Abstract #225  -  Using child care forums as safe spaces for children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS in South Africa
Authors:   Presenting Author:   Ms Vuyiswa Mathambo - Human Sciences Research Council
Additional Authors:
Aim: South Africa's policy framework places strong emphasis on community-based services. Child care forums (CCFs) - locally based groups focussing on the needs of vulnerable children - have been identified as an instrument for bringing services closer to children and families made vulnerable by the AIDS epidemic. This project aimed to conduct an audit of CCFs in South Africa in order to provide information on existing CCFs, their geographical location and distribution, the range and reach of their services, their funding sources and partnerships with other service providers.
Method / Issue: In order to describe the current status of CCFs, 400 CCFs/sites were visited and mapped using geographic positioning system receivers. During the 400 site visits, interviews were conducted with 400 site managers, 192 staff, 263 volunteers and 309 child beneficiaries.
Results / Comments: Of the 400 sites visited and mapped, the highest number (99) of CCFs were located in KwaZulu Natal - the province with the highest HIV prevalence. The spatial distribution of CCFs showed interesting patterns - they were evenly distributed in one province while clustered in certain areas in the other eight provinces. Services provided by CCFs were indicative of challenges being faced by communities they were serving. The 400 CCFs were reaching a total of 189 191 child beneficiaries. Almost two-thirds of site managers (64.0%) felt they were meeting the needs of vulnerable children, while 95.1% of children were happy with the services they were receiving from CCFs.
Discussion: CCFs were providing much-needed services particularly where the more formal services were lacking. However, the total number of child beneficiaries reached seemed small scale in relation to the numbers of children living in communities highly affected by AIDS and poverty. Results of this audit point to provinces and areas with low CCF activity - which should be prioritised by government and other role players.
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