Social Development
- Whether her Department provides any support to teenage parents; if so, what are the relevant details;
- whether her Department has any measures in place to reduce instances of pregnancy among schoolgoing-age children; if so, what are the relevant details?
Western Cape Department of Social Development (WCDSD) own services and its service delivery partners (Funded Non-Profit Organizations) has several prevention and early intervention services and programmes that involve risk assessments of young and first-time mothers, counselling, psycho-social support and referrals to appropriate additional support services. Interventions rendered by NGOs are: “Parent-Infant Intervention Home Visiting Programme” (First 1000 days programme): This home visitation programme is provided to vulnerable pregnant and first time mothers who are highly at risk of abusing, neglecting and abandoning their infants due to challenges and stressors such as unplanned, unwanted teenage pregnancies
“Parenting Worx Program” provides young expectant mothers with positive, healthy and effective parenting and early childhood development skills through a comprehensive six-session parenting program. A key objective of this program is to provide these expectant mothers with comprehensive knowledge of pregnancy to ensure they have a healthy and happy baby, as well as assistance during the first few months after their baby is born.
(2) whether her Department has any measures in place to reduce instances of pregnancy
among school going age children; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply: WCDSD partners with Prevention and Early intervention NPOs that has several prevention and awareness programmes to reduce instances of teenage pregnancy.
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has also programs in place at schools regarding teenage pregnancies on a preventative and awareness level.
