Page 69 - Department of Social Development Annual Report 2021

PART B: PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
PERFORMANCE BY PROGRAMME

Services to Persons with Disabilities

Policy on Social Development services to persons with
disabilities

The Policy on Social Development Services to Persons The development of the guidelines is aimed at
with Disabilities is a sectoral policy aimed at the identifying services for the empowerment and support of
provision of social development services provided to children with disabilities and their families, enhance
persons with disabilities to improve the overall quality of capacity of the departmental officials on the provision of
their lives. The Policy focuses on the social development services to children with disabilities and their families,
services directives contained in the White Paper on the whilst enhancing access to services at community level.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (WPRPD). It
alsoadvises on the provision of disability specific The Department is in a process of consolidating the
intervention and support services to persons with inputs in order to analyse and integrate inputs from
disabilities. It was developed to respond to the tranversal children’s parents and care givers for the development of
White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities practical methodologies aimed at empowering and
(WPRPD)'s commitment to address socio-economic needs supporting children with disabilities and their families.
and the human rights of persons with disabilities. Once approved, the guidelines will assist with decision
making and improved access to services at community
The Policy identifies programmatic issues for translation level. The Guidelines will be completed in the next
into an Act that will ensure legal compliance in the financial year.
provision of services to persons with disabilities. The
envisaged legislation will enable the Department to Guidelines for partial care facilities, (hereby referred to
undertake several functions inclusive of addressing as day-care centres for children with disabilities), in
compounded marginalisation experienced by persons response to the Covid-19 pandemic
with disabilities amongst others.
The Department developed guidelines for day-care
In preparations for the submission of the Policy to centres for children with disabilities. This was developed
Cabinet, the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment report in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and as part of the
(SEIAS) was reviewed, updated, finalised and ready for solution to include day-care centres for children with
submission to Cabinet. The costing report on the Policy disabilities within the State of Disaster that was declared
was presented to the Welfare Services Forum in in March 2020. The guidelines also proposed services to
preparation for presentation to DSD management be provided during and post the pandemic, and they were
structures for approval to submit to Cabinet. The costing implemented by various stakeholders including the DSD
report covering the Policy and its implementation sector, Department of Education, Department of Health,
strategies defines a required and acceptable standard of NGOs and Disabled People`s Organisation.
services followed by a cost analysis of those required
services. The Policy identifies programmatic issues for Furthermore, the Department trained parents,
translation into an Act that will prescribe compulsory administrators and care givers in day-care centres on the
services that must be funded and implemented by the Standard Operating Procedure, planning and execution
State, after its approval. of the plan for the reopening of day-care centres. The
Department also provided guidance to day-care centres
The Policy was not submitted to Cabinet, as it must be that required support, and collection, collation and
edited to ensure its re-alignment to the WPRPD. The documentation of database of day-care centres. The
policy will be submitted to Cabinet in the next financial registration process and development of a programme
year. for the day-care centres will be in the new financial year.
The Department will continue updating of the database,
Guidelines on Respite Care Services to Families and working collaboratively with Department of Health and
Persons with disabilities Department of Basic Education as new day-care centres
are established.
The Department, in its quest to realise the rights of
children with disabilities through a series of legislation
and programmes, drafted the Respite Care Programme,
which is a set of services integrating roles and
responsibilities of different sectors to protect and
promote human rights of children with disabilities and
support for their families.

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21 69