A descriptive study was conducted in order to assess some of the social factors associated with the long-term effects of tuberculous meningitis on children and their families. The specific areas examined were the socio-economic status of the children, maternal employment, the utilisation of health services and the scholastic progress of the children. Recommendations are made. The sample was drawn from a register of children with tuberculous meningitis in the Western Cape Health Region for the period 1985-1987. All the available survivors (16 black and 91 coloured children) were included in the study and the care-giver was interviewed by a researcher. Forty-six subjects lived in an urban area and 61 in a rural area. All the children came from socially deprived families and lived in over-crowded conditions; a significant number of families had incomes below the household subsistence level. Of the mothers previously employed, 35% had stopped working and 19% of the families experienced a financial loss as a result of the child's illness. The majority of urban children utilised public health services and the majority of rural children were dependent on the private sector for health care. School-going children had a high failure rate (53%).