Abstract
The experiences from a case study are evaluated against the aspects such as emergency response to vulnerable populations and other sources from the literature to serve as guidelines for the management of an epidemic in a child and youth care centre (CYCC). To help understand the effects of the epidemic on the centre, this article describes experiences in terms of the meeting of needs. A discussion of the following are part of the article: • A reflection will be provided on the observed stages the children and child and youth care workers (CYCWs) went through during 177 days of a national lockdown; • Indications of caregiver burnout; • Experiences around the meeting of children’s needs through the lens of child and youth care (CYC) theory; and • Proposed areas needing attention in mitigating risks. Some lessons learnt from the daily routine established to manage the lockdown regulations, sometimes experienced as nonsensical, are shared. From these reflections, questions for research are provided from a practice-based evidence approach, mainly aimed at determining the readiness of a CYCC to manage a state of disaster, while needing to focus on meeting children’s needs.
Highlights
On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster with immediate travel bans
Because of the steep rise in infections and pressure on the overstretched hospital services to accommodate the rise in alcohol-related medical emergencies, the alcohol ban and a curfew from 2100 to 0400 hours were reinstated (Mahlati, 2020)
The authors share insights from the experience of a child and youth care centre (CYCC) during the national COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa. The value of this is intended as a contribution to practice-based evidence
Summary
On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster with immediate travel bans. The authors share insights from the experience of a child and youth care (residential) centre (CYCC) during the national COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa The value of this is intended as a contribution to practice-based evidence. Child and youth care workers are responsible for a plethora of duties including the formation of relationships with children and youth, providing instruction in daily living, offering individual and group counselling both in formal and informal settings, disciplining, teaching, providing transportation to and from appointments, contacting social workers as well as other services and agencies, working with parents and families, and striving to provide a stable and predictable living environment for a diverse group of children and youth.
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