UNICEF South Africa Country Programme 2007. COUNTRY PROGRAMME: UNICEF SOUTH AFRICA Introductory Remarks Achievements of Parliament –Promulgation of various

UNICEF South Africa Country Programme 2007

COUNTRY PROGRAMME: UNICEF SOUTH AFRICA

Introductory Remarks• Achievements of Parliament

– Promulgation of various pieces of legislation that will impact on children including the Children’s Act no 38 of 2005

• The challenges to deal with Poverty, AIDS and Crime

• Importance of Parliament’s oversight role• UNICEFs commitment to provide ongoing support

and intention to have a full time presence at Parliament


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MMR figures are for 2000, 2001 & 2002

Access to social services is increasing, child survival is deteriorating

proportion of households with access to improved drinking water and sanitation

facilities

drinking water Saniation facilities

40

60

80

1994 2004Source: SA MDG Country Report 2005

U5MR, IMR ,MMR

U5MR

IMR

MMR

20

40

60

80

1995 2000 2004Source: WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA estimates: MMR ;SA MDG Country Report 2005


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Programme Structure 2007 - 2010

• Social Transformation and Strategic Leveraging

• Child Survival and Development

• Education and Adolescent Development

• Protection for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

• Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Communication and External Relations


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Child Survival and

Development

ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN

Social Transformatio

n and Strategic

Leveraging

Education and Adolescent

Development

Child Survival

Nutrition

Social Policy

Children’s Budgets

Child Friendly Schools

Plus

Adolescent Developme

ntProgrammes of Action for

OVCs

Social Protection

of OVCs

Protecting children and women from

Violence

Communication and External Relations

Programme Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation

Child Participation

Protection for Orphans and Vulnerable Children


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Child Survival and Nutrition


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Morbidity and Mortality Profile of Children in South Africa


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Morbidity and Mortality Profile of Children in South Africa

60% of all under five deaths are caused by preventable diseases namely:– diarrhoeal disease (10-15%),

– respiratory infections (7%),

– low birth weight (6%) and

– protein energy malnutrition (5 to 10%).

40% of all illnesses and death are attributable to HIV and AIDS.


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Our response to address this:

• Accelerated implementation of community IMCI,

• Support health workers to identify and provide care for vulnerable babies and support family care of these children post-discharge,

• Early detection and management of growth faltering at community level,

• Implementation and scaling up of the Basic Antenatal Care Package including neonatal care


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Impact of HIV and AIDS in South Africa• Approximately 5,7 million people infected• 3.3 million women and 104,863 babies infected• 29,5% infection rate among women visiting

antenatal clinics• Greatest killer of under 5 children = AIDS (40%)• Almost 300,000 babies born to HIV+ mothers a

year• More than 55,000 children in need of ARV, only

13,000 receiving ARV


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5 Key Strategies

•Early diagnosis and testing of infants•Streamlining health systems to maximise staff capacity to treat HIV+ infants•Scaling up PMTCT+ to prevent children from contracting HIV•Targeted neonatal and infant care•Supporting Safety Net Systems for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs)


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• Capacity of NHLS to test has increased over time. To date about 6000 babies are tested using PCR every month. Maximum testing capacity is about 15000 babies per month

• Coverage of testing still low especially, in rural areas

• There is a need to optimize IMCI services in identifying the HIV infected infants and fast track them onto long term HIV treatment

• Select provinces are initiating early testing at 6 weeks though currently there is no national policy

Early diagnosis and testing


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Plans for 2006• Increase the number of infants tested for HIV from

30,000 to at least 120,000.• Review national Policy on PMTCT, including ARV in

PMTCT and service delivery intensified in 2-3 districts in KZN

• Complete review of national C-IMCI and national plan to accelerate implementation

• Develop capacity of 4000 health workers to implement BFHI, IYCFP, C-IMCI, KMC & GMPM


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Expanding access to ARVs for children• ART accredited treatment sites in all 53 health

districts of South Africa, relatively few of these provide care for infants and children

• Theoretical and practical training insufficient • Human resource constraints

Plans for 2006• Double number of children receiving ARVs from

8,500 to 17,000


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Suggested areas for oversight: Health

• Staff shortages – need to oversee implementation of National Human Resources Plan for Health

• Child Survival – oversee provincial allocations and spending of the Integrated Nutrition and Community and Home Based Care Services (CHBCS) grants

• HIV & AIDS – of great concern is the marginalization of children who are HIV positive in accessing comprehensive Anti-Retroviral Treatment


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Child Protection


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Mortality is increasing & spending on child support grant is expected to increase tremendously

Number of children receiving Child Support Grant

2,636,189

4,292,057

5,642,992

7,522,537

1,046,776

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

not available

Death rates by age group per 100,000:1997 & 2004

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 54-59 60-64

Male 1997 Male 2004 Female 1997 Female 2004


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We have to ensure that OVC have access to:

• Education• Health services• Social Grants• Care and support

Care and support for OVC

Children – orphaned and vulnerable

Families: Training and Care

Communities: Child Care Forums

Municipalities: Plans and programmes for Children

Provincial: Budget allocations and services

National: Policies & legislation


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Plans for 2006

• Support implementation of National Action Plan• Complete establishment of OVC database• Complete pilot study of ECD sites as nodes of

care and support• Scaling up of child care forums and safety

networks• Develop and finalise national primary caregiver

training programme


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Violence against women and children

Latest SAPS Crime Statistics 2004/2005:• More than 360,000 women and children murdered,

raped, assaulted, sexually molested or abused• 40% of 55,114 rapes were against children• 47.7% (4,829) of all indecent assault cases were

children.• 31,607 children victims of common assault• 24,189 children victims of assault to commit

grievous bodily harm• Most rapes still go unreported


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Plans for 2006• Draft legal discussion paper on trafficking in

preparation for draft bill• Cost the National Policy Framework and Strategy for

the Prevention and Management of Child Abuse and Neglect and use it to advocate for resource allocation

• Develop community-based systems to report and monitor child protection abuses

• Roll out child protection models in 3 municipalities• Train 3,000 health workers, social workers & police on

prevention & management of child abuse• Increase the number of Thuthuzela Care Centres from

12 to 18 nationwide


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Suggested areas for oversight: Child Protection

Advocate • for a national system of identifying and tracking orphans

and vulnerable children at local, district and provincial levels

• the finalization of the Child Justice Bill and Sexual Offences Bill

• the implementation of the National Action Plan to end violence against women and children, specifically the roll out of the Thuthuzela Multi-purpose Centres

• monitoring of the large number of children in conflict with the law, especially those awaiting trial in prisons and police cells


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Education and Adolescent Development


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Situation of children• Primary net enrolment ratio (7 – 13 years) increased from 88% in 1996 to 96% in 2004

• Fundamental challenge – provision of quality education

• 687,000 children out of school• School retention: only 65% reach Grade 5• Only 16 % (Birth to 5 years) have access to formal ECD

• Violence and insecurity major concern


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Plans for 2006 • Develop a national primary caregiver training

programme for babies & young children• Develop models of care for children under 5 and their

caregivers• Develop ECD centres as nodes of care and support

for OVC


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A Child-Friendly School:

• safe and protective environment for children

• healthy spaces to learn and grow• access to clean water & sanitation • gender sensitive• strong links to the surrounding communities, and

• outreach services for orphans and other vulnerable children.


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A Child-friendly school:Provision of quality education for all children means: – Quality School buildings, structures and

equipment– Quality Teachers and teaching practices– Quality Management and governance practices– Supporting the establishment of an independent

national M&E unit


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Plans for 2006• Strengthen implementation & evaluation of lifeskills

programmes for adolescents at national & provincial level

• Develop a rights based approach to lifeskills guidelines for school and communities

• Accelerate child participation and leadership development in lifeskills programmes

• Strengthen educator and community based capacity and support for effective lifeskills implementation

• support provincial HIV/AIDS and lifeskills structures for specific targeted interventions

• Develop best practices in reducing teenage suicide, teenage pregnancy, drug-abuse and HIV


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Suggested areas for oversight: Education

• Fee-free schools - Poor parents are legally entitled not to pay school fees, but this policy is not implemented consistently.

• building child-friendly schools • Achieving Education for All in the context of HIV and AIDS

• Increase investment in teacher education • Support the implementation of the National Integrated Plan for Early Childhood Development


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Social Policy and Local Governance


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Situation of children

• Services to especially vulnerable and poor children remains insufficient

• Budgets remain under-spent in the face of poverty and need

• Good policies and legislation but implementation remains inadequate


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Plans for 2006

• Develop a National Policy Framework for integrated services for children

• Conduct a Situation Analysis of children in receipt and in need of social assistance and a Study on the impact of the Child Support Grant

• Develop a toolkit for Municipalities to take action for Children


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Plans for 2006

• Develop a framework to monitor implementation of services to children (Provincial M&E Framework)

• Conduct a rapid assessment of the public expenditure towards services contributing to the survival, care, protection and development of children in three (3) local municipalities


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Suggested areas for oversight: SPLG

• Extending the child support grant to children aged 14-18 years

• Liaising with the Justice Portfolio Committee to fast-track the finalization of the Child Justice Bill and Sexual Offences Bill

• Oversee allocations iro services to children and related spending patterns

• A national system of identifying and tracking orphans and vulnerable children at local, district and provincial levels

• Advocate for the increased of access of children, particularly 3 and 4 year-olds, to formal ECD by targeting for example the EPWP sources

• Review of Social Assistance Act


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Plans for 2007•Plan to establish Office in Cape Town by January 2007

•Want to be of support to SD Portfolio Committee – Members will have to indicate areas where support is required

• Analyzing State of Nation and Budget Speeches to advocate for children (will be ongoing process)

•Resource leveraging: support study to analyse use of government funds for children at national, provincial & local levels - recommendations for annual budget prioritisation and planning

Documents

UNICEF South Africa Country Programme 2007. COUNTRY PROGRAMME: UNICEF SOUTH AFRICA Introductory Remarks Achievements of Parliament –Promulgation of various