Boksburg Child Welfare still provides valuable assistance to thousands of beneficiaries
The Boksburg Child Welfare is inviting the community to their AGM on November 2 at the Old Town Hall on the corner of Commissioner and Trichardt streets, Boksburg.
The Boksburg Child Welfare organisation is one of the biggest child protection organisations in the region, with three offices running in core areas in Boksburg, namely, Reiger Park, Boksburg Central and Vosloorus.
This organisation provides prevention and early intervention services, awareness programmes, child protection and statutory services and the management of two foster care community homes.
In the previous reporting period, this organisation serviced 9 953 beneficiaries in informal settlements, townships and developed urban areas.
Boksburg Child Welfare also provides employment to the local community by employing local staff, volunteers and providing students with internships.
For the period of October 2018 until March 2019, this organisation has reached 151 beneficiaries through prevention programmes.
A total of 43 young girls attended an awareness campaign for Women’s Month last year and 80 women attended this year’s Women’s Month programmes.
From October 2018 until April 2019, 297 intakes were completed, 296 crisis intervention cases received immediate social work interventions, 471 cases received social work services, 137 beneficiaries received early intervention services, 319 beneficiaries received psychosocial support services and 275 cases were attended to in children’s court.
There are also a growing number of care and contact cases being referred from court. With numbers rising as much as 47 referrals per six months and 150 child beneficiaries being involved in these types of cases, 106 mediation services were rendered.
Boksburg Child Welfare is a child protection organisation that provides the following services:
- Prevention programmes
- Awareness campaigns
- Early intervention services aimed at families at risk and promoting family preservation
- Child protection and emergency removals
- Risk assessments
- Statutory services
- Foster care support programmes
- Family reunification services
- Managing of foster care homes
- Care and contact cases
- Student training and capacity building
The need for these services is determined by community profiling, which is done on an annual basis, committee meetings and AGM as well as reviewing registers and statistical information every quarter which allows the organisation to determine the number of beneficiaries accessing the services as well as need in certain areas. Evaluation forms also enable the organisation to determine the necessity of the services required.
Purpose of the programme
Child Welfare strives to protect and promote the interests, well-being, safety and development of children within the context of the family and community and to safeguard the rights of children through a holistic, inter-sectorial, developmental and comprehensive system of social services, for which purpose it is endowed with legal personality.
The organisation also provides support and services to vulnerable children up to the age of 18 years in the Greater Boksburg area. The welfare will take necessary action for the protection of children and the preservation of family life; and to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the child’s rights set out in the Bill of Rights, African Charter of the Rights of the Child, United Nations Convention of the Rights of Children and the Rights and Principles as set out in the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, as amended.
Funding
Boksburg Child Welfare relies on the Department of Social Development, local businesses and the community for donations and funding. Boksburg Child Welfare would like to extend their services to far more beneficiaries, but this is only possible with adequate funding.
Child Welfare is B-BBEE approved and can provide a Section 18 A to businesses that sponsor.
Therefore, the organisation requires the continuity of funding and donations so these beneficiaries and more receive the services required and that employment created through the funding can continue to be office to the local community.
With the increased amount of child trafficking, abduction and sexual abuse, this organisation will continue to educate and support learners through awareness programmes initiated at schools, local clinics and churches, among others.
Contact the director of the Boksburg Child Welfare, Vanessa Naidoo-Pillay, on 011 074 5028 for more information.
