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Every day there is discouraging negative news about the plight of children around the world. Stories of child labor, violence against children and the ongoing struggles of millions to access a good education are everywhere.
But, as we’ve described in previous research, there are some green shoots and possible solutions. Our new research, described in both an academic journal article and a book chapter, sought to evaluate the results of a family support program delivered by social workers from the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, in association with the Center for the Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg. The evaluation was conducted nine months after the end of the program.
Our results confirm that when communities, researchers, and policymakers work together to strengthen and support families, children and adults alike benefit.
The project in question is called We buy houses (which means “we care about families” in isiZulu). It is designed to complement and expand the positive benefits of South Africa’s child support subsidy and empower disadvantaged families to improve child well-being.
The program addresses significant knowledge and information gaps and skills in parenting. It covers areas such as managing challenging children’s behavior, stress management, optimal use of resources and services, strengthening family and social support systems, and learning about nutrition and money management. It was designed by the author and researchers from the Center for Social Development in Africa.
The initial study was conducted in 2017. It involved a pre-test at the start of the program and a post-end test. This was aimed at recipients of child support grants ages 6-8 and their families. The findings were published in early 2019.
The follow-up evaluation was completed and published in July 2020 and had three main objectives. First, to assess whether the participants in Sihleng’imizi retained what they had learned and were able to implement these learnings nine months after the intervention ended. Second, to compare these findings with a control group that was not exposed to Sihleng’imizi. And finally, consider the policy implications of combining cash transfers, such as child support subsidies, with family care programs.
Change lifes
We found that the intervention had improved child-caregiver and family relationships, strengthened social support networks and caregiver involvement in education, and improved financial and parenting skills. The findings suggest that interventions such as Sihleng’imizi, when combined with cash transfers, have great positive potential.
This is because, while South Africa’s expansive social grant system improves material well-being and has many other positive benefits for children and families, it alone cannot address the other multi-dimensional needs of children and their families.
The 60 families that participated in both the initial study and the follow-up evaluation came from the poorer neighborhoods of the city of Johannesburg, which was an implementing partner.
The evaluation evaluated the changes according to five dimensions: relationships between the child and the caregiver, the participation of the caregivers in the child’s education, social and community connection, financial capacities and nutritional knowledge, and symptoms of depression among caregivers.
In all five dimensions, the participants were, for the most part, able to remember and implement what they learned when they attended the Sihleng’imizi program nine months earlier. This is an important indicator of the success of the program.
Nine months later, we discovered that the caregivers were still implementing many of the positive skills and approaches to caring, support, and the use of alternative forms of discipline that they learned as part of the program, such as positive communication. They talked to and listened to the children, set about solving problems together with the children, and set aside quality time to spend with them.
They also prioritized praise, love, and encouragement. Some stopped using corporal punishment altogether while others reduced their use. Instead, caregivers used the “calm corner,” which is a technique that parents can use to help children release tension and feelings of anger. It was helpful in helping both caregivers and children settle down and recover.
Building networks
Caregivers reported that their children liked going to school and actively participated in their homework. Some had seen improvements in their school work and almost all the children’s behavior in school had improved as well.
Developing and soliciting support networks was a key element of the Sihleng’imizi program. Since the end of the program, according to the evaluation, the caregivers had maintained contact with other participants in a WhatsApp group, through phone calls or by meeting with them at school when they went to look for the children.
Caregivers said their participation in Sihleng’imizi had broadened their networks and strengthened ties with other participants. The “buddy system” that emerged from the program helped participants communicate and help each other, especially when it came to parenting.
There were notable changes in caregivers’ attitudes toward money and money management. Since attending Sihleng’imizi, participants said they had learned the value of budgeting and were able to implement this practice in their lives. Now they could also save despite having limited sources of income.
Others tried to save money by joining stokvel (a kind of informal credit union in which members contribute a fixed amount of money to a weekly, biweekly or monthly pool). Many said they would become more aware of the negative consequences of borrowing money, especially from lenders.
Part of Sihleng’imizi focused on nutrition education, and this too appeared to be sustainable almost a year later. Participants said they now recognize the importance of eating breakfast. They had also begun to pay more attention to the nutritional value of food than to the time or convenience required to prepare a meal. They also gave the impression of having a good understanding of what constitutes a balanced meal for children. The control group also reported changes despite not having access to the program. For this reason, nutritional results are treated with caution.
One area of concern was depression among caregivers. There was a slight increase in depressive symptoms during the follow-up evaluation. This may have to do with the continuing pressures of parenting in vulnerable circumstances and points to an ongoing challenge that requires further intervention.
Going forward
Although Sihleng’imizi had many positive results, we recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions will have undermined many of these achievements. Evidence from other research has shown how the pandemic and lockdown left many families struggling with income poverty and food insecurity.
In general, the results of the follow-up evaluation show that social assistance policies should be complemented with child and family welfare services of this type. This would address the broader care needs of families receiving the child support grant.
A comprehensive family and community-based preventive intervention like Sihleng’imizi could be scaled up in urban areas using existing development infrastructure and social services. But it is unclear what dynamics may be at play in rural contexts, and more research is needed to test the effectiveness of the program in rural areas.
Leila Patel receives funding from the DST / NRF for her Chair in Welfare and Social Development. It also received funding from the Research Committee of the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the UJ College of Humanities, including UNICEF South Africa.
By Leila Patel, Professor of Social Development Studies, University of Johannesburg
