Services of Family Care offices focus largely on services to individuals and families. Services focus on empowering individuals and increasing their quality of life. Although the majority of services rendered are statutory services, offices also seek to provide prevention services and pre-statutory services. These services focus on the development of human potential in order to prevent statutory intervention. Retaining families is considered a priority.

Due to a range of factors—most notably the country’s current economic conditions—Engo Family Care offices are approached daily by individuals seeking support with basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing. Common reasons for this need include unemployment, low income, and the rising cost of living. With the generous support of community donations, Engo Family Care may be able to provide assistance with food and clothing when resources allow.

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 abuse
• 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
• Parental guidance
• Empowerment of volunteers
• Crèche development programs
• Soup kitchens

The reasons for statutory action include sexual abuse, 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 temporary safe care parents. The recruitment, screening and training of suitable foster / temporary safe care 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 behaviour
• Development of parenting skills of Foster Parents

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 programme. Group dynamics and interaction with other group members promote growth and development of individuals.

Groups focus on:

• Development of parenting skills
• Bullying behaviour by managing high-risk behaviours
• Empowerment of parents
• 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.

Projects include:

• Prevention and management of bully behaviour
• Awareness campaigns: gender-based violence
• Vegetable gardens
• Holiday projects for children focusing on life skills
• Support to early childhood development centres in communities
• Puppet shows to convey information to young children;
• Projects that provide weekly food for needy children (200 children per occasion)
• Soup kitchen (100 – 200 persons)
• Child protection week
• Youth day
• Substance abuse awareness
• Projects to increase moral values and norms