ARTICLE
A KHULISA SOCIAL SOLUTIONS APPROACH
The root of a dysfunctional society unpacked
Many theorists, including Sigmund Freud, suggest that relationships between children and their parents play a significant role in defining and influencing adult development.
Despite a global shift toward a more humanitarian and democratic society, with new child protection legislation and family policies, the majority of South Africans experience serious problems in their families, especially concerning the lack of parental responsibility and the presentation of problematic child behaviour.
In addition, most community members are impoverished, with accompanying societal problems, such as unemployment, substance abuse, and crime. As a result, parents may be at danger of harsh and punitive parenting, despite the notion that parenting should be more positive and free of punishment.
Notwithstanding the interrelated causal factors, parents might not be equipped with alternative, more positive approaches to discipline and child-rearing practices.Therefore, to advance child and youth development emphasis must be placed on a shared understanding of the factors and circumstances that hinder the capacity for communities and their children to thrive.
KHULISA’S RESEARCH FINDINGS
As a result, Khulisa conducted quantitative and qualitative research over a period of 3 years from April 2020 to April 2023, across six provinces, with over 5 000 participants, focussing on early childhood development, school-going children, youth, parent-child relationships, and parenting skills and styles.
The aim was to identify, analyse, and understand the detrimental elements that are harming, obstructing, and inhibiting children and youth to develop and constructively contribute to their future, the future of their communities, and ultimately, the country’s well-being and prosperity.
While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
Screening of children by caregiver participants from early childhood development centres revealed that 65 % of children are aggressive, 43 % struggle with bedwetting, 69 % have difficulties with learning, 42 % show signs of behavioural changes, 45 % are excessively tired, 50 % are fearful and quiet, 33 % act immaturely for their age, and 15 % show signs of physical symptoms of abuse.
Although the symptoms are possible indicators of domestic violence, the results showed that the children’s mental health are at risk for the development of a mental disorder(s) such as anxiety (40 %), bipolar and related (11 %), depressive (38 %), disruptive impulse-control and conduct (17 %), elimination (9 %), neurodevelopmental (19 %), sleep-wake (10 %), and trauma- and stressor-related (38 %).
SCHOOL-GOING CHILDREN
Various studies gave school-going children the opportunity to self-assess their needs and revealed that South Africa’s education system is characterised by a crumbling infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, poor educational outcomes, and a lack of providing children assistance (53%), satisfying their interests (50%), and optimising and growing their learning experience (45%).
In addition, studies identified further challenges of substance abuse
(56%), emotional and social well-being (such as the desire to have better interpersonal relationships [75%]), and academic needs (such as career guidance in schools [93%]) – matching the issues in the community pertaining to crime and violence.
“Society is perpetuating inequality and failing our children.”
PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS
Dialogue circles with parents and children found that unfavourable parent-child relationships were centred around concerns with financial constraints, parenting (blended families, lack of parents, and parenting skills), children with disabilities, abuse (emotional, mental, physical, and substance), communication, conflict, equality, honesty, quality time, respect, school attendance, teenage pregnancies, trust, understanding, crime, and gender-based violence.
The data analysis presented an interconnected, interdependent, and interrelated relationship between factors’ cause-and-effect, and motivated further exploration of parenting skills and styles.
PARENTING SKILLS AND STYLES
During parental workshops with self-assessment of parenting skills, most participants rated their skills and parent-child communication as average.
Majority (52%) of parents felt they exhibited and followed a permissive parenting style, however, subsequent to the survey, only one parent presented with the aforementioned style.
In accordance with the data, 93% of the parents scored the highest in elements pertaining to an authoritative parenting style. Although described as the most successful approach to child rearing and linked to many aspects of competence throughout childhood and adolescence, such as a positive mood, self-control, task persistence, cooperativeness, social and moral maturity, and good academic performance, the data indicated that parental practices, attitudes, and behaviour also comprised and constituted characteristics of the authoritarian (22%), permissive (26%), and uninvolved (19%) parenting styles; a small margin when compared to the 33% authoritative components scored by the parents.
These unfavourable attributes pose a risk for childhood and adolescent development without interventions aimed at exploring, examining, and educating parents to ensure they meet expectations and standards for optimal warmth and nurturance, consistent control, expectations, and communication – imperative to positive parenting and favourable parent-child relationships.
An overwhelming number of the participants (100%) believed that the community would benefit from similar and continued workshops relating to parenting skills and styles.
ECOLOGICAL MODEL and THEORY OF CHANGE
The research and data correspond with Khulisa’s Ecological Model and Theory of Change, proposing that child difficulties and negative parenting do not work in silos. Although sometimes exhibited as an isolated act or occurrence, it is part of a systematic pattern, rarely caused by a single factor.
HOLISTIC APPROACH
Khulisa adopts a community-collaborative approach, identifying needs and proposing solutions, that constitutes a sustainable community-led application to target and combat their challenges.
The organisation offers interventions and programmes aimed at optimising early childhood, school-going children, youth, and adult development.
PROGRAMMES
• Active Citizenship • Breakthrough • Buddy/Bullying • Changing Lanes • Child Diversion • Dandelion • Dare to Dream • Dialogue Circles • Environmental • Facing Your Shadow • Job Readiness and Job Placement • Journaling • Let the Young Child Grow | • Mirror • My Journey • NPO and Small and Medium Business (SMME) Capacity Building • People Puppet • Positive Parenting • Positively Cool • Recycling • Rock ‘n Rhyme | • School-Based Restorative Justice and Peace-Making • Second Chances • SHINE Treatment and Prevention • Silence the Violence • Social Entrepreneurship in Schools • Storytelling • Streetscapes • Ubuntu Clubs (Rainbow Builders) • Vula |
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About us
Khulisa Social Solutions is a non-profit company that helps vulnerable children, youth, and communities unlock their potential and develop skills toward a sustainable future.
It operates nationally, employs approximately 200 staff through 19 offices, and works in approximately 150 communities in collaboration with 350 NGO partners, impacting the lives of close to 200,000 people per annum.
Khulisa partners with national and local government departments, schools, correctional facilities, community leaders, corporates, thought leaders, academic institutions, and private companies. Khulisa’s internationally acclaimed and locally rewarded best practice programmes deliver positive and measurable impact with the main focus on youth and community development.
For more information, contact
Lesley Ann Van Selm | 082 601 2299 | lesleyann@khulisa.org.za | media@khulisa.org.za
