Social Development to reposition the social service practitioners’ profession in Boksburg, Gauteng
The Department of Social Development will lead a session from 14 to 16 October 2026 at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Gauteng, aimed at repositioning the social service practitioners’ profession and advancing the role of the social service workforce in fulfilling the Department’s mandate.
The social service workforce plays a central role in advancing the government’s social development mandate and realising the Department’s vision of building a caring and self-reliant society. In this regard, the Department is committed to strengthening the capacity, competence and professional compliance of social service practitioners to ensure the delivery of quality services to individuals, families and communities.
The session seeks to reposition social service practitioners for professional excellence, regulatory compliance and the delivery of quality, integrated social development services. It will also focus on strengthening professional governance, compliance, support, training, learning and development.
Participants will include national programme managers, supervisors, stakeholders and departmental officials, including social workers, child and youth care workers, community development practitioners, supervisors and managers.
The session is expected to achieve the following outcomes:
Agreed governance frameworks for professional compliance, professional support, training, learning and development.
Identification of provincial implementation priorities for the 2027/28 reporting cycle.
Improved alignment between regulatory requirements and departmental practice.
A coordinated approach to strengthening the professional development of social service practitioners, supported by a shared vision of positioning social service practice at the centre of implementing developmental strategies.
A shared strategic understanding of the mandate of the Directorate: Occupation-Specific Learning and Development for Social Service Professionals, within the Department of Social Development’s approved organisational structure.
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the session, scheduled as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 14 October to Friday, 16 October 2026
Time: 09:00 daily
Venue: Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg, Gauteng Province
Media can RSVP by contacting Ms Nomfundo Xulu-Lentsoane on 0664806845
Media enquiries
Ms Sandy Godlwana, Head of Communication
Cell: 0826785634
Email: SandyG@dsd.gov.za
