Monitoring Child Well-Being A South African Rights-Based Approach

by Dawes, Andrew; Bray, Rachel; van der Merwe, Amelia

• ISBN13: 9780796921772
• ISBN10: 0796921776
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-01
• Publisher: HSRC Press

Summary

Taking a rights-based approach, this comprehensive study develops a conceptual framework and a definitive set of holistic indicators for monitoring the well-being of children in South Africa. Taking cues from the child-rights focus of the South African constitution, it is made clear that it is not just the state of the children that is important to measure, but also the contexts within which the children grow and develop. Providing practical tools for policy makers to assess the effectiveness of child-based policies and interventions, this practical work addresses a wide range of domainschild poverty, HIV and AIDS, education, mental health and disability, abuse and neglect, the justice system, and children affected by the worst forms of labor.

Author Biography

Andrew Dawes is an applied developmental psychologist who specializes in policy-related research on children affected by abuse and violence. He is a research director in the child, youth, family & social Development research program at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and has produced more than 100 publications and conference papers. Rachel Bray has been a part-time research fellow in the Centre for Social Science Research at the University of Cape Town. Amelia van der Merwe is a research psychologist currently working as an associate at the child, youth, family & social Development research program of the HSRC.

Table of Contents

Tables and figures	p. vi
Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xix
Acronyms and abbreviations	p. xxi
Rationales for indicator development
Concepts and contexts
Monitoring the well-being of children: historical and conceptual foundations	p. 5
A rights-based approach to monitoring the well-being of children in South Africa	p. 29
Conceptualising, defining and measuring child poverty in South Africa: an argument for a multidimensional approach	p. 53
Neighbourhood indicators: monitoring child rights and well-being at small-area level	p. 73
Child survival and health domain
Monitoring child health	p. 93
Monitoring child and adolescent mental health, risk behaviour and substance use	p. 111
Monitoring child unintentional and violence-related morbidity and mortality	p. 129
Monitoring children's rights to education	p. 147
Early childhood development and the home-care environment in the pre-school years	p. 159
Monitoring childhood disability	p. 191
Monitoring specific difficulties of learning	p. 213
Child protection domain
Monitoring the well-being of street children from a rights perspective	p. 233
Monitoring the worst forms of child labour, trafficking and child commercial sexual exploitation	p. 247
Monitoring child abuse and neglect	p. 269
Monitoring the situation of children in statutory care	p. 293
Monitoring children in conflict with the law	p. 329
A monitoring dilemma: orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS	p. 359
The indicators
Neighbourhood indicators	p. 373
Indicators for monitoring child health	p. 379
Indicators for monitoring child and adolescent mental health	p. 393
Indicators for monitoring child injury morbidity and mortality	p. 401
Education indicators	p. 413
Indicators for monitoring early childhood development	p. 419
Indicators for monitoring childhood disability	p. 445
Indicators for monitoring specific difficulties of learning	p. 451
Indicators for monitoring street children	p. 455
Indicators for monitoring child labour, trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation	p. 461
Indicators for monitoring child abuse and neglect	p. 469
Indicators for monitoring children in statutory care	p. 487
Indicators for monitoring children in conflict with the law	p. 503
Indicators for monitoring orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS	p. 527
Appendices
Convention on the Rights of the Child	p. 537
South African Constitution: the Bill of Rights	p. 554
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	p. 566
Key terms associated with indicators and monitoring	p. 580
Characteristics of effective indicators for child rights and well-being	p. 582
Summary of South African data on child health indicators	p. 583
South African EMIS indicator domains	p. 587
Indicators for juvenile justice as developed by UNICEF	p. 592
UNICEF recommended indicators for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS	p. 593
References	p. 595
Contributors	p. 635
Index	p. 639
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