UCT Children's Institute: Concretising children's rights in national policy, laws and programmes in South Africa

Mrs Graca Machel, an internal children's patron to the United Nations and Chancellor of the University of Cape Town will be officiating in the launch of a children's Institute in the University of Cape Town, South Africa on the 25 of September 2002 at Welgelegen, off Chapel Road, Rondebosch from 17: 00 - 19: 00. The Launch will be follwed with an Open Day on 26 September at the Children's Institute at 46 Sawkins Road in Rondebosch from 9:00 - 16:45.

"Children are the nucleus of sustainable development. Relatively small investments in their health, education and welfare pay huge dividends for society," says children's rights campaigner and University of Cape Town Chancellor Mrs Graça Machel.

Mrs Graca Machel is the Chairperson of the Board of the Children's Institute (CI) and she will officiate at its launch on Wednesday, 25 September at 17h00. You are cordially invited to attend this function at Welgelegen, off Chapel Road, Rondebosch, as well as an Open Day on 26 September at the Children's Institute at 46 Sawkins Road in Rondebosch from 9:00 - 16:45.

Prof Marian Jacobs, the Director of the Children's Institute, says the CI's objectives include characterising challenges confronting children in South Africa and contributing to policy and programme approaches to address these challenges.

The major challenges facing children in South Africa include poverty, AIDS and trauma and violence. Almost 70% of our children, that is, approximately 10.5 million children under 18 years (IDASA), live in poverty, with insufficient income to meet their basic needs. Each year over 100 000 babies are born HIV+ and it is estimated that by 2016, 15% of children will have been orphaned due to AIDS (MRC 2002). In light of the enormity of these challenges, the CI focuses its attention on policies, laws, and programme approaches to these challenges that will have the largest impact on the greatest number of children.

The CI also aims to evaluate the impact of policies and programme approaches, to stimulate interdisciplinary child policy research and training, and to strengthen practitioner and researcher capacity in evidence-based approaches to child policies and practices.

The forerunner to the UCT Children's Institute, the Child Health Policy Institute (CHPI) played a significant role in health policy reform in South Africa, especially in addressing the initiation, analysis, development and evaluations of child health policies and programmes. It also played a pivotal role in advocating for children's rights, health and well-being.

The experience of the CHPI over five years led to considerations towards establishing a child policy research unit with a focus beyond health and applying policy research and advocacy to children's issues across the sectors. With the generous support of donors, the Children's Institute (CI) was established at the University of Cape Town in July 2001. The CI will build on the foundation and experience of the CHPI and expand to address priority challenges facing children across the sectors.

"The new Institute will continue to ensure that legislation, policies and programmes are beneficial to all children living in South Africa. It bridges the gap between research and policy, drawing on a range of expertise within the UCT environment, " says Jacobs.

According to Professor Marian Jacobs, academic institutions have a social responsibility to promote the protection and fulfilment of children's rights. "The commitments to children are dependent on the actions of a broad alliance of constituencies - from government to civil society. Within this alliance, there is a niche for the academic institution," adds Jacobs.

The Children's Institute has Research and Advocacy Programmes, which focus on:

§   Child Rights
§   Child Health Services
§   HIV/AIDS
§   Social Security
§   Trauma and Violence

These Programmes conduct primary and secondary research and channel their research findings and recommendations into national policy and law reform processes.

Key law and policy reform processes with which they are currently engaged, include:

§   The Review of the Child Care Act (currently being reviewed and re-written by the South African Law Commission)
§   The Draft National Health Bill (scheduled to be tabled in Parliament in 2003)
§   National School Health Services Policy Guidelines (developed by the Children's Institute for the Department of Health)
§   Draft Policy on the Delivery of health services to children with Chronic Diseases (policy currently being drafted by the Department of Health)
§   Social Security Policy and Law Reform (Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive Social Security System and the review of the Social Assistance Act)
§   Developing a national policy on health and social services for children who have been orphaned. (The Children's Institute has been commissioned by the Department of Health to conduct the research needed for this policy)
§   Developing a new tool for service providers tasked with assessing whether children with disabilities and chronic health conditions (including HIV/AIDS) qualify for a social assistance grant. (The current Care Dependency Grant for children with disabilities is not accessible to many children who need it partly due to the assessment tool being cumbersome and based on a purely medical model that does not assess the child's needs from a social perspective).

Please RSVP to Zama Mvulane by Monday 23 September
Tel: 021 - 689 5404
Fax: 021 - 689 8330
zama@rmh.uct.ac.za

For more information, please contact:

Professor Marian Jacobs
Director
Tel: 021 - 689 8312
Cell: 082 453 3767

Dr Maylene Shung King
Deputy Director
Tel: 021 - 689 5404
Cell: 072 399 8218

Security Arrangements: Please note that Ms Graca Machel will be speaking at the Launch at 17h00 sharp. Due to security arrangements, we kindly ask you to please arrive at the venue before 17h00.

Directions to Launch venue: If you are coming along main road from town, Chapel Road is to your right before the turn off to the M3 and the Baxter Theatre. If you are coming from Rondebosch main road, Chapel Road is to your left after the Baxter Theatre and the turn off to the M3.

Directions to Open Day Venue: The Children's Institute is directly opposite the parking area of the Rondebosch Common.