Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children

The Teddy Bear Clinic is based in Braamfontein, and has 7 offices in and around the Johannesburg area, and is committed to providing services to the Gauteng province. It works in partnership with the Gauteng courts, South African Police Service (SAPS), the National Prosecution Service and other child welfare organizations like Childline. It receives funding from the Department of Social Development as well as corporate and individual sponsorships. The project’s aim is to assist in the prevention, identification, treatment and support of child victims and mentally challenged victims of physical and sexual abuse, and their families, by providing child victims with medical examinations, forensic assessments, psychological assessments, HIV counseling and testing, therapeutic services including “play therapy,” a Kids Court Support programme that helps to prepare children to testify in court.  The Teddy Bear Clinic also facilitates: a Parenting Programme for first-time offenders of physical abuse aimed at teaching parents to manage anger and to discipline their children without using violence (used as an alternative to a prison sentence); a Support Programme for Abuse-Reactive Children (SPARC) which is a 12-week programme for young sex offenders that teaches them about healthy sexuality, victim empathy, impulse control and personal boundaries (alternative to prison sentence); a Bullying Group; and a SAFE for Schools Project which is a programme that trains teachers to recognize cases of abuse and teaches them about the procedure that needs to be followed to address it. Research, Training, and Development is performed on an ongoing basis as part of their outreach work. Training is also provided to social workers, psychologists, Protection Unit officers, students, state prosecutors and lay counselors.

Innovation

What is innovative about the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children is its holistic approach to dealing with cases of child abuse. It is a “one-stop” centre for victims and their families. All of the necessary programmes to assist in the prosecution of the perpetrator in court as well as therapy for the victims and their families, and rehabilitation for the abusers themselves, are provided. Prior to the inception of the Teddy Bear Clinic, mentally challenged victims of abuse had no access to justice. The Teddy Bear Clinic was the first to provide court support services to this group in Gauteng. In addition, SPARC, the 12-week rehabilitation programme for young sex offenders, is the first program of its kind in the country.

Effectiveness

The Teddy Bear Clinic assists in about 300 new cases every month. Approximately 60 of these involves a mentally challenged victim. The Clinic performs an average of 400 medical examinations for new cases annually, and 30 to 40 psychological assessments on a monthly basis. Research conducted in 2005 found that 93% of parents felt that the services provided by the clinic had been helpful. A follow-up of young offenders who had attended SPARC, performed in 2005, found no instances of re-offending. In addition, two of the courses offered by the Teddy Bear Clinic have been accredited, one at the NQF 7 (Honours) level and another at the NQF 5 (two-year diploma) level which are the Advanced and Intermediate Certificates in Child Protection respectively. The Clinic receives letters of high praise and thanks from the Magistrate’s Court in Soweto and Johannesburg, and from the SAPS in Gauteng, for its assistance in assessing cases, obtaining evidence, and ensuring that victims are best able to deliver testimonies.

Poverty Impact

This project ensures that high quality services related to child abuse and abuse of the disabled are free and accessible to all who require them in Gauteng. There are no fees for services, and transport is provided for those who cannot afford it.

Sustainability

The annual budget for the Teddy Bear Clinic is R3.8 million. The Department of Social Development funds half of this amount. The other half is sourced from corporate sponsors and private donors. A Management Committee and a Board of Directors manage this project. Currently, this project’s income outweighs its losses and income is being invested according to the Board’s recommendation. While funding is not a problem at the moment, it is not guaranteed.

Replication

There is a need for the kind of services offered by the Teddy Bear Clinic elsewhere in the country, demonstrated by frequent requests for staff to see children from other provinces (which the Clinic is unable to do). A similar project could function in a variety of settings (hospital, court, police station etc.). The Clinic already runs training courses that could be used to train staff for similar projects. Potential constraints for replication include a lack of funding, trained staff and/or space.

Partnerships

•    Department of Social Development (funding)
•    Routledge Modise Moss Morris (funding)
•    JHI (funding)
•    Baltrans Clover Cargo (funding)
•    Pick ‘N Pay Go Banking (funding)
•    South African Police Service (exchange services)
•    National Prosecutions Service (exchange services)
•    Women + Men Against Child Abuse (exchange services)
•    Childline (exchange services)
•    Department of Health (healthcare workers)