Entrenching child rights in at-risk communities

VISION

To play a leading role, through focused and effective service delivery, in the development of quality of life for all children and their families in order to advance their social functioning.

OVERVIEW

Child Welfare Helderberg aims to expand its "Eye on A Child" community project by training and supporting 60 new volunteers from the impoverished communities of Maccassar, Sir Lowry's Pass and Rigby. The ongoing project mobilises more and more community members to work hand-in-hand with social workers and local authorities. In this way, local people become important and recognised role players in a united effort to ensure the proper protection of children in their communities. This involvement of the communities in implementing solutions to the unacceptably high incidences of child abuse helps to entrench a culture of Child Rights and child care. It fosters the desirable ethos that 'all children are our children', and keeps the issue of child safety top of mind.

EXPECTED LIFE CHANGE

An investment of R92 662.00 enables Child Welfare Helderberg to train and support 20 "Eye on A Child" volunteers in each of 3 communities.

• 60 volunteers will receive the required training, increasing their capacity to play a positive role in their communities.
• Direct beneficiaries will be children in abusive situations.
• 24 000 people living in the communities will benefit from the presence of active volunteers working to address issues of child abuse.
• Indirect life change at a cost per life of R3.86

This project has the potential to impact positively on the social, psychological and physical aspects of the beneficiaries' lives.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

• The project promotes a culture of child rights and child care in communities where there is a high incidence of abuse.
• By training community members to respond effectively to incidents of abuse, the organisation is building the capacity of the community to properly nurture their children.
• The intervention highlights the importance of a context of child rights and child protection in these communities.
• This is an ongoing project that recruits community volunteers and equips them to take action to protect vulnerable children. It motivates and builds a grassroots response to unacceptably high incidences of child abuse, increasing the capacity and the confidence of the community to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for its children.

NEED

There are unacceptably high incidences of child endangerment, neglect and abuse in the communities of Maccassar, Sir Lowry's Pass and Rigby. The stresses of poverty, joblessness and widespread substance abuse result in volatile situations in homes. Social workers deployed in these communities work office hours, 5 days a week. Yet, there are higher incidences of abuse in homes at night and over weekends. This demands increased community participation in the effort to properly protect children.

STRATEGY

The 'Eye on A Child' project is a tried and tested model that is used by Child Welfare in the Western Cape to engage and empower community volunteers to ensure that the right action is taken to protect children in homes in need and in crisis.

Screening volunteers - community members undergo a rigorous screening process before they are recruited as volunteers

Volunteer training - volunteers attend 10 workshops sessions. Training modules include Child Rights, The Child Act, First Aid, the History of Eye of the Child, Ethics, trauma counselling, parenting skills, violence, how to identify abusive situations and how to intervene correctly and safely in volatile situations. Trainees are tested by the Magistrate and authorised by the Courts to remove children, if necessary, from abusive homes to place them in designated houses of safety for 48 hours.

Volunteer organisation and support - volunteers form organised groups with close ties to the local police and social workers. Each volunteer group forms its own management committee that plans and schedules the work of the group.

ACTION PLAN

Preparation

As this is a further stage of long-term project, the necessary structures and resources are in place.

Implementation

The 60 volunteers will be trained, tested and qualified by the Magistrate. A graduation ceremony will be held to introduce the volunteers to community, and to raise the awareness of child abuse issues. Volunteers will work closely with social workers and the police to carry out the necessary interventions to protect children in home at risk or in crisis.

Monitoring

The project co-ordinator, social workers and management of Child Welfare Helderberg will monitor the project through monthly meetings with the volunteer groups. Volunteers are required to compile and submits reports on each of their interventions.

RISK PROFILE

Key Strengths

• Concept: The project promotes community-based care of vulnerable children and entrenches the context of Child Rights. It increases the community's capacity to care for and protect their own children. The project empowers community members as high profile child protectors.
• Design: This project is based on the model that was implemented in 2004, and a steady decrease in the reported cases of abuse in the home has been recorded. The involvement of the Magistrate, social worker and police structures provide the project with a formal, regulated standing in the community and a high profile. By qualifying the community members, the project helps to create a body of community knowledge about child rights and child protection. By involving community members as key role players, the project raises awareness of child abuse issues and provides an action plan to address such incidences.
• Capability: Child Welfare is one of the most recognised NPO 'brands' with significant, proven depth, experience and expertise.
• Control: Child Welfare has an independent Board, a 3-tiered reporting system and comprehensive controls. The organisation is accountable to government.
• Sustainability: The project transfers child care and child protection skills into the hands of community members. Volunteer support structures are in place to mitigate drop-out.

Key Risks

• Concept: As the programme is volunteer based it is dependent on the personal motivation and availability of quality volunteers.
• Design: Effective implementation requires volunteers willing to deal with conflict and stress, at the risk of 'burn-out'. This is somewhat mitigated by the group organisational structure which allows for peer support and regular contact with social workers who can mentor and support.
• Capability: The project group structure has a high ratio of volunteers to social workers. The depth of expertise in the volunteer training is unknown.
• Sustainability: This intervention is implemented annually and at present there is no exit strategy. The project is dependent on other interventions that address behaviour changes and the social conditions that result in homes in crises and at risk.
• External: There is the risk of the volunteers being rejected or ignored by their communities. The volunteers will face many challenges and stresses, and the impact of this on their behaviour is unknown.