Rising poverty, unemployment, and substance abuse are placing child and family welfare organisations under mounting pressure.
This was highlighted at the Child Welfare SA Newcastle’s annual general meeting held last Wednesday.
Chairperson Morris Gajoo said economic hardship has fuelled a surge in demand for welfare services.
“Caseloads of social workers, especially within child and family welfare organisations, have increased significantly due to the growing need for support,” he explained.
Gajoo added that poverty, unemployment, and child neglect correlate with each other. “Poverty is an important risk factor for child neglect and abuse, resulting in high workloads that social workers are unable to manage.”
Child Welfare SA Newcastle is a registered Non-profit organisation (NPO) and designated Child Protection Organisation. Farieda Mia, manager and head social worker of the organisation, reported that a total of 1028 people called their offices from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.
Intake services were rendered to 83 cases, of which some were walk-ins, referrals from the court, other service providers, or anonymous calls from the community.
Eight new foster care placements were made, bringing the total to 92 children placed in foster care already. Eight of these foster children were 18 years and younger and 16 were orphans.
“Supervision and reunification services were rendered to 288 children, biological parents and foster parents. A further 102 statutory reports were compiled and submitted to the Children’s Court, Department of Social Development (DSD), and other organisations.”
The statistics not only paint a picture of the hard work they do, but also prove how many people are in need of welfare services.
“Organisations such as Child Welfare SA Newcastle are expected to implement principles as set out by the DSD, but they do not receive the appropriate financial support. This lack of support can be felt on two fronts: within the organisation and within the community.
”Unemployment has increased the vulnerability of many households. The market also makes little provision for those with special needs. Because people do not have secure and sustainable livelihoods, many turn to the welfare system for income maintenance and social support,” added Gajoo.
Despite these challenges, Farieda and her team give their best to ensure that the people receiving their services get the help they need.
Farieda and the committee thanked all their well-wishers, the local press, volunteers, colleagues from DSD, presiding office Mr Mbatha, Clerks from the Children’s Court, as well as other stakeholder forums for their support and cooperation.
The committee for 2025 are as follow:
- Farieda Mia – Manager and head social worker
- Morris Gajoo – Chairperson
- Anitha Lallie – Deputy Chairpeson
- Duleep Sing – Treasurer
- Karen Seager – Secretary
- Sherika Lallie-Ramsaroop – Assistant Secretary.
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