Programme Director, Dr Edmarie Pretorius,
Head of School of Human and Community Development: Professor Maria Marchetti-Mercer,
Head of the Department of Social Work, Professor Edwell Kaseke,
Acting Dean: Faculty of Humanities Professor Ruksana Osman,
National Coordinator of the South African Social Workers Veteran’s Forum, Dr Maria Mabetoa,
Head of Telkom Foundation, Ms Sarah Mthintso,
Member of the Professional Board for Social Work, Dr Marie Kruger,
Distinguished academics, guests and the proud parents of our students,
All social work students here present,
Good afternoon to you all.
Allow me to begin by acknowledging the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation since our arrival. For this I wish to thank the leadership of the Faculty of Humanities, in particular, the Department of Social Work for affording me this unique opportunity to share my thoughts with you.
It is indeed a privilege and a great honour to address you on this important annual occasion- the oath taking ceremony for the first-year social work students. I am certain that this is an occasion that all first year social work students will enjoy and cherish, as I enjoyed and still cherish my own oath taking some years ago. The oath-taking ceremony is an important moment in the life of any professional social worker.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As early as 2002, former Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya highlighted the need for Government to accelerate the recruitment, training and retention of properly trained professional social workers and other related professional in order to improve access and quality of social development services at grassroots level.
This call remains relevant today as it was eleven years ago, particularly in the context of the National Development Plan (Vision 2030). In his State of the Nation Address, President Jacob Zuma said that the National Development Plan “is a roadmap to a South Africa where all will have water, electricity, sanitation, jobs, housing, public transport, adequate nutrition, education, social protection, quality healthcare, recreation and a clean environment.”
As a result of Dr Skweyiya’s call, Government developed the Draft Scarce Skills Policy Framework in 2003, which amongst other professions, recognised social work as a scarce and critical skill, particularly in the provision of developmental services.
In order to retain and increase the number of social service professionals, amongst them social workers, the Department of Social Development developed the Recruitment and Retention Strategy for Social Workers, which came into place in 2006.
Since the inception of the Social Work Bursary Scheme in 2007, the department has awarded financial assistance to over 8 569 social work students. The budget allocation for the Social Work Scholarship Bursary has grown steadily throughout the years from R50 million in 2007 to R250 million in the current financial year. In the current financial year alone, we have awarded the bursary to more than 2 037 students. Of this number, about 60 are currently studying here at Wits University.
We took a deliberate decision to recruit the majority of our students from the deep rural areas of country. We experienced challenges with students from the urban areas who after completion of their studies did not want to relocate to rural areas where their services are much needed.
Government will continue to invest in this programme. However, I must emphasise that we will not continue to pay for students who do not take their studies seriously. We want committed students who understand and appreciate the fact that the money allocated for this programme comes directly from the public revenues and it must be accounted for.
I must also emphasise that this investment is not just about numbers, because I am deeply concerned about the quality of social workers that universities produce. Universities cannot continue to train social work students who are not fully prepared to respond to the realities outside the classroom.
As we try our best to dignify and restore the image of this noble profession, we definitely need the support from training institutions themselves. And this is the message I want to emphasise here today: the social work curriculum and training must respond to the demands in the field of practice.
Social Work graduates must be empowered with the necessary skills to help us to address serious challenges that confront our country today. These include the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, and the high levels of violence against women and children, substance abuse, and also addressing the needs of the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children, including child-headed households.
Programme Director,
Allow me a moment to turn my attention to the social work students whom this important ceremony is all about. During my early days as a social worker, the lecturers used to constantly remind our class that social work is a calling, and not a profession for the faint-hearted. This is a valuable lesson that I want to pass to you as future generation of leaders in this profession: social workers elevate service to others above self-interest.
Social Work is not an easy profession. It calls for self-discipline, hard work and above all, dedication. It does not carry the same profile as law or medicine, but it is a profession where humility, quality and indeed, excellence are pre-requisites.
By taking oath here today, you are dedicating yourselves to attaining a dream that goes far beyond today’s modern world’s obsession with money and status. By taking oath here today, you are continuing the profession‘s rich heritage of giving hope to the most vulnerable members of our society. And by taking the oath here today, you are committing yourselves to embarking on a lifetime mission of contributing to South Africa’s national development agenda. This is the kind of patriotism that we wish to cherish and cultivate in our youth.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I wish to emphasise one aspect of the social work profession that in my own view is essential if you are to say you are a complete professional: treat your clients, no matter their social standing, with respect and dignity. These are indivisible basic principles of social work 101.
I have been to many communities throughout the country and to my disappointment, the profession has lately been under a lot of criticism mainly because of the attitudes of social workers, the immense pressure they work under, shortage of professionals and their working conditions, just to name a few. The records from the Registrar ‘s Committee for Professional Conduct, which falls under the South African Council for Social Service Professionals (SACSSP), shows that from January to December 2012 there were 146 cases on professional conduct against social workers.
These cases range from poor service, allegations of relationship with clients, fraud, poor relations with colleagues, and unprofessional conduct amongst others. Given the serious nature of these cases, the importance of today’s ceremony cannot be over-emphasised. And this is one area where we need the co-operation of institutions of higher learning to review the way that social work training is provided, and devise means to accelerate the training of social workers to meet the increasing demand for services and realities on the ground.
The public expects high quality, responsive services delivered by well-trained and competent social workers and rightly so. Together with MECs responsible for Social Development, we have committed ourselves to revive the Batho Pele Principles by bringing forward a culture of excellence that promotes a person-centred approach.
The primary focus in bringing forward these corporate culture reforms will be on improving both the outcomes and experiences of those who use our services.
Social workers work with some of the most vulnerable people in our society promoting their rights and independence and working to improve and safeguard their social well-being. They are also at the forefront in protecting vulnerable children, young people, people with disabilities and older persons at risk of neglect, abuse or exploitation. As such, social workers play a very important role in our society and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Dear students,
Today you have chosen a career path that will provide tremendous opportunity for both personal and professional growth. And for that reason, I would like to make a humble plea to you all to take this oath very seriously.
You have taken an oath and a solemn declaration in front of your parents, peers and your lecturers to among others, honour the social work profession and to ‘’ always adhere to the ethical code of the profession, as contained in the Social Service Professions Act (Act 110 of 1978, as amended).
For this reason, I wish to congratulate and thank you all for making social work your profession of choice. You are joining this profession at an opportune moment because last year, we launched the South African Veteran Social Workers Forum with the view to tap into the expertise of retired social workers and engage them in mentoring newly qualified social workers.
The Forum will serve a support structure and a major opportunity for the newly qualified cadres of social work professionals to learn and benefit from the Veterans’ wealth of knowledge and experience.
Our main aim is to establish the Forum in all nine provinces. Dr Maria Mabetoa who possesses a wealth of knowledge in both the academic field and social work practice is the National Coordinator of the Forum.
Dr Mabetoa’s dedication and her continued contribution to the profession shows that South Africa has social workers of whom we can be proud, and who can show others, particularly young professionals who are joining the profession, of just how worthwhile a career in social work can be.
The Social work profession gives us a very unique and essential role in society – we exist as professionals for the good of society and we must at all times use our profession for this purpose. This is part of the oath you all took this afternoon and we must put this oath to heart and undertake it with all seriousness. Let me close this address with the following words, by none other than Oprah Winfrey, when she said, and I quote:
“I have come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you”.
I would like to once again, thank you for inviting us to this prestigious occasion. I thank all the academic and support staff, and the student social workers here present and wish you all a successful academic year.
Thank you.
