Pretoria – Social Development Minister Dr Zola Skweyiya delivered the second reading of the Children’s Amendment Bill, which aims to improve children’s living conditions in the country.

Delivering the bill in the National Assembly in Parliament on Tuesday, Dr Skweyiya reiterated government’s determination to ensure children grow up in a secure family environment and enjoy the rights and privileges they deserve.

He pointed out that it had been ten years since work initially begun on the Children’s Bill, adding that the conditions facing children in South Africa had persisted in the mean time, sometimes with added complications.

The Children’s Amendment Bill, which covers mainly the provincial services to children, was debated in the National Council of Provinces in May.

The minister said the Bill was yet another contribution to the creation of an enabling environment to sustained interventions in the Early Childhood Development sector.

“The legislation will facilitate for deepened support to the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). This work includes the assessment, registration and monitoring of early childhood development programmes.

“Further, through this legislation this work will include the development of partial care strategies, programmes and centres.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure that each and every child receives a lifetime foundation through an appropriate and quality pre-schooling education.

“We remain firm in our belief that quality education is a major contributor to our long term war against poverty and equality,” he explained.

Dr Skweyiya added that the Bill was destined to be an integral part of the Children’s Act (Act 38 of 2005), thus realising the full spectrum of child protection instruments that were available to all spheres of government.

He explained that the Bill set out to fully operationalise government’s collective obligations to:

· Promote the preservation and strengthening of families

· Realise constitutionally guaranteed rights to the child

· Putting the best interests of a child first, and

· Strengthening community childcare and protection structures,

The Bill also introduces further improvements with regards to child protection by providing for well resourced strategies and programmes, said the minister.

“In order to facilitate for collective action towards child protection, the Bill also places a responsibility on all members of society to report the abuse and neglect of children,” he added.

In light of limitations of the current policy and legislative vacuum in addressing the needs of the growing number of child-headed households, the Bill further recognises and extends vulnerability criterion, with a view of supporting such households.

“Heads of Departments in the provinces can now extend integrated services to children who head households.

Additionally, the Bill allows for the courts and/or the department to intervene in providing supervision by designated adults or organisations for all child headed households.

It places a limitation on the powers available to supervisors of such households by obliging them to consult with the children, while also empowering the children to report inadequate supervision or abuse.

The legislation also places further prohibitions on child labour and exploitation, in line with international conventions. – BuaNews