Children and Families Programme

Description:

The Department of Social Development's Child Care and Protection Programme aims to safeguard and promote child well-being and build resilience of families and communities to care for and protect their children.

Services

The Department of Social Development Child Care & Protection Programme provides services to children who:

Need care and protection.
Have special needs (this can include chronic illnesses, disabilities and those children who display behaviours that are difficult to manage). Through this programme the Department is committed to building families and communities that care and protect children in order to reach their full potential.

Programmes

We offer Public Education and prevention programmes, targeting children; parents; families and communities, with more focus on parental responsibilities and rights.

A range of programmes and services for children with risky behaviours e.g. safety and risk assessment services; therapeutic and psycho social services, temporary safe care programmes; adolescent development; programmes for children with behavioural, psychological and emotional challenges, transitional care and support programmes for children about to exit alternative care; programmes for children that live and beg on the streets.

Statutory services - e.g. foster care programme, adoption programme.

Programmes aimed at reunifying children, that had been placed in alternative placements, with their families or communities of origin.

Children and Families Programme

Social Development's Children and Families Programme focuses on the well-being of the family, believing this to be critical for the overall functioning of society.

Any breakdown in a family's functioning and its ability to provide care increases the vulnerability of its members. Therefore, the main aim of the Children and Families Programme is to help build families that function well and communities that care for, protect and develop children appropriately.