History: The Clinic was initiated in 1986 in response to the pressing need for a service specialising in child sexual abuse examinations; a need that arose as more and more children were being empowered to disclose details of their abuse. It began as an outpatient facility of the Johannesburg Hospital and the Department of Paediatrics. The Therapeutic Unit grew around the medical component and now offers a variety of support services to sexually abused children, their families and the Child Protection System. The Head-Office operates from The Memorial Institute for Child Health and Development (TMI), which provides a wide range of services for children with special needs. The Clinic has established branches at the Courts in Soweto, Johannesburg and Krugersdorp (these, however, do not have a medical facility) and the Johannesburg General Hospital.

Vision

That children will not be abused anymore. Where they are, we can manage them effectively so as to promote their healing and stop further abuse.

Mission

To minimize the secondary harm to children and their families when entering the child protection system by providing expertise, information and support in order to make their journey a healing one.

Concept Brief

To provide a specialized, holistic service aimed at the prevention, identification, treatment and support of child victims of sexual crimes, as well as their families. To assist the Child Protection service network including Justice, Health, Social Services, Education and Safety and Liaison by providing expert evidence, training and practical assistance where necessary. To prevent the further victimization of children who have been abused.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CLINIC

• To embrace the countries democratic principles and adhere to good practice in business and non-profit terms.

• To provide expert medico-legal examinations, the necessary treatment, assessment, case management and support to survivors of child abuse within the criminal justice system.

• To recognize the emotional impact of abuse on the child as well as their family, community and society at large.

• To provide support and healing for the above.

• To support children through the criminal justice process by providing information, guidance and advocacy.

• To embrace restorative justice as a viable option for the treatment of youth sex offenders.

• To recognize and deal with the multifaceted dynamics of HIV within the child sexual abuse context.

• To recognize that capacity building within communities is an essential component of developmental work in the child protection field and facilitate this through training, consultation and support.

• To continuously strive to keep abreast of current research and developments in the field and actively contribute to those within formal (tertiary academia) and informal (community-based organization development) structures.

• To abide by the ethics of the COMPACT for beneficial networking within the sector.

SERVICES:

To achieve the above objectives, the current functions of the Clinic are:

Medical: which comprises intake (psycho-social history), medical assessments, case management and emotional support. The Clinic team comprises medical doctors, a nursing sister, volunteer counsellors and a management team. At present, on average, four hundred new cases are attended to annually, at the four clinics currently held each week at Head Office.

Therapeutic: In addition, in order to provide as close to a one-stop centre as possible, the Therapeutic Unit developed rapidly and currently provides forensic assessments, play therapy and support. Pre and Post HIV Test counseling for children who have been exposed to sexual violence is included. As a result, children do not need to be referred beyond the organization unless criminal or statutory work is necessary, for which the Clinic provides support and consultation. These forensic and therapeutic services are offered at Head Office and all our branches: Jhb Magistrates Court, Protea Court in Soweto and the Krugersdorp Magistrates Court.

The Support Programme for Abuse Reactive Children (SPARC), is a youth justice initiative to divert young sex offenders (ages 7-14) away from the criminal justice system to a therapeutic programme. Groups run for twelve weeks and attendance is compulsory. Issues that receive attention are healthy sexuality, victim empathy, impulse control, personal boundaries and appropriate touching. A lot of training has recently been provided to other organizations in the child protection field. We feel it is important to capacitate other organizations with the knowledge, skills and support to implement the SPARC diversion programme in their areas. New developments that have arisen are the DIME (Diversion into Music Therapy) and DIAT (Diversion Into Art Therapy) as well as Boxing, which follow on after the groups are completed.

· Psychological assessments requested by the Courts. The disabled are a particularly vulnerable sector of the population and are one third more likely to be victimized. They must be afforded the same rights and protection as other vulnerable groups. The management and prosecution of these cases can be problematic. The majority of these clients are referrals from various Magistrates’ Courts, who require expert opinions on aspects such as the mental age of the client, the clients ability/capacity to testify and whether or not the client has the competency to consent to sexual intercourse. Our advocacy role is never ending in educating the courts regarding the handling of special needs victims. At present the Psychology Clinic assists between 35 and 45 clients per month.

Parenting Programme for parents accused of common assault against their children (inappropriate discipline) and are first time offenders. This option is preferred to a criminal case and sentencing. (Currently only running at our Jhb Kids Court Support branch).

S.A.F.E for Schools Project (training of teachers)At present, educators do not receive adequate training around child abuse including the processes that need to be followed, the legislation which governs their actions, risk assessment, supporting the child, or the implementation and assimilation of child abuse policies into existing school policies. The Teddy Bear Clinic’s S.A.F.E. for Schools project aims to address the growing need of abused children in our schools. It has been given the blessing of the Senior Manager of the Gauteng Department of Educations D2 district, which encompasses West Gauteng.

A ‘Kids Court Support’ Programme that provides children and parents with skills, emotional support and knowledge in preparation for their appearance in court. This is offered at three of our centers: Protea Court in Soweto, the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court and at the Krugersdorp Court.

Research, Training and Development of a predominantly medical nature is performed by the clinic on an ongoing basis. Training is also provided to those involved in the Child Protection field: the Child Protection Unit officers, social workers, psychologists, students, state prosecutors and lay counselors. Training is fundamental to outreach work and allows the Clinic to build the capacity of the community as well as the system at large. In addition, it makes people aware of theservices offered and builds networking relationships and thus resources.

Reg No: 023-286-NPO

Assoc incorporated under Section 21 2003/000306/08

PBO : 930001291

LERATO UMAQOBA

Branches

Johannesburg Tel: (011) 838 1565

Randfontein Tel: (011) 412 2555

Krugersdorp Tel: (011) 660 3077

Soweto Tel: (011) 980 8160/933 3346

Head Office (011) 484 4554/4539

Fax: (011) 484 4551

A project of Johannesburg Hospital, Department of Paediatrics in association with:

Parktown Head Office

The Memorial Institute for Child Health and Development, 13 Joubert Street Ext. Parktown, 2041

Postnet Suite 320, Private Bag X30500

Directors: Prof Lorna Jacklin; Peter Van Niekerk; James Clucas; Prof Peter Cooper; Shirley Mabusela; Zarina Kellerman; Joy Immelman

STATISTICS

1999 = 376 + 180

2000 = 389 + 144 + 240

2001 = 3392 (2273 = children only)

2002 = 2689 (children only)

2003 = 5447 (children and adults, excl Dec.)

2004 = 6548 (2917 are adults)

2005 = 8076 (2568 are adults)

The following documentation is available on request:

Statutes (Memorandum of Articles), Clinic’s Constitution, Annual Report 2002/3/4/5/6, Audited financial statements, Composition of Board of Directors and Management Committee, Bank account details, Reference letters, Statistics, Copies of articles published on the clinic

We thank you for your time in reading our brief and look forward to entering a meaningful partnership.

Yours truly,

Luke Lamprecht. Clinic Manager and the “Teddy Team”

Head Office: Tel: (011) 484-4554/4539 Fax: (011) 484-4551

You make a living out of what you get And a life out of what you give.