Experiences of children heading families at Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The path of children heading families following the death of both parents takes many twists and turns, and a lot of support to face the challenging environment is needed. The path is not easy as compared to children with parents in terms of support and guidance. The purpose of the study was to determine the experiences of children heading families at Makhado municipality of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The objective of this study is to explore and describe the experiences of children heading families. Qualitative research approach with explorative, descriptive, contextual, interpretative phenomenological designs were used. Population of the study comprised of children heading families following the death of both parents, residing at Makhado municipality in Vhembe district of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select the participants. The sample size of 20 participants was determined by data saturation. Data was transcribed verbatim and translated from Tshivenda to English language. Tesch’s eight steps criteria was used to analyse data. The results of the study revealed that children heading families following the death of both parent’s experience various challenges and ineffective support from different community structures. The researcher ensured trustworthiness and ethical consideration were considered throughout the study. Recommendations were developed based on the findings of the study. Keywords: Child, Child headed families, Experience, Family, Parent