The chapter interrogates the utility of the National Case Management System in promoting the needs and rights of children in street situations in Zimbabwe, using Harare Central Business District as a case study. The Child Rights Theory was used to understand and analyze the utility of the National Case Management System (NCMS) on the rights of these children. A qualitative exploratory case study design generated data for the chapter. Results from the study suggest that the National Case Management System has been marred by a number of challenges in its quest to promote the rights of children in street situations in Harare.
Some of the challenges include limited financial resources, human resources-related issues such as high caseloads, weak coordination among key stakeholders or partners, stigma and discrimination, and poor integration of national case management and social protection programs such as cash transfers and assisted medical treatment orders, among others. The chapter concludes by urging the Department of Social Development to revamp and redesign the National Case Management System to enhance its utility in promoting the rights of the children in street situations. The chapter recommends a protected NCMS budget line, strengthened staffing and Community Childcare Worker (CCW) support, formalized multi-stakeholder coordination, adapted social protection eligibility for undocumented children, and systematic embedding of child participation principles in all NCMS procedures. Attention is also given to the gendered dimensions of street life, the mental health and substance use realities of children in street situations, and the implications of the findings for trauma-informed and relationship-based social work practice.