Abstract
M.A. (Sociology)
South Africa's child protection system is widely reported to be in disarray, delivering
deficient and fragmented services, which facilitate the occurrence of 'secondary
abuse, compounded by the lack of information on the prevailing scenario in the
country. This research study formed part of a national development project, aimed at
investigating and improving the delivery of integrated child protection services. The
study focused on the current levels of service delivery and the need for services
integration in a multi-disciplinary, intersectoral system. Employing a multi-methodology Intervention Research strategy, the conceptual framework for the investigation was based on an open systems perspective. The research findings, generated by a national situation analysis of provincial and sectoral service providers, confirmed the interrelated prevalence of both inefficient service delivery levels and the urgent need for the integration of services. The results facilitated the drafting of provincial strategies, aimed at the improvement of service delivery and the inductive construction of a generic provincial model, while a national conference of service providers generated a proposed national integration strategy, based on a process model.
The research has not only contributed towards the integration of child protection
services, but also to the current transformation of the child protection system in South
Africa.