James Care

The James Care Model is based on the following key principles:

  • The right of the child to survival, development and protection from abuse and neglect
  • The right to have a voice and be listened to
  • That the best interests of the child should be of primary consideration
  • The right to freedom from discrimination
  • That care take place within family based care units
  • That care take place within community development principles
  • That the principle of holistic child development be practiced

The James 1:27 Trust has pioneered the concept of “virtual adoption”. The virtual adoption concept is based on the African premise that “it takes a village to grow a child”. The James 1:27 Trust proposes that the concept ‘village’ be extended to include the “global village”. The connection between the two villages represents the “virtual village”. It is within the dimension of the “virtual village” that traditional concepts such as the extended family, community and society are expanded and given a virtual overlay. Virtual adoption enables the wider community to take care of a child financially, whilst our partners deliver the care to the children based on the child’s individual care plan, ensuring individual attention, specific to the child’s needs.

James Care facilitates the care of:

  • Individuals
  • Families (2 or more children at risk)
  • Clusters (30 families)
  • Villages (100 + children)

The Trust follows a child rights approach. We subscribe to policies outlined in the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Article 2 of the Convention has particular relevance: “All rights apply to all children equally. Children have the right to be protected from any form of unfair treatment or discrimination, because of their gender, race, disability or class (wealth or poverty)”.

The Trust is also guided by the United Nations Human Rights Council that promotes the care of children within family-based care units. The main principle and ethos behind these guidelines is that all decisions and policies be based on what should be considered in the best interests of the child and that all forms of care be based on the principle that the family is considered the natural environment for the growth, well-being and protection of children.

The Trust and its staff have also been trained in the new Children’s Act 38 of 2005 as Amended and official as of 1 April 2010.

The Trust subscribes to a community development approach. Our interventions begin at an emergency relief level by supporting school and other feeding programmes. The implementing partner is always a local community-based partner. Their contact with the children provides an opportunity to identify children that are particularly at risk. Various assessment tools determining vulnerability are used. Once the children and their households have been identified a care cycle is introduced. The care plan is based on holistic child development principles.

Guiding the care plan are the outcomes of a child status index (CSI) report. The index measures vulnerability in the following areas:

CSI Domain 1: Food and Nutrition

  • Factor 1 A: Food Security Goal — Child has sufficient food to eat at all times of the year.
  • Factor 1 B: Nutrition and Growth Goal — Child is growing well compared to others of his/her age in the community.

CSI Domain 2: Shelter and Care

  • Factor 2A: Shelter Goal — Child has a stable shelter that is adequate, dry and safe.
  • Factor 2B: Care Goal — Child has at least one adult (18yrs or over) who provides consistent care, attention and support.

CSI Domain 3: Protection

  • Factor 3A: Abuse and Exploitation Goal — Child is safe from any abuse, neglect or exploitation.
  • Factor 3B: Legal Protection Goal — Child has access to legal protection services as needed.

CSI Domain 4: Health

  • Factor 4A: Wellness Goal — Child is physically healthy.
  • Factor 4B: Health Care Services Goal — Child can access health care services, including medical treatment when ill and preventative care.

CSI Domain 5: Psychosocial

  • Factor 5A: Emotional Health Goal — Child is happy and content with a generally positive mood and hopeful outlook.
  • Factor 5 B: Social Behaviour Goal — Child is cooperative and enjoys participating in activities with adults and other children.

CSI Domain 6: Education and Skills Training

  • Factor 6A: Performance Goal — Child is progressing well in acquiring knowledge and life skills at home, school, job training or an age-appropriate productive activity.
  • Factor 6B: Education and Work Goal — Child is enrolled and attends school or skills training or is engaged in age-appropriate play, learning activity or job.

Once the care plan has been identified the Trust tries to match the vulnerable household with sponsors. The sponsorship promoted by the Trust is in the form of “virtual adoption”. This relates to a form of sponsorship in which an individual, cluster or team of sponsors gets matched, through a community-based organisation, with a vulnerable family (a child care unit) and supports the adopting parent/s or foster care guardian/s in terms of the family-based care of the children entrusted to them.

Virtual adoption is the means by which the social capital of many people can be invested in designated areas as underpinned by the Child Status Index, this however is not exhaustive and can be added to. What this means in simple terms is that a family can be supported by a network of people who have a common goal or purpose. The James 1:27 Trust has identified that a vulnerable family can be supported by a virtual family. This virtual family can be made up of a network of people each donating R150.00 per month.

A standard monthly budget for a vulnerable family is R1,800 per month. The family care plan is then implemented against this budget. It would take twelve (12) members of a virtual family at a cost of R150 to support a vulnerable family to the value of R1,800.