Parliament, Thursday, 11 May 2017 – The Select Committee on Social Services is encouraged by the expressed commitment of the Department of Social Development to hire more social workers to assist with the many social challenges facing the country.
Despite continuing budget cuts, the department has pledged a substantial portion of its budget over the medium term to employ social-work graduates to ease the current pressure caused by insufficient human resources in the field.
The Committee has meanwhile encouraged the department to work with other government departments and labour to resolve details of rural allowance and the review of the Occupational Specific Dispensation issues that formed part of demands during the recent strikes by social workers.
The work done by the department in ensuring access to early childhood development (ECD) centres was highlighted as a positive by the Committee. “In the oversight work we have done we have witnessed firsthand impressive ECD centres across the country. Our main concern is that in some centres they did not receive their grants on time. This must be monitored,” said Ms Landulile Dlamini, the Chairperson of the Committee.
The adequate skilling of ECD practitioners was also raised as an important pillar necessary to achieve the objectives of these centres.
Furthermore, the Committee welcome the intention to operationalise substance abuse centres in Northern Cape, Free State, North West and Eastern Cape. The functioning of these centres will add impetus to the fight against increasing substance abuse in the country.
The Committee has urged the department to work with provincial departments to align their work in delivering transversal functions. The intergovernmental relations framework can be used as a framework to achieve intended targets. “The ultimately goal is the delivery of social service interventions that are beneficial to the indigent,” Ms Dlamini emphasised.
Regarding the social grant issue, the Committee has called for a proper project management process with set targets to be furnished to the Committee to enable Members to monitor implementation of the Constitutional Court order requirement for a new distributor within 12 months.
The Committee has raised concerns about the recent North Gauteng Court ruling in favour of Net 1 in relations to deductions from social grants. The Committee has informed the department to find ways to deal with the issue of deductions, as it considers the deductions as directly undermining the fight against poverty.
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SERVICES, MS LANDULILE DLAMINI.
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