Does the child support grant contribute to poverty alleviation? : an investigation into the perceptions of families receiving the child support grant in Phoenix, Durban.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of families receiving the Child Support Grant in Phoenix, Durban and to establish whether the Child Support Grant contributes to poverty alleviation or not. The investigation included establishing whether people who receive the child support grant are able to meet the needs of their child, to document the income, expenditure on households receiving the child support grant, to explore whether the recipients believe that the quality of their life has improved after receiving the Child Support Grant, to ascertain what would be their ideal social security support and to determine the grant holders opinions about the termination of the grant. Fifty Child Support Grant recipients were interviewed and a questionnaire consisting of fourteen questions were completed and analysed. The results of the study indicate that the Child Support Grant has contributed significantly towards poverty alleviation in the Phoenix community.