The Centre for Social Sciences Research (CSSR) and the  Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa  (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town invite you to join us for a lunchtime seminar on 30 January 2024 at 12:45pm. The seminar will be presented by Claire Tatham from the Adolescent Accelerators Research Hub. 

About the Seminar:

Grants and development? Child support grant access and its effects on child development for children of adolescent and young mothers in South Africa

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa has witnessed a concerning rise in early pregnancy rates, highlighting a distressing trend. The pandemic has heightened the social and economic vulnerabilities faced by adolescent and young mothers in South Africa and these vulnerabilities reverberate to influence the development of their children (Mahlangu et al., 2022; May et al., 2020; Rena et al., 2023). The Child Support Grant (CSG) could serve as a crucial safety net by providing financial assistance to alleviate socio-economic challenges for these families, but there is a lack of research that interrogates the benefits on the development for young mothers’ children.

The objective of this study is to build upon our knowledge of CSG access for children of adolescent and young mothers. This was carried out within three chapters. Chapter 1 explored the associations between CSG access and child development and the determinants of CSG access for children of adolescent and young mothers. Chapter 2 explored the associations between child’s age at CSG initiation and child development outcomes. This chapter also explored whether recipient type (adolescent or young mother vs. the mother’s caregiver) mattered for the timing of grant receipt. Chapter 3 looks at the moderating effect of formal childcare use on the association between CSG access and child development (Evans-Lacko et al., 2023).

Speakers

Claire Tatham is a senior research assistant at the Adolescent Accelerators Research Hub at the Centre for Social Science Research, where she is primarily engaged in the HEY BABY project. She is currently pursuing her MA in Development Economics at the University of Cape Town. Tatham's research interests revolve around child development, mental health, and wellbeing, with a specific focus on social programs aimed at enhancing the capacity, self-esteem, and independence of youth in South Africa.

 30 January 2024
 12:45 - 14:00 SAST
  CSSR Seminar Room, 4.29 Robert Leslie Social Science Building, UCT

Hosted by the Centre for Social Science Research and the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa