Addressing multi-dimensional child poverty: The experiences of caregivers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of caregivers in the Eastern Cape Province regarding the alleviation of child poverty, and presents a case for the expansion of monetary support to effectively address the multi-dimensional focus of child poverty in South Africa. The Social Development Approach (SDA)11Social Development Approach (SDA) addresses the “implementation of policies and programmes to meet needs, promote rights, manage social problems and facilitate maximization of opportunities to achieve social well-being and the promotion of human empowerment and social inclusion” (Patel, 2005). was used together with the Child Focused Multi-dimensional Model (CFMDM)22Child Focused Multi-dimensional Model (CFMDM) is a model that is ‘child focused’ and is relevant to the child's life. It considers the different domains of deprivation, good access to quality services and, at its core, contains the absolute component that is complemented by the relative dimension which is based on the child's ability to participate fully in society and most importantly considers the applicability for different age groups. to explore the research problem. A phenomenological research design was followed by conducting semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion with 20 participants who were purposively drawn from four urban and rural areas in the Eastern Cape. The findings concur with the view that the Child Support Grant (CSG)33Child Support Grant (CSG) is a non-contributory cash transfer programme paid to caregivers with children under the age of 18years who meet the minimum requirements of the South African Social Security Agency (2016a, 2016b). monetary support should be increased to better accommodate the multi-dimensional child poverty needs of the CSG recipients.