The Department of Social Development will hold the Provincial inaugural Social Worker Awards on the 30 October 2009 at the Queenstown Indoor Sport Centre, Queenstown at 18h00.
The awards are for social workers who have excelled in their service to communities. The social work profession is a scarce skill that has developed over the years in South Africa since the establishment of the first school of social work called the Jan H Hofmeyr School of Social Work in 1941, in Johannesburg.
The school was established to train black social workers to prepare them for interventions in the growing townships. One of the first groups of social work students in the school were the likes of Mamu Ellen Khuzwayo, Mr Gibson Kente, Mr Joshua Nkomo and Mrs Winnie Madikizela. Not withstanding the sacrifices, many social workers remain largely ignored in society. Therefore the awards will look at:
* recognising high performance in order to maintain such efforts
* improving the quality of services rendered by these professionals
* recognising the contributions made by professionals who have passed on
* facilitating a dialogue amongst professionals to improve professionalism
* marketing the profession and the skills that this category possesses
* improving partnerships between the profession and the private sector
* encouraging and maintaining of ethical and professional standards
In the Eastern Cape one social worker is currently servicing on ratio of one social worker to 6 000 instead of the national norm of one social worker for 3000. This financial year, a special emphasis has been put on the recruitment of social workers so as to increase our capacity in providing care, protection and development to the poor and vulnerable groups that we serve.
The Department of Social Development is the main employer of social workers in this country and their services are considered crucial towards dealing effectively with various social problems ranging from substance abuse, HIV and AIDS, poverty and other related social conditions. The department in dealing with the high demand of social workers has employed 1 261 social workers and auxiliary social workers.
To attract young people to the profession, the provincial Department of Social Development in collaboration with the national department is providing financial assistance to young people who would like to be social workers. The social work students upon graduating get contracted to the department. Currently, the department is assisting 1 631 students from first to fourth year. The Department of Social Development is targeting unemployed youths with grade 12. The social work students are in four universities, Walter Sisulu University, Fort Hare, Rhodes and the Nelson Mandel Universities.
In 2007, 152 youths were placed upon completion of their studies and 132 in 2008 in all seven districts. The department is also targeting man, because 75 percent of social workers are currently woman. Over 200 fourth year social work students will be absorbed this financial year. The department is holding these prestigious awards for the second time since their launch last year. The department is also using various mechanisms to motivate social workers already in the field.
The Department is mindful also of the socio-economic challenges confronting the social development sector in light of the current global economic turmoil. Therefore, this period is an opportune moment for the profession to reassert itself not only as a caring profession, but as a development orientated and responsive profession at the forefront of human development.
In August this year, the department held a conference on social work ethics targeting 800 social workers. Recently, social workers at Cala pledged to practice in an acceptable and principled manner and adhere to the norms and standards of the social work profession.
For more information contact:
Gcobani Maswana
Cell: 082 821 7410
Enquiries:
Nomiky Tshangela
Cell: 082 411 5729 or 071 417 9159
Issued by: Department of Social Development, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
28 October 2009
Source: Department of Social Development, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
(http://www.socdev.ecprov.gov.za/)
