THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOD INSECURITY, THE CHILD SUPPORT GRANT AND CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENTS

Abstract

Food insecurity is endemic in South Africa because of high levels of poverty. Children in foodinsecure households may be exposed to childcare instabilities. However, the role of social protection in mediating the relationship between food insecurity and childcare arrangements is not well understood. This study explored the relationship between food insecurity, childcare arrangements and the child support grant (CSG) in a township in Cape Town. The study designwas mixed-methods; a hunger scale was administered to 120 participants and in-depth interviews conducted with 23 primary caregivers of children under 2 years of age. The findings indicated that despite being food insecure, many households had stable childcare arrangements, presumably because of the CSG and the age of the children at the time of the study. Further research is needed to unpack the relationship between food insecurity, childcare arrangementsand the CSG. Keywords: childcare arrangements, child support grant, food insecurity