Page 173 - Department of Social Development Annual Report 2021

PART C: GOVERNANCE

DATE OF PURPOSE OF RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
THE MEETING THE MEETING
14 October Update on response • The PC appreciated the Department’s post-Covid-19 plans relating to food-security,
2020 to Covid-19 pandemic the proposed e-vouchers, integrated call-centres, the Social Relief of Distress (SRD)
Grant applications and payments.
issues; with Deputy
• Expressed concern on the feasibility of the R350 SRD grant and how DSD is going to
Minister
move forward assisting the ever-growing population of unemployed citizens.
• Clarity around the basic income grant.
• Requested DSD to could get the Fraud Unit Manager to take them through the
different fraud cases brought to light related to SASSA and SASSA cards.

21 October Employment of Social • The Department reported that the employment of social workers is an ongoing issue.
2020 Work graduates; The Cabinet resolution taken in 2018 affirmed that Social Workers need to be
Foster Care court appointed by all departments that require social workers, with a specific lead from
Departments such as Social Development, Basic Education, Health, Defense and
order progress and
Correctional Services.
application for
• The scholarship for social workers has been reduced and redirected as per the
extension of deadline agreement with National Treasury to redirect the funds to the absorption of social
workers in the provinces. The DSD has ensured that social workers are supported by
establishing the regulations that guide child and youth care workers to perform
groundwork which will allow social workers to focus on statutory aspects. The DSD
sector had absorbed 3 719 social work bursary holder graduates to date, which can
be tracked from the 2014/2015 financial year right to the 2019/2020 financial year.
• The filled number of posts amounted to 9 697, of which the Eastern Cape employed
2 447 social workers, which is the highest number followed by Gauteng and there
after followed by Kwazulu-Natal and lastly followed by Limpopo. Looking at the
provinces with the highest number of vacant posts Limpopo was the province with
the highest.
• The Department details the figure of unemployed scholarship graduates, this is in
reference to those scholars who received bursaries from the Department. The figure
of those graduates was 4 829. The province that awarded the highest number of
bursaries was the Eastern Cape.
• The total number of non-scholarship graduates is 4 044. The bulk of these graduates
were from Gauteng with a total number of 1 729. In the final year of study, which is
year four, the Department had 463 students who were on scholarship funding. The
total number of students who are on the scholarship programmed is 488. The
challenges that the provinces have encountered are as follows:
o That scholarship programmes are not aligned to the HR plans as well as
budget.
o Funding to employ social workers remains a challenge.
o That the tools of trade including vehicles remain a challenge.
o Covid-19 has placed pressure on a limited number of social workers in the
provinces.

• On the foster care court order progress, the Department stated that the progress
made is 30 161 cases and there is a balance of 4 448 cases which include
cumulative cases. The nature of the foster care court order is that new cases
emerge almost daily as new children enter the foster care system.
• The National Child Care Policy and Protection will also be made available to the
Committee as well as a list of persons and organisations that have benefited from
the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA) grant. The Department stated that the
progress made is 30 161 cases and there is a balance of 4 448 cases which include
cumulative cases.

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21 173