St George's Home for Girls Cape Town

About St George's Home for Girls

St George's Home for Girls is one of Cape Town's oldest child welfare institutions, founded in August 1862 by Mary Arthur at the request of Bishop Robert Gray, the first Anglican Bishop of Cape Town. Originally established in Roeland Street as an orphanage for girls, the home moved several times over 160 years — through Harrington Street, Rosebank, and Claremont — before settling at its current location in Bute Road, Wynberg. The home celebrated its 160th anniversary in 2022.

Today, St George's is registered as a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) with the Department of Social Development (NPO 001-088) and is currently the only residential care facility in the Wynberg District providing for girls between the ages of 3 and 18. The home is managed by Graeme Cairns and supported pastorally by the Emmanuel Church in Ottery Road, Wynberg.

Who They Serve

All girls are placed at St George's by the Children's Court because of the inadequacy of or complete breakdown in their primary care environment. This includes girls who have been sexually, physically, or emotionally abused; girls who are neglected or abandoned; orphaned children; those from single-parent households affected by substance abuse or unemployment; children from failed foster care placements; and those with behavioural challenges stemming from their histories of trauma and deprivation. Girls affected by HIV/AIDS are also cared for.

Care Model and Programmes

St George's accommodates up to 38 girls and is run as a home, not an institution — with Child and Youth Care Workers providing 24-hour care in a nurturing, home-like setting. The model is deliberately family-oriented, giving each child a stable, consistent physical and emotional environment.

The Residential Care Programme is the core offering, encompassing individual treatment care plans, therapeutic support from a registered social worker, referrals to specialised community services, and holistic developmental programming covering educational, emotional, spiritual, physical, and social needs.

Additional programmes include a Transition Programme to prepare older girls for life after care — covering job-seeking skills, CV writing, financial literacy, and independent living — and a Mentorship Programme pairing each girl with a consistent adult mentor who meets with her weekly and helps her plan her future.

GBV and Sexual Abuse Relevance

Sexual abuse is explicitly identified as one of the primary reasons girls are placed at St George's. Girls who have survived sexual violence in their home or community — and who cannot safely return while conditions remain unchanged or perpetrators remain present — are among the most regular placements. For social workers and crisis centres working with child sexual abuse survivors in the Cape Town metro, St George's fills a critical gap as the only girls-specific residential facility in the district.