Social Development
With the recent scourge in social worker attack:
(a) What active steps is his Department taking to protect social workers from these attacks, (b) what additional costs has his Department incurred in order to protect staff and (c)(i) what update does his Department have regarding the classification of these attacks as crimes against the state, (ii) what impact will this have on the overall roles and responsibilities of social workers and (iii) how will it affect the residents they serve?
(a) The department's approach combines data analysis, staff training, vehicle security, law enforcement partnerships, infrastructure measures and institutional risk management to reduce the risk of attacks on social service professionals. Measures taken include:
Risk Profiling and Geographic Analysis:
- Hijacking hotspots and patterns identified, and warnings sent out to staff to avoid these areas or only enter with SAPS escort
- Introduction of buddy system to improve safety of social workers – i.e. staff do not travel alone.
- Adjusting staff transport itineraries and schedules to keep them unpredictable
- Avoiding predictable patterns of facility shift staff drop off points
- Advising staff to avoid taking government garage vehicles home, since these attract hijackings
- Infrastructure:
- Metal detectors being installed in local offices
- Adjustment to security contract specifications at secure care centres to reduce risk of attacks on staff by children in secure care
- Improved security gates and doors, especially in secure care facilities and in high-risk areas
Promoting awareness among staff:
- Sessions led by drivers who have experienced hijackings
- Focus on situational awareness and safe practices
- Protocols for communication and reporting during threats introduced
Vehicle adjustments to reduce risk
- Removed departmental license plates from vehicles - plates changed to generic "CAA" registrations.
- Panic buttons and detection systems installed for emergency response
- Removal of branding from government garage vehicles for high-risk areas
- Changing vehicle make and model to less targeted models (e.g. hybrid vehicles)
- The Department is currently installing separators in cars/station wagons that separate the driver from the passengers, so that everyone is not inactive in the event of a hijacking
Partnerships with SAPS and Law Enforcement
- Cooperation and co-ordination with SAPS, City Law Enforcement and Community Safety
- Using crime intelligence for route planning
- Involve area-based teams and neighbourhood watch groups for visibility and deterrence
Hazard and Risk Identification
- Hijackings included as a critical operational risk.
- Trained OHS representatives to identify and manage risks.
- Security controls and custom SOPs integrated into daily operations.
- (b)Vehicle modification costs are borne by the Department of Mobility’s GMT unit. The department is budgeting for metal detectors at offices which are in the process of being installed. The final cost is still to be determined.
(c)(i) The Department has raised this matter at the relevant national and security cluster fora. There has not been any undertaking given from the relevant authorities for that legislative or regulatory changes will be made for this purpose. (ii) The primary impact of the safety risk that hijackings and other attacks pose to social service professionals is higher absenteeism due to trauma, and limitation on movement within high-risk areas based on SAPS availability (iii) absenteeism reduces availability of social service professional to serve the public. The need for a buddy system also reduces the availability of social workers since it is less efficient having two staff members travelling together but is necessary for safety reasons. In addition, there can be significant delays in staff reaching clients in areas that have been classified as red zones since they may have to wait an extended period for the police to be available to escort them. This reduces response times and can negatively impact clients facing an emergency.
