Changing Social Policy

The Child Support Grant in South Africa It provides a broad overview of the context of policy reform at the time of South Africas transition to democracy, looks at the patterns of poverty and inequality that the first democratically elected government of South Africa had to address and also delves into the welfare sector, first under apartheid, and then the move towards developmental social welfare. Through this work, Lund allows readers to understand the transformation from traditional and discriminatory welfare under apartheid, to the more progressive and developmental social welfare system to emerge in South Africa. Changing Social Policy in South Africa provides a unique lens into the manner in which evidence, ideology, financial possibilities, personality, struggle and compromise all came together in the business of policymaking.

Tables and figures
Foreword by Thandika Mkandawire
Preface and Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and acronyms
A note on terms

The Context
Poverty, inequality and the situation of children and families in South Africa
Engaging in policy reform at the time of transition
From apartheid welfare to developmental social welfare
Social assistance and the State Maintenance Grant

The Committee
Status
Composition
Mandate
Orientation
Method of work

Policy Alternatives
Reform of the private parental maintenance system
Increase in support for mainstream social welfare services
Support for the emerging development social welfare model: the Flagship Programme for Unemployed women with Children 0 5
Support for nutritional programmes for young children
Support for Early Childhood Development programmes
Support for Social Funds
A new cash transfer

The Child Support Grant
Design
Implementation
Performance

Compromises and Controversies
The phasing out of the State Maintenance Grant
A universal benefit or a means tested grant
Accepting a ‘fiscal constraint’
The participation of civil society in policy reform

The Road from Policy to Practice
The implementation task team
Piloting new reforms
Communicating about new reforms
Accounting for the passage of the reforms
Looking back

Appendices
References
Index

Professor Francie Lund works part-time at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where she specialises in social policy in the School of Development Studies. She works part-time for WIEGO Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising. Trained as a sociologist and social worker, she practised as a grassroots organiser and researcher in the fields of early childhood development, rural primary health care, and urban infrastructure. A longstanding research interest has been the impact of South Africas pensions and grants in mitigating poverty and redressing inequality. She is engaged locally and globally with WIEGO in research and policy advocacy around informal workers, especially regarding local and national policy intervention in the provision of social protection.