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The Centre for Child Law is based in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria. The official launch of the Centre was held in October 1998. The Director of the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria is Prof Ann Skelton.
The Centre contributes towards establishing and promoting the best interests of children in our community through education, research, advocacy and litigation.
Centre for Child Law Annual Report 2012
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The Centre for Child Law has amassed many precedents over the past few years. But we can't eat precedents. It has therefore become increasingly important to know whether these 'wins' in the courts deliver tangible results to children...
 Download the 2012 Annual Report
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Children at the centre:
A guide to the registration of Child and Youth Care Centres
When the Children's Act 38 of 2005 came into operation on 1 April 2010 it brought with it a number of legal reforms including changes in the regulation and registration of what the Act now refers to as child and youth care centres.
Child and youth care centres include what were previously known as children's homes and places of safety in terms of the old Child Care Act.
The Children's Act now requires all newly established and all existing child care facilities to register as child and youth care centres. The Act provides norms and standards that the facilities should meet in order to be registered.
However, despite the fact that the Act has been in operation for nearly two years, many child care facilities have not registered as yet. The Centre for Child Law thus undertook a case study to understand the registration challenges that are faced by these facilities. The concern about the difficulty of facilities to register arose as a result of the fact that children in unregsitered facilities are not known to the care and protection system.
As a result of the study the Centre saw the need to provide some assistance in the registration process and therefore put together a manual on the registration of Child and Youth Care Centres. The aim of this manual is to provide guidance to child care facilities during the registration process through providing details on the registration requirements and procedures to be followed and through addressing the 'frequently asked questions'.
"[A]ll the facilities recognised the importance of registration but were, without exception, crippled by the lack of information on the registration requirements and procedures..."
Download the manual
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Latest Judgments
Provision of subsidies to independent schools
KwaZulu-Natal Joint Liaison Committee v Member of the Executive Council Department of Education, KwaZulu- Natal and Others, case no CCT 60/12 View Judgment View Media Summary
Provision of Social Assistance Grants
Allpay Consolidated Investments Holdings (Pty) Limited and others v South African Social Security Agency and others, case no 678/12 View Judgment View Summary
Educator Post Establishment
South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) and Others v The MEC of Basic Education Eastern Cape Province and Others (Centre for Child Law as Intervening Party) Case no 573/12 View court order
Upcoming Cases and Events
Constitutional Court - 09 May 2013
Member of the Executive Council for Education in Gauteng Province and Others v Governing Body of Rivonia Primary School and Others CCT 135/12
Constitutional Court - 30 May 2013
The Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children and RAPCAN v Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and Another CCT 12/13
4th Annual Child Law Moot Court Competition - 13 to 14 September 2013 (entries are now closed)
Case Reports
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Strategic Impact Litigation for Children's Rights
Centre for Child Law Report on selected cases from 2004 - 2011
Strategic impact litigation involves more than bringing a case before a court. People involved in strategic litigation select and bring cases before the courts with the aim to effect broader changes in society and to leave a lasting mark.
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The Centre for Child Law (The Centre), through its Children’s Litigation Project, makes use of strategic impact litigation to promote and advance the rights of children in South Africa. The Centre has over the years been involved in cases that have been heard in numerous courts. These judgments especially those given by the superior courts have set precedents that have brought about changes in the law, government activities and the broader society.
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Latest News
PRESS RELEASE:
COMMUNICATION ABOUT THE CHILDREN IN THE HOËRSKOOL FOCHVILLE MATTER
The Centre for Child Law acts on behalf of a group of children currently attending Hoerskool Fochville. The Centre is represented in the court proceedings by the Legal Resources Centre.
The Centre was instructed by the children that they do not want to be exposed to media coverage of the case and that they do not support the negative media surrounding Hoerskool Fochville and the school governing body.
There are 3 main reasons for the children's position: Firstly, despite the fact that there are difficulties in going to school at Hoerskool Fochville, the children enjoy their education there immensly. They are getting on with their life in the school and want to integrate and be a part of the school community. Negative publicity isolates them and prevents them from fully integrating and enjoying their school lives.
Secondly, the children feel that they are a part of the school, they respect their teachers and the education they receive, they are loyal to the school and they therefore do not like to see the school portrayed only in a negative light.
Thirdly every time there is any negative media coverage around this case the children are placed in an impossible position in the school.
Click here for press release.
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