Child support grant and child poverty alleviation: experiences of caregivers in alleviating child poverty.

Abstract

Patel (2015) argues that “social security policies address structural problems or an underlying cause of poverty and inequality in the society. In addition it creates a minimum standard of living below which the population should not fall”. This dissertation explores the experiences of caregivers who receive the Child Support Grant (CSG - a social assistance or social security policy) to alleviate child poverty in Buffalo City Metropolitan (BCM). The question this study seeks to address is: How does the CSG address child poverty in BCM? International instruments regulating South Africa on policy issues relating to child poverty are at the back drop of the discussion and exploration of the CSG as means to alleviate child poverty in a context such as BCM. Theoretically framing the study using the Social Development Approach (SDA) assisted in viewing the CSG from a developmental contribution point of view, when examining the caregiver’s experiences of using the CSG to alleviate child poverty. The child focused multidimensional model (CFMDM) further brought into perspective aspects of child poverty, which became the focus for this study. A qualitative research method was utilised to explore the experiences of caregivers who use the CSG to alleviate child poverty in BCM. Research participants were drawn based on a non- probable sample of BCM caregivers receiving the CSG, with which semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted. This study discovered that due to high unemployment of the caregivers living in BCM the CSG was not directly improving the lives of children living in poverty, as the caregivers solely depended on the receipt of the CSG to care for their children and other sources of income were not available for the participating care givers.