Evaluación de la fase relleno; mermelada de fruta

“We must give meaning to the rights of children enshrined in our constitution and create a society that is fair and just. We invite all sectors of society to work together to implement proposals in the National Plan of Action for Children in South Africa 2012-1017” (Hall et al., 2012b: 10).

The Children’s Act came into full effect on the 1st _{April 2010 (Jameson et al., 2012: 14). It} provides for a comprehensive range of social services for children and their families and introduces a new developmental approach to South Africa’s child care and protection system; “however, some of the challenges have arisen because the policy choice made in the law are not reasonably conceptualised to deliver the service to the target group, or the policy choice was not clearly made by the legislature , which has left the law open to multiple interpratations”. (Jameson et al., 2012: 14). The preamble of the Childrens Act No. 38 of 2005 reads: “To give effect to certain rights of children as contained in the Constitution; to set out principles relating to the care and protection of children;” to define parental responsibilities and rights; to make further provision regarding children’s courts; to provide for the issuing of contribution orders; to make new provision for the adoption of children; to provide for inter-country adoption; to give effect to the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption; to prohibit child abduction and to give effect to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction; to provide for surrogate motherhood; to define and make illegal certain new offences relating to children; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

Whereas the Constitution “seeks to establishes a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights and seeks to improve the quality of life of all citizens and to free the potential of each person; and whereas every child has the rights set out in

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section 28 of the Constitution;” and “whereas the State must respect, protect, promote and fulfil those rights; and whereas protection of children’s rights leads to a corresponding improvement in the lives of other sections of the community because it is neither desirable nor possible to protect children’s rights in isolation from their families and communities; and whereas the United Nations has in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed that children are entitled to special care and assistance; and whereas the need to extend particular care to the child has been stated in the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child, in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child, in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the statutes and relevant instruments of specialised agencies and international organisations concerned with the welfare of children; and whereas it is necessary to effect changes to existing laws relating to children in order to afford them the necessary protection and assistance so that they can fully assume their responsibilities within the community as well as that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment and in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding” (Hall, 2012: 12). What is apparent is that the constitution of South Africa holds in its core the intention of the South Africa Government recarding the health and welfare of its nations children.

The objectives of the Children’s Act are to:

(a) promote the preservation and strengthening of families (b) give effect to the constitutional rights of children, namely,

 Family care or parental care or appropriate alternative care when removed from the family environment,

 Social Services,

 Keeping the best interests of the child paramount in every matter concerning the child;

(c) give effect to the South African Republic’s obligations concerning the well- being of children in terms of international instruments binding on the Republic;

(d) give effect to the Republics obligations concerning the well- being of children in terms of international instruments binding on the Republic of South Africa;

(e) make provisions for structures, services and means for promoting and monitoring the sound physical, psychological, intellectual, emotional and social development of children;

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(f) strengthen and develop community structures which can assist in providing care and protection for children;

(g) protect children from discrimination, exploitation and any other physical emotional or moral harm or hazards;

(h) provide care and protection to children who are in need of care and protection; and (i) recognise the special needs that children with disabilities have and generally to

promote the protection, development and wellbeing of children.

The Implementation of the Act implies:

(1) That it should be implemented by organs of state in the national, provincial and where applicable, the local spheres of government subject to any specific section of this Act and regulations allocating roles and responsibilities, in an integrated, coordinated and uniform manner and that,

(2) recognising that competing social and economic needs exist, organs of state in the national, provincial and where applicable, local spheres of government must, in the implementation of this Act, take reasonable measures to the maximum extent of their available resources to achieve the realisation of the objectives of this Act.