Abstract
Child welfare potentially plays a key role in South Africa. While families suffered intensely under the apartheid regime, the burden on children, their caregivers and their communities seems to have increased despite the advent of democracy. Various local and global factors have resulted in an increase in poverty and a greater income divide.
Increasing numbers of people have left the rural areas for opportunities in the cities. HIV and AIDs have ravished the social structures around children. Many children have lost one or both parents and require alternative care arrangements. The violence of the past has been inherited and seems to have become ingrained in social life. Identifying and implementing meaningful responses remains an ongoing challenge.