Child Protection: Ongoing efforts beyond awareness week

Child Protection Week has come to an end, but efforts to promote the rights of children and protect them must continue.

This week, a journalist asked me what the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) is doing differently this year regarding child protection.

This question arose following numerous reports of children’s rights being violated in horrific ways.

We heard of young girls in Beaufort West being assaulted, a teenage girl going missing in Paarl, and babies being abandoned. Such news is worrying and leaves one with a sense of dread. However, in all these cases, there are those who step in to offer comfort and a way out of the darkness.

Social workers

The Western Cape DSD has a statutory obligation to act on reports of child abuse or neglect. Social workers provide psychosocial support services, such as counselling, at any time of day. They accompany victims and their families on their journey to cope with trauma, all while facing high caseloads, increasing demand for services, and risks of verbal and physical abuse in some communities.

To illustrate the dedication of DSD staff, let’s consider the 2025 Easter long weekend. DSD social workers attended to 56 cases between April 18 and April 21, covering abandonment, abuse, trafficking, and children wandering the streets. In one instance, social workers from the Cape Winelands Overberg office drove a teenager, found hitchhiking near Worcester, back to his home in the Northern Cape to reunite him with his mother. These social workers went above and beyond to ensure this child was safe and that authorities provided the necessary support.

There are also 108 Designated Child Protection Organisations across the province, supported by the department. These organisations are obligated to provide child protection services upon receiving reports of abuse or neglect, strengthening our efforts to reach more vulnerable children. Currently, there are 42,725 children in the foster care system, either placed with foster parents or in a Cluster Foster Care Scheme, where multiple foster homes, managed by a non-profit organisation (NPO), are registered to provide care for up to six children.

So, what are we doing differently?

We are working to create more resilient NGOs and NPOs in the social services sector. On June 6, the department, in partnership with the Health Foundation of South Africa, launched the Cape Care Fund. This initiative aims to raise funds to support credible, registered organisations with a proven track record of quality service delivery in the Western Cape’s social services sector. Donors will be linked to vetted organisations doing vital work for the vulnerable but needing assistance to continue or enhance their efforts.

This year, the department increased funding to its Child Protection and Child and Youth Care programmes by R32 million to strengthen these services. Additionally, through the Social Work Integrated Management System Application (SWIMS App), the department is working to lessen the administrative burden on social workers, freeing up more time for therapeutic interventions. Launched last year in collaboration with the Department of the Premier’s Centre for e-Innovation, the SWIMS App is set to expand across the provincial government.

Our focus has been to roll out SWIMS to non-government entities in the child protection space, where we’ve identified the greatest need. DSD has already trained two Designated Child Protection Organisations (Stellcare and Valley Development Projects). If SWIMS is utilised by other social service professionals in government and the NGO space, it will strengthen our case monitoring systems, ensuring social workers stay updated on interventions and improving referral pathways between departments and organisations. This will also mitigate the risk of cases falling through the cracks.

The department is also implementing a groundbreaking training programme for staff at our Child and Youth Care Centres, aimed at enhancing therapeutic services for older adolescents. This initiative, in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s Alan J. Fisher Centre for Public Mental Health, seeks to improve mental health support in these facilities. As DSD’s Chief Occupational Therapist Nicholas Matyida said, “It equips our practitioners and care staff with the necessary tools to support residents in managing their emotions, making better decisions, and ultimately building brighter futures.”

This is just a snapshot of how the Western Cape DSD is trying to improve child protection services. However, we cannot do it alone. We need civil society, other government departments, communities, and the private sector to collaborate with us. We need people to report child abuse or neglect to the department or the SAPS, so that children may be safeguarded. We also need more individuals to become safety and foster parents, providing caring homes for vulnerable children who need temporary safety.

Most importantly, we need parents and guardians to take their roles seriously. If they are struggling, I encourage them to seek support from DSD or a health facility for the sake of the young lives in their care.

Please contact your nearest DSD local office or call the toll-free number 0800 220 250 for more information. You can also find information here: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/social-development/service/fostering-child

* Londt is Western Cape Minister of Social Development

Cape Argus