Official reply: 06/07/11
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION 898/2011
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
Date of publication on internal question paper: 18 March 2011
Internal question paper no: 08
Mrs S U Paulse (ID) to ask the Minister of Social Development:
[Interdepartmental transfer on 18 March 2011]
1) What steps does her department intend taking to alleviate the backlog
(details furnished) with regard to foster care grants;
2) whether she will take any steps with regard to the grants (a) which
have lapsed since January 2011 and (b) set to expire within the next
few months; if not, why not; if so, what steps?
NW1011E
REPLY:
1) The extension of expired court orders is the responsibility of the
Department of Justice and Social Development jointly. SASSA is a role
player in the process to ensure that children in foster care are not
unduly prejudiced by the lapsing of the Foster Child Grant because of
administrative injustice. There is a task team in place comprising of
officials from the Department of Justice, Department of Social
Development and SASSA to assess all expired foster care placements or
those in the process of expiring and extend the court orders. This
task team will assess each case, fast track the processing of
extension orders, and ensure continuity in the payment of the Foster
Child Grant.
2) (a) No Foster Child Grants have been lapsed since January because of
the inability to obtain extension orders. The Foster Child Grants that
were lapsed were those where the child was no longer eligible for the
grant.
(b) The Foster Child Grants that will expire in the next few months
will be assessed and extension orders will be processed for those who
are eligible for the grant.