The health and educational implications of child fostering in South Africa

Abstract

Child fostering refers to children being sent away from their biological parents to live with others, usually kin, for some period of time (Isiugo-Abanihe, 1985; Bledsoe and Brandon, 1992). Motivations include desire for education, transfer of child labour and redistribution of fertility and childcare costs (Isiugo-Abanihe, 1985; Ainsworth, 1992). It is a common practice in many African countries (Ainsworth, 1992), emerging in response to HIV/AIDS (Isiugo-Abanihe, 1994). Most studies have focused on the decision to foster but fewer have addressed implications for the children involved (Lloyd and Desai, 1992). Furthermore, no previous studies have controlled for fostering not being a random event and that a sample of fostered children is ‘selective’ in some important ways which influence their health and educational outcomes.

South African Living Standards and Measurement Study (SALSMS) 1993 data were used to establish the levels, patterns and correlates of fostering and to examine the health and educational outcomes of the children involved, whist recognising that fostering is endogenous to such outcomes. Logistic, linear, treatment effect and selection models were used to achieve these aims.

This research found that 12% of children were fostered, the majority to grandparents. The correlates of fostering varied by the child’s age, and composition of the receiving household was particularly important. Fostered children were less likely to report being ill but foster status was not significantly associated with the other health outcomes investigated. It was not necessary to control for the endogeneity of fostering when investigating health but it was important when examining education. Ignoring such endogeneity underestimated education outcomes, but when controlled for, fostered children were more likely to be enrolled in education and complete primary education than non-fostered children. This research therefore suggests that fostered children fare no worse with regards to health but that fostering is beneficial to education.

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