Durban — The Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH) has been commended for its commitment to implementing necessary changes instead of closing down, following the recent finding of serious abuse at their Chatsworth Children’s Home.
This was after the ABH announced that it would act decisively to address abuse findings by a Department of Social Development (DSD) investigation.
Last month, the organisation announced that it was closing the home. In an about-turn on Wednesday, they revealed that they had heeded public outcry that followed.
Adeshini Naicker, director of Childline KwaZulu-Natal said ABH’s decision to keep the centre open demonstrated a willingness to address the issues and improve the conditions for the children in their care.
“At Childline KZN, we emphasise the importance of accountability and systemic improvements to ensure the safety and well-being of all children. We believe that robust oversight and comprehensive support for affected children are crucial in preventing abuse,” she said.
Naicker said it was vital to recognise the value that facilities like the ABH had.
“They provide safe havens for vulnerable youth, and we urge continued collaboration with other organisations to foster nurturing environments for all children in KZN. Together, we can work towards a brighter and safer future for our children,” Naicker said.
In a statement, the ABH said the first allegations of physical abuse at their Children’s Home came to light in April this year a child placed in their care by the Chatsworth Child Welfare. The child, in the presence of the placement social worker and the ABH senior childcare worker, reported “physical abuse.”
ABH said that their facility management team acted swiftly and conducted investigations to verify the allegations, which were confirmed on May 13.
The home also revealed that the perpetrators were suspended on May 14 and the Department of Social Development was informed on the same day.
The ABH, in the statement, said it sincerely apologised to children, their parents, the community they served, stakeholders, and donors.
“We take full responsibility for the findings in the report and commit to total transparency in the implementation of corrective measures to ensure this will never occur again,” it said.
However, they disputed the findings about malnutrition.
The department’s report also recommended that the home did background checks on its staff, in line with their commitment to safeguarding children.
However, they acknowledged that there was a lapse in their internal procedures concerning eight staff members. They expressed “deep regret for this oversight” and took full responsibility to ensure that such mistakes do not recur.
“We are strengthening our staff vetting processes to guarantee stricter adherence to safety protocols moving forward.”
In response to the recommendations of the report and in full compliance with the Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005, ABH said it has implemented the following:
- Disciplinary action against staff involved, with those found guilty being dismissed to ensure the safety of the children.
- Comprehensive retraining of all staff to reinforce the home’s core values of care and protection.
- A stringent follow-up on the background check processes to prevent any future oversights.
The board said it was committed to continuing its oversight role through additional controls and compliance measures.
“We have appointed Give a Child a Family, Monica Woodhouse and her team to support with the implementation of the corrective measures to ensure sustainability of our home,” ABH said.
They extended their gratitude to the department and all relevant authorities for their guidance.
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