · Approval of the draft Children's Bill within this financial Year
Finalisation of the Draft National Policy Framework for Families.
· The drafting of the regulations of the Children's Bill.
· Ensuring that children between the ages of 7 8 years receive child care grants.
· Ensuring that programmes to persons affected and infected by HIV/AlDS receive the necessary services. Costing of social work services.