South Africa’s child protection system is under severe strain, with one of its most pressing needs being a critical shortage of dedicated safety and foster parents. This is according to Jacques Voigt, a social worker at Badisa Trio in Kraaifontein.
“Without them, vulnerable children are placed further into an already overwhelmed system, where trauma deepens, processes break down, and hope becomes harder to find,” Voigt told TygerBurger last week.
To raise awareness and rally community support, Badisa has organised a vital imbizo on Saturday 8 November, focusing on the life-changing role of safety and foster parents.
Voigt says reports of child abuse and neglect remain alarmingly high, while social workers are burdened with caseloads running into the hundreds. “Most child protection offices face numerous challenges, such as limited resources, unsafe working conditions, and staff burnout,” he says. “In the midst of this, the need for a network of safety and foster parents is urgent.”
Safety parents provide temporary care for children removed from harmful environments while investigations are ongoing. Foster parents offer longer-term care once a Children’s Court has finalised placement.
“Every child needing alternative care should ideally be placed in a family environment,” says Voigt. “But when no biological relatives are available or willing, the lack of unrelated safety or foster families becomes a major issue. With typically only one or two safety parents per office, children often end up in child and youth care centres that are already at full capacity.”
This, he says, pushes children deeper into the system, further from the possibility of family reunification and the chance to grow up in a home environment.
Willingness to care
Conversely, Voigt emphasises, safety and foster parents can offer children love, stability, and the support they need to begin healing. “Becoming a safety or foster parent starts with the willingness to care,” he says. “Applicants must be screened and trained by a designated social worker and will receive ongoing support. Financial assistance is provided through the Department of Social Development via care fees or a foster care grant.”
The imbizo will feature inspiring personal stories from current safety parents and practical guidance on the process of becoming one. Key child protection stakeholders including the police, Badisa, Child Welfare Society, Magdalena House, and the Department of Social Development will present on their services and how the community can support and access them.
The event will take place on Saturday 8 November from 10:00 to 12:00 at NG Church Kraaifontein Moedergemeente, 136 Tenth Avenue, Belmont Park.
RSVPs and inquiries can be sent to Jacques Voigt at 021 987 2940 or kraaifontein9@badisatrio.org.za by 5 November.
