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Social Development
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Introduction
The Department of Social Development aims to ensure the provision of comprehensive, integrated, sustainable and quality social-development services to combat vulnerability and poverty. It also strives to create an enabling environment for sustainable development in partnership with those committed to building a caring society.
The Department of Social Development collaborates with other government departments within the framework of intergovernmental-relations legislation and co-operative governance. It also collaborates with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faith-based organisations (FBOs), the business sector, organised labour and other role-players to ensure its strategic objectives are implemented.
The national department provides strategic policy leadership and implementation support to nine provincial departments that are responsible for direct service delivery to citizens. The national department monitors and evaluates the range of social-development programmes.
The department’s key programmes include:
- social assistance through the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa)
- social-welfare services
- integrated developmental services, including community development
- research in the area of population and development issues and social policy to enhance evidence-based policy development and planning.
The departmental mandate has also widened in recent years to include initiatives aimed at improving the livelihoods of South Africans, by coordinating home- and community-based care (HCBC) for people living with HIV and AIDS (including probation services, child care and protection, and family couselling and support services), sustainable livelihoods and food-relief programmes, with a focus on programmes for particularly vulnerable groups.
The Department of Social Development also undertakes participatory research to provide evidence for developing relevant and appropriate programmes and strategies for sustainable livelihoods, and policies and strategies on community development. This includes creating a conducive environment for facilitating community development practice and overseeing the National Development Agency (NDA).
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Legislation
Older Persons Act, 2006 (Act 13 of 2006)
The Older Persons Act, 2006 [PDF] contains provisions to improve the lives of older South Africans.
The main objective of the Act is to:
- maintain and promote the status, well-being, safety and security of older persons
- recognise the skills and wisdom of older persons
- encourage older persons’ participation in community activities to promote them as people.
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Childcare legislation
President Thabo Mbeki signed The Children’s Act, 2005 (Act 38 of 2005) <a href="/main/about.htm#adobe" title="Instructions to open PDF documents" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(192,192,192)">[PDF]</a>, in June 2006. However, until Parliament passes the Children’s Amendment Bill; and the Children’s Act, 2005 and the Amendment Bill become a single comprehensive Act, the Child Care Act, 1983 (Act 74 of 1983), will remain in effect.
In July 2007, the National Assembly passed the Children’s Amendment Bill and referred it to the National Council of Provinces to be ratified.
The Children’s Act, 2005:
- gives effect to certain rights of children as contained in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
- sets out principles relating to the care and protection of children
- defines parental responsibilities and rights
- makes further provision regarding children’s courts
- provides for the issuing of contribution orders
- makes new provision for the adoption of children
- provides for intercountry adoption
- gives effect to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
- prohibits child abduction and trafficking, and gives effect to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction
- provides for surrogate motherhood
- creates certain new offences relating to children.
- provides for matters relating to the trafficking of children and the implementation of the relevant protocol.
The Children’s Amendment Bill aims to amend the Children’s Act, 2005 and:
- inserts certain definitions such as “child-headed household” and “cluster foster-care scheme”
- provides for partial care of children
- provides for early childhood development (ECD)
- makes further provision regarding the protection of children
- provides for prevention and early-intervention services
- provides for children in alternative care
- provides for foster care
- provides for child- and youth-care centres, shelters and drop-in centres
- creates certain new offences relating to children
- addresses the plight of child-headed households
- ensures parental rights are respected by providing that no person may take or send a South African child out of the Republic without consent from parents or guardians
- provides for the discipline of children.
The Children’s Act, 2005 provides for the establishment of the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) that will record all persons found unsuitable to work with children.
It will also list any person found by the Children’s Court and criminal courts to be unsuitable to work with children.
In terms of this new law, childcare facilities, including welfare organisations offering foster care and adoption, will be able to check prospective employees, foster parents and adoptive parents against the register.
The register, however, will not be open to the public, and all requests for information will be directed through the Department of Social Development.
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Comprehensive social security
Government has committed itself to specific goals concerning a comprehensive social-security system. The Cabinet-approved framework of the new system seeks to ensure access to social security, including appropriate social assistance as provided for in Section 27 of the Constitution.
The construction, over time, of a comprehensive social-security system will result in substantial changes to the existing social-insurance funds, the enhancement of administrative arrangements, a new tax structure, and adjustments to employee benefits across the economy.
This reform project will affect all South Africans and extend across the entire labour market. Its implementation calls for a new social partnership constructed on the principles of equity and solidarity, that builds on both public-administration reforms and effectively mobilises private-sector capacity.
To give effect to government’s social-insurance reform agenda, Cabinet has appointed an inter-ministerial committee to provide political leadership. The Department of Social Development will play a key role in designing and implementing reforms in the area of:
- retirement provisions
- social-health insurance
- unemployment insurance
- compensation for injuries and diseases on duty
- road-accident insurance.
Among these reforms, retirement provisions present the most complex of challenges, encompassing savings for old age, contributions to post-retirement medical schemes, disability and survivors’ benefits. A discussion document on the reform of retirement provisions in South Africa can be found on the Government’s website: (www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/2007/soc_sec_retire.pdf) [PDF].
The key proposals regarding retirement reform include:
- removing the means test for the Old-Age Grant and increasing the upper ceiling of the means test for all other grants
- introducing a mandatory system of retirement contributions
- reviewing the current system of tax-expenditure subsidies
- establishing a government-sponsored retirement fund
- introducing ancillary benefits along with retirement savings to cover disability and survivors’ benefits
- providing arrangements for post-retirement medical contributions.
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Social-assistance policy developments
In the context of South Africa’s main challenges of high levels of poverty and inequality, the Department of Social Development continues to expand the social-safety net. The Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act 13 of 2004) [PDF], creates uniform norms and standards that apply countrywide. It provides for the publication of regulations on performance management and on adherence to the Batho Pele (People First) principles of customer service.
The Act provides for the rendering of social assistance to persons, mechanisms for the rendering of such assistance, establishment of an inspectorate for social assistance, and related matters.
Social-assistance transfers are funded from general revenue and are appropriated on the Vote of the Department of Social Development. Social-assistance cash grants provide targeted income support to those whose livelihoods are most at risk. The available grants are the old-age; disability; child-support; foster-care; care-dependency and warveterans’ grants; and temporary grant-in-aid relief. By September 2007, over 12 million South Africans were accessing social assistance, the country’s most effective poverty-alleviation programme. Of these beneficiaries of social assistance, more than eight million were children.
Income transfers to households through social-assistance grant programmes increased from R42,9 billion in 2002/03 to R74,2 billion in 2005, representing an increase of 20% a year. Social assistance increased from 2,9% of gross domestic product in 2003/04 to 3,3% in 2006/07.
The growing number of child-support beneficiaries has been the main source of increased expenditure over this period, with the increase in disability grants taking up a rising share of the total.
Following the Committee of Inquiry into the Comprehensive Social Security System in 2002, the Department of Social Development implemented the following recommendations:
- extended the Child Support Grant (CSG) to include children up to the age of 14 years
- developed a new definition for disability grants and an assessment tool
- established the Sassa as a national institution to manage and deliver social-assistance grants
- completed a detailed gap analysis of social-insurance provisions.
As part of the measures to reach vulnerable children over the age of 14 years, the committee and the Office on the Rights of the Child are working on the definition of the child and rationalisation of all legislation dealing with children.
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Implementing social-assistance programmme
Before 2006, the nine provincial departments each had their own administration for social assistance. This situation posed significant challenges for government concerning lack of norms and standards of social-assistance service delivery. The Sassa Act, 2004 (Act 9 of 2004) [PDF], was introduced to create a single entity for the delivery of social grants. The agency took over this responsibility from the provinces from April 2005.
The agency’s delivery model aims to ensure that the administration and payment of social grants become more customer-focused, while ensuring regular reviews of beneficiaries’ eligibility. Regular reviews and a comprehensive fraud strategy should reduce levels of fraud, leakage and corruption in the social-grants system.
Together with the Department of Health, the Department of Social Development has embarked on a project that aims to bring about the provision of free healthcare and disability grants seamlessly, by piloting and then rolling out a harmonised assessment tool for people with disabilities.
Cabinet approved a new definition of disability, specifically for the two programmes (free healthcare and disability grants). This definition necessitated an investigation into possible dispensation for people with chronic conditions, who usually form the bulk of temporary-disability grant recipients.
The rehabilitation of people with disabilities is considered imperative to facilitate the development of an exit strategy for such people from social grants. Such rehabilitation is expected to enable people with disabilities to access training and job opportunities.
Foster-care grants are paid to caregivers of children who have been placed with them by the courts. Caregivers of children between one and 18 years with severe disabilities are eligible for care-dependency grants. The children must be cared for at home even when receiving treatment and stimulation outside of home during the day. Once these children turn 18, they are eligible for the Disability Grant.
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Employment assistance
An employment-assistance directorate has been established to link social-grant beneficiaries with economic activities and poverty-alleviation strategies, for their possible exit from the social-grants system.
In line with this thinking, Cabinet approved a presentation on this proposal in principle, to explore possible economic activities and poverty-alleviation strategies for the same purpose.
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Combating fraud and corruption
The department’s national facilities to combat fraud and corruption in the social-security system consist of:
- a toll-free national security fraud hotline (0800 60 10 11) that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- an e-mail address (fraud@socdev.gov.za) and a free-call fax-service number (0800 61 10 11).
As part of the Anti-Corruption and Fraud Prevention Strategy, internal control systems have been improved, and forensic and investigating teams deployed in all provinces.
By mid-2007, the investigation, which saved the Government R7,7 billion, had achieved the following results:
- 21 588 government employees had been found to be on the system irregularly and removed, and 3 657 had been referred for disciplinary action ranging from warnings to dismissals.
- 5 656 people had been arrested and taken to court. The conviction rate was more than 80%.
- R63 million had been recovered from disentitled beneficiaries.
- 143 485 people had been recommended for removal from the system and 21 587 civil-servant grants had been stopped.
- 123 610 beneficiaries had been cancelled due to non-collection or direct requests from beneficiaries.
By May 2007, more than 86 000 beneficiaries had applied for indemnity and their grants were suspended. This led to savings on the cost of investigations in excess of R400 million.
The department, in collaboration with all national and provincial law-enforcement agencies, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), was expected to establish the Inspectorate for Social Security.
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Social relief
Social relief of distress is provided in the event of sudden loss of income in families due to sickness, imprisonment of the breadwinner, disasters or any contingency that leaves family members and communities vulnerable.
During 2006/07, the department submitted for consideration a proposal to restructure and re-engineer the relief funds:
- repeal the Fund-Raising Act, 1978 (Act 107 of 1978), and have an appropriate legislative framework supporting the vision of becoming the fastest social-relief services
- consolidate all relief funds into one
- have an effective and efficient institutional model to ensure the provision of relief to communities in need
- have an effective information and disbursementsystem supporting the delivery of relief measures.
By May 2007, various government structures were being consulted to solicit support in taking the process forward. The department commissioned legal expertise to review all legislation relating to relief services with a view to streamlining services.
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Health insurance
An estimated seven million South Africans contribute to medical schemes. These schemes account for the largest element of contributory health cover, which was estimated at R43 billion in 2005, excluding the Tax Expenditure Subsidy.
The current private health arrangements incorporate only limited levels of social solidarity. Optimising social solidarity requires:
- Risk equalisation: This is achieved through interscheme financial transfers to eliminate demographic differences between medical schemes. This is being implemented following government’s approval.
- Minimum benefits: By mid-2007, the mandatory minimum package represented only about a third of a comprehensive package of benefits.
- Income-based contributions: By mid-2007, some medical-scheme members paid flat-rate contributions that were insensitive to income. The inequitable provision of tax subsidies to higher-income groups created a perverse outcome.
- Mandatory participation for income-earners: Voluntary contributory health systems are characterised by “anti-selection”. Mandating participation in health cover is a key mechanism to bolstering and sustaining risk-pooling.
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Community development and sustainable livelihoods
The persistence of poverty calls for the development of innovative and sustainable community-development and poverty-eradication policies, strategies and programmes that will not only create opportunities for sustainable jobs and income generation, but that will also harness and strengthen resources within households and civil society to achieve sustainable livelihoods.
Eradicating poverty is the highest priority in government’s efforts to build a better life for all. In this regard, the Department of Social Development manages the Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, which aims to assist communities in a range of developmental projects and to develop best practices to link social grants to the livelihood strategies of direct and indirect beneficiaries and income-generating vehicles such as co-operatives.
By mid-2007, a four-phased pilot project was being implemented in the Eastern Cape, with the first phase completed.
The objective of this pilot project is to restore the poor and vulnerable as quickly as possible to self-reliance.
Through this pilot project, the “sweat equity” principle, which provides beneficiaries with an opportunity to invest in-kind in their own development initiatives, was introduced. This process ensures that beneficiaries do not become passive, but rather play the role of active partners in the development process.
The project also ensures ownership, commitment and accountability on the side of beneficiaries, which are critical and necessary ingredients for sustainability.
Through this process, government supports beneficiary initiatives and is therefore perceived not just as a provider, but also an enabler.
In addition to providing social assistance, the department is still implementing poverty-relief initiatives.
The department will hand over to the provinces all the projects that were implemented by the national department and supported by the Independent Development Trust (IDT).
To facilitate a smooth handover, a study to verify the status of these projects was conducted and a memorandum of agreement between the national and receiving provincial departments signed. The IDT is still supporting the implementation of the projects until the handover process is completed and all the funds have been disbursed.
A comprehensive multiyear research project was commissioned in 2005 to assess the impact of programmes and projects that underpin local programme development in the country’s 21 urban renewal programme and integrated sustainable rural development programme nodes.
The research sought to inform the department of how it was performing, its shortcomings, what needed to be done to improve service delivery, and what support processes were needed to effect change.
The findings of the research will be used to assist the department in developing a better understanding of the social and local economic development needs, and service-delivery challenges in the nodes.
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Improving community-development service delivery
To improve community-development service delivery, the Department of Social Development is regrading work and salary levels for community-development practitioners. This process was approved by a meeting of the minister and MECs for social development in February 2007.
The department also worked with the South African Qualifications Authority to standardise the qualifications and training of community-development practitioners. An agreement has been reached on the generic qualifications at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) levels 1, 3 and 4.
The department is also consulting stakeholders in drafting a community-development policy, which has been identified as an important aspect for improved community-development service delivery.
The envisaged policy on community development will integrate the norms and standards for community-development practice.
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Responding to the impact of HIV and AIDS
The Department of Social Development has developed a framework for an integrated and co-ordinated response to HIV and AIDS.
The framework includes sourcing reliable research and information; providing social protection to those infected and affected, especially children; protecting children’s rights; providing services; special programmes such as the HCBC Programme; empowering women; and capacitating officials to deal with HIV and AIDS.
Partnerships with other government departments, NGOs, community-based organisations (CBOs), FBOs, the business sector, volunteers and international agencies underpin the department’s response to HIV and AIDS.
The main objectives of the Gender, HIV and AIDS Programme are to:
- facilitate the mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS into policies, and of gender into HIV- and AIDS-prevention programmes
- monitor the development and implementation of policies and programmes.
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HIV and AIDS Youth Programme
The expansion of the loveLife Groundbreaker Partnership Programme aims to strengthen the loveLife Mphintshi Initiative by linking it to the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the prevention programme in relation to HCBC and support.
The HIV and AIDS Youth Programme’s services now reach marginalised and vulnerable youth in rural areas. It focuses on preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS among young people. Behaviourchanging programmes have been implemented to help reduce vulnerability.
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HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy and Strategy
The Department of Social Development’s HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy and Strategy was reviewed in 2004, when strategic focus areas for the next three years were outlined.
| Grant type |
Number of beneficiaries as at April 2005 |
Number of beneficiaries as at April 2006 |
Number of beneficiaries as at April 2007 |
| Old-Age Grant |
2 093 440 |
2 144 117 |
2 194 066 |
| War Veterans Grant |
3 343 |
2 832 |
2 317 |
| Disability Grant |
1 307 551 |
1 319 536 |
1 425 105 |
| Foster Care Grant |
252 106 |
312 614 |
405 813 |
| Care Dependency Grant |
88 889 |
94 263 |
98 690 |
| Child Support Grant |
5 661 500 |
7 044 901 |
7 910 748 |
| Grant-in-Aid |
|
|
32 280 |
Source: Department of Social Development
The department’s initiatives are managed according to these focus areas. In addition, a set of indicators has been developed to monitor the implementation of the workplace strategy.
Research has been undertaken to monitor the HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy and Strategy, and assess related capacity-building and training needs.
The impact of the department’s HIV and AIDS workplace initiatives will also be assessed. The aim is to develop a comprehensive programme that addresses, among other things, sexual behaviour and creates awareness about accurate and scientific facts on HIV and AIDS.
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HIV and AIDS advocacy, awareness and outreach
Achieving a meaningful and clear understanding of the scientific facts about HIV and AIDS will lead to individual self-management regarding the risk of HIV infection. The awareness programme has the following main pillars:
- disclosure
- communication
- rights
- facilitation.
The programme also deals with the physical and emotional consequences of HIV and AIDS. It has the following challenges:
- lack of accurate and current information on HIV and AIDS
- lack of access to care, support, treatment and new healthcare developments
- discrimination against the infected and affected
- involving people living with HIV and AIDS in programmes that directly help affected and infected people to alleviate stigmatisation.
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Care and support
The HCBC Programme is based on the premise that vulnerable children and their families are better protected and supported within the context of their communities.
As a result, this programme informs one of the main development strategies presently implemented by the department to enable communities and people affected by HIV and AIDS to access social-development services.
Norms and standards for implementation of the HCBC and support have been developed to ensure quality of services and to provide a minimum package of services. The norms and standards were based on the evaluation of costs and process indicators for HCBC identified in three provinces.
In 2006/07, the programme:
- identified 206 889 orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) and extended appropriate services to them
- assisted 34 025 child-headed households access counselling and support services
- provided meals to 102 723 children through various community multipurpose centres
- assisted 356 073 affected families and distributed 155 754 food parcels
- distributed 47 607 school uniforms
- provided stipends to 11 059 caregivers
- funded 750 NGOs and FBOs.
The AIDS pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in the need for HCBC services and has led to an unco-ordinated increase in the number of organisations offering HCBC. The emerging HCBC organisations often lack the required management skills to implement their mandate effectively.
In response, the Department of Social Development with the support of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development commissioned a situational analysis and needs assessment of management capacity among HCBC service-providers. As a result of the study, partnerships were established with four provinces, namely the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape.
The Department of Social Development also has a responsibility to build the capacity of community caregivers by providing them with accredited training, recognising their prior learning and placing them in appropriate NQF-levels. This is in line with the EPWP’s social-sector plan, with HCBC identified as one of the programmes that could be used to meet its objectives. A process was initiated to identify training service-providers and to assist those not yet accredited. This will fast-track the process of training community caregivers.
A study was commissioned to assess the existing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for HCBC at national, provincial, district and local level. The findings of this study were expected to become available during the first quarter of 2007/08 and will direct the development of a comprehensive M&E system for HCBC.
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Services to orphans made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS
A policy framework for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS was developed, which reflects the collective commitment of government, FBOs, CBOs, civil society and the business sector, and serves as a guiding tool to all people involved in HIV and AIDS and in the children’s sector. It seeks to reinforce existing commitments and efforts to create a supportive and enabling environment for children.
A national action plan was then developed to clearly define the unique value-adding role of various stakeholders in addressing the social impact of HIV and AIDS.
The Department of Social Development is developing a national database of orphans and vulnerable children, which will include child-headed households. The programmes which are in place to assist OVCs include access to treatment, food, skills training and psycho-social support.
In July 2007, a conference on strengthening coordinated action for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS was held. The policy framework for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS has co-ordination as one of its guiding principles.
The conference provided a forum for all stakeholders at both country and Southern African Development Community level to review progress, identify successes and challenges, and share experiences and lessons of good practice pertaining to OVCs in the context of HIV and AIDS.
The department provides care and support to orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV, AIDS and other circumstances.
Each community should have a child-care forum, that works with social workers, welfare organisations and other community structures to ensure that identified OVCs receive appropriate services.
The department has established a number of community-based drop-in centres where children are given meals before they go to school and a packed lunch.
The caregivers at the drop-in centres also assist children from child-headed households with homework and involve them in life-skills programmes.
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Partnerships
Since 2000, the department has strengthened its partnerships with national and international organisations involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The department chairs the National Action Committee for Children Affected by HIV and AIDS, which is a multisectoral team consisting of government, FBOs, CBOs, civil society, the business sector, the United Nations (UN) Children’s Fund and Save the Children, focusing on the care and support of OVCs.
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Faith-based organisations and the business sector
The department has strengthened its partnership with churches and other FBOs, the business sector, volunteer organisations and individuals, to assist with poverty-relief, HIV and AIDS, and social-grant registration programmes.
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Promoting and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups
Children and youths
In addition to providing social assistance to children through the CSG and the Foster-Care Grant, the Department of Social Development facilitates the provision of services to children and the youth through the provincial departments of social development and NGOs.
The department has entered into partnerships with research and academic institutions to promote scientific research in the social, population and development fields. For example, the Human Sciences Research Council and African Migration Alliance, in collaboration with the department, undertook research on homelessness in South Africa and also on migration trends in the African region.
The department leads the co-ordination of the EPWP. The sector is made up of the departments of social development, of health and of education, with the Department of Public Works as the overall co-ordinator.
The programme is being piloted through the HCBC and ECD programmes. The programme intends to improve the quality of training received by both caregivers and ECD practitioners to improve service delivery and offer them better opportunities to access the open labour market.
The department has successfully managed to strengthen co-ordination of these programmes at both national and provincial level, as well as create an avenue for skilling and the creation of more job opportunities for unemployed youth and graduates.
The sector’s performance at mid-term was expected to reflect an average of 50% after the steps identified by their sector review conference held in Cape Town in March 2007 had been implemented.
The department’s participation in the implementation of the EPWP is aimed at improving services and care to orphans and other vulnerable children, with 5 000 community caregivers earmarked for training.
The policy framework for this sector was finalised and a national action plan for OVCs developed.
The Department of Social Development launched a national registration drive in October 2007. Provincial departments have reported an increase in enquiries from various community-based centres, requesting information on registration and subsidies, since the launch of the campaign.
The EPWP also includes the ECD Programme, which aims to contribute towards skills development and the creation of job opportunities for the unemployed.
The Department of Social Development has committed itself, as per the Integrated Plan on ECD, to increase the number of ECD sites from where practitioners are selected for training.
The ECD sites will also be provided with subsidies for children from poor households.
At least 1 500 additional ECD sites were registered from April 2006 to March 2007. An additional 1 774 sites were expected to be registered in 2007.
By November 2007, 369 new sites had been registered. In 2006/07, the Department of Social Development provided subsidies to 314 912 children from poor households.
An additional 435 000 children are targeted to receive subsidies.
More than 4 000 ECD practitioners and support staff received stipends and training on ECD NQF levels 1 and 4.
An additional 6 000 learners were to receive training and stipends in 2007.
Various programmes for protecting children continued, including installing the NCPR in provinces.
Progress was made in finding permanent homes for children. In 2006/07, 252 intercountry adoptions and 2 166 domestic adoptions were registered.
International social services (ISS) are rendered to clients in need of intercountry social services. The focus is on unaccompanied minors.
The South African ISS unit works with other ISS offices worldwide through the network of branches, affiliated bureaus and correspondents.
By May 2007, other countries had referred 471 cases to the unit.
The ISS unit has initiated training at provincial level to streamline referral processes in the sector across partner departments and NGOs.
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Child abuse and neglect
The department’s priority is fighting child abuse and neglect, as illustrated by the following initiatives:
- NCPR: By November 2007, a wireless web-based system was being introduced and provinces were to participate in this programme, which had already established a community-based, integrated Information Management System (IMS) with a NCPR component linked to the national database. In 2007, the department was working in partnership with the Child Welfare League of Canada on a surveillance study of child abuse and neglect. Officials went on a study tour to look at various programmes, including information systems and how they can enhance service delivery.
- Draft Policy Framework and Strategic Plan on the Prevention and Management of Child Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation: The framework has been completed. Effective implementation is expected to reduce the incidence of abuse and neglect, and to clarify stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities.
- Isolabantwana (Eye of the Child): The Department of Social Development funded the South African National Council for Child Welfare to replicate a prevention programme in communities to eliminate child abuse and promote child protection. The programme aims to provide a safety net for children within a community where services and support can be provided to children at risk on a 24-hour basis, and in areas where resources are limited. Community members contribute to the success of child-protection services, as they reside in the communities and are familiar with the local people, structures and traditions. The programme has been implemented (with a minimum of three sites per province) in all nine provinces according to community needs.
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Childline South Africa
Childline offers a toll-free crisis line (0800 55 555) to children and families across South Africa on a 24-hour basis. The line provides immediate assistance to children and families in crisis who need counselling and information.
Apart from the 24-hour toll-free helpline, services also include treatment centres for individual, family and play therapy; prevention programmes; community safehouses; and training and awareness programmes.
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Social-crime prevention
Probation services
The Department of Social Development is tasked with implementing the Probation Services Act, 1991 (Act 116 of 1991) [PDF], as amended, and as such has various obligations to fulfil at national and provincial level, e.g. early intervention services (reception, assessment and referral services, restorative justice programmes and diversion projects); prevention programmes; services to victims of crime; and statutory services.
The proposed Child Justice Bill [PDF], which provides for a legislative framework for the protection of children in conflict with the law, will add more responsibilities for probation services, especially ensuring sufficient diversion programmes in rural and urban areas assessing every arrested child within 48 hours; providing additional home-based supervision programmes; increasing the number of probation and assistant probation officers (APOs); and ensuring sufficient secure-care facilities to accommodate children awaiting trial.
The department’s contribution towards the implementation of the Child Justice Bill was strengthened by donor funding from the Royal Netherlands Embassy. Service-providers were contracted to deliver a range of projects, namely, setting minimum standards for diversion; establishing the Professional Board and Standards Generating Body for Probation Services; rolling out the home-based supervision programme; appointing additional APOs; training and retraining probation practitioners; restorative justice training for probation practitioners in all provinces; and evaluating the assistant probation and crime-buster programmes.
By mid-2007, most of the projects had been finalised and the booklet on minimum standards on diversion had been completed. The National Youth Service (NYS) Programme, which is a partnership between the Department of Social Development, Umsobomvu Youth Fund (UYF), the National Association for Child Care Workers and the Royal Netherlands Embassy was launched in October 2005. Through this programme, 192 volunteer assistant-probation officers (VAPOs) were appointed to run the Home-Based Supervision Programme. About 93 probation officers from all provinces were trained as assessors/mentors of VAPOs. Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Free State and Northern Cape have included APOs in this programme.
In 2006/07, about 1 986 children benefited from the Home-Based Supervision Programme, and 12 770 were diverted away from the criminal justice system.
The department, as one of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster’s core integrated justice system (IJS) partners, has been included in a capacity-strengthening programme to ensure departmental delivery on IJS and JCPS strategic focus areas. By mid-2007, the IMS for the department’s secure-care facilities and probation case management were being developed. As an interim measure, the Western Cape system was rolled out during the first quarter of 2007/08. The IMS will assist the department in providing accurate and reliable information for planning, reporting and effective service-delivery purposes.
Overcrowding in prisons remains a concern. The national office and provinces have developed an action plan to ensure that children do not await trial in prisons. The focus of the action plan is to provide secure-care facilities. By mid-2007, there were 36 secure-care centres in the country and provision was being made for additional facilities, especially near magistrates’ courts.
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Victim-Empowerment Programme (VEP)
The VEP aims to facilitate the establishment and integration of intersectoral programmes and policies to support, protect and empower victims of crime and violence, with a special focus on women and children.
It also ensures that the implementation of such programmes and policies is monitored and evaluated.
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Integrated Victim-Empowerment Policy
The Integrated Victim-Empowerment Policy serves as a framework for a victim-centred approach, with strong emphasis on service delivery to victims of crime and violence that promotes the reduction of secondary victimisation and improved co-operation with the criminal justice process.
The draft policy document serves as a point of reference for all stakeholders regarding the establishment, development, delivery and nature of victim-empowerment benefits and services. It serves as a framework to facilitate the establishment of partnerships for integrated, effective and efficient service delivery to victims.
The core intervention strategies for the Integrated Victim-Empowerment Policy apply to all sectors involved in the empowerment of victims, namely:
- capacitating management structures
- creating awareness and providing information
- building skills
- educating and training personnel and consumers in using the services
- establishing services and programmes
- research and M&E.
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National Directory on Services for Victims of Violence and Crime
The National Directory on Services for Victims of Violence and Crime, which was launched during the 16 Days of Activism on No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign in December 2004, is updated annually in collaboration with the provincial VEP managers or co-ordinators and their provincial counterparts.
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Minimum Standards for Service Delivery to Victims of Crime and Violence
The Minimum Standards for Service Delivery to Victims of Crime and Violence is a developmental quality-assurance instrument for practitioners. Proficiency, professionalism and respect for the client are uppermost in service delivery.
Workshops concerning the implementation of the minimum standards for service delivery to the victims of violence are continuing in some provinces as a complementary process to the implementation of the South African Victim’s Charter of Services. By mid2007, the provinces were conducting development quality-assurance criteria using the minimum standards document as a guideline.
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Campaigns: national/international women’s days and 16 Days of Activism
South Africa is a signatory to various international declarations on the promotion and the protection of the rights on women and children, such as the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The latter convention focuses on the basic human rights of women and girls.
To honour these conventions, the department participates in events such as:
- 16 Days of Activism For No Violence Against Women and Children
- International Women’s Day.
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Women’s Strategy
The social-development-specific Women’s Strategy has been developed. The strategy guides service delivery to women within the social-development sector. The focus is on empowering women and promoting their resilience.
The Women’s Strategy aims to address the needs of women in South Africa and empower them to know their rights and be assertive, productive and independent by developing and implementing policy, programmes and services in partnership with stakeholders.
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Strategy for the Engagement of Men and Boys in the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence
The strategy aims to strengthen existing programmes and develop new initiatives aimed at mobilising men and boys to positively engage in the prevention of gender-based violence.
The objectives are to:
- guide efforts to mainstream the constructive involvement of men and boys in preventing gender-based violence in the social-development sector, in line with the National Gender Machinery’s Men and Gender Equality Programme
- facilitate integration of the involvement of men and boys in preventing gender-based violence programmes into the National Action Plan.
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European Union (EU) funding for victim empowerment
A workplan for the implementation of the European Union (EU) Programme of Assistance for the VEP has been developed and is awaiting approval by the European Commission.
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Shelters for abused women and children
A strategy for establishing shelters has been developed to accommodate abused women and children in South Africa. This initiative forms part of the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act, 1998 (Act 16 of 1998) [PDF].
The department monitored four shelters in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Free State, which were strengthened in partnership with the Transnet Foundation.
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Criminal Asset Recovery Account (Cara) funds
The VEP received R3,3 million from Cara for victim-support services. Proposals for the funding include, among other things:
- establishing two new shelters for victims of domestic violence at a cost of R500 000 each, in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga
- strengthening existing shelters in all nine provinces at a cost of R150 000
- supporting initiatives by civil-society organisations involved in running victimsupport/empowerment centres at a cost of R483 000
- initiatives related to the engagement of men and boys in the prevention of gender-based violence at a cost of R500 000.
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Interdepartmental collaboration
The department is actively involved in the following interdepartmental task teams for an integrated approach to victim empowerment, namely:
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Care and support to families
Care and support programmes promote the family as the core of society. A well-functioning family addresses the emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual and economic well-being of its members.
It is in the family environment that children are born, nurtured, supported and provided with opportunities for growth and development into competent and productive adults. Therefore, the family is the basic institution in society for the survival, protection and development of children.
The programme promotes services and programmes at all levels. A training manual on preparing for marriage and a marriage-enrichment programme have been developed.
The draft National Family Policy proposes a framework for integrated and comprehensive service delivery to families. It identifies the family as the focal point for service delivery and promotes the benefits of a well-functioning, resilient family and the extended family as a strong support system.
The draft policy is linked to the African Union’s Plan of Action for Families in Africa for implementation by government and civil society. The draft Moral Regeneration Strategy for Social Development has been developed to instil positive values in families and communities.
The International Day for Families is celebrated annually on 15 May.
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Prevention and treatment of substance abuse
Dagga and alcohol are still the most abused substances. An estimated 2,2 million people use dagga or cannabis, followed by cocaine, heroin, speed, LSD, hashish, ecstasy, tik and others.
According to the World Drug Report, the approximate number of problem drug-users in South Africa exceeds 200 000. Close to 9 000 problem drug-users were treated at 73 treatment centres between June and December 2006. Considerable abuse of over-the-counter and prescription medicines is also reported.
These include pain relievers, tranquilisers, cough mixtures and slimming tablets, as well as solvents such as glue. The social cost of illicit drug use has not been officially calculated, but up to 12 million family members of drug users face emotional and financial strain. In addition, drug usage has a negative effect on transport safety. A third of heavy-duty long distance drivers admit to using drugs to relax and stay awake. The main drugs used in this instance are alcohol and dagga.
Meanwhile, a conservative estimate of the economic costs to South Africa of alcohol abuse, based on research studies conducted in other countries, is between R8,7 billion and R17,4 billion a year. The social costs are also enormous. About 11 million family members have to endure the turmoil of living with problem or risky drinkers. Risky drinking affects 17,5 million South Africans. Harmful drinking is defined as people drinking first thing in the morning, drinking to the point of intoxication and also taking alcohol between mealtimes.
The Ke Moja Project, launched in the Western Cape, is a prevention programme that targets the youth. “Ke Moja” means “no thanks”, and aims to inform and educate the public about the dangers of drugs, as well as to mobilise them, particularly children and the youth, to say no to substance abuse. The project was extended to all provinces during 2006/07.
The Youth Best-Practice Treatment Model was developed, and training provided countrywide to facilitate the roll-out of the model. It proposes essential elements to be considered when offering treatment to youths in residential facilities.
A significant achievement has been the development of minimum standards for in-patient treatment centres, which were piloted and implemented in five government facilities. These minimum norms and standards were expected to be implemented in all provinces during 2006/07, with training to be based on identified needs.
The standards are being used to transform service delivery in government facilities as a first priority, and to ensure that appropriate services are provided at these centres.
The standards will also set the framework for registering treatment centres run by civil-society structures in the country. The proliferation of unregistered treatment centres is being addressed. Notices have been sent out to sensitise the sector about the legal registration requirements and to ensure that such facilities are registered in terms of the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, 1992 (Act 20 of 1992) [PDF].
Most treatment centres have since applied for registration and the department was working with the provinces to accelerate registration.
In October 2006, Cabinet approved the National Drug Master Plan and Programme. The plan is in line with the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, 1992, which requires that government reviews such plan every five years.
Cabinet approved the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse Bill [PDF] in August 2007. It will replace the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, 1992, which has become outdated. One of its shortcomings is that it focuses primarily on institutional treatment with little provision for prevention, community-based and out-patient services.
The proposed legislation promotes more community-based services, with greater emphasis on preventative services. It will also be more sensitive towards the needs of children.
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Women
Social-development services for women is another priority, due to the premise and concern that the inequality that exists between men and women in South Africa is deeply entrenched and has characterised South African society for many decades.
Women are often subject to discrimination, exploitation and violence despite the Constitution, which affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. An unprecedented effort is therefore required to ensure that the status of women is elevated to protect their rights and speed up the attainment of gender equality. Various economic-empowerment projects include bread-baking, leather works, offal-cleaning, child-minding and paper-and-fabric printing.
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People with disabilities
There are more than three million people with disabilities in South Africa, with the majority being women. The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons is part of The Presidency and duplicated in the offices of the premiers. Together, they have coordinated work to mainstream disability issues in all government policies and programmes.
The White Paper on an Integrated National Disability Strategy provides a policy framework for implementation across the whole of society and through all spheres of government. The National Skills Development Strategy calls for 4% of all people who obtain training to be people with disabilities.
The Department of Social Development supports the following national councils:
As existing policies are not adequate to address the needs of this vulnerable group, the Department of Social Development has allocated R1 million for research into the needs of people and children with disabilities.
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Youth development
Youth-development initiatives are guided by, among other things, the National Youth Development (NYD) Policy Framework, the World Programme of Action for Youth, and the Ministerial Ten-point Plan. Various youth-development services have been rolled out to cater for the needs of young people in South Africa.
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Youth-development services
The department developed NYD implementation guidelines in line with the NYS guidelines.
The NYD Forum sits biweekly to consult, secure support and guide provinces in implementing youth projects. Key to these are provincial visits, including hosting meetings with stakeholders and visiting projects funded by the department to monitor their implementation and impact.
Volunteerism is promoted among the youth. A volunteer manual has been developed, which includes a volunteer-rights charter and a basic code of conduct for volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations. These documents are distributed to organisations and government departments throughout the year and, in particular, during the National Volunteer Week held annually from 26 June to 2 July, as part of the Youth Month Programme.
Several relations have been developed and strengthened, including the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the UYF on the NYS Programme.
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Research and policies
In 2007, the Draft Youth-Development Framework was presented to management for approval.
From a population and development perspective, a process has been initiated to gather information on the expectations, aspirations and needs of the youth, which would serve as a basis for research and policy-making regarding the social and economic integration of youth into society.
Regarding the development of children into worthy citizens, research has been undertaken on the situation of orphans and other vulnerable children, to support policy development and M&E of children’s issues.
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Outreach programmes
Youth Development Month is held every June. Activities include Youth Day on 16 June, the National Entrepreneur Exhibition and National Volunteer Week.
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International obligations regarding youth
The department was part of a task team charged with reviewing the World Programme of Action for Youth and preparing the Country Report to the UN General Assembly. The review of the World Programme of Action included a civil-society youth assembly held in New York in the United States of America. The outcome of the assembly was included in the final report presented to the UN General Assembly as part of the 10-year review of the youth programme.
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United Nations Population Fund Second Country Support Programme for South Africa
The second UN Population Fund Country Support Programme (approved by the Minister of Social Development in October 2002) was conceptualised and designed to develop best-practice models and methodologies for local municipalities, and to integrate population and development priorities in local integrated development plans.
Its design and implementation was informed by the need for government to focus development initiatives on those areas that had previously been marginalised and disadvantaged, in particular rural areas, through integrated, sustainable rural development.
The objectives of the Second Country Support Programme were to:
- improve the quality of life of historically disadvantaged South Africans
- alleviate poverty through population trends commensurate with social and economic development
- reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS
- improve reproductive health services and respect for reproductive rights
- enhance gender equality.
Since 2003, the programme has been implemented in 10 rural nodes in three provinces, namely the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, thus demonstrating the worst socio-economic conditions.
Subprogrammes were developed in each of the provinces to address:
- sexual and reproductive health and rights
- gender-based violence
As a result of advocacy, a more streamlined project implementation framework, comprising 27 identified projects, was developed. Capacity-building and research initiatives were designed to support the pilot programme. The following capacity-building projects and research were implemented:
- Population and HIV and AIDS Integrated Development – Capacity-Development Course for Government Managers and Planners (offered by the South African Management Development Institute)
- Applied Population Sciences Training and Research Programme (offered at the University of KwaZulu-Natal)
- Leadership Training in Sustainable Development
– Population, Environment and Development Nexus Programme
- advocacy, information, education and communication training workshops
- Capacity-Building Programme for Civil-Society Advocacy Organisations Working in the Fields of Sexual and Reproductive Health, Gender-Based Violence, and HIV and AIDS
- Research Study on Knowledge, Practices and Attitudes on Gender-Based Violence.
In the meantime, the UN Population Fund and other UN partners have introduced a third cycle of assistance to South Africa in the form of the Third Country Support Programme, which has been framed within the UN Development Assistance Framework.
The overall goal is to improve the quality of life by contributing to reversing the spread of HIV, reducing gender inequities in the AIDS pandemic, enhancing the centrality of population issues in development policies and programmes, and strengthening the integration of population factors in the national development agenda.
These areas reflect national priorities as articulated in government’s Vision 2014. They are contextualised within the millennium development goals and government-prepared country analysis, which was adopted as the basis for development co-operation with all partners. Implementation of the programme’s projects will include and benefit all nine provinces.
The duration of the Third Country Programme is from 2007 to 2010, and the UN Population Fund pledged to assist with US$13 million.
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Welfare services
Remuneration of social workers
The process of regrading social workers was completed and implemented at national and provincial levels. Social workers on salary levels 7 to 12 were regraded. The Minister of Finance allocated funds for revised salary packages to be implemented. The implementation will be evaluated to reduce disparities and ensure uniformity.
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Retention Strategy for Social Workers
The broader Retention Strategy for Social Workers has been drafted. The strategy will address the needs of social workers in the public and private sectors. It includes the following key components:
- increasing human resources by recruiting and retaining social workers
- promoting the education, training and development of social workers
- improving the quality of social-work services
- strengthening governance structures within the social-service professions
- promoting occupational safety standards within the workplace
- improving service conditions for social workers
- marketing and promoting social-work services and programmes.
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Capacity-Building Programme for Social-Service Professionals
About R105 million will allocated in 2008/09 to train about 3 000 social auxiliary workers and family social workers.
Repositioning the developmental social welfare sector
The Integrated Service Delivery Model for Developmental Social Services aims to implement comprehensive, efficient and quality service delivery that contributes to a self-reliant society.
The model acknowledges the interdependent relationship between the department’s main programmes, namely Social Security, Social Welfare and Community Development.
It determines the nature, scope, extent and level of work that constitutes service delivery by developmental social services. It also provides a basis for determining appropriate norms and standards for service delivery, which will, in turn, provide a basis for funding and greater efficiency in service delivery.
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Review of the policy for service-providers
The policy was being implemented in phases with effect from 1 April 2005. Procedure guidelines and an administrative tool have been developed and approved, and were being implemented on a trial basis with a view to full implementation in 2007.
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Funding of non-governmental organisations
The services rendered by NGOs as partners of the department in service delivery continue to receive support. The department continues to award funds to service-providers at national and provincial level, with 18 national bodies having been awarded funds.
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Statutory bodies
National Development Agency
The National Development Agency (NDA) is a government agency mandated by the NDA Act, 1998 (Act 108 of 1998) [PDF], to contribute towards eradicating poverty through funding, capacity-building, research and development. The NDA’s primary sources of income are an allocation from the National Revenue Fund and donor funding.
Transfers to the NDA increased from R103,3 million in 2003/04 to R123 million in 2006/07.
The NDA is mandated to:
- grant funds to civil-society organisations to meet the development needs of poor communities
- strengthen organisations’ institutional capacity for long-term sustainability
- promote consultation, dialogue and the sharing of developmental experiences
- inform and influence national developmental policies
- collaborate with stakeholders in the development field to develop strategies for eradicating poverty in South Africa.
The NDA plays a critical role in finalising a national anti-poverty strategy for South Africa. In 2006/07, the NDA approved funding of 95 projects, to the value of R110,97 million.
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Relief boards
The Fund-Raising Act, 1978 (Act 107 of 1978), provides for relief boards to offer social relief to people in distress as a result of disasters or their displacement from another country.
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Non-profit organisations (NPOs)
Civil society in South Africa is characterised by a variety of organisations of different sizes and shapes across the political, economic and social spectrum of society.
These range from FBOs and CBOs, charities (welfare), traditional organisations such as social and sports clubs, and a host of other development and social forms of organisations working tirelessly on weaving and maintaining the social fabric of society.
South Africa, like any democratic society, has an enabling legal environment for civil society that supports and encourages the formation of organisations.
This legal framework is rooted in the fundamental human-rights culture of the country’s Constitution.
The NPO Act, 1997 (Act 71 of 1997) [PDF], is perceived to be the entry point in the regulatory framework for organisations to derive benefits. It provides a registration facility for all pu blic NPOs that are not organs of the State.
The Directorate: NPOs was established in terms of this Act to increase public access to information on registered organisations. The legal mandate requires that the directorate registers organisations within two months of receipt of a complete application, and provides support for organisations to register and meet reporting requirements.
The registration and reporting of organisations has increased substantially since the inception of the Act in 1998.
By mid-2007, there were 44 062 registered organisations in different fields. The graph on p 503 indicates the number of organisations (expressed as a percentage of the total registered organisations) operating in the different fields. Social service (28%) is the leading sector, followed by development and housing (23%).
Education and research comprise 15%, followed by environment at 12%. A number of churches have chosen to register and thus increase the religion sector to 10,7%.
In supporting NPOs in their endeavour to register, the department continues conducting capacity-building interventions and other support initiatives in collaboration with the provincial departments, including other networking organisations and forums within civil society.
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Last modified: 23 July 2008 16:09:54. |
