Due to various factors, including the country’s economic conditions, Family Care offices are approached daily by people for help with food, clothing and housing.

Factors that contribute for basic needs support include: unemployment, low income and rising cost of living.

Services must increasingly focus on prevention services and the preservation of families. Programs focus on, among other things, the prevention of:

• Challenging behavior in children;
• Sexual molestation;
• Alcohol and drug addiction;
• Parenting skills.

Skills development and empowerment of persons is also a focus of services. Services focus on maintaining families. These programs include:

• Alleviation of poverty;
• Life skills;
• Parental guidance;
• Empowerment of volunteers;
• Life skills programs and shelters for street children;
• Crèche development programs;
• Nutrition schemes.

The reasons for statutory action include sexual molestation, abuse, prostitution, violence and neglect of children. Circumstances are often complex and require a high degree of therapeutic input from social workers. In some cases, there has also been a conflict between parents regarding access to the children and the exercise of parental rights and responsibilities regarding children.

Challenges are also experienced with regard to the availability of suitable foster and safety parents. The recruitment, selection and training of suitable substitute parents is therefore a project that receives continuous attention.

Services to foster children are very diverse and seek to address the developmental needs of foster children. During services to foster children, the focus is on:

• Development of emotional intelligence;
• Dealing with challenging behavior;
• Development of parenting skills of Foster Parents.

Children in communities are increasingly exposed to poor economic conditions and psychosocial problems in communities. This contributes to the fact that children sometimes live on the streets or even spend only part of the day on the streets. These children often need a safe haven where they are taught to maintain personal hygiene, given the opportunity to do homework and also offered the opportunity to develop skills on a social and sporting level.

Services to street children include:

• Development of life skills;
• The provision of meals, washing and clothing facilities;
• Homework support;
• Vacation programs that focus on skills development;
• Sports and recreation activities.

Group work is a method in social work where 6-10 people with similar needs are dealt with together in a group and exposed to a therapeutic program. Group dynamics and interaction with other group members promote growth and development of individuals.

Groups focus on:

• Development of parenting skills;
• Managing high-risk behaviors such as sexual promiscuity, drug abuse, and so on;
• Bullying behavior;
• Empowerment of parents with children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder;
• Development of emotional intelligence and life skills in children.

Various aspects are addressed through community work, among others: Awareness regarding child rights, holiday projects, awareness regarding domestic violence and substance dependence.

Volunteers play an indispensable role in the survival of the service. Without the involvement and support of volunteers, the service will not be able to continue. Involvement and support include contributions regarding knowledge, skills or resources made available to promote the service.

• Get involved as a volunteer by:
• Donation of food and clothing
• Donation of toys
• Donation of stationery for school children
• Make a donation for specialized therapeutic services / assessments
• Get involved in projects
• Get involved as a Board member