11-Year-old boy returns home after escaping youth care centre

The 11-year-old boy who absconded from a Youth Care Centre and walked from Khayelitsha to his home in Delft has been handed over to authorities and is back at another facility.

Following the news report in the Cape Argus, the boy’s biological father handed him over to the Department of Social Development on Monday.

The boy was placed at the Homestead Projects for Children - Child and Youth Care Centre in Khayelitsha nearly two weeks ago and ran away days later following an order from the court. DSD admitted that the child left the facility but said it could not discuss the matter, detailing that the facility was not a secure centre.

The guardian of the child is his uncle, as his mother is a drug addict and his father an apparent member of a gang. The child began experimenting with drugs such as dagga and was truant from school for a lengthy period. Whistle-blowers also called on MEC of DSD, Jaco Londt, to take charge of his department.

The guardian confirmed that the child had been handed over to authorities but said sadly, “His father handed him over yesterday after he heard that it has now reached the media,” said the uncle. Whistle-blower Zona Morton said the question still arose surrounding the security of facilities and who would be held to account.

“Whilst we are relieved that the minor has been found, we still need to ask the crucial question: is the Head of Department Facilities auditing the volume of minors "escaping" from Homestead, and are the lack of safety in general being investigated? Who will be held accountable for minors "escaping"?

“The most important question for me is whether the CYCC is equipped to deal with troubled children. I still call for a full audit on all CYCC facilities under DSD management.”

DSD confirmed that the boy had returned: "The Department can confirm that the child was found, and placed back at a child and youth care centre, per the court order.It must be noted that all alternative care placements – whether with foster or safety parents, or into child and youth care centres – are done with court orders.

"Once a magistrate makes the placement order, anyone who harbours a child anywhere other than the address on the court order – whether or not with family members – is committing a criminal offence.”

Earlier, DSD confirmed that the child absconded from the facility and that the matter was reported to DSD. DSD said it could not comment further but that Homestead is a residential community-based, registered child and youth care centre, managed by an NGO.

It explained that it caters to children placed in terms of the Children’s Act (it is not a secure care centre, which caters to children placed via the Child Justice Act), and that verification of residents is done against a register twice daily.

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Cape Argus