Once upon a time there was a child who lived in Hout Bay. He needed a place to stay, a place where he would receive love, care and support. A place where he could safely grow from child to man. These things that he needed he could not get from his mother or father.

But there was no place like this in Hout Bay.

He was one of a number of children that needed a home, a secure environment.
There was a soup kitchen, run by the local churches. They came to hear of the plight of these children. They decided to do something.

In 1986 a children’s home was started in Hout Bay. The home was named James House after that first child who asked for help. It consisted of a simple prefab building. It offered a place of love, security and opportunity to 20 children.

Once upon a time there was a man called Nelson Mandela. He became President of South Africa. It was a time of change. He looked to the plight of children. And he said, wherever possible, let the child remain in his home. Rather build strengths in the family and village to look after the child than take the child away from his home.

James House was a children’s home that accepted this challenge and, guided by the Transformation of the Child and Youth Care System, embarked on a process of developing effective community programmes within Hout Bay.

James House is still a children’s home with a simple prefab building. James House is also a Family Preservation Centre offering support to over 200 families, children and young people.

Family Support
This programme provides support to families and children in crisis. Crises caused through domestic violence, illness, environmental disaster and extreme poverty. The aim of the intervention is to prevent the removal of the child from the family or community. This only takes place if the safety of the child is assured. This programme provides physical support, e.g. food parcels, clothing, shelter as well as counselling and skills development.

Life Centre
The Life Centre targets young people who no longer attend school and who are frequently demonstrating asocial behaviour such as substance abuse and crime. These young people often experience a lack of purpose in their lives. The Life Centre has the specific aim of developing the self worth and capacity in each young person. The various components of the Life Centre include: Life skills training (12 weeks- adolescent developmental programme), vocational skills training, outdoor experiential programmes, mentoring and family support.

Residential Care
For twenty children, boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 18. These children are found in need of care by the children’s court. The children have faced degrees of poverty, neglect, abuse and abandonment. The residential programme provides them with a secure and developmentally supportive environment. Within this programme the child or youth’s emotional, physical, intellectual and social needs are met, at all times in a manner that represents the norm of his/her community of origin. This is practiced to prevent alienation of the child from his/her roots.

Reunification
Reunifies children and youth in our residential programme with their family, extended family or community of origin. Children and families enter into the reunification programme only after a thorough risk assessment has been undertaken to ensure the child’s safety. This is in accordance with National Social Development policy. On average 10 children from our residential facility are successfully reunited with family and/or community every year. James House in partnership with W. Cape Social Development offers reunification services as required in the Hout Bay environ.
This programme also provides support and supervision to 50 families in Hout Bay in support of the Department of Social Services Reunification programme.

Would you like to support the James house? suft to theire website or send a mail to Jameshouse@come2capetown.com