Social Development
- What concrete measures has his Department taken to strengthen the capacity of social workers and social auxiliary workers and (b) what partnerships has his Department entered into to ensure the safety and well-being of children in the province?
- The Department provides various internal and external training sessions to strengthen the capacity of Social Workers and Social Auxiliary Workers. Internal training will include matters such as the Childrens Act, Regulations of the Act, and relevant forms to be used in child protection and care matters. The Standard Operating Procedures of Canalization and capacitating Social Work Supervisors in supervisory functions are further examples. Other training will include matters that pertain to self-development and coping skills of the Social Workers and Social Auxiliary Workers. External training will include, inter alia, seminars, workshops and formal training on play therapy for children, trauma counselling, therapeutic counselling for children and their parents/caregivers, parenting programs and dealing with children with challenging behaviour.
The Department also provides bursaries to social workers wishing to specialize in various fields such as probation services, substance abuse disorder management, and child protection legislation. To improve administrative efficiency and cut red tape for social work staff, the Department has introduced the Social Work Integrated Management System (SWIMS) which reduces duplication of administrative functions and improves the ability of management to ensure effective resource allocation to the department’s various service delivery areas. All of the Department’s child protection social workers now utilise this system. In addition to standard operating procedures, staff training, and more efficient digital administration systems, the Department brings extra capacity into its offices by hiring social worker graduates on four-year contracts, and by funding social service professional posts in the NGO sector to supplement the department’s social work capacity.
- The Department has partnerships with the Department of Health and Wellness and the Western Cape Education Department on referral pathways for children at risk. DSD also funds 107 Child Designated Organisations and 60 Family NGOs to assist in statutory work as well as preventative and early intervention work for children at risk.
