Geluksdal – Tsakane and Geluksdal Child Welfare officials honoured their long-standing board members, staff, community partners and foster care parents at an annual general meeting.
The event was also attended by foster care children who are being happily raised by caring and dedicated foster parents with the help of the Tsakane/ Gelukdsal Child Welfare office.
Foster parents who went through different training programmes during the year were awarded with certificates.
The board committee which has been standing for more than five years, as well as staff members, were awarded for their excellence and dedication.
Melinda Cupido the Board Director and office manager for the Tsakane/ Geluksdal Child Welfare expressed gratitude to her team, foster parents and community members who support the department
“We are proud to have a dedicated team who are committed to working for the well-being of children within our society as well as community members who support us. We are also grateful to foster parents who co-operate with our training facilities which enable them to be better parents to their foster children,” she said.
The Child Welfare Tsakane/ Geluksdal is currently facing challenges due to a lack of office premises and lack of transportation for their team and children who need to be taken to court occasionally.
The organisation is seeking donations.
“There are so many children who need our services, yet we can barely manage because of a lack of funds.
As a non-profit organisation we rely on donations.
We need more funding to help make the dreams of many disadvantaged children in our community come true,” says Dr Kenneth Fortuin the Chairperson of the department.
During the year, the Child Welfare office managed to accomplish the following:
• Hosted awareness programmes on child abuse at local churches and schools
• Reported 2180 child cases in Gelukdal and Tsakane
• Hosted a seminar for 50 foster parents
• 32 foster care applications were finalised
• 52 re-openings of lapsed foster care cases were finalised
• 280 extensions of foster care placements from reviews
• Facilitated support groups
• A child protection forum was established within the community
• A school holiday programme for 150 foster children between 7 and 18 was conducted
