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Chapter 7 - Social Welfare

Social grants for children (below the age of 18 years)

Maintenance

If the father of a child is still alive and has money, and the mother knows where he is, she can get maintenance from him. If he refuses to pay, she can go to the Maintenance Court at the Magistrate's Court. The maintenance officers will help her to get money from the father.

See The duty to support; Problem 4: Getting maintenance through the Maintenance Court.

But if the parents have no money to support the child then the primary care-giver can apply for a Child Support Grant. A primary care-giver is any person who takes responsibility for the daily needs of the child and who may or may not be related to the child.

Child support grants

The Child Support Grant is intended to provide for the basic needs of South African children up to the age of 14 years whose parents or primary care-givers are not able to provide sufficient support due to unemployment or poverty. The amount of the grant from 1st October 2009 is R240 for every child under the age of 15 years.

For up-to-date information on grant amounts check the following website: www.sassa.gov.za.

It does not matter whether you are the parent of the child or not, or whether the parents of the child are living together, whether they are married or not married, whether either of the parents is in prison or not, or whether the husband or wife receives another state grant.

Who can apply for a CSG?

A primary care-giver can apply for the Child Support Grant on behalf of a child or children in his or her care. A primary care-giver can be a parent, grandparent, or anyone who is mainly responsible for looking after and providing for the basic needs of the child. A primary care-giver must be older than 16 years old and does not need to be family of the child.

The grant will be paid to children under the age of 15 years and it can be paid to a maximum of 6 non-biological children or children who have not been legally adopted.
The grant is paid to the primary care-giver. In all cases the grant follows the child. This means that if someone else becomes the primary care-giver, then the grant goes to that person.

The primary care-giver is responsible for ensuring that the child is fed, clothed, immunized, given access to health-care and for using the money to benefit the child. SASSA must be allowed to have access to the child at all times.

The child’s ability to get the grant will depend on the financial situation of the primary care-giver and their spouse. If the primary care-giver is a single parent, they should first try to get money from the child’s other parent through applying for a maintenance order.

The financial criteria for payment of child support grants is based on:

• personal income of the primary care-giver or spouse
  
• where the child is living, in a rural or urban area
  
• the type of dwelling that the child is living in: informal (shack/hut) or formal (brick/concrete/asbestos walls)

The person who applies must:

• be the primary care-giver of the child
  
• be over the age of 16 years
  
• be living with the child in South Africa at the time of the application for the grant
  
• be a South African citizen
  
• pass the means test.

A primary care-giver cannot apply for a grant if:

- they are being paid to look after a child;
- someone else is already getting a grant for the child;
- they represent an institution which takes care of the child;
- they do not qualify in terms of the means test;
- a child does not have a valid birth certificate.

What is the means test to qualify for a Child Support Grant?

In order to qualify for a Child Support Grant the primary care-giver must pass a means test to see if the child is eligible for the grant. The asset threshold test is the same for all other grants but the income threshold differs.

See Means test for adult social assistance grants.

Income threshold

• A single person should not earn more than R 9 600 per year;
  
• A married person’s joint income with his/her spouse should not be more than R13 200 per year

How can a primary care-giver apply for a Child Support Grant?

The process for apply for the Child Support Grant is the same as for all other grants.

See Applying for a grant.

The following documents are required for the application:

• Primary care-giver’s South African identity document;
  
• Child’s identity document or birth certificate;
  
• Proof that the child has been immunized;
  
• Proof of any maintenance received from a parent of the child, or proof of efforts made to obtain maintenance from a parent;
  
• Proof of your earnings and what you own, and proof of the regular income of the household in which you live;
  
• The employer must fill in a special form for an employer's report. If you are unemployed, a social worker can write a report for you saying why you should get the grant;
  
• If married, a marriage certificate;
  
• If divorced, the court order giving details of custody of the child;
  
• If the primary care-giver is not the parent of the child, a letter or affidavit from the parent of the child giving the person permission to take care of the child;
  
• A death certificate if one or both parents are dead, or if the father or mother is missing, proof of this, like a missing person's report from the police and sworn statements from you and another family member

All copies of documents must be certified. This means they must be signed and stamped by a police officer or any other commissioner of oaths.

The applicant will be given you a copy of the application or a dated receipt signed by the SASSA officer. This provides proof of the application.

If the application is not approved, a letter will be sent to give reasons for the rejection. There is a right of appeal against this decision.

See Stage 3: Appeals process.

Payment of a Child Support Grant

There is supposed to be a waiting period of only up to 3 months before the primary care-giver receives payment. The first payment of the grant should include all the money from the date of application.

Payment can be made in the way that suits you:

• cash payment on specific days at a paypoint
  
• electronic payment into a bank account.

Foster Care Grants

A Foster Care Grant is a grant intended to provide for the basic needs of foster children who have been placed in the care of foster parents by a Children’s Court. The Foster Care Grant is paid to foster parents for children between the ages of 0 and 18 years. An extension order on a foster care grant can be given until the age of 21 years.

See Foster care.

Usually a grant is for 2 years but a social worker can extend the grant depending on the circumstances.

A foster parent is responsible for ensuring that the child is fed, clothed, healthy, attending school and that the foster grant is used to benefit the child. SASSA officers must always be allowed to have access to the child.

The amount paid for a foster care grant from 1st October 2009 is R680 per month.

For up-to-date information on grant amounts which change every year, see the following website: www.sassa.gov.

Who can apply for a Foster Care Grant?

In order to apply for a Foster Care Grant, the foster parent and the foster child must:

• be resident in South Africa at the time of making the application (but they do not have to be South African citizens);
  
• be in possession of a court order that makes the foster care status legal;
  
• qualify in terms of the means test for a Foster Care Grant
  

What is the means test to qualify for a Foster Care Grant?

Foster parents can only get the grant for children whose financial situation is below a certain level. The means test depends on the income of the foster child, not on the income of the parents. The income of the foster parents is not counted.

In order to qualify for the grant, the foster child’s income must be less than R14 880 per year.

How to apply for a Foster Care Grant

The process for apply for a Foster Care Grant is the same as for all other grants.

See Applying for a grant.

The following documents are required for the application:

• the foster parent’s bar-coded identity document (ID)
  
• the foster child’s RSA or non-RSA identity document or birth certificate
  
• proof of the child's income (for example, any maintenance received from a parent of the child, or proof that the parents don't pay any maintenance)
  
• proof of the foster parent’s earnings and assets,
  
• the child’s school certificate of regular attendance if the child is at school;
  
• the court order indicating foster care status

There are certain conditions which the foster parent has to satisfy if they want to keep the foster care grant. These are that the child must –

• remain in the care of the parents
  
• be living in adequate housing
  
• be fed and given clothes to wear
  
• receive necessary medical and dental care
  
• go to school regularly

When does the Foster Care Grant stop?

A Foster Care Grant will stop:

• if the foster child or both foster parents pass away,
  
• if the child is no longer in the custody of the foster parent,
  
• when the child turns 18, or leaves school, or when the child starts earning an income above the qualifying amount; the grant will be reviewed from time to time to check this.

The applicant must inform SASSA of any changes in the foster parent/s’ or foster child/ren's circumstances.

If a child is disabled, the foster parent can get a Care Dependency Grant as well as a Foster Child Grant, if the child qualifies according to the means test.
Note: The Children’s Amendment Act deals with Foster care but neither the Act nor the regulations are in force yet. The provisions of the Child Care Act will continue to apply until the new Act comes into force.

See The Children’s Act and the Children’s Amendment Act.

Care Dependency Grant

The Care Dependency Grant is a social grant intended to provide support to parents, primary care-givers or foster parents of any child with severe mental and/or physical disabilities between the ages of 1 and 18 years, requiring full-time home care. Even though the child may make use of professional support services, the child should not be cared for in an institution but at home in order to qualify. The child’s disability must be assessed by a medical doctor appointed by SASSA.

The amount of the grant from 1st October 2009 is R1010 per month. For up-to-date information on grant amounts which change on an annual basis, see the following website: www.sassa.gov.za.

The person receiving the grant is responsible for ensuring that the child is fed, clothed, receives care and stimulation as well as access to health services.

Who can apply for a Care Dependency Grant?

In order to apply for a Care Dependency Grant, the parents, primary care giver, or foster parents and the child must be:

• South African citizens or permanent residents (except for foster parents who qualify for the Foster Care Grant)
  
• resident in South Africa
  
• in possession of a medical/assessment report confirming disability
  
• qualify in terms of the means test for a Care Dependency Grant
  

A child with a disability cannot get a Care Dependency Grant if:

- they are being cared for on a 24 hour basis for more than 6 months in an institution that is funded by government;
- they are in a psychiatric hospital;
- they receive care from a treatment centre

What is the means test to qualify for a Care Dependency Grant?

The asset threshold test is the same for all other grants but the income threshold for the Care Dependency Grant differs. The applicant, spouse and child must meet the means test (except for foster parents where a different means test applies)

See What is the means test to qualify for a Foster Care Grant?

Therefore, receiving the Care Dependency Grant depends on the income of the entire family. A person can qualify for the CDG if:

• the parent/s or primary care giver earn less than R48 000 per year
  
• the child receives less than R22 560 per year (less than twice the annual amount of the CDG)

How to apply for a Care Dependency Grant

The process of applying for a Care Dependency Grant is the same as for all other grants.

See Applying for a grant.

The following documents are required for the application:

• Parent/s, primary care giver, or foster parent/s bar coded identity document
  
• Child/ren’s birth certificate with identity number
  
• A medical report for the child, which must say what the child is able to do - this is known as a functional assessment
  
• If you are the foster parent of the child, the court order making you the foster parent
  
• Proof of your marital status, such as a marriage certificate, divorce papers, or a death certificate of your spouse, or a sworn statement (affidavit) if you have never married
  
• Proof of the income for the applicant and spouse, such as UIF card, wage certificate, or pension details
  
• Proof of the income of the child
  

There are certain conditions which you have to satisfy if you want to keep the Care Dependency grant. These are that the child must –

• remain in the care of the parents
  
• be living in adequate housing
  
• be fed and given clothes to wear
  
• receive necessary medical and dental care
  
• go to school regularly
  
• be tested at the age of 6 years to see whether he or she needs special schooling
  
• not be in a state-run or subsidised psychiatric hospital

When does the Care Dependency Grant stop?

The Care Dependency Grant will be cancelled in any of the following situations:

- if the applicant dies,
- if the child dies, or
- if the child is admitted into psychiatric care or to a rehabilitation centre or any other institution (if the child is admitted for a temporary stay in a state institution, the applicant can be paid up to 6 months)
- when the child turns 18 years (after this the child can apply for a disability grant).

The grant will be reviewed from time to time to check changes in the child’s circumstances.

Special award: Social relief of Distress Grant (crisis intervention)

A Social relief of Distress Grant is a temporary form of support - in cash or food - for people that are in crisis and in need of immediate help to survive. The amount of temporary relief will be less than a grant and it will only be given for up to three months. You can apply for an extension of the relief for another three months. A social worker or officer, referred by SASSA, will be sent to check your situation and write a report. Because this is supposed to be for immediate relief, the application should not take long to process.

Who can apply for this grant?

You can get relief if:

• you have applied for a grant and the grant is not yet ready (this relief will be deducted from your grant once you get it);
  
• you have appealed against the suspension of your grant;
  
• you are too sick to work for less than 6 months (if you are sick for more than six months, you can apply for a disability grant);
  
• the person in your family who earns the money (the breadwinner) has just died, gone to prison or gone to a treatment centre or hospital;
  
• you have experienced a disaster, such as your house burning down or being flooded; you will not receive relief if your whole area has been affected by the
• disaster and other emergency funds are made available for the area.;
  
• you are not a member of a household that is already receiving social assistance.
  

You cannot get relief if:

- you are receiving assistance from another organisation, or
- you are receiving another grant, for example a Child Support Grant.

It is not necessary for a single parent to prove that he or she has been trying to get maintenance from the other parent and has not been able to.

Applying for relief

The process for applying for Social Relief of Distress is the same as for all other grants.

What do you need in order to apply for relief?

You will need the following documents in order to apply for relief:

- A valid bar-coded South African identity document
- Proof of minimal resources (in other words, that you are in a crisis situation)
- Proof of marital status
- Proof of admission of spouse to prison, treatment centre or hospital or proof that you are awaiting trial
- Discharge certificate of prison, treatment centre or hospital
- Proof of temporary medical disability
- Proof from the magistrate’s court that you are not receiving any maintenance

See Model letter: Application for Social Relief of Distress Grant.

What is the value of the Social Relief of Distress Grant?

The value of the Social Relief of Distress award must be equal to, in the case of:

- a single person: an amount not more than the maximum amount payable per month in respect of Old Age, Disability and War Veteran’s Grants;
- a married person: where both spouses live together, an amount not more than the amount payable per month for each adult;
- a child: an amount not more than the maximum child support grant payable per month for each child.

How is the Social Relief of Distress Grant paid out?

When you make the application, you should say how you would like the money to be paid. It can be paid in cash on specific days at a paypoint, or you can get the money paid electronically into your bank account. You can change the method of payment at any time by filling in a form at a welfare office.

It will take about 30 working days for your application to be processed and checked and either approved or refused. If it is refused you will get a letter explaining why it has been refused and how you can appeal.

Transport relief

There is also a special form of relief for transport money. This relief is given once only and must be recommended by the social worker for people who:

• have been told by their doctor or clinic that they need special medical treatment, but they cannot afford the transport to get to the place where they will be treated;
  
• have been promised a job but do not have enough money to pay for transport to reach the place of employment.