Social Protection of Vulnerable Children in South Africa: The Case of the Implementation of the Foster Child Grant Programme

International conventions and charters recognize the right to social protection for children. In South Africa social protection of vulnerable children is seen as especially important due to their exposure to various social ills such as poverty, child abuse, orphanhood. Social protection policies and legislation are in place to address these issues. South Africa offers a variety of social protection interventions for children, primarily in the form of social grants, including the Foster Child Grant, Child Support Grant, Child Support Grant Top-up, and Care Dependency Grant. This paper draws on a doctoral study which focussed on the impact of the Foster Child Grant (FCG) and the experiences of foster parents in accessing the Grant in South Africa. The study employed a qualitative methodology, gathering data through in-depth interviews with 40 foster parents from four different local municipalities. The study findings indicate that under conditions of poverty, the FCG is primarily used by foster parents for nutrition, schooling, clothes, medical expenses and burial insurance. However, despite these favourable impacts, challenges were identified by foster parents in accessing the FCG. Some of the challenges include the lack of information regarding the application procedures and eligibility criteria, lack of required application documents and long waiting periods for application approval. These challenges impact on the distribution and access of the grant. The recommendations of the study include the need to revise the Foster Care Grant programme’s accessibility and distribution procedures to improve its reach and impact. Some of these revisions include improving the systems, structures and procedures that are in place to deliver the FCG programme.