Page 13 - Department of Social Development Annual Report 2021

PART A: GENERAL INFORMATION

REPORT OF THE ACCOUNTING OFFICER

was implemented with observance of strict
health protocols and social distancing rules.
• The Department adopted a Risk Adjusted the Departmental services had to be delivered online to • The introduction and launch of the Vangasali
mitigate the spread of Covid-19. This resulted in a
Approach and established a Wellness, Health significant shift in the communication space with an Campaign for Early Childhood Development
and Safety Committee in line with the increase in South Africans receiving their news and centres, encouraging them to register. This
requirement of Department of Health (DoH) information online. The Chief Directorate: campaign was conducted in partnership with
and Department of Employment and Labour. the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
• The Department made provision of Personal Communication successfully provided efficient, strategic • Webinar on commemorating International
and developmental communication support function to
Protective Equipment (PPE), screening of the the Department. The Unit communicated departmental Children’s Day.
workforce and visitors to the office building, programmes, events and activities through internal, • Virtual launches of ECD centres in various
sanitisation of offices on a monthly basis, corporate communication, media relations, public provinces, in partnership with the National
observation of 1.5 meters social distancing, relations and content development knowledge and Lottery Commission Legacy Programme.
employment of three nurses to conduct expertise. • Youth Month Webinar on Gender-Based
screening, and creation of observation rooms Violence and Femicide.
for persons who exhibit symptoms of The Department had to find new ways of conducting • International Day Against Substance Abuse
Covid-19. and Illicit Drug Trafficking Webinar.
• Staff members who are 60 years and older, as engagements and communicating online with all its • Commemoration of International Day of
stakeholders. Several platforms including webinars,
well as those with comorbidities as defined by live-streaming on all DSD social media platforms (Twitter People with Disabilities and webinar on
the Department of Health, were allowed to Periscope, Facebook Live, YouTube Channel, and Insta- Disability Mainstreaming.
work remotely subject to necessary approvals. • Webinar on the Know Your NPO Status
• Constant update was given to all staff gram stories) were introduced. The communication Campaign.
through social media provided the Department with an
members about Covid-19 positive cases and always-on channel of communication with citizens and
tracing was handled by the nurses on site. The Department further developed a microsite
Overview of the operations of the department: allowed the communications (i.e., campaigns, notices and (https://dsdmemorial.org.za) to document all DSD sector
• Health advisory related to testing and self- advisories) to be targeted at the desired audience. This
quarantine as well as psychosocial support staff members who passed away due to the pandemic.
The Department of Social Development (DSD) plays a was provided to those impacted by Covid-19. further provided the public with direct and virtual access This serves as a memory repository of how the sector was
to the Department and its services and allowed the
critical role in providing social protection services. The Department to control the narrative of its information as affected by Covid-19.
social development sector delivers its services in an The following amendments were implemented to well as speedy correction of misinformation.
environment marked by high levels of poverty, unemploy- external operations, particularly the DSD managed
ment and inequality. The Department continues to lead facilities: Government has 11 annual campaigns while the Depart-
government efforts to forge partnerships through which • Closure of Early Childhood Development ment has 27 annual campaigns. These Campaigns aim to
vulnerable individuals, groups and communities can Centres (ECDs) and Partial Care Facilities. raise awareness on different programs of the Department.
become capable and self-reliant participants. During • Temporary suspension of NPO and Child These include among others, the Child Protection Week,
2020-2021, South Africa went into a nation-wide Protection Registration services. which aims to galvanise South Africa into making sure
lockdown from 26 March 2020, which was extended • Suspending of visits and restriction of that the rights of children are protected and the Older
through a risk-adjusted approach ranging from Alert movement of people and prohibitions to Persons Active Ageing Campaign, that shines the light on
Level 5 to Alert Level 1. The nation-wide lockdown access DSD managed institutions and centres. older persons, their rights and encourages them to live an
impacted economic activities in the country and resulted • Suspending of activities for all cooperatives active life.
in loss of jobs and income for millions of South Africans. under incubation.
This compounded the persistent challenges of poverty, • Suspending of the gathering, sitting and The Department utilised live social media coverage for
inequality and other social ills. eating at all Community Nutrition and the various events, where content was distributed on the
Distribution Centres (CNDCs) during the four main platforms being Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
The nation-wide lockdown impacted negatively on the lockdown period. and YouTube (for live streams). Other significant commu-
service delivery environment and meant that the Depart- • Suspending of intercountry adoptions during nication events included numerous Departmental facility
ment had to review some of its operations during the the state of national disaster. compliance and oversight visits, Minister's report back to
2020/21 financial year. Some of the departmental • Suspending of all non-essential travelling. Parliament and Portfolio Committees, webinars on
services which would ordinarily be delivered physically various programmes of the Department and other virtual
had to be suspended in line with the various lockdown These measures were implemented to curb the spread of events and community mobilization activities.
Alert Levels until alternative means were in place to the Coronavirus. Furthermore, the Department developed Key among these events were the following:
ensure compliance to the Covid-19 regulations. guidelines, standard operating procedures, procedure
manuals, reporting templates and other guiding
documents to ensure that all its facilities continue
The following amendments were implemented to the
Department’s internal operations: providing services while observing health protocols and
• The Department developed and implemented a adhering to Covid-19 regulations according to various
Covid-19 framework to ensure that service alert levels.
delivery is not compromised. A Rotation Plan
approach was initiated for at least 30% - 50%
workforce distribution to render services in The outbreak of Covid-19 and the pronouncement of
line with the mandate of the Department. A nationwide lockdown in March 2020 meant that some of
hybrid model of physical and remote working

13 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21