Foster care in Soweto, South Africa: under assault from a politically hostile environment

Abstract

Institutionalized discrimination has progressively eroded the formerly cohesive black family structure in South Africa, resulting in an increased need for alternative care for black children, as shown most prominently in South Africa's most populous black urban area. Foster care's inherent problems are compounded not only by apartheid but also by the political unrest in the country. This article offers a profile of Sowetan foster families and the problems they face.

PIP: This article discusses foster care in South Africa in the context of apartheid and offers a profile of Sowetan foster families and the problems they face. Characterized by an extended family system, African cultures have traditionally practiced parental role-sharing, which ensure the continued care of children in the event that the parents die or are unable to provide care. But coupled with poverty and a migrant labor system, the institutional form of discrimination known as apartheid has caused the break-down of the extended families. Not only has apartheid placed immense strains on black family life, it has also denied black children of the same welfare that it provides white children. Moreover, as opposition to apartheid has increased, violence has invaded black townships. It is primarily in these townships where the formal fostering of children takes place. In 1988, services were rendered to 1161 children in Soweto. This study surveyed 113 randomly selected Sowetan foster families and 135 foster children. The average duration of foster care for a child was 6 years. 55% of foster parents were female pensioners 60 years or older. In 42.5% of foster families, no adult was employed, and 44.3% of foster families depended on foster grants for their subsistence. About 2/3 of the foster families were home to more than 1 foster child. 38.1% of foster families reported being unable to provide proper care on the amount of grant received. In addition, many families reported difficulties in obtaining foster grants. Essentially, the study found that foster families in Soweto struggle to provide the basics for survival--food, housing, transportation, and safety. The authors conclude that the foster care situation cannot improve until the practice of apartheid is ended.