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In order to adequately address the needs of each of the
children, an individual development plan is compiled for
each child. The plan is based on:
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Professional background reports
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Personal observations
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Interviews with social workers
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School reports and results
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Insights and
reports of the Child Care Worker
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Insights of other concerned persons as applicable
A team of professionals from various child-related
fields then works to attain each child’s specific
objectives. Although the staff members at the centre are
usually capable of adequately attending to the needs of
the children, it is occasionally necessary to make use
of external experts, such as psychologists;
psychiatrists; occupational therapists; speech
therapists; physio-therapists and other medical
specialists. In some situations, the additional expenses
generated by the external services have financial
implications for the centre.
Our children have
access to sporting opportunities and facilities
of the highest quality. Aside from the different
school sports, our children can also partake in
swimming, karate, dance and drama classes.
Each of our children receives mother tongue education
and we therefore make make use of a total of 16 schools.
Included in these are Asjassies Kleuterskool and the
Ikageng Centre of Concern, which benefits 21 of our
toddlers. This assists with the children’s integration
into the community, as well as strengthening their sense
of cultural identity.
The centre employs 68 staff members who are involved
with the children on a daily basis. Management considers
investment into each staff member’s professional
development to be of utmost importance, since it is only
when the work is approached with passion, dedication and
commitment that the positive impact staff have on the
children’s lives can be maximized and made more focused
and accurate. The technology used in Social work, as
well as Child and Youth Care, changes over time as new
techniques and skills are developed. In order to remain
abreast of these developments, personnel have access to
specific training opportunities on a regular basis. The
Child and Youth Care workers on our staff are trained by
the National Association for Child Care Workers, while
our social workers make use of a wide spectrum of
child-related training opportunities.
The centre is in a position to be able to financially
assist final year learners, who pass their exams and
receive university exemption, in attending university.
This is due to a testamentary trust-fund which may be
used to partially cover the cost of their studies.
However, in the current economic climate, a large sum
must also be generated from other sources.
The centre supports the principle that children should
be reunited with their families as soon as possible,
once the original reason for admission has been dealt
with. Reuniting the children with their families is
usually the responsibility of an external social worker
(usually the same social worker who placed the child in
the care of the centre originally). However, the social
workers operate under a great deal of pressure, which
has a direct effect on the amount of time which lapses
before reunification of children with their families can
occur. Conversely, there are also a growing number of
children being taken into care who do not have any
family connections or support systems. Furthermore, it
is becoming increasingly difficult to identify families
in the community who are willing to act as weekend- and
holiday-friends for the children, particularly the older
children. The centre hopes to address this problem by
expanding on the existing services, and by initiating
new community projects. |
