The Holy Cross Child and Youth Care Centre, also fondly known and remembered as the Holy Cross Orphanage, situated in Parow Valley was established in Parow in 1918 in response to children being orphaned during the dreaded ‘Spanish Flu’ of 1918. An unexpected visitor arrived at the Holy Cross Sister’s Convent in Parow with a very challenging request, i.e. for the sisters to take orphaned and homeless children into their care. Everything needed for such a huge enterprise was lacking: accommodation, staff and resources. However the Sisters did not have the heart to turn the children away and thus began the Holy Cross Children’s Orphanage.
Until the facility was recognised by the state as a Welfare Institution, the financing of the home was the sole responsibility of the Holy Cross Sisters. Today the Sisters are still fully involved and committed to caring for children and the youth.
Over the years, with the change in social needs and functioning the institution has continued to align its services with the changing needs of its beneficiaries. At present it serves 115 children and youth aged between 2 and 18 years from the greater Western Cape area.
OBJECTIVES:
- The organisation’s main objective is to provide for the holistic development of the children admitted to its care, which includes, inter alia, their physical, social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development.
- The organisation is charged with caring, feeding, clothing, housing and educating
those children who have been orphaned, neglected, abandoned, or whose home influence is such to warrant admission to the organisation OR committed by an appropriate authority under the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 as amended (hereafter referred to as the Children’s Act).
- The organisation’s secondary objective is to facilitate the re-unification of children in its care with their families.
Our beneficiaries, i.e. the children and youth in our care, have experienced and have been removed from situations of deprivation, constant abuse, domestic violence and substance abuse by their care givers which led to neglect, abandonment, rejection and isolation. Many have lived in fear stemming not only from the abuse and neglect but also from not knowing or having surety regarding their future well being, nourishment, care and formation. All these situations have robbed them of life, of the freedom to be children and of feeling safe and secure in the knowledge that they would be care for and loved.
Our beneficiaries also include children and youth who need to be reunified with families who need support structures and parenting skills training and youth who need to be self-supporting, self-sufficient and independent when leaving the facility.
PROGRAMMES:
4.1 Residential Care Programme – started in 1918 and conducted by the Manager, Social work staff and childcare staff. The programme is supported by the domestic staff. The main aim of this programme is to provide residential care focussing on the holistic development and formation of children and youth entering the facility by providing the following:
- Food, clothing, shelter, homework sessions, a sense of belonging.
- Individual assessment and case work – sessions are provided for children on a weekly basis to render therapeutic counselling and follow up work.
- therapeutic group work addressing specific developmental areas – therapeutic groups focussing on anger management, abuse, children’s rights and run at regular intervals.
- basic life skills in daily living – children are introduced to basic living, e.g. setting tables, cleaning, taking care of personal belongings and space.
- safe hygienic and secure environment free from all harm to body and soul.
- basic health care and access to additional health care – regular visits to doctors, clinics and hospitals are arranged.
- enrolment in an educational institution – all children attend school daily.
- staff development to ensure that staff is capacitated to deal effectively with the children and youth in their care.
4.2 Family Reunification and Reintegration – this is an ongoing activity, running concurrently with the residential care programme and includes social work and childcare staff members. The main aim of the programme to facilitate the reunification and reintegration of children entering our facility with their families or communities of origin. The reunification team would provide services and support that would enhance the family functioning so that children can be placed back with their families.
4.3 Hosting Programme – The main aim of this programme is to provide those children and youth who have not had contact from family members or other significant people in their lives to be matched with a host family who have undergone a screening process and is willing to host children and youth for day outings, weekends and holidays.
4.4 Transitional Living Programme – this is an ongoing daily activity with periodic workshops run by childcare staff, social work staff and volunteers. The purpose of the Transitional Living Programme is to assist young people in their transition from institutional care to independent living in the community so that they can contribute positively to society, attain self-sufficiency, form positive and responsible family and social relationships and engage with community activities. This programme also assists the younger children being reunified with family, community of origin or placed in foster care, in their transition from care to life back home within a family structure.
Operates in: Cape Town, Western Cape
Established in: October 1918
Non-Profit Organisation Number: 069-971
Public Benefit Organisation Number: 930034782
Section 21 Company Number:
Trust Number:
Contact person: Sr Cheryl-Anne Ziervogel
Phone: 021 934 6435
Fax: 021 934 1146
Email:
Website: www.charitysa.co.za/holy-cross-child-and-youth-care-centre.html
Physical address: De La Rey Street, Parow Valley
Postal address: P O Box 1493, Parow, 7499
