Our programmes

Child Protection

Child Protection is OCVs core area of focus.

OCV achieves this through the Rescue, Empowerment and Reintegration (RER) methodology. At the heart of our work is the belief that all children belong in a family and as such do not institutionalize children but rather support them effectively in the short term (1 – 3 years) until we can place them back into a safe, stable and sustainable home environment.

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Rescue

OCV identifies children for rescue by working with key stakeholders in a structured process through the following procedure: –

Step 1: Referral of a child at risk through Children’s office, Police or local administration or other registered homes
Step 2: Fact-finding to establish genuineness and eligibility of case through assessments and meetings with stakeholders
Step 3: Case is formulated and presented to Children’s committee for review against set criteria for admission
Step 4: Admission into OCV as per procedures or referral to a more suitable institution based on the findings of the Children’s committee

OCV’s admission policy is non-discriminatory and inclusive.

Empowerment

Child Empowerment

OCV identifies various interventions for the children based on their individual needs, case histories, particular circumstances or conditions in order to assist them return to an empowered state. These interventions include: – –

General care and protection in a family based setting in line with basic requirements and rights of a child whilst ensuring the best interest of the child is always put first
Psycho-social empowerment to reinstate the general wellbeing of the child and also address causes of separation and impact on the child
Education – Enrollment into local schools to ensure continuation of academic journey and as part of integration into local community
Counseling – One-on-one and group counseling on a continuous basis to address any underlying issues
Health Services – Provision of medical interventions as required to restore and maintain a good health status
Nutrition – Provision of suitable diet in line with identified nutrition needs on a case by case basis.
Life skills – Empowerment with various life-skills to ensure the development of the child into a wholesome member of society
Child participation – We have established a robust child participation process at all levels ensuring that the child’s voice is always heard, opportunities for feedback are granted and the decision-making structure is always in the best interest of the child. The children can advocate for their own rights and those of other children.
Mentorship – Supervised and guided mentorship sessions with members of the OCV Circle of Friends (consistent contributors)

REINTERGRATION

OCV begins the preparation process for reintegration right at the point of admission. Reintegration is a continuous process from the onset as opposed to an event that culminates with the child successfully exiting alternative care and being reunited with their family in a safe, stable and sustainable home environment. The reintegration process is supported by the family empowerment programme as both are co-dependent.

OCV ensures a successful reintegration process by working to eliminate the cause of initial separation from the family, adequately preparing the child through counselling and other methodologies, empowering the family and establishing or strengthening a sustainable source of livelihood, and conducting a satisfactory placement assessment at the end of the RER programme. Whilst placing a child back into a family, the following options for reintegration are considered: –

Family reintegration – where children have been completely separated from their family. The first step is to explore ways of reunifying them with family WHERE POSSIBLE and supporting that family to successfully move forward together with the child. Each case is evaluated and determined based on unique circumstances and case history. Reintegration is ONLY carried out when it has been fully determined that it is in the best interest of the child in all ways. Where reintegration is not possible, the below options are then sort.
Kinship care – where a relative is willing and able to take in a child within a safe and secure environment and option (a) is not feasible
Foster care – where a child has no possibility of option (a) or (b) above foster care shall be sort
Adoption – where option (a) (b) or (c) are not feasible options, adoptive care sjohall be sort in line with government requirements

All the above is carried out in line with OCV’s reintegration procedures

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Empowerment and Sustainability

OCV works to ensure the child and family are empowered and a sustainable environment has been established prior to the reintegration of a child.

This is achieved through the family empowerment programme which aims at securing the 3-Ss; safe, stable, sustainable home environments and consists of three main components which are implemented hand in hand with guardians of the children admitted at OCV.

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Enhancing family and psycho-social support systems – OCV organizes family therapy sessions and capacity building in areas such as children’s rights, substance abuse, family cohesiveness, counselling, parenting skills, nutrition and basic health care.
Self-help group – OCV brings the guardians together through membership to a registered self-help group to address common issues and engage in table banking activities. Trainings and other wellbeing activities for the guardians are channeled through the group.
b. Economic empowerment and strengthening – OCV trains the guardians on entrepreneurship and then assists them to identify a suitable micro-enterprise through our social-franchise partners. The guardians are then trained on the mechanisms of the franchise and assisted in establishing the micro-enterprise in order to secure a sustainable future for the family. OCV supports the guardians and closely monitors progress ensuring the continued success of the enterprise. The long term impact of this process is ensuring sustainable livelihoods for these families. [/read]