Like everyone, child and youth care centres are worried about the future of their facilities.<\/p>\n
Johannesburg Children\u2019s Home, one of Johannesburg\u2019s oldest homes, said it has been difficult to protect those it cares for and to ensure its staff\u2019s safety.<\/p>
Social workers Kim de Allende and Faiz Khota said Covid-19 has made it difficult to manage child and youth care centres.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with all the safety measures the government has put in place and despite standard health and safety measures being implemented there are few guidelines available for managing residential care settings in pandemics.<\/p>\n
\u201cCovid-19 has made us aware of gaps within our existing social welfare system,\u201d said de Allende.<\/p>\n
She added that the pandemic has highlighted how the disadvantaged are neglected.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has highlighted the sections of the population who have been neglected, such as the homeless, people with mental health issues, children who are found in need of care and protection, and children in alternative care,\u201d said de Allende.<\/p>\n
Child and youth centres have been facing a number of challenges during lockdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been struggling to deal with protocols for testing children and staff, how to enable social distancing and other Covid-19 protocols in a residential care facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis becomes especially difficult if someone in the system becomes infected,\u201d said Khota.<\/p>\n
The GCN asked how the home has been able to survive and tackle some of the challenges they are facing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe home conducted an education drive and prepared for the lockdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreventative measures such as a hand washing campaign were put in place before the schools were closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, bottles of sanitiser, masks and hand wash were purchased to ensure high standards of hygiene were observed across all departments in the organisation,\u201d explained Kota.<\/p>\n
They also looked into how they were going to manage 64 children and ensure that all safety measures were followed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n Donate and keep those in need warm this winter<\/a><\/p>\n Zo\u00eb helps families in need during Covid-19 pandemic<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe had to decide if our children would be more or less vulnerable at the facility or with their families.<\/p>\n \u201cA risk assessment was done with all 64 children and 22 children were sent home on a leave of absence.<\/p>\n \u201cA holiday programme was put in place for the 42 children remaining on the premises,\u201d said Kota.<\/p>\n The home further suspended all outside visits from mentors, volunteers and sports coaches during the course of the lockdown.<\/p>\n In all the precautionary measures the home has taken it also looked at the mental health and well-being of the children and staff.<\/p>\n \u201cConsultations were held with each child in order to ascertain their knowledge of the pandemic, as well as to correct any misconceptions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also took care to explain the implications of a lockdown to them, as well as to offer support and discuss going home with those who could.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made an effort to gain an understanding of children and staff with underlying conditions which makes them vulnerable to Covid-19 and implement additional protective measures,\u201d said de Allende.<\/p>\n The home invited Netcare to educate the staff prior to lockdown and to brief the children and care staff about Covid-19.<\/p>\n Three staff consultation sessions were held to develop an understanding of what staff perceptions of Covid-19 were.<\/p>\n De Allende said they also supported the staff in every way they could to enable them to work to their best ability.<\/p>\n \u201cWe support the staff\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cThe life coaches and therapist give telephonic and online support to all staff who are in need.<\/p>\n \u201cA range of essential goods were offered to staff on sale at the facility to avoid shopping from local supermarkets.<\/p>\n \u201cTransport arrangements were made for staff to be transported to and from the facility.<\/p>\n \u201cThe supply of personal protective equipment is still a challenge due to the lack of available resources,\u201d said de Allende.<\/p>\n The home has put all measures in place to ensure that it survives lockdown.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n * Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Dear reader,<\/em><\/p>\n As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as \u201cfake news\u201d) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.<\/em><\/p>\n Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za<\/a>) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>or Busi Vilakazi (Journalist)\u00a0busiv@caxton.co.za.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Also follow us on:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/07\/Facebook.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/07\/Twitter.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/07\/Instagram.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/07\/youtube.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/07\/Newsletter.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n