STARTING FROM SCRATCH...CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

The post read, "To build something from nothing is exhausting".

It's "starting from scratch." Frequently also, are direct questions . "I want to start my own project. What must I do?' This is not a 'Do it yourself manual". Its my experience of setting up child and youth care programme in South Africa.

 I  have started up three projects from scratch. One faith-based. One had nothing but an enthusiastic group of ladies who wanted to do good. The third had some sort of "Head-start". The last two had some sort of committee and a so-called "Founder".

The head-start one was in a semi-rural village about 27 kilometres from the nearest town. In 2007 an approach was made by someone in my church. "Come see. Maybe you can start something. There is a building . It was built by  the government as a Hospice with dormitories, but never used. African people care for their own." 

The drive through the village was the first of a series of new experiences for me. It was a long and narrow, East to West  The streets were loaded with children of all ages... just hanging around . And it was in school term!!

The building was the next surprise and not easily accessible for community and especially not for children - a loooong walk. The building however was gem. Government had spent ZAR 4.5 m on it. In 2007, that was a lot of South African Rands. It was fenced, a so-called Community Hall and dormitories stood empty.

 First thought. "This is a Residential Children's Home". There was a Home-based Care Worker (HBCW) Project with a learner staff of 15 HBCWs The hall was used as their training venue and they reported to the "Founder".

A mornings were spent looking and talking. Then the threads came together. The need was for a Child and Youth Care service, but using the same model as the HBCWs. "Go to  them...they can't come to you." A community-based model of Child and Youth Care  existed in the best practice model of the National Association of Child and Youth Care Workers (NACCW) called "Isibindi", The building would be a training and gathering venue for case-studies and all that goes with the methodology of child and youth care work. including administration.

 From the concept, comes the .. "from Scratch "work. But it has to start with just that. A very clear written concept...the concept document. There was a set of requirements to be followed from the "I have an idea, an intention to start a project moment" to "up and running". .. Here's the exhausting part. It is laborious
* Existing Founder and Board to agree in writing.
* If there is no existing structure it is good to have a "Steering Committee" drawn from the community to be served.
* Notice of intent together with the concept document to the District Office of the Department of Social Development. The local office to give the intention a nod and to be kept informed and involved throughout.
* A community profile and a needs survey to give evidence that the proposed service, in it's concept, will indeed serve the real and tangible needs of the community. Statistics statistics statistics.
* Application to the holding body of any model that is to be used.In this case the NACCW. Otherwise written evidence that networks and partnerships with best practice models are possible.
*A business plan. This shows staffing structure,  administration systems the estimated cost and the plan to have these costs in some way covered. Can be a possible grant from the State.
* in the case of this being an independent non-profit organisation, a constitution which is compliant with the NPO Act 
* A funding proposal ... A request justifying funding. In this instance the request went to  the NACCW which was working in partnership with US AID.
* Request to the Provincial Department of Social Development to launch. They have to recognise the project and approve it.
* Receipt of the final agreement to go ahead from the Provincial Offices of the Department of Social Development. In this instance they said that it would be regarded as a "Pilot project"

The procedure was not a straight line and didn't go at all easily. It took OVER TWO YEARS!! Even then there was more to do. A tripartite contract had to be signed. The founding NPO, the NACCW who employed the staff and the funder.

In 2010 the learner staff were employed and given fixed term contracts. 15 on contract and 15 additional unpaid volunteers. 

A two year training programme was launched. I was the trainer and the "co-ordinator of the Isibindi project. The agreement was that I would after 2 years,"hand over" the project to the community, being the founding NPO and its' Board. Which happened. We were reaching about 500 children a year and providing professional services.
 Today, already qualified staff, registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) would have to be employed.

Now we must talk of the growth and development programmes. Model social service programmes in the community can seldom remain static. As you go along other needs are discovered. It could be a service of provision...feeding, clothing ,blankets in Winter. You see?  It never stops. Exhaustive and exhausting. The Isibindi Project had what were called "Add-ons". These then, expanded the community-based concept to make for more holistc care. The first is the Safe-Park. The idea was that children would come after school, weekends and in the holidays to a safe place where there was informal and formal play and activities. Considering  the long East to West lay- out of the village it became apparent that to be accessible there was a need for one at each end of the village. Not one...But TWO!!
 Process starts again . This time with the addition of having to get Tribal land. Application with supportive documentation, needs surveys and profiles needed..again!

Tribal chief,  NACCW and US AID agreed. Ole, Halala. The Safe Park and other related add- ons required contracted learners be especially trained as add-on specialities. Such as Toy Library, Disability, Girl child protection, Adolescent Development Programmes and eventually Early Childhood Development. 

Back to that Facebook post. To build something from nothing is exhausting". You have to deal with all kinds of politics (with a small "p).  In this project, ..a list:
*Rivalry and tensions between the Home Base Care Workers  and the child and youth care workers. ( commonly found).
*Founders and Board needing to assert authority over a field they were not familiar with.
*Tribal authority interest for accolades.
* Government feet-dragging, delays and bureaucratic controls.

But there we go. "to build something from nothing is exhausting.

But worth it.

WAS IT ETHICAL?WHATE WOULD YOU DO?...CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

SCENARIO 1
"You had better know  this", she said. It was the child and youth care worker from one of the group homes. "Samangele and Lindo (not their real names) are not just sexually active. They go on a rave looking for a good time and having sex with boys in sort of sex parties"
"How do you know?" 
"When she was at school, I found Lino's diary. I read  it. She writes all bout it". 
"Diaries are private".
"But these girls are in my care.You and I have to deal with it as professionals. We must plan interventions. They are at risk."

 The mind raced.  

Sure there was work to do with the two girls. Sure our having knowledge came from reading Lino's otherwise private journalised diary. How can they be carefronted on a professional child and youth care worker's prying? 

Dilemma.

Question is. Did  the child and youth care worker do the right thing? Was it ethical? What would you do?

SCENARIO 2
 The child  and youth care worker stumbled upon a young person pouring out his heart to another child and youth care worker in the programme. That night the child and youth care worker called him to one side.The young person explained the sharing to be based on a connection he did not have with her, as his primary care worker."I am your Primary child and youth care worker", she said. "You are a young person in my focus group. The first one you come to if you have a problem is me. I am responsible for helping you. If you have a problem you come to me...not just anyone else in the programme. I'll decide if you need to tell the social worker or anyone else."

Dilemma.

Question is. Did  the child and youth care worker do the right thing? Was it ethical? What would you do?

SCENARIO 3.
Partricia was 10 and intellectually challenged. She was in, what was then called a "special class" in a mainstream school. The school was constantly contacting the management of the facility to report that teachers were experiencing challenges with her behaviour. Her impulsivity was of concern. It seemed as if living residentially with older girls in the same dormitory setting she became or, was made, sexually aware beyond her age. It was when she was found pulling boys behind the girls toilet and revealing herself that the school said they couldn't manage her.

 The multi-disciplinary team met, which included the chairperson of the Child Care Committee and who was a counselling sexologist. Decision was to refer Patricia to to the sexologist for assessment.  

At the next meeting of the Child Care Committee, the sexologist said that the Patricia must be put onto contraceptives. 
"But she's only 10 and she hasn't menstruated. She's      
pre-menstrual. Can we do this? 
"I recommend it", she said. "She could menstruate at any time and you have to prevent an early pregnancy. The mother is not able to make a rational decision. It's up to you".

 It went back to the multi-disciplinary team.
"Put her on contraception. The injection". 

Management put a premenstrual 10 year old girl on contraception.

Question is. Was it ethical? What would you do

SCENARIO 4
They were a resident married couple. Only the male was employed as a child and youth care worker. Gossip and unsubstantiated rumours circulated among the young people in the facility that his wife had allegedly seduced one of the boys. 

 The husband as a staff member went to a social service professional employed by the facility, a qualified Counsellor and Marriage Guidance Counsellor and asked for counselling supervision. Who agreed. The child and youth care worker went for weekly counselling. 

In another forum in the programme the boy spoke of his confused state and confirmed the rumours. He said he had consented. 

At the time the boy concerned was a few months under the age of consent. This made the wife legally liable for alleged statutory rape. The Counsellor felt trapped between the  confidentiality of a 'client' and the alleged breach of the law by an unemployed adult resident, which would have led to the removal of service of the couple and so then the loss of employment of an innocent child and youth care worker.

 The Counsellor's decision was to remain silent.

Dilemma   

Question is. Was it ethical? What would you do?

SCENARIO 5
There they were. Two boys sitting on the office block steps at 07.00 hours. Dejected and angry. A backpack between them. The Manager, a registered Social Service Professional and a child and youth care worker went to the office early that morning and there they were. He knew them well. They had been placed in the residential facility and had been there for about 4 years. The decision of the multi-disciplinary team to return them to the parents on extended leave had not been taken lightly. Their relationship with the parents was solid and positive... So what was this?

The boys said that on the previous day their primary child and youth care worker come for a home visit ... a three monthly review. She came again at 6.00am that morning and told them they were going back

The child and youth care worker had left them on the stairs for the Manager to find and readmit them then went to her unit to sort out her group. She later said that it was in the boy's best interest. She couldn't take the struggle for food in the household.

 The incident was reported to the facilities Management Board together with the Facility Manager's intention to report the incident to the South African Council for Social Service Professions. The Board refused to allow the report saying that such action could result in the loss of employment for the child and youth care worker, her lively-hood and her source of income.

The Facility Manager followed the instruction

Question is. Was it ethical? What would you do?








  

BLACK LIVES MATTER...CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

The world knows that South Africa had a long history of legally, statutorily imposed discrimination based on race. As White people in South Africa we were fed propaganda and strictly silenced media. In Germany in the 1970's  the students at the Heidelberg University knew more than I did about separate education, it's impact and its educational inhumanity in the lives of children. All manner of racially loaded justifications were used to prove White superiority and show that Black people were in need of lesser, unequal  levels of employment, education, income, opportunity. It was all blatant racialism.

Then in 1994 comes the first democratic election and with it the principles of social and racial equality... a non-racial South Africa. We are now 26 years down the track, into a new millennium. Yet the the colonial mind-set, world view  seems to me still to have a life. 

In 1997 the St Goodenough Children's Home was allowed, and did, move from a Whites only to a racially mixed programme population. At  one and the same time, the dormitory setting changed to a group home setting. The buildings and grounds became a school for post apartheid returning refugees. The media was very interested. It was a good story. A TV magazine programme showed me with my hand on the shoulder of a Black boy child welcoming him into a group home.

The telephone. I answered. "St Goodenough". 
"We are going to kill you".
"Pardon".
"We are going to kill you.You sold us out. When I saw you on TV with your arm around the shoulder of that Black guy, I was so angry. The old Boys say we will kill you."
"What's your name?"
"You don't have to know".
 "Thanks for the warning

In 2017, 20 years later I met with an old Boy of that time at the local supermarket. He was at the cashier. I was well behind in the queue. I was shouted at  by him, in public by a now a grown man with wife and children. " We have not forgotten. We often still talk about it...The f*** up you made of St Goodenough. You sold us White guys out to Blacks." 

We. at St Goodenough clearly didn't get it right in the mind-set/ world view of the young people in our care despite the fact that we had the combined brains of a Transformation Committee, transitional preparation for all parties including the then resident young people and the old Boys. Their White privilege racial thinking lives on. 

What I'm getting at is that aspects of colonial racial inequality still lingers on in the corners of some White people's minds. I'm am hugely concerned that the Black children and young people in our programmes may even now experience themselves stereotyped as racially inferior and that they don't really matter.

 There have been highly profiled social media incidents of teacher to Black child/young person racism. Equally, young person to young person racism. I cant'say that I have seen the same social media profiling in the child and youth care system. 

My question is "What needs to be done practically, professionally to break down any form of mind-set or world view in the lives of the young Black people in our direct professional care that they fit prejudicial stereotypes of the past and are racially lesser beings. But that there is only one race in the world and that is the human race and that they are equal members of it. That Black lives matter.
Getting it right.

Are we still talking about transformation? "Black kids get the better beds" "White kids get the better beds". I have even now heard both. You have to be White to get anywhere in this place!" "You have to be Black to get anywhere in this place".

Now to child and youth care practice. It starts with us (as always). Maybe it starts with the systemic approach driving our practice..let's start there.

In the apartheid era, Prof Norman Powell risked his job to break the sanctions and come to South Africa. He brought with him an analogy of an attitude toward race that he called  the "cookie cutter" child and youth care approach. The cookie cutter approach sets out to cut (mould) all young people into the same shape. He told the story of a Mexican young person in care complaining about this approach. "There's nothing in this place which resonates with me as a Mexican" Norman Powell completely understood.  As an expert in negotiation with hostage takers for the release of hostages, he encountered the cookie cutter approach among the police in the Hostage Squad.  Thing is that the cookie cutter shape in South African Child and Youth Care produces child and youth care workers educated and trained in a White, Eurocentric, North American practice shape. He made the point that in the cookie cutter approach Black young people find it necessary to play for White in order to get anywhere. In playing for colonial White, Black African young people and children are forced to negate their Black Africaness as if Black lives don't matter. We talk of a mix each with their own Black or White identity, indigenous thinking and culture but the cookie cutter in our practice reinforces the view that 'White is right".

 So now to ourselves.

Working in Tswana country, the North West Province in South Africa adjoining Botswana  (The Land of the Tswana), I tried for three years to get learner child and youth care workers to talk of being Tswana, being real (genuine), honest and outspoken about being Tswana....what it means when relating to parents and, adults, significant others, authority figures, children and young people. I got this response every time. "Whatever is European is our way"( cookie cutter). It took three years of trust building and relationship building for those child and youth care learners to be comfortable enough to say,"This is the way it is". Then usually, "Don't tell anyone, they may think that we are primitive".!!! 

Looking at ourselves then, Black lives matter. Are we trapped into silence or adopting the "If you want to get anywhere , then you must... " approach. 

 I have a fear that Black lives won't matter until  Child and Youth Care in South African breaks out of the White, Eurocentric, Colonial, North American cookie cutter and documents ,writes and publishes Black South African indigenous praxis. When it is allowed that indigenous practice determines indigenous child and youth care theories, and when indigenous Black African theories determine indigenous practice.

It must be done because:

Black lives matter. 


  

WHAT RATIOS, WHAT HOURS?...CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

The question was "What is the most effective young person/child ratio to child and youth care worker and working hours to optimise child care services without abusing or burning them out ?" 

The intention to protect child and youth care workers and so to  ensure more efficient and effective care for children without crippling the professional is to be praised.

The response however, is sure to  be emotionally loaded in any organisation where caring is its core business. There is no 'one off, pat' answer.

In 1982/3 the apartheid government instructed that an enquiry be undertaken and these same issues be assessed in the Children's Homes. The deMeyer Commission Report was tabled and circularised. The report made very unambiguous recommendations

In the first instance it read that dormitory- styled Children's Homes should have no more than 60 children in total. It resulted in the 200 - 300 bed facilities for white children being closed. The "small is beautiful" concept in child and youth care work took root. Some Children's Homes with large campuses and many buildings experienced problems as the Department of Welfare reduced the placements. The grounds and the buildings could not be maintained with the reduced income from government per-capita (heads on beds) funding. 

The ratio of child and youth care workers to young people, it read , should be 1/8 and 1/4 for the more troubled and or difficult to manage young people. 

The deMeyer Commission Report (1982/1983) raised considerable anger in the child care sector which catered for the apartheid Black, Indian or "Coloured" children particularly as they were financed by separate apartheid state departments. Certainly in 1994?1995 those recommendations were no where near being implemented in the so called "Black" children's facilities. This was made very clear to the new democratic government in the massive criticism and concern made by the President Nelson Mandela 'Cabinet Enquiry into Places of Safety and Detention'. Ratios were anywhere up to 1/50 !! Requiring that security guards be employed, some with dogs and some in towers with guns.

In the so,called "White" sector following deMeyer there was a gradual emergence toward Village and Group Home settings where the smaller numbers were accommodated more appropriately and staff ratios changed. In the then Transvaal Province, the Department became comfortable with 1/12 or 1/13 for less troubling children, moving closer to normalisation and the deMeyer Report recommendations.

 In 1995/6/7, young people were no longer, by law to be in prisons. The trickle down, no, the more like a flood of less manageable young people were taken into the child and youth care system. It meant that staff ratios took something of a bump as the released young people were placed in dormitory systems as in Places of Safety and what became known as Child and Youth Care Centres. Children's Homes became regarded more as short term Treatment Centres requiring reduced staff ratios. There was though, a core of residential child and youth care staff on 24/7 duty. The changes sped up the education and training of child and youth care workers.

Child and youth care practice became more professionally "treatment" orientated. With exceptions, in the Children's Homes, 1/12 or 1/15 became more of a norm. 

The 1997, transformation of the Child and Youth Care System in South Africa. provided regulation (and later legal) norms and standards. A requirement was, and is, nationally and locally in-house, that there be a 'continuum"and "continuity of care" in a range from "most restrictive, least empowering" to "least restrictive, most empowering" A continuum at levels from adoptions and foster care to what was then called Child and Youth Care Centres for young people in trouble with the law...awaiting trial or sentenced young people.  It means that child and youth care worker to young people ratios are to fit the level of manageabilty and intensity of practical, effective intervention that the young person needs.

The principles in the National system apply also in any one Child and Youth Care facility. Staff ratios and levels of care  are to vary according to the need levels of the children and young people. A few. in my experience, even in the Children's Homes needed an allocation of 1/2,especially children with challenges, disability, severely traumatised, disabled, suicidal,... the list continues. Others were fine with 1/8 and in some instances, the less troubled, troubling young people 1/12. Toddlers needed about 1/5.

A "one size fits all"approach in any aspects of a programme is a concern. It is said that Child  and Youth Care must meet the developmental needs of "This child" and not " These" or "Those" children. It must be individualised. It complicates things but it is a measure of the quality of Child and Youth Care services and professional practice. This impacts on child and youth care worker/children ratios especially at critical times in the day/programme.

Child and Youth Care in the move to professionalisation shifted toward having child and youth care workers in shifts. The law determines that employees work a 40 hour week. I found that if there  was a "live in" system, it had to be carefully augmented (supported) by 'live out"shift workers. this allowed for more fairness on the live-n staff who were not then 24/7. TOIL or 'time of in lieu" was used when longer hours were worked and if called out when "on call". 

Scheduling has to include time off to be taken which allows a fair distribution of weekends off.

The complications of scheduling, fairness and hours of duty are clear. There appears to be a few configurations for shifts. The 12 hour shift 4 days on, 3 days off alternate weeks day and night shift. The child and youth care workers complain that the 12 hour shift ( 06.00 to 18.00hrs) fatigued them to a point where they can't give of their best throughout. 8 hour shifts appear to be favoured. Then there is always debate as to whether a child and youth care worker can sleep when on a night shift. An awake child and youth care worker can probably manage say, 30 young people with the live-in member on call when he/she is not days off. 

Staff patterns to meet the Conditions of Employment Act and the differing levels of need of young people in any one setting requires increased funding creative scheduling and operational Child and Youth Care planning  

The organisation/facility has a duty, and responsibility to do this in the best interests of the child with due regard for the professional effectiveness of the child and youth care worker.

I want to say that it is a juggling act of sorts but a juggling act in which we have to keep all the different coloured balls in the air. The best intention is rewarded through carefully thought out and considerate planning. It's a challenge worth the effort.