Challenges faced by caregivers raising children left by deported migrant parents in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

This paper was aimed at exploring challenges faced by caregivers raising children left by deported migrant parents in Johannesburg, South Africa. Researchers employed a qualitative research approach and adopted an exploratory case study design. The sample consists of 12 caregivers, selected through purposeful sampling, engaging in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to derive key themes from the caregivers’ narratives, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of their experiences and the challenges faced in informal caregiving. The findings reveal a pervasive informal caregiving landscape, where caregivers assume parental responsibilities without formal government involvement. Caregivers face challenges such as financial constraints, limited access to statutory social services, access to healthcare barriers, feelings of stress and helplessness, and difficulties in family tracing and reunification. The lack of documentation for migrant children exacerbates these challenges, hindering their access to essential services. The study concludes that the informal nature of caregiving arrangements for children of deported migrants in South Africa poses significant risks to their well-being. The study recommends the inclusion of formalising alternative care arrangements, improving access to statutory social services, addressing access to healthcare barriers, providing support for caregivers’ mental health and financial well-being, advocating for documentation, and strengthening family tracing and reunification processes.

Keywords:

• Challenges
• children
• caregivers
• migrant parents
• Johannesburg

Reviewing Editor:

• Komalsingh Rambaree, Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden

Subjects:

• Mental health
• Sociology & Social Policy
• Gender Studies - Soc Sci

Introduction

Caregivers for children who are left by deported migrant parents are faced with a myriad of challenges. The challenges include informality of care, which makes it difficult for children to access statutory social services (Malan & Heyman 2020; Seepamore, 2016). Some caregivers are also faced with financial challenges due to the informal nature of their source of income since the majority of them are also migrants who are either low-skilled or irregularly documented. These caregivers have limited access to government-sponsored social security services such as childcare grants or foster care grants in South Africa. Unlike formal placements that are recognised, mandated and governed by the amended Children’s Act (RSA, 2008), informal alternative care is not preceded by a preliminary investigation performed by social services. Social services do not inquire or monitor informal alternative care nor are the placements dependent on court inquiries and court-approved transfers of parental rights and responsibilities in respect of children (Martin & Mbambo, 2011).

The study was conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa. Johannesburg is one of the largest cities in South Africa and is a preferred destination for migrants because of its alluring promises of a better future (Kihato, 2013). The researchers opted to interview caregivers residing at Berea, Yeoville, Bezvalley, and Rosettenville, which are the make-up of the inner city of Johannesburg. The researchers opted for these areas due to their population diversity, their proximity to the inner city and low-cost accommodation which migrants find favourable and affordable (City of Johannesburg Profile and Analysis, 2020). The study was conducted in Johannesburg because this is the city that receives most migrants in the Southern Africa region. In corroboration, the study by Scalabrini Centre (2019) found that Johannesburg is the top city of choice for migrants because of the perceived availability of a variety of opportunities that it has because it is the country’s economic hub. On the same wavelength, Kangelani (2021) argues that from 2016–2021, most immigrants lived in Gauteng, the country’s richest province, which comprises the commercial capital of Johannesburg, the executive capital of Pretoria/Tshwane, and the manufacturing hub of Ekurhuleni. This made Johannesburg a relevant city for the current study because the majority of children aim to reach Gauteng on their own or with their parents. Lastly, the study area was in line with the paper’s aim of exploring challenges faced by caregivers raising children left by deported migrant parents in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Literature review

The migration context

Research shows that migration is an important topic in global development, and this is recognised in several key global policies such as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, as well as the Global Compact on Refugees (United Nations General Assembly, 2018a, 2018b). Owing to its global importance, in policy, migration has become a part of the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030. In research and theories such as the migration and development nexus, migration is also linked with several key global topics such as socio-economic development (King, 2022; Mbeve et al., 2021; Mbeve & Ngwenya, 2022). In the global and particularly Southern Africa literature, it is well-discussed that the movement of people across the world yields potential socio-economic developmental opportunities, that will benefit the receiving and sending communities, as well as the migrant themselves (King, 2022; Mbeve et al., 2021; Mbeve & Ngwenya, 2022).

While migration is a global phenomenon, in the Southern African context, a larger number of migrants move to South Africa. Such migrants would be either documented or undocumented, with some being refugees who move either alone or together with their children and children migrating alone (Mbeve & Ngwenya, 2022). However, the discourse of research, that is conducted in South Africa and similar contexts globally, on migration suggests that while migration is seen as a potential source of global development, migrants continue to face challenges that in fact, make their lives difficult. Such difficulties include a lack of supportive regional or national policies, where instead there is evidence that many global countries, including South Africa, are becoming more restrictive of immigration (Amit, 2022; Ceccorulli, 2020; Opi, 2024). Some studies have shown that with restrictive, and border securitising policies, migrants struggle to receive the necessary documentation to formalise their stay in a country and, therefore must face several challenges to be part of their host communities including the threat of detention, deportation and deportation itself (Martins, 2024; Schockaert et al., 2020).

Although many migrant families would have moved to South Africa for better opportunities, several challenges emerge, including some parents being undocumented, and therefore the existence of deportations and children being left behind by their deported parents (Costin, 2021; Opfermann, 2020). In other cases, although parents may be living with their children, they experience difficult socio-economic conditions that may affect their everyday life, and hence social and psychological development (Mbeve et al., 2021). In addition to challenging socio-economic and policy challenges, the social structures in which migrants live are not always accepted. In the South African context, there are several reports of xenophobia which affect migrants’ everyday lives, and this spills to their children in schools and elsewhere (Dube & Setlalentoa, 2024).

Globally countries are increasingly tightening border control, securitising immigration and penalising undocumented migration through various methods (Arrocha, 2019; Kiely & Swirak 2021). In South Africa, migration policies are becoming more controlling and stricter on undocumented migrants (Amit, 2022), yet the majority of children who migrate into the country, are irregularly documented or undocumented. One of the methods that are used by the South African government to deal with undocumented migrants is through deportations or detentions. South African statistics show that adult deportation is a common phenomenon in the country. For example, in 2013/2014 South Africa deported over 80,000 adults who were mostly Africans (Mthembu-Salter et al., 2014) due to their irregular documentation or undocumented at all. According to Machinya (2019), deportation and detention are some of the key threats that are experienced by migrants in South Africa every day. The deportation or detention of adults is rampant, while migrant children are not. This means that several migrant children in South Africa are left without their parents.

Migration of children in South Africa

There is a wealth of research on migration and unaccompanied migrant children globally (Mahati 2012; Mathe 2018; Palmary 2019; Levoy 2020; Mabvurira et al., 2020). What cuts across most of these studies is that in South Africa, migrant children are faced with challenges such as documentation and access to social services. Several authors (Free et al., 2014; Mahati, 2015; Mathe 2018) have reported four major challenges that are faced by migrant children and may adversely affect their education and well-being. Such challenges include (1) cultural barriers (2) parental absence and children’s care responsibility for a family, (3) financial and material needs including housing and health, and (4) poor access to schools due to being undocumented.

Literature has also shown a significant concern over undocumented children in South Africa. By 2020, statistics in South Africa estimated that 642,000 displaced, migrant, and refugee children lived in the country, and most of these were undocumented (The South African Government, 2020; UNICEF South Africa, 2020). This figure suggests that by 2020, South Africa had the largest number of migrant children at least on the African continent. In South Africa, although the deportation of undocumented adult migrants is common, child deportation is prohibited, even when they are in the company of undocumented illegal immigrants (DSD guidelines on care and protection of migrant children).

However, there is a need for more research that provides accounts of what transpires to migrant children when their parents are deported. Masilo et al. (2021) highlight the negative effects of South Africa’s immigration policy on the well-being and quality of life of illegal migrants. Research shows that undocumented and sometimes even documented migrants are negatively impacted in accessing social services such as education, health, and social security, including during times of distress as the COVID-19 period (Mbeve & Ngwenya, 2022; Mbeve et al., 2021). This means undocumented migrant children are also negatively impacted in their interaction with the environment which is usually volatile while they have little human rights protection from South Africa’s immigration policies. Furthermore, following the deportation of their parents and other legal guardians, who are largely arrested during the day away from home and conducting daily errands, children are largely left without caregivers (Machinya, 2019; Mbeve et al., 2021). There also seems to be a lack of collaboration between child care and the Home Affairs processes, as often, there are no records that depict the link between a deported adult and migrant children in their care in South Africa due to their lack of legal immigration status. When left in South Africa, migrant children are either expected to be cared for by the state or other alternative caregivers. These caregivers together with the children are reported by research to face several challenges, as discussed below.

The strain on the mental and financial capacities of caregivers

Carrying out the caregiving duties requires a mental and financial capacity. Komuhangi et al. (2022) recognise the impact of informal caregiving on the caregiver’s mental health and financial well-being. In addition, to the emotional stress which is caused by caring for a child or family member in need, caregiving has been reported to also yield various financial burdens (Denby, 2015). Existing literature indicates that caregivers are faced with financial stress when the parents of the children who are cared for are not financially supportive. In a study that was conducted in South Africa by Van der Walt (2018), it is noted that the informal or kinship caregivers’ economic situation may be worsened by assuming the responsibility of caregiving for children who are left in their care. This means that children themselves may suffer from a lack of basic needs because they would have lost financial and economic support from their deported parents. This is corroborated by UNICEF (2012) which shows that the most prominent concern which is related to kinship care is the overextension of the hosting households, who may be already facing problems such as illness and poverty.

Financial challenges lead to poor access to healthcare for migrant children, which makes it challenging for caregivers to raise a migrant child since childhood is characterised by various health needs (Alfaro-Velcamp, 2017). South Africa has a policy for free access to primary healthcare for all in the country, which is outlined in the Constitution and the National Health Act 61 of 2004 (RSA 1996, 2004). However, the interpretations of the policy do not sufficiently facilitate inclusivity in implementation guidelines and practice. Resultantly, migrants face challenges in accessing healthcare, as well the healthcare responses have minimally engaged with migration (Walls et al., 2016).

Lack of documents to apply for state grants

In South Africa, documentation status is a major barrier to accessing social services for migrant children. A lack of documentation means that children cannot access services that are offered by the government such as child social grants. Resultantly, it becomes a challenge for migrant children to access basic needs such as food (Mathe, 2018). A study by Warria and Chikadzi (2022), found that undocumented migrants who are likely to be stateless individuals are excluded from social security, pension entitlements, disability allowances and other social assistance which affects the well-being of children. Thus, undocumented migrants often have inadequate standards of living.

Family life, functioning and relationships can also be severely impacted by irregular documentation. Irregular documentation also affects children’s access to their rights. Every child who is not in a family setting or has been removed from their family in South Africa has a right to alternative care. The South African Constitution Act 108 of 1996 (RSA, 1996) and the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 (RSA, 2005) set out the rights of all children in South Africa, including; ‘the right to family or parental care or suitable alternative care when removed from the family environment,’ ‘the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health services and social services,’ and ‘the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation.’

Methods

This study adopted a qualitative research approach and exploratory case study design. Exploratory case study design is mainly used when little is known about the phenomenon (Neuman, 2017). Moreover, exploratory case study design assists in providing in-depth information on how individuals interact with each other (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Thus, the researchers used an exploratory case study design to unpack challenges faced by caregivers who are raising children left by deported migrant parents and also unpack how caregivers interact with children left by deported migrant parents.

Researchers purposively sampled 12 caregivers who were beneficiaries of Save the Children South Africa’s (a non-governmental organisation) COVID-19 humanitarian response from 2020 and 2021. The study participants were all female migrants, 4 held active refugee status while 5 asylum seekers held valid asylum seeker permits, and 3 of the participants had asylum permits pending renewal. The participants were running informal businesses ranging from hair salons, tailoring businesses and general merchandise selling. The participants shared that their businesses have been struggling to break-even past the COVID-19 restrictions. The participant caregivers had taken care of children of deported migrants aged between 12–18 years, for a period ranging from 2 years with the longest stay being 10 years. Before commencing with interviews, the researchers asked for goodwill permission from the Save the Children South Africa manager and sought ethical clearance from the North-West University Health Research Ethics Committee (NWU-HREC) with ethics number: NWU-00145-22-A1. After receiving permission and ethical clearance, the researchers advertised the study at the Save the Children South Africa notice board to recruit caregivers. There were about 15 participants who listed or showed interest in participating in the study. They were contacted and only 12 participants met the inclusion criteria. Those caregivers were then purposively sampled and interviewed to shed light on the challenges that they face when raising children of deported migrant parents.

To interview those caregivers, the researchers used face-to-face semi-structured interviews to collect data from 12 female caregivers in Johannesburg, South Africa until the study reached saturation. According to Fugard and Potts (2015), saturation is normally attained with 12 participants and having 12 participants indicated that there was study saturation. Data collected was recorded using a mobile device and the data was transcribed into text that was later on cleaned and prepared for analysis through developing codes by the first author with the second author overseeing the process After transcribing data, the audio record was then deleted in the mobile device to protect the identity of clients. The collected data were analysed manually using six steps of data analysis by Braun and Clarke (2013). To start off, the researchers familiarised themselves with the data on the transcripts. They then generated codes by applying descriptive coding in Microsoft Word using the comment commander. After coding, they identified and reviewed the themes against the study objectives. In defining themes, the researchers opted to define each theme when presenting the data. After defining each theme, the researcher conducted the last step by writing up the current research paper.

Informed consent

Informed consent from the participants was verbally attained by an independent researcher. The independent researcher contacted the participants who declared an interest in participating in the study. The independent researcher explained the content of the informed consent and gave the prospective participants 72 hours to either consent or not consent. After 72 hours, the independent researcher went to collect the signed informed consent, scanned them and provided them to the first author [P.S.Z] for archiving and storage purposes.

Findings

Access to statutory social services

All 12 participants indicated that they did not receive any form of statutory support such as child support grants, and they did not have legal documents such as court orders that recognised their custody of children in their care. Some caregivers highlighted that they experienced exclusion from benefits from statutory social services such as child support grants, and limited access to relevant training and support that is available to other foster parents in formal care settings. The Child Support Grant is one of the government’s social protection commitments to ensure income security for all children through family/child benefits such as healthcare, education, housing and improved nutrition (Samson et al., 2015) yet in the current study caregivers reported that they had no access to this service, as Participant 9 explained,

…it is difficult especially now without any government support. I wish I could be getting the child support grant…

Another participant 8 echoed:

There was nothing I could do I just carried on, all the 3 of them suffer from autism. The twins have moderate autism, the older sister is severe. I am not trained to take care of children living with autism…I just do it by instinct.

Access to healthcare due to financial constraints

In this study, it became evident that caregivers of children of deported migrant parents experience financial constraints. The participants shared the following:

Yesterday I was at the hospital they could not give me the usual medication. They said I should pay for it. I mentioned that I don’t have money and they said I need ID for the children. (Participant 8)

Participant 8 demonstrated the financial constraints that are experienced by migrant children’s caregivers when they attempt to access healthcare services in South Africa. Participant 8 shows that migrant children may not be able to access healthcare services because of their documentation status, or being asked to pay for services, yet they do not have the required money since many of them live in poverty. Participant 9 also expressed that she was unable to access healthcare for the migrant child:

The nurses there are thinking otherwise. They said we must go to the hospital because her condition is not changing. At the hospital, they said the heart condition requires payment. I can’t afford at the moment.

Feeling of helplessness

This study found that caregivers of deported migrant children in Johannesburg often feel helpless while they grapple with the day-to-day care of the children. This helplessness comes from a myriad of challenges that children face, and the obligation that caregivers have to shield the children from these challenges. Participants shared that:

I heard that the mother passed away on her way back to South Africa…I was hoping that she could take her child… I have also lost contact with her …Zimbabwe is not far but without any information on the mother I am stranded.

In support, Participant 3 said,

I do not know what can change this situation… I do not know. Because there are many things I can say.

In essence, the above findings indicate that caregivers feel that they cannot sufficiently and meaningfully change the children’s situation of being away from their biological parents. Which sometimes makes caregivers develop stress. Evidently, one of the participants echoed:

I am the one who was having too much stress, as for the child there is nothing stressing compared to mine. I will just be simple. What can I do? (Participant 6).

Lack of documentation challenges

Caregivers in the current study have indicated that they are faced with a plethora of challenges as a result of the undocumented status of the children of deported migrants, in their care. Participants’ narratives agreed that:

These they do not have any papers… their asylum permits have expired. They were in the same file as their parents, and I can do nothing about it (Participant 9)

Another caregiver also reported,

Because the child has no document, even me it is not easy to get help from social workers. Currently I need help for rent (Participant 10)

Challenges of family tracing and reunification

The current study’s findings suggest that caregivers face various challenges in attempting to trace and facilitate the reunification of children in their care with their biological families. Some of the participants indicated that:

…this child was left by my husband’s friend he had said two weeks he was gone on a business trip…now my husband is late I have no other information on this his friend. They will just grow together with my daughter… since I have nowhere to start from looking for information on the parents.

In support of Participant 4, Participant 12 shared the following:

…the older boy I know his father was from Tanzania, but Tanzania where…the mother was from Burundi and I am also from Burundi but I never got to know the full information about her family.

The above assertions suggest that it is a complex process for caregivers to trace their foster migrant children’s biological parents. The quotations suggest that it may require maximum effort, and accurate information to successfully trace the family and reunify them with the left behind migrant child.

Discussion

Access to statutory social services

Statutory social services are services offered by social workers to enforce child care laws that are recognised and mandated by the government such as the amended Children’s Act 2005 and its associated amendments. The state is responsible for material provision to support children in need of care and ensure their general protection (Machenjedze, 2019; Malan & Heyman 2020). The current study found limited access to statutory social services as a challenge that is linked to the informality of care experienced by caregivers for deported migrant children. Moreover, caregivers in the current study lacked supervisory support from social workers that would have assisted in promoting and protecting the caregiver and the child’s well-being (De Wet, 2019).

Limited access to state services may result in children in these informal care settings struggling to access child support grants and court orders that would legitimise their care. These may have led to improvements in the quality of care which amount to some of the challenges that caregivers face whilst caring for children of deported parents. Moreover, Alsharaydeh et al. (2023) found that challenges can be exacerbated when children have disabilities. As such, caregivers of migrant children with disabilities face extra challenges related to adaptation to their special needs, and barriers at hospitals when seeking medical care for the children. This also poses a threat to their financial challenges as they have to spend more money on buying medication.

Access to healthcare due to financial constraints

Globally migrant households experience poorer access to basic services than their host communities. In South Africa, migrants experience challenges in accessing healthcare services due to issues such as language barriers, documentation status, or lack of knowledge about their right to access healthcare services (Meyer-Weitz et al., 2018). Meyer-Weitz et al.’s (2018) study reported that refugee children in South Africa struggle to access healthcare services. This is despite the South African Human Rights Commission (2019) which indicates that the constitution of South Africa guarantees everyone residing in the country, access to healthcare services. In addition, from time to time, the Minister of Health may determine who is eligible for basic healthcare services. Despite the means test and the minister’s determination, all children are entitled to access basic healthcare services. Children’s right to access healthcare services is reinforced by special protections for the rights of children enshrined in Section 28 of the Republic of South Africa’s Constitution (RSA, 1996). It is from this backdrop that in South Africa, children of deported migrant parents are eligible to access healthcare, including free healthcare. However, the current study’s findings show that migrant children still struggle to access healthcare. Similarly, Meyer-Weitz et al. (2018) reported that migrants and refugees’ low socioeconomic status is a key factor that contributes to their health and well-being vulnerability. Meyer-Weitz et al. (2018), argue that financial resources would enable refugees and migrants to seek healthcare because they will be able to pay for transport and medication.

Feelings of stress and helplessness

Caring for own biological child requires lifetime commitment. Caregivers often feel stressed because in many instances the biological parents of the migrant children do not communicate or financially provide for them, which increases the burden of care. Seepamore (2016) stated that caregivers require instrumental support in the form of food, money, and healthcare. Thus, there usually is a greater demand and commitment when one is caring for a non-biologically related child as the caregiver needs to always ensure that they are providing the right care and in some instances, this is governed by statutory laws and policies. In the current study, caregivers demonstrated that it was stressful to care for children of deported migrant parents because there was no instrumental support. Hence, De Wet, (2019) and Denby (2015) averred that informal care places emotional and financial strain or stress on the caregiver and caregivers in Johannesburg were not an exception.

Lack of documentation challenges

Caregivers in the current study have indicated that they are faced with a plethora of challenges as a result of the undocumented status of the deported migrants’ children, in their care. Due to the lack of documentation for the children, caregivers face a barrier in linking the children with various social services including access to legal documents, placement in formal alternative care, or formalising their care arrangements. Thomas (2021) reported that migrant children often have trouble obtaining necessary legal documentation to access services. Some of the difficulties include the unavailability of proper documentation such as identity documents to ensure access to socioeconomic services in South Africa – equally, in this study caregivers have expressed similar challenges.

Scalabrini Centre released a report in July 2019 highlighting the challenges of unaccompanied and separated migrant children in three provinces. The report showed that in Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCC) in Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Western Cape, 34% of children had no documentation. This is similar to the current study’s findings where out of all 26 children under the participants’ informal care settings, less than 30% of the children had valid documentation that allowed them to be in South Africa, according to the country’s laws. The reasons for the lack of documentation for the children of deported migrants varied and included expired visas, unverifiable documents, and not having any legal documents at all. Documentation is one of the major challenges that the current and other previous studies found to be a major obstacle faced by migrant children in South Africa (Mathe, 2018; Scalabrini Centre, 2019). Children’s undocumented status results in them struggling to access services such as education, and healthcare. Willie and Mfubu (2016) highlight that undocumented children struggle to access any services due to their undocumented status in a country where access to most services such as education, healthcare and social protection are dependent on formal documentation.

Challenges of family tracing and reunification

Family is the most important unit in society and it should ensure children’s safety and wellbeing (Sibanda & Lombard, 2022). According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2016), the protection of family unity is an important human right. It is also important that once families are separated, efforts are made to reunify children with their families. The current study’s findings suggest that caregivers face various challenges in attempting to trace and facilitate the reunification of children in their care with their biological families. This study found that majority of the caregivers did not know where the parents’ place of origin was, or where in the known country of origin the child’s relatives lived.

Machenjedze (2019) found that a lack of clear or sufficient information results in unsuccessful family tracing and child reunification. In addition, other studies unveiled the complexity of the management of cases for migrant children (Nkwana, 2021; Sobantu & Warria, 2014). Family tracing as one of the complexities is a challenge with International-Social Services (ISS) effectiveness – based on some of the cases that were finalised (Nkwana, 2021; Sobantu & Warria, 2014). The Department of Social Development’s Annual Report (RSA, 2017) highlights that International Social Services only functions in several African states, leaving a notable gap concerning information sharing in the rest of the continent. It is from this backdrop that four participants in this study indicated their failure to pursue the process of family tracing and reunification.

Conclusion

The findings of this study have shed light on the urgent need for a more structured and supportive approach to caregiving for children of deported migrant parents in South Africa. The informal nature of caregiving arrangements, coupled with limited access to statutory social services and healthcare, poses significant risks to the well-being of these vulnerable children. The challenges faced by caregivers, including financial strain, feelings of stress and helplessness, and difficulties in family tracing and reunification, highlight the inadequacies of the current system. As South Africa grapples with the implications of informal care arrangements for children of deported migrant parents, there is a clear call for targeted interventions and policy reforms to safeguard the rights and welfare of these children.

Implications on social work practice

Social workers play a pivotal role in addressing the challenges outlined in this study. Firstly, there is a critical need for social workers to advocate for policy changes that recognises informal alternative care arrangements. This involves engaging with policymakers to establish guidelines for the placement of migrant children in alternative care, ensuring proper assessments are conducted, and legal recognition is provided even when the children do not hold legal immigration status. Additionally, social workers can contribute to the development of training programs for informal caregivers to enhance their capacity to meet the unique needs of migrant children. Therefore this paper recommends recognition of informal alternative care for migrant children, its supervision and support from the government which can be enhanced by formal documentation of personal information when illegal migrants are being registered for deportation. Collaboration between government departments of Child care services and immigration to devise standard operating procedures for managing children left behind by deported migrant parents.

Secondly, social workers should actively work towards improving access to statutory social services. This includes facilitating the application process for child support grants, advocating for the rights of migrant children to access education and healthcare, and bridging the gap between informal caregivers and formal social service structures. Social workers can collaborate with government agencies, NGOs, and community organisations to create a more inclusive and supportive system for migrant children and their caregivers. The paper highlights the need for social services to recognise the importance of inclusive approaches in statutory services for children to ensure that all children despite their immigration status have full access to protective services including formal foster care.

Lastly, social workers can contribute to mental health support initiatives for caregivers, recognising the stress and emotional challenges they face. The paper recommends integrating mental health and psychological needs assessment into case management processes for children affected by migration. By providing counselling services, creating support groups, and advocating for resources to address the financial strain experienced by caregivers, social workers can contribute to a more holistic and sustainable caregiving environment for children of deported migrant parents. Overall, the study emphasises the crucial role of social work professionals in shaping policies and practices that protect the rights and well-being of vulnerable migrant children in South Africa.

Acknowledgements

We want to acknowledge caregivers who participated in this study as well as Save Children South Africa having allowed us to use their offices for advertising the study and collecting data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

We confirm that we have provided some of the information that supports the findings in the article. Some of the information regarding this manuscript is available and can be provided upon request from the second author [F.K.M].

Additional information

Funding

We did not receive any funding for this study.

Notes on contributors

Patiance Sekesai Zhou

Patiance Sekesai Zhou came up with the title as part of her postgraduate dissertation. She was responsible for data collection and analysis. Patiance was responsible for conducting interviews with caregivers and harvesting the manuscript from the accepted dissertation. She is available to answer any question(s) that may arise from this manuscript.

Frans Koketso Matlakala

Frans Koketso Matlakala worked as the supervisor to the student. He was responsible for ensuring that the research was executed with integrity. He was responsible for looking at the draft manuscript and adding missing information in line with the journal guidelines. He is also capable of clarifying and providing answers regarding the paper should they arise after the publication