Psychosocial Support Provision for Learners from Child-Headed Households in Five Public Schools in South Africa
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Psychosocial Support Provision for Learners from Child‑Headed Households in Five Public Schools in South Africa Siphokazi Kwatubana1 · Mashuda Ebrahim1
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract In South African schools, the umbrella term orphans and vulnerable children includes child-headed households (CHHs). In the light of trauma exposure of learners from CHHs due to their plight, there is a need to investigate how they are supported. This research investigated the psychosocial-support provision for learners from CHHs in five public high schools in South Africa. This was a qualitative study using a phenomenological design. A stratified sampling method was used to gather data from principals, co-ordinators of health programmes and teachers with the highest number of learners from CHHs in their classes in 2014 or 2015. Findings are reported from the analysis of data gathered by means of semi-structured interviews and document analysis through the lens of trauma-informed approach. The highest number of learners from CHHs in the participating schools were in Grades 10 to 12 and the percentage ranged between 0.6 to 2.5 in 2014 and 2015. The programme of informal adoption of learners by teachers seemed to be working well, better than other programmes that were implemented by government departments. The results of this study highlight the importance of implementing trauma-informed approach in supporting learners from CHHs. Keywords Prevalence of CHHs · Child adoption in black cultures · Trauma-informed approach · Health promotion in schools Child-headed households (CHHs) is a phenomenon that is concealed under the umbrella term of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in South African schools (Van Breda, 2010). Like all children in South Africa, children from CHHs have a right to basic nutrition, basic education, and social services (Republic of South Africa, 1996) to address their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. However, the reality that cannot be overlooked, as explained by Van Breda (2010) and Campbell et al. (2014), is that learners from CHHs are amongst the most vulnerable, caring for themselves and living in underprivileged communities with a number of socio-economic problems. The phenomenon of CHHs is prevalent all over the world, where the cause in developed countries is mostly to allow parents to participate in employment and other activities (Dahlblom, Herrara, Peña, & Dahlgren, 2009). The South African situation is different as CHHs are exacerbated by the rapid rates at * Mashuda Ebrahim [email protected] 1
Faculty of Education, EduLead, North West University, Mahikeng, South Africa
which orphanhood and destitution are occurring which make it “difficult for families and communities to respond in the traditional manner of taking these children into extended families” (Mogotlane, Chauke, Van Rensburg, Human, & Kganaga, 2010, p. 25). When these problems are left unabated, and when no psychosocial support is provided to them, learners from CHHs are le
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