Child Care and Protection Services
The purpose of Part A of the Register is:
- To have a record of abuse or deliberate neglect inflicted on specific children;
- To have a record of the circumstances surrounding the abuse or deliberate neglect inflicted on the children
- To use the information in the register in order to protect these children from further abuse or neglect;
- To monitor cases and services to such children;
- To share information between professionals that are part of the child protection team;
- To determine patterns and trends of abuse or deliberate neglect of children; and
- To use the information in the register for planning and budgetary purposes to prevent the abuse and deliberate neglect of children and protect children on a national, provincial and municipal level.
Purpose of Part B of Register
- To have a record of persons who are unsuitable to work with children.
- To use the information in the register in order to protect children in general against abuse from these persons.
- Part b register is kept by the national department of social development. The national department of social development has not provided statistics on the number of convicted offenders included in the register part b.
Finding persons unsuitable to work with children
A finding that a person is unsuitable to work with children may be made by-
- A children's court;
- Any other court in any criminal or civil proceedings in which that person is involved; or
- Any forum established or recognised by law in any disciplinary proceedings concerning the conduct of that person relating to a child.
Consequences of entry of name in Part B of National Child Protection Register
A person, whose name appears in Part B of the National Child Protection Register, may not -
- Be employed or involved in any position, where he or she will be placed in a position of authority, supervision or care of a child;
- Be employed or involved in any position, where he or she will be able to gain access to a child or to a place or places where children are present or congregate;
- Own or have any economic or business interest in any entity, business concern or trade relating to the supervision or care of a child if such interest would cause that person to have direct access to or would place him or her in a position of authority, supervision or care of a child.
- No person whose name appears in part b of the register may-
- Be permitted to become the foster parent or adoptive parent of a child;
- ork in any unit of the south african police service tasked with child protection;
- Be employed in terms of the public service act in a position where that person works with or has access to children;
- Be employed in terms of the municipal systems act in a position where that person works with or has access to children; or
- Work in any other form of employment or activity as may be prescribed.
Key stakeholders in the implementationof the register
Department of Social Development
Department of Education
Department of Health
SAPS
Child protection Organizations
ECD Centres
Shelters
Drop In Centres
Home Community Based Care organizations
Municipalities
Any organ of state/NGO working directly with children or volunteering its services to children.
Role of Provincial DSD
- The Department of Social development has a responsibility to keep a register of all alleged cases of child abuse.
- To follow up on the reported cases of abuse to ensure timeous intervention.
- To do analysis of the reports received to determine if there are cases where children are repeatedly abused as well as the trends that are observed.
- To create awareness about the register.
- To facilitate the process of checking the names of all persons working with children to determine if their names do not appear on the register.
- To facilitate a process of ensuring that persons whose names are found to be in the register are prevented from continued work with children.
Role of stakeholders in CPR
- All organizations/organ of state that employ persons who have direct contact with children are required to:
- verify the status of their current employees against the Register to ensure that their names do not appear on the register o persons found to have committed offenses against children
- All prospective employees have to be checked against the register prior to finalization of appointment.
- If there are persons found guilty of offenses against children, their names have to be registered.