South Africa - How To Apply for Foster child grant

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Procedure

Apply In-Person:

1. To apply for a Foster Child Grant in person, the applicant has to visit the nearest office of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).
2. Please click the following link for the contact details of the SASSA office in your province: Link
3. Visit the nearest office of SASSA and obtain the application form to apply for a foster child grant, from the respective department.
4. Make sure that you have all the documents listed in the “Required documents” section of this page.
5. Complete the application in front of the SASSA officer who issues the application form at the premises of the SASSA office itself, with required and relevant information.
6. Now, submit the application with all the required documents to the SASSA official for further proceeding.
7. You will be provided with a receipt as a proof of the application submission. Please keep it safe.
8. After necessary verification and validation processes, if your application is approved, the grant which you applied for will be rewarded to you properly, from the date that the child is placed in your care by the court.
9. If your application is refused and you are not satisfied with the reason stated, you can appeal to the Minister of Social Development, at the National office of the Department of Social Development.

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Required Documents

• Identity document of the applicant
• Birth certificate of the child
• Refugee Identification document or status permit
• Identity document of the child
• Child Placement approval order issued by the court
• Marital status proof of the applicant

Office Locations & Contacts

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) - Head Office
Physical Address:28 Harrison Street
Johannesburg
2000
South Africa
Postal Adsress:Private Bag X120
Marshalltown
2107
South Africa
Tel:012 312 7790/ 012 312 7591
Fax:012 323 3733
Email: [email protected]
Website link

Eligibility

• The child, for whom the grant is claimed, should be an orphaned, abandoned, child at risk, abused or neglected child and must be below 18 years of age.
• The foster care must have been legally registered and the child must be in the foster parent’s care at the time of application.
• The foster parent must be a citizen of South Africa or a Permanent resident or a refugee.
• The foster parent and the child must be residing in South Africa at the time of application for the child grant.

Fees

• The complete service is free of cost.
  

Validity

• The information about the validity of the grant can be obtained from the respective SASSA office.
  

Documents to Use

• The application form can be obtained from the SASSA office that you visit to apply.
  

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) office takes nearly three months for completely processing the application.
  

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Any of the following methods should be applied when the applicant does not possess his/her ID or child’s birth certificate:

• Fill and submit an affidavit on the standard SASSA format in front of a Commissioner of Oaths (not an SASSA official).
• Bring a sworn statement signed by a reputable person (like a councillor, traditional leader, social worker, minister of religion or school principal) who knows you and the child.
• Your fingerprints at the SASSA office and you will be referred and directed to apply for an ID at the Department of Home Affairs, even as your application is processed. If you don’t get an ID, your grant will be suspended.
• If you have applied for an Identity document or birth certificate at the DHA, submit the proof for the application.
• If available, submit a temporary ID provided by the DHA.
• Submit a Baptismal certificate or certificate issued after baptism.
• Submit a road to health clinic card if available.
• Present a certificate of schooling if the child is at school.

Required Information

• Particulars and identification document number of the foster parent
• Particulars and identification document number of the child that needs foster care
• Marital status of the foster parent
• Bank account Information of the foster parent

Need for the Document

• It is necessary to apply to an office of the South African Social Security Agency for obtaining the child grant offered for the maintenance of a foster child.
  

Information which might help

• The child may also be exempted from paying fees at a public school and public healthcare institutions. For the child to be exempted from paying school fees, you have to fill in the exemption form which is available from the school, and submit a letter of recommendation from the social worker to the school.
• For more information about the foster child grant, please refer “About” section in the following page: Link
• You must appeal within 90 days of being notified that your application was unsuccessful.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Place some external links which might help.

Others

More information which might help people.