(1)(a) The Department cannot preempt an actual number of orders that will lapse as the provinces are continually undertaking activities to ensure that foster care orders are extended. However, there is a projected number of 54 835 foster care orders that are due for extension between September and December 2017.
(b) It is anticipated that no grants will be unpaid as a result of the foster care court orders expiring, given the implementation of the North Gauteng High Court ruling, which allows SASSA to continue paying the foster child grants, even with expired orders, while the Department of Social Development works on updating the orders. There will thus not be any financial implications for unpaid foster child grants.
(2)(a) Nine provincial departments of Social Development put administrative mechanisms in place to manage the extension of foster care orders that include:
(b) The 9 provincial departments of Social Development are continuing to implement the activities referred to in response (2)(a) and putting plans in place to strengthen their mechanisms to ensure that the foster care orders that require to be extended are processed before 1 November 2017.