ACDP says children must not be put at increased risk as budgets are balanced

ACDP says children must not be put at increased risk as budgets are balanced

• applauds Children’s Institutes relentless efforts to assess and publicise adequacy of social development budgets for funding of Children’s Act services

ACDP MP Cheryllyn Dudley said today that “it is unacceptable for us to allow children to be put at increased risk due to budget constraints”.

She also said that “the ACDP applauds the Children’s Institute for their relentless efforts to assess and publicise the adequacy of social development budgets for funding of Children’s Act services”.

Historically social welfare services for children have been seriously under-funded and in 2005 government was funding no more than 25% of the cost of implementing the old Child Care Act in South Africa.

“In 2010, the Children’s Act raised hopes as it clearly recognised government’s constitutional obligation to provide children with adequate care, protection and social services - holding government primarily responsible for providing and funding a wide range of welfare services for children”.

The Children’s Institute maintains that ‘given the historically low funding base for this area of services, if we are to achieve the objectives of the Children’s Act we need to see continuous above average real budget growth in the sub-programmes that house children’s welfare services’.

“The ACDP acknowledges the legitimate concern that our presently high level of unemployment is placing families under material and psychological stress to make ends meet - and that children are at a greater risk of vulnerability, under-development, abandonment, neglect and abuse”.

The ACDP calls on the Ministers of Finance and Social Development – and Members of Parliament to ensure that the budget allocations for programmes and services that strengthen and support vulnerable families will genuinely be able to lessen this risk and keep children safe.

South Africa has high rates of child abuse, abandonment and orphaning.