Heartlands Baby Sanctuary

Heartlands Baby Sanctuary is a registered Child and Youth Care Centre and Paediatric Hospice based in Somerset West, established in 2015 at the request of the Western Cape Department of Social Development. In under a decade, they have cared for over 400 vulnerable babies and young children. At any given time, Heartlands provides round-the-clock residential care for up to 25 children from birth to six years of age.

Their founding vision is expressed simply and powerfully: it is every child's birthright to belong. Every child who enters Heartlands is there temporarily — their goal is always to return children to a loving, stable family as quickly as possible, whether through reunification with birth family, foster care, or adoption.

Heartlands is not a children's home. It is a specialised, professional, medical-grade place of safety for the most vulnerable babies and children — those who have been abandoned, abused, neglected, orphaned, or who are critically or chronically ill and cannot be cared for at home.

This organisation is relevant to survivors who: - Have a baby or young child (birth to 6 years) in urgent need of care and safety while they access support - Are facing a crisis pregnancy and concerned about their baby's welfare - Have a child with serious medical needs who cannot currently be cared for at home

What They Offer

Emergency Place of Safety — 24/7 Heartlands provides immediate emergency safe care for babies and children from birth to six years, 24 hours a day. Children are referred through the Department of Social Development, state hospitals, other child care agencies, and SAPS. All admissions follow legal procedures under the Children's Act.

Specialised Child and Youth Care Every child at Heartlands is assessed by an interdisciplinary team — a social worker, professional nurse, and medical doctor — who develop an individualised holistic care plan. Care is provided by four teams of medically trained staff comprising a staff nurse and child and youth care workers, rotating 24 hours a day.

Paediatric Hospice and Medical Care Heartlands is one of very few facilities in the Western Cape offering paediatric hospice care. Children with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses — including HIV/AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, malnutrition, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome — receive specialised medical and palliative care with dignity and love. A qualified nursing sister heads the hospice, supported by a medical doctor.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programme An on-site ECD centre stimulates children's cognitive, emotional, and physical development — minimising developmental delays caused by early trauma, neglect, or illness, and helping children reach their milestones.

Psychosocial Services and Therapy Social workers and therapists provide individual and group therapy for children, supporting them in working through the challenges of early trauma and instability. A new therapy and activity centre (funded by the Olivia Sieff Foundation) is under construction, which will house occupational, play, and physiotherapists on site.

Community Care Programme — After Children Return Home After a child is discharged and returned to their family, a nurse and social worker visit them and their caregiver on an outpatient basis — ensuring the child's continued safety and wellbeing at home.

Parent Education Mothers and potential foster parents are educated on their child's health, psychosocial, and stimulation needs — building the capacity of families to care for their children safely and confidently once reunited.

Heartlands operates in Somerset West. Referrals are made through the Department of Social Development, SAPS, or hospitals. If you are a survivor with a child urgently in need of care, contact your nearest DSD office or call Heartlands directly: 021 852 3527.