A few words about
What We Do
Our Services
We provide a range of direct services to abandoned, neglected, orphaned and vulnerable children who appear to be in need of permanent alternative family care.
Find out more about our work by clicking on the relevant sections below. If you have any questions about what we do at Abba, feel free to contact us.
Child Protection Services
As a country we are confronted with large numbers of children who are at risk and without permanent family care which is one of the core rights of a child. The child protection services we render are aimed at ensuring that children remain with birth families where possible. When this is not possible we will legally intervene and give children access to nurturing environments whilst in temporary care pending completion of a thorough assessment, ensuring that their right to permanency are addressed through the most empowering and least restrictive placement.
Specialised Adoption Services
Abba has a specialised adoption program. The organisation has more than 20 years’ experience in adoption work and all our adoption social workers are registered for a speciality in adoption work with the South African Council for Social Service Professions. The organisation is accredited for both National & Intercountry adoptions.
Our Adoption services include:
- Adoptability assessment of children in need of permanent alternative family care
- Adoption counselling of adoption minded birthparents
- Screening
- Adoption education
- Legal finalisation
Post-adoption support services
The trauma and loss a child experiences as a result of adoption, are complex. The adoptive parents’ journey into adoption does not and should not end after they have completed their screening and a child or baby has joined their home.
Continuous learning for adoptive parents and support structures are essential in this journey that adoptive parents take together with their child. Remembering that the needs of adoptive parents and parenting in general need to be placed second to the needs of your child, are key. The adoption and your attempts at forming positive attachments may bring up your own triggers of your experiences as a child, which can hamper your attachment to your child.
Training & Engagement
At Abba, we are dedicated to empowering communities through comprehensive training workshops and engagement courses. Our initiatives aim to enhance parenting skills, support foster and adoptive families, and equip social workers and carers with the necessary tools to provide holistic care for children. A cornerstone of our community outreach is the Courage Programme, a child protection and empowerment initiative that addresses children’s rights and needs at the grassroots level. By integrating the Courage Programme into our services, we foster a deeper understanding of child protection, family preservation, and permanency planning. This approach enables us to tackle key challenges and promote collaboration, thereby uplifting vulnerable children and families across South Africa.