When is a Child Not a Child: The Case of Teenage Mothers Receiving Child Support Grant in South Africa

Primary care-givers who qualify for social assistance can receive child support grants in respect to the children below the age of 18 years in South Africa. Such a grant would normally continue until the child becomes a major. The aim of this research is to look at the eligibility of the teenage parents in benefiting from the grant. It further intends to answer the question whether a teenage mother above 16 years of age should retain the ‘child’ status for the purposes of receiving the child support grant or should they alternatively be automatically disqualified from receiving the grant by virtue of themselves becoming full-fledged mothers. The study relied on secondary data. The findings indicate that there are loopholes in the law dealing with social assistance. As such it recommends legislative review on the issue of termination of the child support grant.