About work 1

What am I doing? That's not too clear yet (to me). In Hermanus there are three locations that we work with - Hawston, Mount Pleasant and Zwelihle. I will be put into Zwelihle and will work together with Zandile. I have a small desk in her office and that desk looks like I used it for years already. Child and Family Welfare (CWSA) is the only Welfare Agency in this area, so we operate in a quite big district and with all cases that you can imagine. We do not specify on vulnerable children for example. I was hoping to receive a "good introduction" and "many information" about the CWSA-Society and the work they are doing. But this did not happen. Ich wurde einfach ins kalte Wasser geschmissen.

During the first few days I joined Zandile wherever she went to, and still in the first week I was given my own tasks and even cases. Although I don't think that I will ever do the first investigation, Zandile starts a case and then asks me to follow it up or even finish it. Two cases that I'm dealing with are about applying at an Old Aged Home and a Disabled Home for two different people. I have to call them, ask them whether they've got a space and then follow the procedure (maybe go for an interview with the client or pick up the application forms, complete them etc.). Unfortunately this is not too easy, especially when the client forgets something each and every time and I go to see him twice a day for about a week!

Another one was referred to us from George about a girl that wanted to come home for school holidays (she's a foster child, staying in a boarding school). The result of our investigation was that her family and neighbours would not recommend her to come because her mother is drinking alcohol and sometimes misses for a couple of days. I wrote a letter to the organization she stays with telling them that we are supposed to disappoint them and they need to look for another vacation place.

Another one was about a 7-months old babygirl that is malnutritioned (4,5kg instead of 9-10kg). We went to court to get the order to put that child in a hospice (the mother (23) fails to follow the instructions given by the sisters in hospital and feeds the baby with pap and potatoes...!). I brought the child there myself (Somerset West, about an hour from Hermanus, I got much more than lost because I have not even been in that town before...) and today I was informed that the child went to hospital the same day because of a severe dehydration... At least Leonie is in the hospital the babygirl is, so I hope she can find out about her condition.

We will go to court again because there is another mother who doesn't look after her two-years old child. He has got TB and she doesn't take him for treatment. So this child needs an urgent order by the magistrate for a place of safety as well. This child looks also very bad, there are flies everywhere and the shack they stay in looks everything but neat and claen and is not the right place for a child...

Picture: Main entrance to court...