Executive Summary: The South African Child Support Grant Impact Assessment

This report presents the findings of a research team’s analysis of a specially designed survey fielded in rural and urban areas of five South African provinces

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published
1 January 2012
Country:
South Africa
Document Type:
Country Report
Theme:
Economic Growth
Authors:
Department of Social Development, South African Social Security Agency, UNICEF

Abstract

The Child Support Grant (CSG) is an important instrument of social protection in South Africa, reaching over 10 million South African children each month. This report presents the findings of a research team’s analysis of a specially designed survey fielded in rural and urban areas of five South African provinces, supporting the rigorous impact assessment of how access to the CSG affects key aspects of child and adolescent well-being.

The South African Child Support Grant was first introduced in 1998. Over the past 14 years, South Africa’s social grant programme has evolved into one of the most comprehensive social protection systems in the developing world. Expansions to the Child Support Grant’s criteria for eligibility over this same period include an increase in the age limit from seven to eighteen years old, and adjustments to the income threshold to take inflation into account and improve equity.

Citation

Department of Social Development, South African Social Security Agency; UNICEF. Executive Summary: The South African Child Support Grant Impact Assessment. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy (2012) 8 pp.

Published 1 January 2012
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