In response to the high levels of child poverty, the government of South Africa introduced the Child Support Grant (CSG) in 1998. The grant, initially targeted children 6 years and younger. Over the years it has been extended to include children 15 years and younger. According to many studies the grant has proven to be beneficial. This study investigated the targeting of the CSG, if it indeed reaching the poor children via their caregivers. Care-givers, who reported receiving the CSG in KIDS 2004, were tracked to KIDS 1998 to determine their demographic and socioeconomic profile. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed. The demographic and socio-economic characteristics of caregivers receiving and not receiving the CSG were analysed using cross tabs. Based on the means test income threshold, caregivers who are eligible and non-eligible for the CSG were identified. Multinomial regression was applied to identify the targeted, omitted and leaked CSG beneficiaries. These findings were augmented by the findings from the qualitative data. Based on the proxy indicators of poverty, the findings from the study have revealed that the CSG is being targeted at the poor, however there is evidence of both type I and type 11 errors of targeting present. Whilst type 11 error (leakage) is negligible, type I error of under-coverage is quite prominent. In essence the grant is reaching only some of its intended beneficiaries but not all of them. The study calls for government and its stakeholders to revisit the targeting design and implementation of the GCS. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The term “deadbeat dad” has been used to refer to nonresident fathers who intentionally avoid meeting child support obligations. Such a stereotypical image has reinforced the notion that public policy should strengthen the child support enforcement system to prevent nonresident fathers from escaping their financial obligations to their children. Public pressure, along with the need to recoup government expenditures on welfare costs, has compelled the federal and state governments to build a strong child support enforcement program during the past decades. Although many empirical researchers have found that strict child support enforcement is responsible for an increase in child support payments received through a formal system, the extent of non-payments still remains high. Arrears, defined as unpaid child support either owed to custodial families or the government, grew to over $115 billion nationally. Although the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) collected and distributed approximately $7 billion of these arrears in 2016, 11.3 million child support cases still had arrears remaining. Despite the growing problem of child support arrears, relatively little research has been carried out on the long-term factors and outcomes associated with arrears accumulation. This is because prior studies of child support arrears rely on cross-sectional data, which cannot adequately address this research gap. What is more, in regarding information on child support outcomes, many previous child-support studies rely predominantly on maternal reports rather than on information obtained directly from the noncustodial fathers, which may introduce measurement errors. The proposed study will solve this problem by using data from Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, a longitudinal survey of 4,898 children born to married and unmarried parents in the major cities in the U.S. between 1998 and 2000. Because the data are the first and only longitudinal information providing a nationally representative sample of unmarried fathers, it is eminently suited to address the limitation of prior research. The objective of the proposed three-paper dissertation is to address gaps in the literature by exploring the following three questions. Question 1. What are the effects of state-level child support enforcement policies on long-term individual patterns of arrears accumulations among noncustodial fathers? Strong child-support enforcement is responsible for noncustodial father’s child support arrears accumulation. However, little is known about the extent to which child support policies affect noncustodial fathers’ long-term patterns of arrears accumulation. Studying the long-term patterns of arrears accumulation is potentially important, especially for policy makers who would be better able to make informed decisions about the timing of policy intervention. This chapter will examine the long-term impact of child support policies that penalize a father who had failed to comply with child support obligations on his arrears accumulation patterns. Question 2. What is the association between arrears and fathers’ later health/mental health outcomes? The next chapter of the study will discuss one of the detrimental consequences of child support arrears: fathers’ health and mental health problems. While several notable qualitative studies have provided anecdotes about challenges that the noncustodial fathers face after the accumulation of child support arrears, only one quantitative study examined the association between the fathers’ arrears and their health and mental health problems. The proposed study will address these gaps in knowledge by using the stress process model proposed by Pearlin and colleagues. Question 3. How child support indebtedness matter for residential union formation among non-resident couples at childbirth? How money matters for union transitions among low-income unmarried parents have been of great interest to policy makers given the extensive evidence that marriage (or cohabitation) is associated with lower rates of child poverty. Child support enforcement is the tool intended to mitigate financial loss experienced by children. The system simply collects money from the noncustodial parent (usually fathers) and distributes it to the custodial parent (usually mothers). Therefore, the child support system is highly linked to union transitions decisions among parents who are either recipients or obligors of child support. Despite extensive empirical studies on this topic, limited research has been aimed at understanding the adverse consequences of child support enforcement and its impact on union formation. That is, rather than successfully collecting money from noncustodial fathers, some governments’ efforts could be failed to make many low-income fathers comply with their obligations, resulting in a decline in the amount of child support received by custodial mothers. Thus, this chapter will investigate whether fathers’ arrears accumulation affects transitions to residential unions among parents not living in such unions at childbirth. In this chapter, parents who did not cohabit at birth, but who subsequently formed residential unions with one another or with a new partner are modeled as competing risks using a discrete-time competing risks hazard model framework.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focused on the social protection of vulnerable children in Zambia. The aim was to find out how social protection had evolved and how it was conceptualised – its functions and types, policies and programmes, the benefits and services, and the risks and vulnerabilities that it addresses. A descriptive study design was used with qualitative methods of collecting and analysing data. The sample of 24 participants from government and nongovernmental organisations involved in social protection delivery as well as carers of children was drawn from the Central, Lusaka and Southern provinces of Zambia respectively. A semi-structured interview schedule was used, and all the recorded interviews were transcribed by the researcher and sent back to the participants for proofreading or corrections, where necessary, before analysis. The basic needs, the empowerment, the risk management, the rights-based, and the capability approaches have been used to further the conceptualization, design features and implementation modalities of social protection. Additionally, given that a theoretical basis for social protection is still lacking, the study drew on representational, explanatory, normative, human capital, social construction, social contractual, and structural social work theories in order to complement, extend and verify the findings. Ethical clearance (number Desc_Moonga2012) was obtained from Stellenbosch University’s Research Ethics Committee. The ethical clearance certificate was used to apply for and obtain permission from the Zambian Ministry of Community Development Mother and Child Health and nongovernmental organisations involved in the study. Empirically, the study found that social protection was an old activity under a new name and was being scaled up rapidly but biased towards cash transfers. By and large, social protection in Zambia is provided as unconditional transfers, mainly as social assistance. No existing legislative or policy framework specifically focused on social protection was found, although the latter had been drafted at the time of the study. The Zambian government and a number of partners such as CARE, Child Fund, World Vision and the World Food Programme, to mention only a few, were found to be involved, but their efforts were fragmented and interventions for children were limited, fragmented and less responsive to the current risks and vulnerabilities of children. The study also established that if 2–3% of the country’s gross domestic product as recommended by the International Labour Organization were used, Zambia could afford to provide extensive social protection coverage (beyond its current offering) by using local resources. However, this would require putting in place appropriate and sustainable resource mobilisation measures and decentralization of the processes and interventions. Based on these and other concluding findings, it is recommended that in order for social protection for vulnerable children in Zambia to be effective, among other requirements, political will is needed in the provision of social protection for vulnerable groups, especially children, through legislative and policy frameworks. Additionally, there is a need for sustainable resource mobilisation, especially through progressive taxation such as taxation of undeserved income and taxation of big businesses, especially mining companies. However, due to limitations in qualitative methods and descriptive designs and the small sample of the data used, the conclusions and recommendations of the study are but conjectural. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het op die maatskaplike beskerming van kwesbare kinders in Zambië gekonsentreer. Die doel was om te bepaal hoe maatskaplike beskerming ontwikkel het en gekonseptualiseer is – die soorte en funksies van maatskaplike beskerming, die beleide en programme daaroor, die voordele en dienste wat daarmee verband hou, en die gepaardgaande risiko’s en kwesbaarhede. ʼn Beskrywende navorsingsontwerp met kwalitatiewe metodes vir data-insameling en -ontleding is gebruik. Die steekproef van 24 deelnemers uit die staatsektor en nieregeringsorganisasies wat met die lewering van maatskaplike beskerming gemoeid is, sowel as kinderversorgers, het uit die Lusaka-, sentrale en suidelike provinsies van Zambië gekom. ’n Semigestruktureerde onderhoudskedule is gebruik. Die navorser het alle opnames van onderhoude getranskribeer en dit voor ontleding aan die deelnemers gestuur om te proeflees en enige nodige regstellings te maak. Die basiese behoefte-, bemagtiging-, risikobestuur-, regsgebaseerde en vermoëns benaderings is gebruik om die konseptualisering, ontwerp kenmerke en implementering van modaliteite van maatskaplike beskerming te bevorder. Benewens die gebrek aan ’n teoretiese grondslag vir maatskaplike beskerming, het die studie op die verteenwoordigende- verklarende-, normatiewe-, menslikekapitaal-, maatskaplikekonstruksie-, maatskaplikekontrak- en strukturele maatskaplikewerk-teorieë staatgemaak om die bevindinge aan te vul, uit te brei en na te gaan. Etiekgoedkeuring (nommer Desc_Moonga2012) is van die Universiteit Stellenbosch se Navorsingsetiekkomitee verkry. Die etiekgoedkeuringsertifikaat is op sy beurt gebruik om toestemming te vra en te verkry van die Zambiese Ministerie van Gemeenskapsontwikkeling en Moeder- en Kindergesondheid en nieregerings-organisasies wat by die studie betrokke was. Die empiriese bevinding van die studie is dat maatskaplike beskerming ’n ou aktiwiteit met ’n nuwe naam is, en dat dit vinnig uitgebrei word, dog na kontant-oorplasings oorhel. Maatskaplike beskerming in Zambië geskied merendeels as onvoorwaardelike oorplasings, hoofsaaklik in die vorm van maatskaplike bystand. Geen bestaande regs- of beleidsraamwerk wat bepaald oor maatskaplike beskerming handel, kon opgespoor word nie, hoewel werk aan ’n beleidsraamwerk ten tyde van die studie aan die gang was. Die Zambiese regering en ’n aantal vennote, waaronder CARE, Child Fund, World Vision en die Wêreldvoedselprogram, om net enkeles te noem, is betrokke by maatskaplike beskerming dienslewering, maar hul pogings is gefragmenteer. Veral intervensies vir kinders is beperk, gefragmenteer en nie juis ingestel op die kinders se huidige risiko’s en kwesbaarhede nie. Daarbenewens het die studie vasgestel dat indien 2–3% van die land se bruto binnelandse produk gebruik word, soos wat die Internasionale Arbeidsorganisasie aanbeveel, Zambië kan bekostig om met behulp van plaaslike hulpbronne omvattende maatskaplike beskerming (wat verder strek as sy huidige aanbod) te bied. Dít sou egter vereis dat toepaslike en volhoubare maatreëls en desentralisering van prosesse en intervensies ingestel word om hulpbronne te mobiliseer. Op grond van hierdie en ander bevindinge is die gevolgtrekking dat maatskaplike beskerming vir kwesbare groepe in Zambië slegs doeltreffend sal wees indien die nodige politieke wil bestaan om deur regs- en beleidsraamwerke maatskaplike beskerming aan hierdie groepe, veral kinders, te voorsien. Daar bestaan ook ’n behoefte aan volhoubare hulpbronmobilisering, veral deur progressiewe belasting soos belasting op onverdiende inkomste en belasting op groot ondernemings, bepaald mynmaatskappye. Weens die beperkinge van kwalitatiewe metodes en deskriptiewe ontwerpe, sowel as die klein datasteekproef wat gebruik is, is die gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings van die studie egter bloot verondersteld.

M.A. (Social Work) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis presented in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management) to the Faculty of Commerce, Law, and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / The research aimed to find out whether one of the unintended outcomes of governments’ top-down implementation of the child support grant was increased fertility among recipients in the rural areas, which generally have higher levels of fertility in the country. South Africa does not have a fertility problem, but development is still much needed in the rural areas. The plight of government, having inherited one of the most unequal society is not minimised. According to Mcnicoll (1998), public transfers among age groups are fertility related. Government directs public expenditures towards social services benefiting the poor. Such expenditures and transfers may significantly modify the economics of fertility as seen by prospective parents. Rural households are more vulnerable because of the economic unviability rooted in the apartheid system. Our study has tried to show how the environment in Lenyenye Township and surrounding villages could make it a possibility for women to see the increment of births as a rational solution for the survival of their family. The theory of bounded rationality was used to demonstrate that rationality is more adaptive to situations based on the environmental constraints. / XL2017

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Public Management in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / This research study sought to find out about the efficacy of the Child Support Grant Policy [CSGP] to the intended beneficiaries – namely, children at the Gugulethu Office in the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC). An attempt was made to establish whether there is any correlation between the administration of the CSG and poverty alleviation, which the latter seeks to address to a certain extent. The study was therefore undertaken to understand the perceptions of beneficiaries of the CSG, community members and officials at Gugulethu Department of Social Development offices. Furthermore, the study examined the major challenges that serve as obstacles to individuals who try to access the CSG, and sought to offer recommendations as to how these challenges may be surmounted and resolved by the Department of Social Development, which oversees the implementation of the CSG. The study was both interpretive (qualitative) and positivistic (quantitative) in nature, Data was collected through the use of in-depth interviews and structured questionnaires. The findings of the study reveal that the Programme meets intended beneficiaries that is the poor children, though it does not all the children receive the grant. The results of the study have also indicated that the CSG is consistent with the South African government‟s core objectives of creating a better life for all. It was therefore established in the study that the CSG is managing to create better livelihoods for the children and their maternal families as the grant is seen as a source of livelihood. However, it was also revealed in the study that the provisioning of grant has also led to increased teenage pregnancies though there is no clear association between the two. Furthermore, the findings have indicated that there is need to perform capacity building with the Gugulethu Department of Social Development employees as it has been highlighted that most of them are not competent to administer the grant. In addition, it has be found out that there is need to ensure that the grant application forms are written in a language that the applicants can comprehend.

There were different kinds of imbalances that were created by the past regime in which race and colour were determining factors in terms of access to state welfare. The State Maintance Grant was one of the state welfare interventions where African women did not even know how or where to access the grant. When the Child Support Grant was introduced in 1998 it gave hope to the vulnerable section of the society, the children. The CSG is one of the poverty alleviation programs introduced by the government to target the poverty stricken children of South Africa. This is a means tested program which not all children are to benefit but a certain portion of the society. There are special conditions attached to the grant which require to be fulfilled. These conditions require the child to be fed, clothed, immunized, school needs be paid, and have proper accommodation. This study made use of the Mdantsane Township which is 25 km away from East London city centre as a case study to determine whether the CSG has managed to achieve its objective of relieving poverty among children, given the conditions of poverty and unemployment in Mdantsane. The findings of this study indicate that the people of Mdantsane are still in poverty and the most affected sections remain the children. The respondents indicate that the people are unemployed as a result the CSG seems to be the source of livelihood in these households leaving the children at a disadvantage as the grant is intended for x their own needs. Therefore there is a need to investigate whether the CSG has any impact on the lives of these children. Also since Eastern Cape is known to be one of the poorest provinces, it is important to investigate whether the CSG has become the source of livelihood in some households.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: One of the cruelest legacies of the apartheid era in South Africa was that it created a situation in which a very large proportion of children in the African and Coloured populations live in households affected by severe poverty. The first aim of this dissertation is to make a contribution to knowledge about the South African child poverty profile and its sensitivity to the adult equivalence scale used in measurement. This contribution is based on the Income & Expenditure Survey 2005. In April 1998, following the recommendations of the Lund Committee, the Child Support Grant (CSG) cash transfer programme was introduced. This programme initially paid a benefit of R100 a month to primary caregivers who passed a means test to help them care for children age 0-6. Currently it offers R250 to primary caregivers of children age 0-15 who pass a means test. The second aim of this dissertation is to synthesize the main findings and knowledge gaps of the performance of the CSG based on an analysis of the existing research on the programme. The questions used to structure the CSG analysis are derived from an application of the Rossi et al. (2004) systematic approach for tailoring a social programme evaluation and cover the logic of the programme‘s impact theory, implementation impact and design. Chapter one considers conceptual and methodological issues in child poverty measurement, thereby providing methodological foundations for the analysis. Chapter two reviews the existing research on child poverty in South Africa and identifies knowledge gaps that the Income and Expenditure Survey of 2005 analysis contributes towards filling. Chapter three presents the findings on the sensitivity of the child poverty profile to changes in the adult equivalence scale as well as on the dimensions of the South African child poverty profile. Chapter four describes the Rossi et al. (2004) method for tailoring a social programme evaluation and applies it, thereby laying the foundations for the CSG programme analysis, presented in chapter five. The conclusion explains how the child poverty analysis in the first half of the dissertation relates to the CSG analysis in the second and draws implications of the dissertation‘s main findings for future research. Setting the poverty line at the 40th percentile of households calculated with different AESs, the scope and composition of child poverty are found to be relatively insensitive to the scale used. This supports the argument that it may be appropriate in South Africa to use a poverty line based on a per capita welfare measure. For the construction of the poverty profile per capita income is used as the welfare indicator, with the poverty line set at the 40th percentile of household. The profile finds that poverty remains more extensive amongst children than adults even after the massive injection of cash via the CSG into poor households with children. Large variations across provinces remain. The child poverty headcount and depth and severity measures are all found to be higher amongst children age 0-4 than children age 15-17, despite the prioritization of very young children in the roll out of the CSG programme. The finding that children age 0-4 are still most in need questions the logic behind the government‘s recent decision to expand coverage of the grant to children age 15-17 instead of allocating additional funds to support this group. The CSG programme impact theory is found to be reasonable. A substantial amount of research on the programme‘s implementation is identified, which shows the massive expansion in its coverage since 2000 and that, in general, it has been well implemented. Delay in reaching very young eligible children, under-representation of children with non-biological caregivers and failure to reach some of the very poorest children who live in remote areas emerge as weaknesses in programme implementation. Barriers to access are identified. The difficulty of distilling the effects of the CSG programme on child poverty and its associated deprivations in the absence of a randomized community trial is explained, as is the need to use direct rather than indirect monetary indicators to isolate the impacts of the CSG on child poverty. A small yet convincing evidence base on the impacts of the programme is identified; this shows that it has been achieving its ultimate objectives of reducing child deprivation and promoting human capital development. It is argued that the existing research and current budgetary context suggests that: the income means test should not be eliminated; the CSG benefit value should not be raised substantially; school related conditions should not have been linked to receipt of the CSG benefit; and, even in the case of children age 16 and above, the grant should be paid to children via the primary caregiver. The research priorities implied by this dissertation are organized into three separate yet interrelated areas of research. The first is further research on the dimensions of multi-dimensional child poverty in South Africa. Here the spotlight needs to be on: understanding more about which children are deprived and in what sense; similarities and differences between the composition of poverty based on indirect monetary measures and other more direct measures of deprivation; the circumstances which ensure that children age 0-4 are still most in need (at least in the resource deprivation sense). The second area is research on the implementation of the CSG programme, in which case the findings from the existing research on the weaknesses in programme implementation and concerns about targeting outcomes need to guide the research. The third area of research identified as requiring further attention is that of the CSG‘s impacts on child deprivation (wellbeing). Here the focus needs to be on establishing which children are benefiting most and least from the grant and why. Towards this end quantitative researchers need to follow the lead of other researchers and use direct indicators of child outcomes. Qualitative research on who controls the resources that flow into the household, as well as how resources are allocated inside the household, can make an important contribution to answering these questions. The CSG‘s potential to generate behavioral effects which could alter household structure and/or income earned from wages is something that is also identified as important for researchers to explore. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Een van die wreedste erfenisse van Suid-Afrika se apartheid-era was dat dit ‘n toestand geskep het waarin die grootse gros van swart en kleurling kinders in huishoudings geleef het wat deur armoede geraak is. Die eerste doel van hierdie proefskrif is om ‘n bydrae te lewer tot kennis omtrent die Suid-Afrikaanse kinderarmoedeprofiel en hoe sensitief dit is vir die volwassene-ekwivalentskaal waarmee dit gemeet word. Die empiriese bydrae oor die kinderarmoedeprofiel en sy sensitiwiteit vir die VES is gebaseer op die Inkomste- en Bestedingstudie van 2005. Na die aanbevelings van die Lund-komitee is die Kinderbystandstoelae (KBT), ʼn program van kontantoordragte, in April 1998 bekendgestel. Die program het aanvanklik ʼn voordeel van R100 per maand aan primêre versorgers betaal wat aan 'n middeletoets voldoen het om hulle te help om kinders van 0 tot 6 jaar oud te versorg. Tans word R250 aangebied aan primêre versorgers van kinders van 0 tot 16 jaar wat aan die middeletoets voldoen. Die tweede doel van hierdie proefskrif is om vas te stel wat die belangrikste vrae is wat tans gevra behoort te word omtrent die KBT se vertoning, gegrond op ʼn analise van die bestaande navorsing oor hierdie program, om die bevindings en kennisleemtes hieroor saam te vat. Hoofstuk 1 beskou konsepsuele en metodologiese kwessies rakende die metings van kinderarmoede, wat die metodologiese grondslag vir hierdie analise bied. Hoofstuk 2 gee 'n oorsig van die bestaande navorsing oor kinderarmoede in Suid-Afrika en identifiseer sodoende die kennisleemtes, wat die analise van die IBS help vul. Hoofstuk 3 bied bevindinge oor die ontleding van die sensitiwiteit van die kinderarmoedeprofiel vir die volwasse-ekwivalentskaal wat gebruik word en dateer hierdie profiel op met gebruik van die Inkomste- en Bestedingstudie van 2006. Hoofstuk 4 beskryf Rossi et el. (2004) se metode oor hoe om ʼn maatskaplike program te beoordeel en pas dit toe om belangrike vrae te identifiseer wat oor die KBT gevra behoort te word. Hoofstuk 5 bied antwoorde op hierdie vrae rakende die KBT sowel as bevindinge en kennisleemtes uit die literatuur rakende die KBT-program. Deur die armoedelyn op die 40e persentiel van huishoudings soos met verskillende VES‘e bereken te stel, word gevind dat die omvang en samestelling van kinderarmoede redelik onsensitief is vir die skaal wat gebruik word. Dit ondersteun die argument dat dit toepaslik mag wees om 'n per capita armoedelyn vir berekening van Suid-Afrikaanse armoedeprofiele te gebruik. Dus word die armoedelyn op die 40e persentiel van per capita inkomste gestel vir die konstruksie van die armoedeprofiel. Hierdie profiel toon dat armoede onder kinders meer algemeen is as onder volwassenes, selfs ná die massiewe inspuiting van kontant in arm huishoudings met kinderlede deur die KBT. Daar bly groot onderskeide tussen provinsies. Vir kinders 0 tot 4 is die koppetelling, diepte en intensiteit van kinderarmoede alles hoër as vir ouer kinders tot in die groep 15–17. Dit ondersteun die regering se huidige beleid om voorkeur te verleen aan jonger kinders in die stryd teen armoede. Die teorie agter die KBT program se impak word as redelik beoordeel. ʼn Beduidende hoeveelheid navorsing bestaan oor die KBT se implementering. Dit toon die massiewe uitbreiding van die program sedert 2000 en dat die program in die algemeen goed geïmplementeer is. Swakpunte in implementering wat uitgewys word is die sloering om baie jong kwalifiserende kinders te bereik en onderverteenwoordiging van kinders waarvan die versorgers nie biologies verwant is aan die kinders nie. Daar word aangevoer dat die beperkte navorsing oor die KBT-program se impak daarop dui dat dit sy uiteindelike doelstelling bereik om kinderontbering te verminder en menslike kapitaal te bevorder. Die analise van die KBT-program lei tot die slotsom dat die inkomste-middeletoets nie uitgeskakel moet word nie, dat skoolplig-voorwaardes nie vir die program moes ingestel geword het nie, dat die voordeelvlakke van die program nie tans beduidend verhoog moet word nie en dat die toelae ook in die geval van ouer kinders (16 jaar en meer) wel steeds aan die primêre versorger uitbetaal behoort te word. Een duidelike kennisleemte oor die KBT-program is hoe dit gedrag beïnvloed, in die vorm van arbeidsmigrasie, arbeidsaanbod en fertiliteit, sowel as gesinstruktuur en reëlings rondom die versorging van kinders. ʼn Verdere kennisleemte is hoe die program op die vlak van beleid en implementering met ander ondersteuningsmaatsreëls vir kinders geïntegreer is. Die analise wys op die behoefte daaraan om beleidsopsies te verken wat sal help dat kinders wie se versorgers nie biologiese verwante is nie netsoveel sal baat van die inkomste wat weens die KBT in arm huishoudings invloei as ander kinders. Navorsingsprioriteite wat uit hierdie proefskrif se bevindinge spruit kan in drie onafhanklike maar gekoppelde navorsingsgebiede gegroepeer word. Die eerste is verdere navorsing oor die dimensies van multi-dimensionele kinderarmoede in Suid-Afrika. Hier behoort die soeklig te val op: ʼn beter begrip van watter kinders ontbeer en in watter sin; ooreenkomste en verskille tussen die samestelling van armoede gebaseer op indirekte monetêre maatstawwe en ander meer direkte maatstawwe van ontbering; en wat veroorsaak dat kinders in die ouderdomsgroep 0-4 se behoefte steeds die grootste is (ten minste in die hulpbron-ontbering sin van die woord). Die tweede gebied is navorsing oor die implementering van die KBT-program, waar bevindinge oor swakhede in program-implementering uit bestaande navorsing en besorgdheid oor die uitkomste van teikening navorsing behoort te rig. Die derde navorsingsgebied wat verdere aandag verg is die KBT se impak op kinderontbering en -welsyn. Hier behoort die klem daarop te val om vas te stel watter kinders die meeste voordeel trek uit die toelae en hoekom dit die geval is. In hierdie verband word geargumenteer dat kwantitatiewe navorsers ander navorsers se voorbeeld behoort te volg en direkte maatstawwe van kinderuitkomste behoort te gebruik. Kwalitatiewe navorsing oor wie bronne beheer wat die huishouding binnevloei en hoe dit binne die huishouding toegedeel word, kan veel tot die beantwoording van hierdie vrae bydra. Nog iets wat uitgewys word as ʼn belangrike gebied wat navorsers verder moet ontgin is die KBT se potensiële effek op gedrag wat huishoudingstruktuur en/of looninkomste beïnvloed.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / The study was undertaken to examine the contribution of child support grant (CSG) towards alleviation of poverty in South Africa. This is necessary because CSG is meant to support children from poor background in order to improve their general wellbeing. The literature review undertaken in this study shows that CSG is contributing towards alleviation of poverty in Masodi village. The literature review further highlights that there are various challenges that disturbs the strategies of the government in delivering world class social assistance to the citizens of South Africa. Another finding are that there are barriers in the utilization of system that are used to pay CSG as it is outdated, and need to be updated. This challenge justifies why there are several corruption cases in the social pension system (SOCPEN). One of the findings of the study is that CSG plays a direct role in the life of beneficiaries in improving socio-economic conditions in their lives; children are able to attend school, improve on nutrition and access health services. The main recommendation of the study is that government should increase the amount of CSG; it should be extended to the age of 21 to enable the children to attend higher learning institutions. In order to assist children to overcome the challenges of poverty, accessing higher education would reduce dependency on the government in the long run, as they will acquire skills that will make them employable. / South African Social Security Agency