Social Development confirms that it will not meet deadline on foster care backlogs
21 November 2019
On Wednesday, the Department of Social Development (DSD) confirmed that it will not meet a November 2017 North Gauteng High Court deadline to allow payments of outstanding foster care orders to continue for 24 months until 28 November 2019. The DSD confirmed this in Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development.
Section 159 (1)(a) of the Children’s Act demands that a foster care order issued by the children’s court lapses on expiry two (2) years from the date it was issued.
The Department also confirmed that it filed papers with the Court on Tuesday to request for the extension of this deadline and also wrote to Treasury informing it of the payment of foster care grants after the deadline to avoid payments being illegal.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is disappointed by this announcement as the safety of thousands of children hangs in the balance. Minister Lindiwe Zulu waxed lyrical in Parliament about her department’s capability to meet this deadline. So far the Department has failed to expedite the placement of the most vulnerable members of society who are in desperate need of a safe place to stay.