SASPCAN
The
South African Society
for the
Prevention
of Child Abuse
and Neglect
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SASPCAN JOHANNESBURG NEWSLETTER - MAY 2000 IF YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING ARTICLE/OPINION/ NEWS TO SHARE WITH US, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO BY CONTACTING OUR SASPCAN OFFICE AT (011)- 646-3702.
THE GAUTENG CHILD PROTECTION AND TREATMENT PROTOCOL -A COURAGEOUS STEP INTO THE FUTURE Although the project officially started in Gauteng in January 1998, it really only got off the ground in October 1998 and since moved from strength to strength. The first phase was to call together all possible role players from the different sectors making up the Child Protection System. A steering committee was elected at a provincial meeting and a project manager appointed. Workshops were then run in the 6 Gauteng regions to get representative input. After the workshops, the second draft of the Protocol was compiled and redistributed. An exciting spin-off was the ” Kool Kid’s Guide”- a child-friendly booklet which helps the victim to make sense of the sometimes very confusing and frightening Child Protection System. After consultation and comments from all stakeholders, the final documents were submitted to a selected team for comment. The documents were approved and then launched nationally, provincially and regionally. It is hoped that the finalised document should be available by March 2000. In addition, a” Kool Teens Guide”, as well as a basic manual, a prevention manual, an early intervention (risk assessment) manual and the final protocol for the multi-disciplinary management of child abuse and neglect will be available. The committee also hopes to establish an on-line library and possibly a reference library as well. Finally, the Gauteng Protocol Database will be available by March 2000. The aim of these initiatives is to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to serve our abused children through co-operation. The community is also being empowered as an essential partner in the fight against abuse and neglect. The hope is that, even if we cannot stop the problem of abuse, we can minimise the secondary abuse and trauma suffered by our children in the system itself. We want to put People First. The most exciting part of the project is the training, developed by the Child Abuse Treatment and Training Centre (CATTS, a project of the Johannesburg Child Welfare Society). In total approximately 600 people in the Gauteng area have been trained, and they plan to add substantially to this figure by July 2000. The support, networking as well as relationship and capacity building has been phenomenal and we urge people to become involved. There are great plans for the expansion of this already successful project, any interested parties are asked to contact Mr. Vernon Theron on (011) 355-7845. Article compiled by: Luke Lamprecht (Project Manager)
THE NEW “WARRIORS”- THE ATTITUDES OF TRADITIONAL HEALERS TO CHILD ABUSE The gap between the western way of healing and the traditional way of healing is a universal problem. The Johannesburg Child Welfare Society's Child Abuse Treatment and Training Services (CATTS) was approached by the Izifizonke Traditional Healers who felt concerned about the spreading of child abuse in the community. CATTS saw this as an opportunity to work together. As the healers meet a lot of clients whose children have been abused, they wanted to offer them an effective service. The traditional healers were excited and enthusiastically attended the training programme. The major challenge was to present material in a vernacular language (Zulu). A further challenge was to be comfortable in openly talking about sexual matters in Zulu. In some cultures it is considered taboo to openly talk about sex, especially using a black language and talking to older people. It was, however, very exciting to find that as the training progressed, and the trainees became relaxed and spoke openly and freely. The training was an eye opener for the CATTS team, as a lot of common ground existed between the western ways of healing and helping and the traditional ways of healing. It was very exciting to discover that similar principles and ethics are used to serve our communities for example:
The traditional healers evaluated the
training as being an eye opener and a new beginning. They felt that:
What
CATTS learned from this training:
The training was a shared learning experience and will benefit our children. Mpumi Tyawa (CATTS Trainer - Johannesburg Child Welfare Society)
NEW THERAPY CENTRE AT GUILD COTTAGEBy ZELDA KRUGERGuild
Cottage Residential Treatment Centre is for children who have been abused and
their families. It assists families to learn to live together again in a way
that is safe for children. The Cottage also offers training programmes and is
involved in a variety of community projects which
strengthens family life and counsels abused children.
In order to accommodate the growing needs of the Guild Cottage work, the old playroom has been remodelled and in October 1999 the new Therapy Centre was opened. This facility now offers a fully equipped playroom, training room (both with one way mirrors for supervision/training purposes) and counselling rooms. Colleagues are invited to use these facilities, especially the training room, which comfortably seats 20 people. For more information and bookings, please contact them at (011) 726-1268
Childline crisis line in Gauteng receives a staggering 4 500 plus calls each month. Their Treatment Centre offers services to abused children and their families, and to adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Services include:
Their Education/Prevention Project provides:
They can also provide temporary places of safety for children up to the age of 18 . Childline runs Community-based Centres in Tembisa, Katlehong and Diepsloot and provides preventative services, counselling and training.
“WALKING FORWARD” – THE NACCW “MASIHAMBENI” CONFERENCE A SUCCESS. The last National Association of Childcare Workers (NACCW) Conference of the millennium was held rn Gauteng at the Technikon Conference Centre and was attended by over 400 delegates. Speakers included local and overseas Child and Youth Care practitioners. Pertinent issues which came under discussion were:
The message of the Conference was very clear about us being “good enough” adults in order to add value to the lives of children and youth with whom we work. We are constantly confronted with the reality that removal of children and youth from their families and communities is not a solution, it merely creates other problems. It became clearly apparent that more time, energy and resources should be spent on building the capacity of caregivers and families in the community to provide homes for children and youth. The Conference also focused on the need to be developmental in our approach- i.e. to focus on the development of individuals, what they are able to do, building strengths and providing resources, rather than being problem-focussed, which has been the traditional approach to social issues. |
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Copyright SASPCAN 1999 -
2003. Last updated
19 August 2003
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