Social Development
(a) What concrete measures is his Department implementing to strengthen its own internal capacity to fulfil its constitutional mandate to protect children and (b) how will it ensure that the increasing demand does not further strain an already overburdened non-profit sector?
(a) The Organisational Development process to review and strengthen the organisational structure in certain areas where the Department of Social Development needs to address capacity within the different regions has been finalised and approved. The newly approved posts will now be advertised.
Any increase in capacity can only be implemented within the Department’s existing budget allocations and remains subject to the restrictions imposed by the DPSA regarding the expansion of the government workforce.
The Department’s capacity has also been impacted by the early retirement options recently introduced by National Government. The first phase of this process has now been concluded, and DSD will proceed with the necessary recruitment processes to fill the affected positions.
The roll out of SWIMS among Departmental staff to improve case load management efficiency and reduce administrative burden on staff is at an advanced stage. All of DSD's frontline social workers are now using SWIMS, and they have a collective total of over 113000 cases active on the system. The system is now also being extended to Child Protection NPOs, DOHW and WCED to further improve integration and efficiency of inter-departmental and intersectoral child protection work.
(b) The Department of Social Development (DSD), referred to as “The Department,” acknowledges the increasing demand for services and the existing pressures faced by the non-profit sector. In response, the department is reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the non-profit sector by implementing several targeted interventions to mitigate and alleviate further strain on designated child protection organisations (DCPOs) in the Western Cape.
The department manages its partnerships with the non-profit sector in a manner that promotes transparency, fairness, and long-term sustainability. This includes advocating for increased budget allocations, implementing a unified and standardised funding process, and ensuring the timely disbursement of funds, thereby enabling designated child protection organisations to be adequately resourced to consistently meet service delivery demands. All designated child protection organisations have been allocated an overall increased funding allocation for the 2026/2027 financial year. In addition, the Department provides supplementary financial support, including ad hoc bail-out funding to DCPOs on a need basis and subject to the availability of funds.
The department is further strengthening its monitoring and support mechanisms to ensure that designated child protection organisations receive not only effective oversight but also clear policy direction, developmental guidance, and support. The provincial department conducts monitoring and evaluation through scheduled onsite visits as well as recently introduced unannounced visits to DCPOs to ensure legislative compliance, address service and governance issues, enable better planning, and ensure that funding is directed where it has the greatest impact. On these visits, designated child protection organisations provide the department with comprehensive insights into its achievements as well as its challenges.
The department promotes partnerships and collaboration between government, the non-profit sector, and other stakeholders to enhance coordination, avoid duplication of services, and optimize the impact of available resources. This is supported with clear roles, responsibilities, referral pathways, and transfer payment agreements, so that the demand for services is managed more evenly with partners and stakeholders across the province. The provincial department also convenes quarterly forum meetings with designated child protection organisations and key stakeholders, providing a strategic platform to deliberate on implementation challenges and agree on appropriate resolutions at a higher level. The department thus seeks to sustain strengthened working relationships with DCPOs and stakeholders to work collaboratively to ensure that services are responsive and relevant to the needs of vulnerable groups.
The Department invests in ongoing capacity-building initiatives, including training, governance support, and compliance assistance to enhance the institutional strength and service delivery of the non-profit sector. Regular training on the Provisions of the Children's Act, Policies, Standard Operating Procedures, Trafficking, Unaccompanied Migrant Children, etc., to assist the sector to deliver services in line with legislative prescripts.
The department also reviewed the administrative processes with reporting tools to ease the administrative burden on organisations by gradually introducing a Social Work Intervention and Management System (SWIMS), allowing organisations to focus on service delivery rather than compliance-related demands.
The department further provides additional operational support to assume responsibility for service delivery as a last resort in instances where designated child protection organisations are unable to manage or lack the capacity to render services, often due to financial constraints.
Lastly, there is a continued focus on expanding prevention and early intervention programmes, which will help manage the demand for statutory interventions and reduce pressure on designated child protection organisations, providing statutory and crisis services. Through these interventions, the department aims to create a more enabling, supportive, and sustainable environment for the non-profit sector to effectively deliver critical services to communities.
