Make It Count Youth Development hosted a child-care workshop to educate young parents and promote positive attitudes towards children.
“Our community is facing a huge crisis, in terms of child care.
“We believe the emotional, physical and social development of a child affects what kind of adult they become.
“We want parents to understand how best to raise a child and why it is important for both parents to be involved in the child’s life,” explains Percival Vikisi, the NPO’s co-ordinator.
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Nana Sikhakhane, social worker from the Springs and KwaThema Child Welfare, says the state’s main objective is to equip parents in order to take care of their children.
“If your child ends up in foster care, you still have the right as a parent and the opportunity to change the circumstances that led to your child being removed from your home.
“We would like to see the child being discharged from the system and reunified with the parent.”
She encouraged the attendees to download the Children’s Act in order to fully understand what the responsibility of the parent is in a child’s life.
Lefa Ntuli, from the audience, asked the social worker what a father can do legally to get access to a child he has always been denied.
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“The family court can help you, especially if you know where the child and their guardian lives.
“The court then hands the matter over to social workers to investigate.
“Eventually the matter is heard in court in front of a judge,” she explains.
Sikhakhane encouraged men to fight for their paternal rights.
Constables Sibongile Nxumalo and Lerato Gwabe from the EMPD Social Crimes Unit warned parents against child neglect.
Child neglect is a form of child abuse, and is a deficit in meeting a child’s basic needs, including the failure to provide adequate supervision, health care, clothing or housing, as well as other physical, emotional, social, educational and safety needs.
“We have many cases where parents take their frustrations out on their children or they will ill-treat the child to spite the other parent.
“When parents fight, most of the time it is the children who suffer,” says Nxumalo.
She also emphasises it is important to show validation and displays of affection towards children.
“Many young people get into drugs, alcohol and prostitution because they are looking for love.
“They are craving something they did not get at home,” she says.
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Gwabe warned that the EMPD takes cases where parents misuse child grants seriously.
“If you are reported and an investigation proves that you are misusing the grant from the state, the grant can be stopped.”
Educational psychologist Erica Strydom from Home Start says their core service is to provide emotional support and guidance to families who need it.
“On a daily basis families are faced with different needs, from marital to educational.
“We give hope and help.”
Home Start is an international network that provides parenting classes, family therapy and educational assessments.
“Parenting does not come with a manual, so many parents do not actually know how to parent.
“That is where we come in,” she adds.
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