Orphaning and the Foster Child Grant: A return to the ‘care or cash’ debate
By reflecting on the growth of the FCG, the intention of the law, grant lapses experienced by foster parents, and recent litigation, this Children Count brief gives evidence to assist decisions about necessary law reform to improve the reach of grants and the effective use of the child protection system.

The Child Support Grant: Are conditions appropriate?
This Children Count brief looks at the arguments and counter-arguments for attaching conditions to the CSG. It gives an overview of the growth, reach and impact of the CSG in the absence of conditions, and discusses whether conditions are appropriate in South Africa, using evidence from national surveys.

In brief: A profile of children living in South Africa using the National Income Dynamics Study
This Children Count brief gives an overview of the situation of South Africa’s children through data from the first NIDS. It gives information about the demography of children; parenting, orphaning and care arrangements; housing and living conditions; and income poverty and the role of grants.

Children and income poverty: A brief update
This Children Count brief looks at income poverty and adult unemployment from the perspective of children. Separate analyses of poverty rates for adults and children show that children are more likely than adults to be poor; that grants alleviate child poverty; and that child poverty is linked to adult unemployment.