Happy Hours Day Care

The Durban and Coastal Mental Health Society, a Non Profit Organisation (NPO), renders social welfare services to mentally and physically handicapped children and their families in the Durban and Coastal regions of KwaZulu-Natal.  The project originated in 1983 as a response to the cost of providing state run institutionalised care to children with delayed-development issues, and a lack of resources for families and communities dealing with such issues in deep rural areas in the province.  Since 1983, 9 centres have been built, accommodating 166 children, and employing 27 local residents.  Training for the 27 caregivers is provided by volunteers from the St. Briavels Child Development Centre in the U.K.  The provincial Department of Health provides subsidised funding, while help from private donors and fund raising complete their funding spectrum.  Parents and community members are also actively involved in the running of the Centres through their participation in annual Parents Associations meetings.

The objectives of the centre, such as the nature of care provided, were defined by parents with children who would be attending the centre and current members of the staff, and are updated yearly when The Parents' Association convenes yearly with the programme administration to update any areas that are in need.  The objectives currently in place are to prevent neglect and provide care for profoundly mentally handicapped children; the provision of a cost effective alternative to institutional care, which is 3 times the cost;

• provide relief to families from the stresses of caring for children with developmental issues
• provide employment through the creation of permanent, full-time positions at the centres.

The Happy Hours Day Care Centres focus on the development of fine and gross motor skills of the children through appropriate exercises; stimulation through relevant toys and equipment; engage the children in a re-educational development programme adopted from the St. Briavels Centre for Child Development in the U.K.; and the provision of 1 nutritious meal per day, offers the only meal available to the children.  In addition, training clinics for parents with mentally handicapped children without access to day care centres is provided off-site to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to families in need.

The majority of families with children in need of these services reside deep within rural areas of the KwaZulu-Natal province and coastal areas of Durban where high rates of unemployment are prevalent.  Consequently, these families tend to rely entirely on the national Care Dependency Grant as their sole source of income.  In response to such contions, the Happy Hours Day Care Centre has created 27 full-time, permanent jobs at 9 facilities to reduce the effect of such conditions   These Centres are operational in the Inanda area, Durban north, Cato Ridge, Klaarwater, Mpumalanga Township near Hammersdale, in the Ndwedwe area, Mthwalune near Port Shepstone, Sydenham and Phoenix.

Innovation

The system of education in the Happy Hours Day Care Centres is adapted from the St. Briavils Centre for Child Development, which is based in the U.K., and has been made accessible for implementation for care workers in both rural and urban areas. In areas where there are no centres, parents and volunteers have been trained to equip other unsupported families, resulting in the effected children experience an improved quality of life. The project is also available to train communities who need to render these types of services.

Effectiveness

Since 1983, 9 centres have been built, accommodating 166 children, and employing 27 local residents.  Training for the 27 caregivers is provided by volunteers from the St. Briavels Child Development Centre in the United Kingdom.  The health and psychological well-being of the children in the programme have are also greatly improved, for example: children who were spastic and difficult to feed and nappy change on admission, can now crawl, speak clearly and sing during activity time after 4 months at the centre. In an area where no Centre existed, a training programme was established for a mother of a four-year-old child who had no movement, on her last visit the child had progressed steadily to the point where he began to crawl.

Poverty Impact

The project has succeeded in assisting communities to establish facilities for the mentally handicapped children. Children are provided with a nutritious meal during the day, which may be the only meal of the day. In this way their development is not further prejudiced by malnutrition. Families are mentally healthy as they are relieved from the trauma of continuous caring for the handicapped child with special needs. Parents and caregivers are also afforded an opportunity to seek employment while their children are cared for. Employment is also provided to locals from the surrounding areas. The Centres also ensure family preservation, as children are cared within the communities and do not become institutionalised. The model costs a third of what it would cost the State if the child was institutionalised.

Sustainability

The estimated total cost of the project is R1 396 334 per annum. Funding is sourced from private donors (50%), the Department of Health (40%) and fundraising (12%). Funding is assured for the next three years. Care Management meetings between the Centre Managers and the Programme Co-ordinator occurs on a monthly basis and the programme co-ordinator reports every 2 weeks basis the Director of the Mental Health Society.

Replication

The project is ongoing and the model can be replicated in similar settings, what is needed though are committed individuals who are able to network and access resources and who are able to motivate volunteers.

Partnerships

• Provincial Department of Health
• Local Municipalities
• Donor Foundations
• The National Lotteries Board