The use of foster care grant by foster parents in a selected community of South Africa: A social work perspective

Abstract

South Africa, like many countries in the world, faces challenges of dealing with foster care. Foster care is a form of alternative care for children who, due to myriad reasons, are not in the care of their biological parents. Foster parents in South Africa receive a foster care grant (FCG) to meet the basic needs of the foster children. Flowing from a larger study, this article aims to explore the expenditure patterns of the foster parents in a  selected community in South Africa, to establish whether they use the foster care grant for its intended purpose. A qualitative study of twenty foster parents was conducted. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and thematically analysed. The findings indicated that foster parents viewed FCG as an integral part of the growth and development of foster children and that most of them relied on it to meet basic needs. Lastly,  parents want social workers to continue rendering foster care supervision services and wish for a large increase on the grant amount. The grant is spent largely on food, education, health, clothing and housing.

Keywords: Foster care, Foster child grant, Foster care grant, Foster parent, Foster Children, Expenditure patterns, South Africa