Page 39 - Department of Social Development Annual Report 2021

PART B: PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

PERFORMANCE BY PROGRAMME

Human Capital Management Financial Management and Administration

The Department developed the Sector Human Resources The Department continued its efforts of developing,
Plan (SHRP) to shape the future workforce demand and reviewing and implementing effective financial
supply requirements needed to develop the workforce management and administration policies. Through the
required for the sector, ensuring that it is appropriately Finance Branch, the Department made significant
skilled, distributed, enabled, retained and utilized to progress in the reviewing, updating and approval of
achieve sector programmes and outcomes. The Sector financial management and administration policies with
Human Resources Plan was approved for implementation. relevant Instruction Notes and Circulars from National
The Plan will, amongst others, do the following: Treasury to ensure that irregular, fruitless and wasteful
expenditure are reduced and prevented. The Bid
• Enable DSD to guide and meet the human Committees (Bid Specification, Evaluation and
resource (HR) needs of the sector; Adjudication) continued to perform efficiently and
• Ensure appropriate and adequate resourcing effectively within the Department with regards to tenders
of social development services to enable above the value of R500 000. Internal Control
government to fulfil its constitutional coordinated the external audits effectively.
mandate of social protection;
• Ensure that DSD provides the capacity, Entity Oversight
capability, resources and create an enabling
environment to deliver on its mandate; During the reporting period, the Department developed
• Articulate DSD’s workforce needs at both an Entity Governance and Oversight Framework. The
national and provincial level; Framework gives guidance on how the Department
• Provide evidence-based research for effective should perform its governance and oversight function on
social services workforce and resource its public entities. The Framework was presented to the
allocation to meet the needs of the sector; Oversight Forums, Audit Committee and Management
• To shape the future workforce demand and Committee (MANCO) and was approved for
supply requirements needed to develop the implementation.
workforce required for the sector; and
• Ensure that social service professionals and The other major achievement was the strengthening of
practitioners are appropriately skilled, the interface between the Department and the Public
distributed, enabled, retained and utilized to Entities. This was achieved through the establishment of
achieve sector programs and outcomes of the quarterly Oversight Forum between the Public Entities
sector.
and the Department.
The aim of the Forum is to discuss governance and
Furthermore, the Department developed the Integrated oversight issues in relation to Public Entities. Through
Service Delivery Model (ISDM) which seeks address the this Forum, the Department convened a number of
following; meetings with NDA, SASSA, South African Council Social
• Elimination of silos and encouraging Services Professionals (SACSSP) and Central Drug
teamwork. Authority (CDA) to discuss quarterly performance reports,
• Elimination of duplications. including achievements, challenges, and other
• A portfolio approach to service delivery. governance issues. The Forum further held a meeting
• A developmental approach to social with CDA, as part of handing over from the old board to
development. the incoming board.
• A life cycle approach.
The Forum also coordinated a Joint Executive Committee
The Service Delivery Model was consulted within the (EXCO) to conduct oversight on the SASSA and South
Department for validation and verification of the content African Post Office (SAPO) and the Service Level
before approval.
Agreement (SLA) between the two entities. The Joint
EXCO assisted in improving and resolving some of the
challenges that were experienced by SASSA and SAPO in
relation to paying of grants.

39 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21

The Department, through this unit has the responsibility • Preliminary work towards an impact
to clear all correspondence from the Public Entities and evaluation of Children’s Act, 2005 (Act, No. 38
to be the liaison between the Entities and the of 2005),
Department and make recommendations on such • Synthesis Evaluation of Social Sector’s
communication. The unit developed a clear credential response to Food Relief Mechanisms during
form that assists in tracking of all the recommendations Covid-19, and
to the Director-General and the Minister. • Implementation evaluation of capacity
building on the Children’s Act, 2005 (Act, No.
Monitoring and Evaluation 38 of 2005) and Implementation evaluation of
Social Sector Infrastructure Programme.
The Department is in a process of developing an
electronic Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system for These studies are at various stages and have been
the Social Development Sector. The project will assist the presented in various forums. The evaluation processes
Department to improve its data collection, quality of data were aligned to the National Evaluation Policy
collected, reporting and risk management. To this end, an Framework (NEPF) and thus ensured that evidence from
inception report was produced and presented to the evaluations is used to inform decision making by
Steering Committee. managers and improve programme planning and
performance.
During the 2020/21 financial year, the Department
conducted various evaluations of priority interventions. Furthermore, digital transformation is a priority for the
These include amongst others; sector and the Real Time Monitoring Tool was developed
• The implementation and utilisation of the and tested in Mpumalanga in partnership with the
R350 Covid-19 SRD Grant, integrated justice system.
• Key Monitoring Indicators Measuring the
Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown on Child The Department finalised a report on sharing social
Wellbeing in South Africa, protection administrative data across government which
• Rapid assessment of Covid-19 Effects on 2020 demonstrated the academic performance of 2020 Grade
Grade 12 Learners receiving social protection 12 learners receiving social protection interventions. The
interventions, report was disseminated to key stakeholders.