The events of last month where communities went on a looting spree and destruction of properties has brought to fore a need to build families in the country.
The Gauteng Department of Social Development embarked on a mass public awareness campaign on Family Preservation. The campaign was aimed at empowering families to improve their social function.
As part of the campaign, West Rand Regional Social Workers Zendile Kwinana and Ntokozo Khamanga were on community radio, Westside FM, last Friday to educate the listeners about family preservation services.
Kwinana said, "Family preservation services are short-term, family-focused services designed to assist families in crisis by improving parenting and family functioning while keeping children safe. It also addresses intensive family preservation services, a more intensive and crisis-focused version of preservation services".
Khamanga added that, "I would like to clarify the myth about Social Workers. Many think our job is to remove children from their parents or families. Family Preservation is about strengthening family functioning to ensure families stay united. We assist families using different approaches because there are different family structures".
There are nuclear families, this family type consists of two parents and children. There is a single parent family, this consist of a single mother or father with children. Then there is extended family; this family includes many relatives living together and working towards common goals.
"Lastly, we have child-headed families, this type of household is one where there are no adult caregivers available and children live on their own. An older child will care for siblings, cousins, nephews, or nieces. Our aim is to ensure all these family structures are well functioning", she explained.
Kwinana further alluded on parental rights and responsibilities. She said, "They are categorized into four: care, contact, maintenance and guardianship.
Parents have the responsibility to care for the child, to maintain contact with the child, to act as guardian of the child, and to contribute to the maintenance of the child.
The Children's Act further sets out that a person may have full or specific parental responsibilities and rights", said Kwinana.
In closing, Khamanga mentioned social ills and other factors that contribute towards the breakdown of families. "Teenage pregnancy, absent fathers, unemployment and economic climate, substance abuse, death of a parent, parenting style and practice, HIV and AIDS. As a department, we render the following services to preserve families: marriage enrichment, mediation (communication), conflict resolution, supervision, counseling and crisis intervention. These services are rendered free of charge, please make use of them".