South African Child Gauge 2008/2009
‘Meaningful access to basic education’ is the 2008/2009 theme of this popular annual review of the situation of children in South Africa. The themed essays focus on the right to education, meaningful access, budgetary frameworks and school-fee waivers, children who are out of school, the relationship between poverty and exclusion, how to build effective partnerships between schools and communities, and what is required to build a strong foundation in numeracy and literacy. As usual, the publication also features an update on recent legislative developments affecting children, and updated statistics on the demographics of children in South Africa and their access to a range of socio-economic entitlements.
Developing social policy for children in the context of HIV/AIDS:
A South African case study
This study focuses on the development of three policies for children: the Child Support Grant, the Children’s Act, and the Foster Child Grant. While not specifically designed to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the policies are large-scale inter-
ventions involving significant amounts of money, and reaching large numbers of vulnerable children – including those affected by HIV/AIDS. The policies’ content and the process of policy design, development and implementation are described and analysed.
Analysis of the 2009/10 budgets of the nine provincial departments of social development: Are the budgets adequate to implement the Children’s Act? The Children’s Act obliges government to provide and fund a comprehensive range of social services for children. The provincial departments of social development should bear over 83% of the cost of implementing the Act. This paper analyses these departments’ medium-term expenditure framework budget allocations for 2009/10 – 2011/12 to assess the government’s progress in giving effect to its obligations under the Children’s Act. The paper also provides information on budget trends in relation to government personnel and transfers to non-profit organisations, and on under-spending in 2008/09. Click here for an executive summary.
Children's Institute annual report 2007/2008 This annual report contains a special feature: A set of reflective essays that trace the development of the Institute’s distinctive approach to socially responsive research and public engage- ment. The essays are “Participating in law-making processes: Experiences of the Children’s Bill”; “Litigating for a better deal”; “Children Count: Using child-centred data to monitor the realisation of children’s socio-economic rights in South Africa”; “Making a case for children’s right to social services”; and “The making of the South African Child Gauge: A reflection on the first three years”.
The Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town, aims to contribute to policies, laws and
interventions that promote equality and realise
the rights and improve the conditions
of
all children in South Africa,
through research, advocacy, education and technical support.
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