Gauteng Department of Social Development in conjunction with Hope and Home for Children in South Africa (HHCSA), kick-started the three-day One Child One Family Evidence Summit aimed at engaging on encouraging society to raise children at homes and to decrease over-dependence on institutionalization of children in Child and Youth Care Centers (CYCC's) in Gauteng.
This groundbreaking summit by the department, themed, "Let us all protect children to move South Africa forward",.Opening the summit, Head of Department Thembeni Mhlongo said, "We need to join forces as different stakeholders to come-up with a solution that will change people's mindset because currently we are significantly reliant on institutional care which indicates that the child protection system, despite the positive and advanced legislation is highly institutionalized".
Neliswa Cekiso from the National Department of Social Development, National Child Protection and Institutional Care Unit said that," As a country we are confronted by children who are victims of social ills thus we need to reevaluate ourselves and check on whether we have been making strides in the protection of children".Registrar Langi Malamba from South African Council for Social Services Professions said, "We are far from achieving safe societies, children are molested every day and they are deprived environment conducive for their up-bringing".Magistrate Teressa Swart from Justice Department concurs that, "As magistrates, police and social workers we should work together and change mindsets of people on the importance of family values. The Child Act 38 of 2005 remains the best legislation that requires that we implement it through".
Country Director of HHCSA, Lourenza Foghill, indicated that a year-long survey was conducted in 2015 to 2016 on over 3125 children from 172 CYCC's in South Africa and it was revealed that an enormous 74% of these children remained in the CYCC's and over stayed in different institutions by between two years to ten years".
She said that the 66% of these children remained in the CYCC because they are orphans and only 3% of them have some contact with their families.
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