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Background: Youth who left child and youth care centres (CYCCs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were exposed to unique scale of challenges compared to their peers. Their transition period required them to have solid plans for their uncertain future towards independence. In further compounding their challenges was their being indeterminate given the uncertainties associated with COVID-19. It was therefore, essential for them to have the necessary support systems to aid them both during their period in care as well as when they left these centres. Aim: This study sought to explore available support systems for youth who left care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting: The setting of this study was Ekurhuleni metro municipality in Gauteng province of South Africa. Methods: This was a qualitative study. A total of 12 youth who left care centres during the COVID-19 were recruited through purposive sampling to participate in semi-structured interviews. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis strategy, and trustworthiness was guided by credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability. Results: The findings revealed the existence of support from various systems including the CYCCs themselves, social workers from both the CYCCs and the communities, sponsors, primary caregivers as well as friends. Conclusion: Youth who leave CYCC develop relationships from the care centres. These relationships form the basis of their support, upon which they rely even after their departure from these centres. Contributions: The study highlighted the importance of considering the impact of COVID-19 on the CYCCs and significance of supporting youth leaving them during pandemics such as COVID-19.

Professional boundaries are a set of guidelines, expectations and rules that set the ethical and technical standards between the child and youth care workers (CYCWs) and young people. Professional boundaries are important to establish and maintain, as they assist to build the therapeutic relationship between the professional worker and client. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the perspectives of CYCWs in relation to professional boundaries in residential child and youth care centres (CYCCs) in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. To achieve this aim, the study was guided by a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive design. A purposive sampling technique was employed, and semi structured interviews were used to collect data from 14 CYCWs. The analysis suggests that, while CYCCs have developed professional boundaries, there remains a great need for the provision of clear rules and regulations about professional boundaries, and life-long training (in-service professional development) focused on boundaries and support from management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child and youth care work is a stressful profession that results in workforce concerns about poor levels of staff retention and high levels of inexperience. The aim of this study is to gain insight into child and youth care workers’ resilience by examining the challenges faced by these workers and establish the methods used to overcome these challenges. This study employed a qualitative research method and data was collected from a child and youth care centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, employing a purposive sampling technique using 9 workers. Seven themes emerged from this study and it was evident that the respondents shared a common understanding of resilience. It was also found that an individual’s grassroots had an impact on developing a passion to work with young people as well as coping with work challenges. Positive protective factors that emerged were support systems in the organisation as motivators as well as maintaining a balance between work and personal life, while negative factors were low salaries and poor working conditions. The study concluded by recommending organisational interventions to support resilience in child and youth care workers and maintain expertise in child and youth care work.

This article explores the challenges of child and youth care workers (CYCWs) working with children. Children and young people exhibiting attachment and behavioural difficulties present a significant challenge for parents, child and youth care workers, and society. This article reports on qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 16 CYCWs and the data were subjected to thematical analysis. The findings indicate that CYCWs involved in child welfare experience not only a lack of recognition but also conflict, overwork and other negative job characteristics that affect their caring responsibilities, given the complexity and demanding roles of working with children. The study addresses issues not discussed in the literature that affect CYCWs, including organisational and profession-related challenges. A lack of detailed information sharing with other human service professionals threatens the viability and sustainability of the professional care service and remains a challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the challenges of child and youth care workers (CYCWs) working with children. Children and young people exhibiting attachment and behavioural difficulties present a significant challenge for parents, child and youth care workers, and society. This article reports on qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 16 CYCWs and the data were subjected to thematical analysis. The findings indicate that CYCWs involved in child welfare experience not only a lack of recognition but also conflict, overwork and other negative job characteristics that affect their caring responsibilities, given the complexity and demanding roles of working with children. The study addresses issues not discussed in the literature that affect CYCWs, including organisational and profession-related challenges. A lack of detailed information sharing with other human service professionals threatens the viability and sustainability of the professional care service and remains a challenge.

Child and youth care work is a stressful profession that results in workforce concerns about poor levels of staff retention and high levels of inexperience. The aim of this study is to gain insight into child and youth care workers' resilience by examining the challenges faced by these workers and establish the methods used to overcome these challenges. This study employed a qualitative research method and data was collected from a child and youth care centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, employing a purposive sampling technique using 9 workers. Seven themes emerged from this study and it was evident that the respondents shared a common understanding of resilience. It was also found that an individual's grassroots had an impact on developing a passion to work with young people as well as coping with work challenges. Positive protective factors that emerged were support systems in the organisation as motivators as well as maintaining a balance between work and personal life, while negative factors were low salaries and poor working conditions. The study concluded by recommending organisational interventions to support resilience in child and youth care workers and maintain expertise in child and youth care work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislation on both an international and national level advocates that all children have a right to participate in all matters affecting them. This article reflects an interest in children’s participation in the broad field of child protection, and specifically within the context of South African child and youth care centres. Against this contextual background, the article aims to introduce guiding principles that may stimulate ongoing conversation on the facilitation of children’s participation in a specific space of decision-making within child and youth care centres, namely multidisciplinary meetings. Guiding principles were derived from a comprehensive qualitative study in which individual semi-structured interviews and focus group groups were conducted to collect data from residential social workers, child and youth care workers, and children from child and youth care centres in the greater metropolitan area of Cape Town in South Africa.

This scoping review provides the available evidence on support interventions and networks for youths aging out of child and youth care centres (CYCCs), and makes recommendations for best practice to alleviate the plight of youths leaving CYCCs. Thirteen databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 80 articles, 26 of which met the review criteria: English, full-text, peer-reviewed, open-access studies conducted between 2015 and 2020 on social networks and transitional services to youths aging out of residential care. Recommendations are made for policy changes, extending the age of eligibility and strengthening social support networks for youths transitioning into independent living.

Social workers employed in Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) play a critical role in offering therapeutic services for children and youths in need of care. This article explores social workers' experiences working in seven different CYCCs in Durban. It is based on qualitative research using an exploratory, descriptive research design with a sample of eleven social workers. Social workers in CYCCs faced challenges including role overload and overlap, lack of adequate resources, safety and security concerns and limited support, which caused strain and compromised social workers' core role in CYCCs. The article offers practical solutions and recommendations for addressing these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review provides the available evidence on support interventions and networks for youths aging out of child and youth care centres (CYCCs), and makes recommendations for best practice to alleviate the plight of youths leaving CYCCs. Thirteen databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 80 articles, 26 of which met the review criteria: English, full-text, peer-reviewed, open-access studies conducted between 2015 and 2020 on social networks and transitional services to youths aging out of residential care. Recommendations are made for policy changes, extending the age of eligibility and strengthening social support networks for youths transitioning into independent living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child and youth care is devoted to protecting vulnerable children and youths and enhancing their well-being. Covid-19 brought many challenges to both child and youth care workers and centres in their work milieu in South Africa. Guided by a qualitative research design and the use of purposive sampling, the study sought to understand the experiences of practitioners working at different child and youth care centres. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a thematic analysis was used to guide the analysis. The article offers insights into the challenges faced by practitioners at these organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic. In summary, the children at these facilities presented with emotional distress and behavioural problems due to the protracted separation from their parents, family reunification was affected and the child and youth care workers themselves had to deal with increased personal fear and distress as their colleagues tested positive for Covid-19. More important were the new and diverse changes that had to be made to safeguard the well-being of the staff and children at these facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislation on both an international and national level advocates that all children have a right to participate in all matters affecting them. This article reflects an interest in children's participation in the broad field of child protection, and specifically within the context of South African child and youth care centres. Against this contextual background, the article aims to introduce guiding principles that may stimulate ongoing conversation on the facilitation of children's participation in a specific space of decision-making within child and youth care centres, namely multidisciplinary meetings. Guiding principles were derived from a comprehensive qualitative study in which individual semi-structured interviews and focus group groups were conducted to collect data from residential social workers, child and youth care workers, and children from child and youth care centres in the greater metropolitan area of Cape Town in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment in South Africa. However, professionals in these settings face a dilemma, as they often cannot accommodate every child’s cultural needs. This study explored the cultural challenges experienced by adolescent boys living at a CYCC in Ekurhuleni. Findings indicate that CYCCs are doing an excellent job at ensuring a nurturing environment for the children. However, it also emerged that there are challenges related to preserving the culture of children as a result of constraints of resources and limited staff diversity.

This study evaluated the effect of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) on hope and well-being among adolescents living in a child and youth care centre (CYCC) in South Africa. Adolescents (n = 29) were allocated to either the experimental or control group through matched sampling. The experimental group engaged in one-hour intervention sessions weekly for six weeks. Measures of well-being and hope were recorded at three time intervals. Independent- and paired-sample t-tests were conducted to establish group differences. There were no statistically significant differences in well-being and hope between the two groups after the interventions. We discuss moderating factors and offer a qualitative reflection to better understand these outcomes. With this understanding, preliminary guidelines are proposed for implementing PPIs in CYCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the findings of a study of foreign children accommodated in the care system in the Western Cape, based on fieldwork conducted in child and youth care centres. The objectives of the study were firstly to map and quantify the number and demographics of foreign children placed in all CYCCs across the Western Cape. Secondly, the study aimed to analyse the reasons for children's migration and the circumstances around their placement in residential care institutions in order to establish whether family reunification was possible or desirable. Thirdly, the study explores the sufficiency of efforts made to trace and reunify the children with their families, whether in South Africa or across borders, as the institutional placement of children should not only be a last resort but it should preferably be temporary whilst family-based solutions are sought. Lastly, the documentation status of the children in the study was examined. Recommendations emanating from the research conclude the study.

This article reports on the findings of a study of foreign children accommodated in the care system in the Western Cape, based on fieldwork conducted in child and youth care centres. The objectives of the study were firstly to map and quantify the number and demographics of foreign children placed in all CYCCs across the Western Cape. Secondly, the study aimed to analyse the reasons for children's migration and the circumstances around their placement in residential care institutions in order to establish whether family reunification was possible or desirable. Thirdly, the study explores the sufficiency of efforts made to trace and reunify the children with their families, whether in South Africa or across borders, as the institutional placement of children should not only be a last resort but it should preferably be temporary whilst family-based solutions are sought. Lastly, the documentation status of the children in the study was examined. Recommendations emanating from the research conclude the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]