SOUTH AFRICA SETS BOLD 2030 VISION FOR TRANSFORMING CHILD CARE AND PROTECTION

By Jaconia Kobue.

• ⁠Delegates commit to a five-year Care Reform Programme of Action, aimed at fully transitioning away from institutional childcare and building a developmental, family-centred protection system by 2030.
• Summit calls for global support, urging G20 leaders and development agencies to prioritise and fund long-term, sustainable financing models for childcare and protection services.
• A comprehensive system-strengthening plan will be implemented, focusing on workforce capacity, regulatory reform, improved data systems, and stronger community-based family support, with annual reporting to Parliament.

The Care Reform Summit concluded with a unified call from attendees and stakeholders for immediate and decisive action to transform South Africa’s care system. The summit brought together a diverse group of experts, policymakers, government officials, and representatives from civil society organisations, all focused on addressing the care reform crisis in the country.

Delegates reaffirmed their commitment to working collaboratively to strengthen the national childcare and protection system. Central to this commitment is the goal of achieving universal family and parenting support by 2030, a crucial milestone in promoting nurturing care across South Africa.

As part of the summit resolutions, delegates pledged to advance the care reform agenda by developing and implementing a comprehensive five-year Care Reform programme of action. This programme aims to deinstitutionalise all forms of childcare and protection in South Africa by 2030. It will be guided by an evidence-based roadmap for care reform, which draws on global best practices while remaining firmly grounded in South Africa’s unique context. The programme will be supported by a clear, measurable, and time-bound implementation plan to establish a robust developmental child care and protection system.

The delegates urged the G20 leaders and development agencies to prioritise and commit to funding the Care Reform Programme of Action. They emphasised the importance of establishing funding models that will anchor developmental child care and protection systems as the bedrock of inclusive, sustainable and resilient development.

To overcome the systematic barriers identified during the summit, delegates committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to strengthen the system. This plan will focus on:
•⁠ ⁠Addressing capacity gaps across the care workforce
•⁠ ⁠Improving coordination between government and civil society
•⁠ ⁠Streamlining regulatory requirements
•⁠ ⁠Enhancing data systems for stronger decision-making
•⁠ ⁠Strengthening community-based family support services
Delegates further committed to achieving short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes through this plan and to establishing a monitoring framework that will track progress. Annual progress reports will be submitted to Parliament and presented to the National Child Care and Protection Forum to ensure accountability and transparency.
The South African National Summit on Care Reform Agenda, held from 12 to 13 November 2025, has now concluded its work and will move forward with finalising the resolutions and commitments outlined above.