Children’s Bill Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Children’s Grants Department of Social Development 9/2/2005

Constitutional Issues  Welfare:concurrent function  Social Security/Social Assistance: national competency

Child Care Legislation  Law Commission initiative superceded by time and events  Social security no longer a concurrent function  Report on comprehensive social security  Cabinet review of comprehensive social security  Extension of the CSG to children age 14 years

Child Support Grant Age:No. of childrenNo.children(CSG)Coverage 0 –7yrs % 8-9yrs % 9-10 yrs % 10-11yrs % 11-14yrs Effective-1/4/ yrs Total %

Care Dependacy and Foster Child Grant Total No.of Child. Foster Child Grant % of Pop % increase in take up rate between Care Depend.Grant

Proposed Grants  Child Grant  Foster and court ordered kinship care grant  Informal kinship care grant  Adoption grant.  Subsidies for ECDS  Emergency Court grant  Supplementary special needs grant  Grant for assistive devices  Fees for NGO’s  Subsidies for NGO’s

A Child Grant-Universal  Child Support Grant meets the requirement. Must be increased to children between years. Could be done progressively.Policy in place.Will require cabinet approval.  Issues should it be confined to poor children-means tested- or be universal.Fiscal constraints will support means test.  Universal grant could compromise poor children.

Foster Child Grant  No new policy shifts.  Eligibility criteria expanded to include kinship previously excluded. Only requirement for grant is court order. No impact on present grant. May impact court processes.  Informal kinship grant.Not sure why preference should be given to informal kinship over caregivers in CSG.  Should preferably retain CSG in these circumstances.

Adoption Grant  Understand the rational. Why should adoptive parents be given preference over natural parents.  Can qualify for CSG.  If amount is pitched at FCG amount,could be fiscally constraining.  Adoption should be an issue of choice rather than incentivised.  Could address this issue by standardising all grants for children based on cost of basic needs.

Special Needs Grant  Children with mild to severe disabilities.  Chronic illnesses.  Supplemented with other grants.  Given to parents and caregivers.

Emergency Court Grant  A child or family that experiences distress as outlined in section 345 can qualify for social relief of distress which can be awarded for a period of 6 months as opposed to 3 as proposed.  Furthermore the whole family can qualify for assistance instead of only just the child.

Child Headed Households  A child grant is proposed for a child headed households.  The children in a CHH are eligible for the CSG,FCG and or the CDG.  It is the head of household who is often a young person that is excluded.  It is recommended that over and above the child grants, young people be assisted temporary with Social Relief of Distress to prevent double payments.

Assistive Devices  It is a Depart. Of Health service.  There must be a memorandum of understanding with Health on this issue.  To use grants to cross subsidise health services will not be appropriate.

Means Test  Current Status  Proposed Recommendations.  All grants must be means tested.

Fees and Subsidies  It is a welfare issue and not a social security issue because the service rendered will be a welfare one.