Experiences of child heads of households in Emalahleni sub-district, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Abstract

The phenomenon of orphaned children heading households without adult care, support and guidance seems to be rapidly becoming a disturbing psycho-socio-economic reality in South Africa, and Mpumalanga Province is of no exception. The study sought to explore the realities of unaccompanied and unsupported child headed households as it is evident that this category of children is more precarious in the absence of designated adult figures. This study further aimed to understand the experiences and coping strategies or mechanisms of orphaned child heads of households with a view to make recommendations that can inform best practices, to the relevant agencies that are concerned with child protection services. This study was carried out within a qualitative research design parameters and thus was phenomenological research, as the researcher describes the lived experiences and coping mechanisms of the orphaned child heads of households as described by the participants themselves. A case study research design was utilized for its advantage of enabling the researcher to concentrate on depth than breadth, acquire as much detail as possible its natural setting whilst enabling the study to be holistic from the possibility of investigating in depth the complexity and interconnectedness of relationships that define this phenomenon and can never be linear. It also enabled the study to make use of various sources and methods to attain a coherent theory that is a collection of concepts and propositions with an underlying world view that may arise and be a 'conceptual framework' to organize much in-depth information than what is available through other methods, such as surveys. The study revealed that access to social grants is one of the dominant coping strategies of children living in child headed households. It further revealed that the majority of orphans opted to remain in households headed by children subsequent to rejection encountered from their extended families. It can therefore be concluded that the traditional safety net of providing care to orphans has broken down. The study highlighted the lived experiences of child headed households that affect them on their daily social functioning and that programmes addressing the needs of this sector of children need to be configured as a matter of urgency. Special attention should be given to build capacity of social service practitioners on how to render effective child protection services to CHH by the directorate of child protection from both National and Provincial Department of Social Development such that the marginalisation of these future citizens is reduced.