Background: This article examines the development of early childhood development (ECD) home-visiting services in South Africa. Aim: To examine the factors that could support the success of home-visiting programmes as well as to explore the experiences of bachelor’s-level home visitors rendering such services. Setting: This study was conducted in the Eastern Cape, a highly impoverished area of South Africa. Methods: It begins with a discussion of the emergence of home-visiting as a strategy for the delivery of ECD services in South Africa and a review of the literature on ECD home-visiting, particularly with highly vulnerable, impoverished families. Next a focus group conducted with a small sample of home visitors as part of a multi-faceted community assessment is described. The results are examined within the context of challenges facing this particular part of South Africa and the nation as a whole. Results: Four themes emerged as most prominent: (1) encountering the effects of extreme family poverty, (2) identifying high rates and multiple aspects of child maltreatment, (3) encountering scarce resources in high-need areas and (4) finding rewards and maintaining a desire to continue serving challenging populations. Conclusion: This study provides a unique window on the challenges that ECD home visitors are likely to encounter when working with families living in extreme poverty, the resourcefulness that home visitors often demonstrate and the rewards to be found in this work.

中文翻译：

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南非东开普省幼儿发展家庭游客的经验

背景：本文研究了南非的幼儿发展（ECD）家庭访问服务的发展。目的：研究可以支持家庭访问计划成功的因素，并探索提供此类服务的单身汉访问者的体验。地点：这项研究是在南非的一个极度贫困地区东开普进行的。方法：首先讨论在南非出现的作为ECD服务提供策略的居家旅行的出现，以及对有关ECD居家旅行的文献的回顾，尤其是针对极度脆弱，贫困家庭的ECD居家旅行。接下来，将描述一个由少量家庭访问者样本组成的焦点小组，作为多方面社区评估的一部分。在南非这个特定地区以及整个国家所面临的挑战的背景下，对结果进行了审查。结果：出现了四个最突出的主题：（1）遭受极端家庭贫困的影响；（2）识别儿童虐待的高发生率和多方面；（3）在高需求地区遇到稀缺资源；（4）寻求回报并希望继续为富有挑战性的人群提供服务。结论：这项研究为ECD家庭访问者在与生活极端贫困的家庭合作时可能遇到的挑战，家庭访问者经常展示的机智以及在这项工作中获得的回报提供了一个独特的窗口。（1）遭受极端家庭贫困的影响；（2）查明虐待儿童的高发生率和多方面；（3）在高需求地区遇到稀缺资源；（4）寻求回报并保持继续为困难人口服务的愿望。结论：这项研究为ECD家庭访问者在与生活极端贫困的家庭合作时可能遇到的挑战，家庭访问者经常展示的机智以及在这项工作中获得的回报提供了一个独特的窗口。（1）遭受极端家庭贫困的影响；（2）查明虐待儿童的高发生率和多方面；（3）在高需求地区遇到稀缺资源；（4）寻求回报并保持继续为困难人口服务的愿望。结论：这项研究为ECD家庭访问者在与生活极端贫困的家庭合作时可能遇到的挑战，家庭访问者经常展示的机智以及在这项工作中获得的回报提供了一个独特的窗口。