The Committee noted the following observations and recommendations for the Department of Social Development regarding the draft periodic country report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:
1. The Committee was concerned about the limited funding for non- governmental organisations delivering welfare services for children in need of care and protection. The Committee noted that these services were essential to the child protection system in South Africa.
2. The Committee observed that the draft Country Report does not contain statistics of children who might have been subjected to corporal punishment at child and youth care centres and drug rehabilitation centres.
3. The Committee observed that the draft Country Report does not provide statistics on the success rate of family reunification for children, who were placed in alternative care.
4. The Committee observed that the draft Country Report does not provide accurate statistics of children who enter the child protection system, as the child protection register, as established by the Children's Act, is still not 100% functional.
5. The Committee observed that the Department of Social Development committed to expanding the child support grant to certain groups of vulnerable children, as R280 per month, currently is not sufficient to have a greater impact on the lives of children living in poverty.