Social Development

1. (a) What is the current status of the Western Cape’s foster care backlog,

The current status of the foster care backlog in the Western Cape is 1 455 children’s names which reflect on the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)’s database for October 2022.  It is important to note that 972 out of 1455 reports were submitted to children’s courts in October 2022.  The WCDSD currently awaits the foster care extension orders to be issued by the courts in order to submit them to SASSA.

 

(b) which agencies or entities are mandated to process and clear the backlog

 

The National Department of Social Development and all Provincial DSDs are respondents to the North Gauteng High Court Order under case no. 55477/2020 The WC DSD developed and implemented a Provincial Foster Care Management Plan which emphasizes the mechanisms, structures, and systems that promote inter-sectoral collaboration with its key stakeholders to manage foster care and eradicate the backlog.  In doing so, the WCDSD’s efforts to eradicate the foster care backlog largely depend on all its stakeholders' support, commitment, and accountability in the foster care management process.

 

 

 

The key role players/entities in the foster care value chain to eradicate the foster care backlog is:

 

1. The WCDSD foster care social workers that specialize in rendering foster care supervision services.
2. Designated Child Protection Organisations (DCPOs) rendering statutory foster care services partnering with the WCDSD.
3. The children’s courts, which issue foster care extension orders to children in the alternative care system. 
4. The South African Social Security Agency to update and provide accurate data sets of foster care orders that have lapsed.
5. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) positively supports the WCDSD with proof of school attendance of children in the alternative care system.
6. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has a prolonged timeframe for issuing birth certificates to children in the alternative care system.

 

(c) what progress has been made in clearing the backlog since April 2022;

The WCDSD in collaboration with DCPOs extended 4 593 foster care orders via the children’s courts since April 2022 to date.  

 

 

2. whether the backlog will be cleared by December 2022; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

 

It is important to note that the foster care backlog is a moving target and not possible to be cleared completely.  The WCDSD follows a specialized model in foster care which has allowed for the reduction of the foster care backlog successfully to date.  The current foster care database in the Western Cape consists of 38 571 foster children.  In addition, cognizance must be given to the constant influx of new foster care cases and renewal of two year orders on a monthly basis, which places an enormous strain on the human resources of the WCDSD.