Safety- and Foster Care Placements

What are safety parents?

Safety parents act as temporary safe care placements for children legally removed from the care of their parents or caregivers due to circumstances which may have placed their wellbeing and safety at risk. These vulnerable and at risk children are placed in temporary safe care through the Children’s Court until such time that an alternative placement option can be considered. Safety parents offer a short term, emergency placement for a child where there is reason to believe that a child is in need of care and protection. It provides safe accommodation pending children’s court investigation and decision regarding placement options.

What are foster parents?

If a child is found to be in need of care and protection after the investigation, the child may be placed into a long term placement such as foster care, under the supervision of a designated social worker, for a period of 2 years, which can be extended if needed.

Why are safety and foster parents so important?

When children need alternative care, the ideal is to place children in a family system, this means with safety parents rather than a CYCC, where they can receive individual care and stimulation in a family environment. This is not always possible due to a shortage of safety parents.

CRITERIA

What are the requirements to become a safety or foster parent for children in need of care and protection?

You must be willing to be screened and trained as a safety parent.
You must be a resident within the area where the child(ren) resides.
Prospective safety parents must have an interest in the development of any child in need of care, be available for emergency placements which may be during or after working hours, and understand that there are no financial benefits other than compensation for basic costs of care.

RESPONSIBILITIES, RIGHTS AND ROLES

Regulation 65 and 66 of the Children’s Act (Act 38 of 2005) gives us a clear indication of the responsibilities and the rights of a safety and foster parent. Responsibilities of a safety and foster parent

A foster/safety parent has the responsibility of providing for the day to day needs of a foster/safety child placed in his or her care, in accordance with the definition of “care” in section 1 of the Act, which includes the responsibility to-
- Ensure that any social assistance or financial contribution from the child’s biological parent or parents is used towards the upbringing of the child and in the child’s best interest ;
- Not to obstruct contact between the foster/safety child and his or her biological family members and other persons with an interest in the well-being and development of the child, including contact as provided for in any foster/safety care plan or order of court assigning parental responsibilities and rights referred to in section 188(1)(d) or (e) of the Act , if such contact is in the best interest of the child and if those biological family members and other persons are available for the purposes of maintaining contact with the child ;
- Ensure that if the child is of school-going age, he or she attends school on a regular basis;
- Co-operate with a designated child protection organisation or designated social worker towards the eventual re-unification of the child with his or her biological parents or family members, as the case may be, where this is indicated in the permanency plan;
- Co-operate with a designated child protection organisation or designated social worker n any review of the visible extension of the foster/safety care order;
- Permit a designated child protection agency or designated social worker to have access to his or her home and to the child concerned, for the purposes of monitoring of the foster/safety care placement, provision of reunification services, review of the foster/safety care order or for any other matter relevant to the foster/safety care placement;
- Respect the views of the child and generally promote his or her well-being, best interests and physical, emotional and social development, and where applicable participation in early childhood development programmes;
- Guide the behaviour of the child in a humane manner and not impose any form of physical violence or punishment, or humiliating or degrading forms of discipline;
- Where a foster/safety care plan has been formulated in accordance with action 188(1)(e) of the Act, comply with the provisions of such plan ;
- Ensure that where the child is from a different cultural, linguistic or religious background, the child is assisted to maintain links with his or her culture, language or religion and
  • Ensure that the child is treated in a manner substantially similar to other children living in the same household, except where the special needs of that child or any other chid in the household require otherwise.
A foster/safety parent must notify the designated social worker or designated child protection organisation, as the case may be, of any change of address.
A foster/safety parent may not designate the day to day care of a foster/safety child to any other person for a continuous period of one week without agreeing thereto with the designated social worker or designated child protection organisation.
A foster/safety parent must notify he designated social worker or designated child protection organisation, as the case may be, within14 days, of any material changes in his or her living circumstances, his or her family’s living circumstances, which are likely to have a material effect on the foster/safety placement.

Rights of a safety and foster parent

A foster/safety parent has the right to take all day to day decisions necessary for the care, upbringing and development of the foster/safety child in his/her care.
A foster/safety parent has the right to reasonable privacy of home life, and not to be subjected to threats, harassment and undue intrusions upon the exercise of his or her foster/safety care responsibilities by biological parents or family members of the foster/safety child.
A foster/safety parent has the right to be informed by the designated social worker or the designated child protection organisation, as the case may be, of any fact or occurrence that may substantially affect the foster/safety placement of the child in his or her care.
A foster/safety parent has the right to apply for the adoption of the child and has the right to be informed of any application to adopt the foster/safety child in his or her care.
A foster/safety parent has the right to give notice that he or she has been informed of a pending application for the adoption of a foster/safety child in his or her care, and that he or she does not wish or is unable to adopt the child or to submit an application for the adoption of the foster/safety child, in a form identical to Form 41.
A foster/safety parent has the right to ongoing training and support from a social worker in order to enable such foster/safety parent to deal effectively with a foster/safety child and the child’s biological parents.
A foster/safety parent has the right to be informed about any investigation or assessment of his or her psycho-social background.
A foster/safety parent has the right to be informed about the foster/safety child’s educational history, assessments and achievements to ensure the foster/safety child’s optimal educational needs.

The role and function of Child Protection Organisations

When safety/foster parents are recruited, they receive training from their local Child Protection Organisation, in terms of the Children’s Act (Act 38 of 2005), on their rights and responsibilities and general parenting skills.

Child Protection Organisations also render supervision services, which include: monitoring, support and training. They help safety parents to apply for the safety fees for the 90 days, as well as to obtain an emergency pack with the basic necessities like toiletries, food, etc. if required.

Where available they provide items needed such as baby cots, car seats, nappies, toys, clothes, school clothes from our clothing room etc. Donations from the public come in handy.

As mentioned above, the Child Protection Organisation must also inform the safety/foster parents of (1) any fact or occurrence that may substantially affect the foster/safety placement of the child (2) any application to adopt the child (3) any investigation/assessment of his/her psycho-social background and (4) the foster/safety child’s education history, assessment and achievement.

PROCESS OF BECOMING FOSTER PARENTS

On the 9th of November 2019, the Department of Social Development issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the recruitment, screening, selection and training of safety/foster parents. The SOP was informed by the norms, standards and practice guidelines for the Children’s Act.