Budget Vote Speech by Dr Jean Swanson-Jacobs, Deputy Minister of Social Development, to the National Council of Provinces, Cape Town, 3 June 2008
Chairperson
Honourable Members
Honourable Minister of Social Development
Members of the Provincial Executive Council
Distinguished Guests
Members of the community present here today
Ladies and Gentlemen
Fellow South Africans
Honourable Chairperson, let me acknowledge the presence of 20 learners from 10 local schools in our midst today. Their presence here is a reminder of the heroic actions and sacrifices of the youth of 1976 who propelled our country into freedom. While traditionally we use this month to pay tribute to the youth of 1976, we are also reminded of the challenges that confront young people today such as unemployment, HIV and AIDS and access to economic opportunities.
We still have too many youth who struggle to get access to educational opportunities to improve their lives. Honourable members, I need not remind you that posterity will judge us harshly if we fail to break down the socio-economic barriers that prevent young people from reaping the benefits of the democratic South Africa.
In 2004 I stood in this House and delivered my first speech as Deputy Minister of Social Development. In the four years that I have been involved in this portfolio, I have seen the remarkable contribution that we have collectively made in advancing the social development agenda. Today I present my last budget vote speech in my capacity as Deputy Minister of Social Development for the current term of government.
I trust in the future we shall see vast improvement in the conditions of work of social service professionals, so that we shall be able to recruit and retain them. I further trust that through our social developmental services we shall be able to lift our people out of extreme poverty and enable them to live economically sustainable lives, free from crime, violence and social degradation.
Over the past years, we have been hard at work, mindful of our constitutional obligation and the social contract we made with our people through the Freedom Charter. It is therefore fitting Ladies and gentlemen, that Budget Vote 16 not only serve as a yardstick to measure our performance, but also to consolidate the successes and lay building blocks for the future.
As we take the last stretch for the current term of office, the major achievement of the department is the provision of social security grants to over 12 million vulnerable people. Social security has, and still remains an effective government strategy of poverty reduction. It represents the first foothold on the development ladder out of poverty for many people.
With the establishment of SASSA this space has been created to attain to raising the quality of services and we are hard at doing justice.
Social Work Services, Human and Infrastructure Development
The provision of developmental services is informed by the Integrated Service Delivery Model, which is premised on sustainable development approach. The model further recognizes the capacity of individuals, families and communities to interact creatively with the environment and utilize available resources to address their socio-economic needs.
The acute shortage of social service professionals remains our biggest challenges to meet the increasing demand for developmental social services. Hence the implementation of the Recruitment and Retention for Social Workers, part of which is to improve the quality of social work services and the working conditions. To this effect, a draft report on the assessment of physical infrastructure is available and will be used to develop a detailed infrastructure plan.
We will finalise the norms and standards for social welfare services as well as the Draft Supervision Framework for Social Work Services. In addition we will implement the Occupation Specific Dispensation as part of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council resolution. In the previous financial year, I indicated that provinces will train and employ Social Auxiliary Workers as part of skills development and empowerment programmes to enhance the capacity of social workers. I am happy to announce that provinces have recorded significant progress in this regard:
- Limpopo (50 currently undergoing training)
- Northern Cape (98 trained and currently employed by both government and the NGO sector)
- Eastern Cape (300 currently appointed)
- KwaZulu- Natal (258 jut completed their training and will be placed in the current financial year)
We will continue working closely with the Council for Social Service Professions to finalise the regulations for recognition and registration of Child and Youth Care Workers to bolster human capital for social services.
The backbone of our interventions in mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS epidemic is Home Community Based Care programme. To ensure the provision of quality services, we have finalized and trained provincial officials on norms and standards for Home Community Based Care. The provinces will roll out the training in their respective provinces.
In partnership with the Department of Health and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency we are implementing a monitoring and evaluation system for Home Community Based Care. The first phase of the system is currently being implemented in KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces and will be followed by the second phase and roll out to other provinces
Last year alone, 1 579 organizations and 617 drop-in centres were funded by the provincial departments. The numbers will be increased this year to ensure continued provision of essential services. As part of the capacity building programme, 135 organisations and 17 084 community caregivers were trained. A total of 41 757 caregivers are receiving stipends community caregivers. In our endeavour to build AIDS competent communities, we aim to train 500 groundbreakers through the love Life programme. After completion of training the groundbreakers are deployed as ambassadors in their respective communities to reach out to other young people. We have been allocating funds to Love Life to implement this programme and this year alone the allocation of R41 million.
Honourable members, this year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Victim Empowerment Programme. Yet the level and nature of violence that continue to be perpetrated against women and children in this country is unacceptable.
The victims of violent crimes and abuse need appropriate services and support to restore their normal functioning. To this effect, we have commenced with the review of the Shelter Strategy to align it with the Victims Charter. In addition we will finalise guidelines on services related to human trafficking and domestic violence. The programme focuses on promoting a victim centered-approach to crime prevention and is based on a partnership between national, provincial and local government departments and civil society.
In collaboration with the European Union, we will be hosting a VEP Stakeholders Consultative Summit on 18-19 June 2008. The purpose is to strengthen partnership between government and civil society sector in the provision of services. To date 26 NGOs were assessed for possible funding through the Criminal Assets Recovery Account Funds. Of this number, 19 NGOs were funded in the 2007/8 financial year and funds will be transferred to 4 other NGOs this year.
Social Cohesion and Promotion of healthy lifestyles
Ladies and gentlemen, substance abuse has reached epidemic proportions in our country. The increase and the abuse of methamphetamine (tik) (Nyaope) in the Western Cape. The number of reported cases of foetal alcohol syndrome in the Northern Cape further bears testimony to this phenomenon. Traditionally, Western Cape is known as the province with the worst record related to drug abuse, but emerging evidence suggest that this is a national problem. We launched the Ke Koja Hip Hop Campaign in Franchoek with 25 Ke moja champions to assist in the implementation of the Ke moja Campaign.
All provinces are directed by the National Drug Master Plan to develop provincial mini master drug plans to implement prevention, early intervention and treatment in a coordinated manner. To facilitate this, the budget of the CDA which has a responsibility to oversee the implementation of the National Drug Master Plan has been increased substantially to R13 million at a rate of 57.2% since 2004.
It is encouraging to note that provinces have launched substance abuse forums and municipalities are establishing local drug action committees in which officials and members of the community will formulate local plans of action to combat substance abuse in their areas. I am reliably informed that the Western Cape provincial department has already established 29 Local Drug Action Committees
Partnerships between government, civil society, business and vigilant community members can prevent the substance abuse phenomenon from becoming a national crisis. 150 members of the provincial drug forums will be trained on substance abuse interventions in this financial year. I therefore encourage provinces to intensify the fight against drug abuse through innovative programmes utilizing sport, arts and culture. I also call on Honourable members in this House to participate in the process to ensure the finalization of the Prevention of and Treatment of Substance Bill in this financial year. This Bill is meant to extend our interventions to empower communities to take control as well as strengthening our treatment interventions.
Chairperson, the Department is tasked with the implementation of the Probation Services Act 116 of 1991, as amended, and has obligations at national and provincial level to provide early intervention services, prevention programmes and services to offenders and victims of crime. To enable us to perform this function, the social crime prevention has been allocated R7 million, a significant increase of 132.6 % since 2004.
In collaboration with Umsombomvu Youth Fund we are implementing Voluntary Assistant Probation Officers Programme as part of the National Youth Service Programme for youth in conflict with the law. To date 180 young people from seven provinces have completed block three training and the Social Crime Prevention allocation has been increased to R7 million to implement the social crime prevention strategy. It is recorded that an Information Management System for secure care facilities has been developed and rolled out in 7 province
Twenty five coordinators were trained on minimum norms on diversion and 164 Probation Practitioners and secure care officials trained in customer care excellence. This House should note that the National and Provincial Probation Service Coordinators Forum meet on a regular basis to deal with service delivery issues pertaining to children awaiting trial, especially their removal from correctional facilities.
It is encouraging to see that provinces have increased the number of diversion programmes to ensure that children are diverted from the criminal justice system. One such is the Mangaung One Stop Youth Justice centre in Motheo District in the Free State province. We want to see more of these programmes flourishing in all provinces.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Children’s Amendment Act No. 41 of 2007 recognises and makes provision for child-headed households. This significant legislative development makes child-headed households an officially recognized category of vulnerable children. Provincial departments can now extend integrated services to such households. I commend the initiative taken by the KwaZulu-Natal government of providing houses and other basic services to child headed households and hope we will see more of such initiatives from provincial departments. This will ensure that the children remain in their families and communities of origin where they grow up with a cultural identity and a sense of belonging.
In pursuit of our goal to build a caring society, the Department in partnership with the German Development Bank, has completed a study on child headed households. The findings will be used to strengthen community based organisations that provide services to child headed households. We will start implementing this programme in three provinces and roll it out nationally in the next financial year.
During the National Child Protection Week, we hosted a national conference to determine the country’s readiness to implement the new pieces of legislation. We are encouraged by the outcomes of the conference and commitment of the sector to implement the Act. For this purpose we have allocated R22 million which include the training of 20 000 personnel from government and civil society.
Honourable Chairperson, building a caring society requires that we put the very institution that forms the core of society - the family, at the heart of our interventions. For many of us the family has been, and remains, a source of empowerment. The North West has allocated R7, 217 million towards the provision of care and support services to families. We will finalise the guidelines and strategy for Moral Regeneration this year to strengthen services to families.
Honourable Members, the social development agenda to tackle poverty, HIV and AIDS and unemployment is broad and bold, and the course of action is clear. However the realisation of the plan is dependent on our collective effort. I therefore appeal to all South Africans who are dedicated to building sustainable communities: social workers, community development workers, community caregivers, community based organisations, faith based organisations, donors and the business sector to tackle the challenges head on.
Let me borrow from the words of the former Special Advisor to the former UN Secretary General, Jeffrey Sachs in his book, The End of Poverty: “The time to end poverty has arrived, although hard work lies ahead. We have committed to halving poverty by 2015. Let us commit to ending extreme poverty by 2025”.
Honourable Members, we have made significant progress in implementing programmes that address the basic needs of the majority of our people. However, this should not induce in us a feeling of complacency. We acknowledge and thank our many partners, and in particular the NGOs, CBOs and FBOs that form a crucial link in the chain of service delivery as implementing agents.
I thank you
ISSUED BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
PRETORIA
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