South African street children: A survey and recommendations for services

Abstract

This paper describes a sub-study of children within the Human Sciences Research Council study of street people in South Africa. It used both quantitative and qualitative methods (a survey and census, and focus group discussions and in-depth interviews) to gather information from street children, their service providers, and five women who had grown up on the street but subsequently made a success of their lives. The paper reviews the origins of homelessness among children, the dynamics of life on the streets, and care requirements. It recommends a continuum of care for those already on the streets, but points also to the need for preventive services. It suggests that truancy from school could provide early warning of children at risk, and recommends a range of family support services that may be needed to prevent children from taking to the streets.

Keywords:

• street children
• homeless shelters
• childcare services
• South Africa

Acknowledgements

This work forms part of the Human Sciences Research Council's 2005–2008 study of homelessness. Funding from the National Department of Social Development, the Human Sciences Research Council, the Gauteng Department of Social Development and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is gratefully acknowledged.

The authors wish to thank the young people, former street children, and service providers who took time to tell us about their lives and work, without whose generosity the study would not have been possible, Human Sciences Research Council staff members Annemarie Booyens, Anneke Jordaan and Monika Peret, and our fieldworkers for hard work under trying conditions, Tsiliso Tamasane for help with interviews, and Michael O'Donovan for finding a way to estimate the number of street children in Gauteng.