Search

South African legislation with specific reference to the amended Children's Act (38 of 2005) deals with children in alternative care. According to the Act, children who have already been found in need of care and protection can be placed in alternative care. However, no mention is made of informal alternative care in the Act. A gap, therefore, exists in caring for children in informal alternative care arrangements. Apart from a gap in legislation, limited research on informal alternative care is available in South Africa which can have a negative influence on the care and rights of children in informal alternative care arrangements. This qualitative study aimed to explore and understand informal alternative care arrangements of children from the perspective of social workers. Data was collected through the use of two focus groups. The purposively selected sample consisted of 13 social workers with a working experience of at least three years in informal and formal alternative care. The participants were from the North West Province and employed by both the Department of Social Development and Non-profit organisations. An interview schedule was used to explore the views of the participants with regard to interventions on informal alternative care. The transcribed data were manually analysed and the findings indicate that practice guidelines for social workers are needed to regulate and support informal alternative care arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]