Foster Parents' Veiw On The Sufficiency Of Foster Care Grant In Meeting The Basic Needs Of Recipients In Alice, South Africa

Abstract

Initially, foster care grant was instituted to assist children removed from their families of origin and placed in alternative care due to their vulnerability, neglect and abuse. Foster care grant forms part of the child  protection system and it is issued to children who require care and protection and are deprived of proper upkeep. The aim of the study was to explore the view of foster parents on the sufficiency of the child support grant in meeting the basic needs of beneficiaries. The study adopted a qualitative research approach.  Moreover, indepth interviews were used to collect data with purposively selected participants. The study sample consisted of twenty-five participants. The finding of this study revealed that the grant is sufficient in providing for the nutritional, educational and sartorial needs of beneficiaries. The study concluded that the grant is sufficient but could be increased to provide funds for some additional stuffs like educational policies, which is essential in securing a decent future for children. Some recommendations made after conducting this study are that social workers should be more involved in the lives of foster families; another recommendation is that government employs more social workers to increase availability of support to foster families.