There is no separate Children’s Court building and no national Children’s Court phone number. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development states plainly that every Magistrate’s Court in South Africa is a Children’s Court. The details below were read from justice.gov.za on 2 September 2026.
Official contact channels
You approach the clerk of the children’s court at your nearest magistrate’s court. That is the route – in person, at the court counter. The department publishes a Find a Court facility on justice.gov.za to locate the magistrate’s court covering your area and its own contact details.
- Department of Justice national office: Momentum Centre, 329 Pretorius Street, Pretoria
- Presidential Hotline: 17737
- Anti-Fraud and Corruption Hotline: 0800 701 701
0800 701 701 is for reporting fraud or corruption within the justice department – it is not a children’s helpline and cannot take a report about a child. If a child is in immediate danger, phone the police on 10111.
Services and responsibilities
The Children’s Court operates under the Children’s Act, 2005 (Act 38 of 2005). It deals with children in need of care and protection – those who are abandoned, neglected or abused – and can place a child in safe care or refer the child, the parent, or both to services they need.
Any person may approach the clerk of the children’s court, and so may a child. A child does not need an adult to bring the matter, and you do not need to be a relative or a professional to report that a child may be in need of care and protection.
The Children’s Court does not deal with criminal cases. This is the most common misunderstanding. If a child has been assaulted or sexually abused, that is a crime and belongs with the police – reporting it to the children’s court instead does not open a criminal case.
Some people are legally obliged to report a possible case of child abuse. The department lists dentists, teachers, social workers, lawyers, ministers of religion, nurses and traditional leaders. For them reporting is a duty, not a choice.
Office and address information
Because every magistrate’s court is a children’s court, the address you need is your local magistrate’s court – there is no central registry to travel to and no head office that hears these matters.
Go to the court covering the area where the child is. Ask at the counter for the clerk of the children’s court, not the criminal or civil sections.
Applications and escalation
On adoption, the department notes that a child may be adopted jointly by a husband and wife, by partners in a permanent domestic life-partnership, or by other persons sharing a common household and forming a permanent family unit. The Act is broader than many people assume.
Several things people bring to the children’s court belong elsewhere, and knowing which saves a wasted trip:
- Department of Social Development – child protection services, adoptions, foster care and child support grants
- South African Police Service – child abuse as a crime, and emergency response
- Maintenance Court – child maintenance, which is a separate process at the same magistrate’s court
- Office of the Family Advocate – custody, care and contact disputes between parents
The department publishes a Children’s Act FAQ, a “What is a Children’s Court” pamphlet, and the Children’s Act Explained booklets from the Department of Social Development – useful to read before going in, since the clerk cannot give you legal advice.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, Legal Aid South Africa assists in children’s matters free of charge. Maladministration by a court or the department can be taken to the Public Protector, and a rights violation to the South African Human Rights Commission.
Sources
- justice.gov.za Children’s Act FAQ page and site footer, read 2 September 2026