Abstract
South Africa has a well-developed social protection programme that seeks to address the challenges encountered by orphaned children in foster care. This study focuses on the implications of the Foster Care Grant on the families caring for orphaned children in rural areas. Many studies have been conducted in South Africa on other child grants but few studies have been done on the implication of the Foster Care Grant towards orphans. A qualitative research method was employed to get an in depth understanding of the impact of the Foster Care Grant on orphaned children in a rural area. The study was conducted in Senwabarwana rural area in Limpopo province in the Capricorn district. This area is plagued by poverty, unemployment and reliance on social welfare. Twelve participants were chosen using purposive sampling as the focus was on their specific characteristics and experience in the phenomena studied. Six social workers and six foster parents were interviewed using semi-structured interviews to uncover their experiences regarding foster care matters with the focus on the Foster Care Grant. Data was analysed through thematic analyses to extract themes and codes to answer the research question for the research. It was found that that the Foster Care Grant plays an important role in the orphaned children’s lives and those of their foster families. The research showed that being part of a family plays an important role in the welfare of orphans, as it provides support and a sense of belonging, socialisation, nurturing and protection. The issuing of the FCG by the state to assist foster parents in mitigating the financial difficulties in their family is paramount for the welfare and well-being of the orphaned children. The FCG programme also provides support and skills to the foster parents to make sure that the needs of orphaned children are met accordingly.
M.A. (Social Impact Assessment)