Date: 28/11/2005
Source: Department of Social Development
Title: Benjamin: Launch of the Integrated Service Delivery Model
Speech by Dr Jean Benjamin, Deputy Minister of Social Development: Launch of the Integrated Service Delivery Model, Cape Town International Convention Centre
Programme Director,
MECs for Social Development from different provinces
Director General of the National Department of Social Development,
Heads of Provincial Departments
Members of the Media
NGOs, CBOs, FBOs
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
It is indeed an esteemed honour and pleasure to deliver a keynote address at this auspicious gathering. It is of course also inspiring to see the large number of service providers in attendance. I bring you greetings from Dr Zola Skweyiya, the Minister of Social Development, who cannot be with us today.
Whilst this event brings various social service providers together, it also marks an important milestone in the history of our country and specifically that of the Department of Social Development.
The vision of our department is "A caring and integrated system of social development services that facilitates human development and improves quality of life."
In realising this vision, our department has made significant strides in improving access to social grants for older persons, children and people with disabilities, who qualify. Good progress has been made in establishing the South African Social Security Agency and addressing fraud in our social grant system.
Social work has been recognised as a scarce skill in this country and salaries have been regarded as part of the broader retention strategy for social workers. A capacity building programme was successfully implemented. This enabled us to reach 1800 social service professionals.
We have developed a Policy on Financial Awards for our partners in service delivery. We are currently finalising two Bills, one for Children and the other for older persons.
In spite of all these achievements, we also acknowledge some challenges facing the department and the sector. It is common knowledge that over the last ten years, the department has focused mainly on social security. This is understandable given the high levels of poverty and deprivation amongst the people of this country. Research has shown that social grants have a huge impact in addressing poverty and underdevelopment in the country.
Having said that, it is also true that because of the focus on social security, attention to other services have been inadequate to date. The crowding out effect of the social security budget has led to significant pressure on social services provided by both government and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector. The budget for social services has therefore not kept pace with the demand for services. It has not been adequate to address the social conditions that are causes and consequences of poverty and vulnerability. This state of affairs has placed severe limitations on human, financial and physical resources in this sector. The provision of these resources calls for involvement of all spheres of government.
The model highlights the role of government as well as that of organs of civil society, including private organisations; community based organisations parastatals, etc. In this regard, it is critical to mention that the model calls for radical transformation to the way things are currently done. It should however be read with other policies such as the policy on Financial Wards to service providers, which provides for the management of the relationship between government and the NGO sector, the indicators for the transformation of the sector and more importantly, clearly defies the role of NGOs against that of government. The costing models that are attached to the policy enabled government to arrive at a more realistic costing of services by the NGO sector.
Our society attaches great importance to the fight against the manifestations and causes of poverty and under – development. This underlines the critical roles that have to be played by all cadres of social development professionals – namely social workers, auxiliary social workers, child and youth care workers, probation officers and community development practitioners.
Ladies and gentlemen, historically there was a welfarist approach to service delivery. With the change in the political environment in 1994, there was a concomitant and radical redirection of the legal and policy framework to deal with the existing and growing risks and challenges such as crime, HIV and AIDS, poverty and unemployment.
In support of the political transformation, the White Paper on Social Welfare introduced the developmental approach for the delivery of social services, which emphasise the multi-dimensional and integrated nature of service delivery, as well as the achievement of socio-economic justice. In 2001, the Minister for Social Development changed the name of the Department to Social Development to signify the shift from welfare to development. However, there has been much debate about what constitutes developmental social services or social development. The new paradigm, which aims at collective empowerment and facilitation of processes that are aimed at enabling the poor and vulnerable to gain control over their lives, has neither been clearly understood nor has it informed service delivery.
* All the above factors manifested themselves in adoption of practices that are deficient and do not adequately meet the needs and aspirations of the poor and vulnerable sectors of our country.
* The lack of transformation of services.
* The poor quality of services that did not contribute to our social capital and the social and economic integration of the marginalized sectors of our communities into the mainstream of socio-economic development.
Although social security remains a function of the department, the establishment of the agency, an opportunity presented itself for the true transformation of the sector in line with the developmental approach. The Service Delivery Model for Social Services, seeks to redefine what social services should entail if it is to be effective in responding to the needs of the target population of the department.
The Service Delivery Model seeks to provide clarity on the nature, scope and level of services in the developmental social services sector, excluding social security. It also gives an indication of the resource requirements for effective implementation. As such, it provides a basis for setting appropriate general norms and standards for service delivery, which in turn will provide a realistic sense of the cost of such services.
The desired outcome of the Service Delivery Model is the implementation of a comprehensive, efficient, effective and qualitative service delivery system that will contribute to a self-reliant society. It is premised on the sustainable development approach, which is strength-based approach that recognises the capacity of individuals, families and communities to interact creatively with the environment and utilise available resources to address their socio-economic needs.
The Service Delivery Model also recognises all the programmes of the department, namely social security, social welfare services and community development. This represents a value chain that could, if underpinned by the developmental approach, be effective in addressing the multidimensional needs of communities through a continuum of services. This model therefore, provides a framework for the integration of departmental services so that beneficiaries can derive maximum value.
The reconstruction of our country requires the involvement of various other role players responsible for the delivery of social welfare services and developmental programmes. This therefore calls for the involvement of all spheres of government in the provision of services.
The Service Delivery Model represents a proactive response to grapple with the main issues of how to reposition ourselves without the dominance of Social Security and also attempts to answer the question: “what do social service practitioners keep themselves busy with everyday.” This has also revealed that we have an inadequate number of social service practitioners.
The Service Delivery Model serves to focus attention on several challenges of which I will highlight two
The model has enabled the department, together with stakeholders; develop some generic norms and standards. This will increase the operational efficiency and serve as a basis for the measurement of the effectiveness of services. Much is still needed in this regard.
The second challenge involves both the rate of intake and the appropriateness of education and training of social service professionals in social development theory and practice and the integration thereof in practice. The President, in his state of the Nation Address, questioned whether the country has the appropriate cadre of personnel to deliver on its mandate towards a better life for all. This applies not only to the quality of that training, but also the numbers of students that qualify in a specific area. This in itself is critical, as we do not to produce the number of social workers needed by the country. The Minister of education has already been alerted of the need to ensure that Social Work enjoys the same status as other scarce skills such as information technology (IT) and engineering.
This need was echoed at a national conference held jointly by the Council for Social Service Professions and the department, in October 2004. The conference declaration called explicitly for greater conceptual clarity about the new approach and for the inculcation of appropriate knowledge, skills and values in social services professions from a developmental perspective. In other words, this was a call for due recognition to be given to the fact that many professionals in the field had not been trained in the developmental approach.
It is imperative that higher education institutions, offering training to social services professionals, align education with the social development approach that has been adopted in our country. In line with international thinking, the South African Qualification Association (SAQA) standards for social work education state that social work education should equip students with the knowledge, skills, values and critical reflective practice to address poverty, inequality and social exclusion. It is encouraging to note that the Standards Generating Body for Social Work sets this as a specific exit level outcome.
The appropriate education and training of social service professionals in social development theory and practice cannot be over-emphasised and the lack thereof will negatively impact the effective and efficient delivery of services.
This calls for a strong partnership amongst social service professionals, specifically our academics, in ensuring that this country is suitably resourced in the further orientation and capacitation of social service professionals. Let us recognise the strengths of the individual, group or community and its capacity for growth and development.
The recent launch of Professor Leila Patel’s book titled" Social Welfare and Social Development in South Africa will certainly be a valuable resource in the further orientation and training of social service professionals. The book will also be of value to academics and students as there are very few contemporary South African textbooks that sufficiently inform social service education in our second decade of democracy. An appropriate balance must be struck between national, continental and global perspectives.
This Service Delivery Model depicts our relentless efforts to improve service delivery to the poorest of the poor and all the other vulnerable groups in our society.
In launching this Service Delivery Model, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the various stakeholders and funders gathered here today. The department is appreciative of the partnerships that endured, despite the many challenges throughout the years.
These partnerships facilitated the delivery of services to the poorest and most needy sectors of our country.
Allow me programme director, while acknowledging the sector's significant contribution to the development of the Service Delivery Model, to also express the department's sincere appreciation for the efforts of the departmental Transformation Task Team, which was at the forefront of the process of developing this model. I know they will continue, together with the sector, to bring about continuous improvements to the model.
We hope the Service Delivery Model will turn the tide and ensure the enhancement of closer working relationships between all those who are striving for social justice and who are working together to achieve the common goal of “a better life for all”.
I thank you.
Enquiries
Lakela Kaunda
Tel: (012) 312 7653
Cell: 082 782 2575
Issued by: Department of Social Development
28 November 2005
Source: Department of Social Development
Title: Benjamin: Launch of the Integrated Service Delivery Model
Speech by Dr Jean Benjamin, Deputy Minister of Social Development: Launch of the Integrated Service Delivery Model, Cape Town International Convention Centre
Programme Director,
MECs for Social Development from different provinces
Director General of the National Department of Social Development,
Heads of Provincial Departments
Members of the Media
NGOs, CBOs, FBOs
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
It is indeed an esteemed honour and pleasure to deliver a keynote address at this auspicious gathering. It is of course also inspiring to see the large number of service providers in attendance. I bring you greetings from Dr Zola Skweyiya, the Minister of Social Development, who cannot be with us today.
Whilst this event brings various social service providers together, it also marks an important milestone in the history of our country and specifically that of the Department of Social Development.
The vision of our department is "A caring and integrated system of social development services that facilitates human development and improves quality of life."
In realising this vision, our department has made significant strides in improving access to social grants for older persons, children and people with disabilities, who qualify. Good progress has been made in establishing the South African Social Security Agency and addressing fraud in our social grant system.
Social work has been recognised as a scarce skill in this country and salaries have been regarded as part of the broader retention strategy for social workers. A capacity building programme was successfully implemented. This enabled us to reach 1800 social service professionals.
We have developed a Policy on Financial Awards for our partners in service delivery. We are currently finalising two Bills, one for Children and the other for older persons.
In spite of all these achievements, we also acknowledge some challenges facing the department and the sector. It is common knowledge that over the last ten years, the department has focused mainly on social security. This is understandable given the high levels of poverty and deprivation amongst the people of this country. Research has shown that social grants have a huge impact in addressing poverty and underdevelopment in the country.
Having said that, it is also true that because of the focus on social security, attention to other services have been inadequate to date. The crowding out effect of the social security budget has led to significant pressure on social services provided by both government and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector. The budget for social services has therefore not kept pace with the demand for services. It has not been adequate to address the social conditions that are causes and consequences of poverty and vulnerability. This state of affairs has placed severe limitations on human, financial and physical resources in this sector. The provision of these resources calls for involvement of all spheres of government.
The model highlights the role of government as well as that of organs of civil society, including private organisations; community based organisations parastatals, etc. In this regard, it is critical to mention that the model calls for radical transformation to the way things are currently done. It should however be read with other policies such as the policy on Financial Wards to service providers, which provides for the management of the relationship between government and the NGO sector, the indicators for the transformation of the sector and more importantly, clearly defies the role of NGOs against that of government. The costing models that are attached to the policy enabled government to arrive at a more realistic costing of services by the NGO sector.
Our society attaches great importance to the fight against the manifestations and causes of poverty and under – development. This underlines the critical roles that have to be played by all cadres of social development professionals – namely social workers, auxiliary social workers, child and youth care workers, probation officers and community development practitioners.
Ladies and gentlemen, historically there was a welfarist approach to service delivery. With the change in the political environment in 1994, there was a concomitant and radical redirection of the legal and policy framework to deal with the existing and growing risks and challenges such as crime, HIV and AIDS, poverty and unemployment.
In support of the political transformation, the White Paper on Social Welfare introduced the developmental approach for the delivery of social services, which emphasise the multi-dimensional and integrated nature of service delivery, as well as the achievement of socio-economic justice. In 2001, the Minister for Social Development changed the name of the Department to Social Development to signify the shift from welfare to development. However, there has been much debate about what constitutes developmental social services or social development. The new paradigm, which aims at collective empowerment and facilitation of processes that are aimed at enabling the poor and vulnerable to gain control over their lives, has neither been clearly understood nor has it informed service delivery.
* All the above factors manifested themselves in adoption of practices that are deficient and do not adequately meet the needs and aspirations of the poor and vulnerable sectors of our country.
* The lack of transformation of services.
* The poor quality of services that did not contribute to our social capital and the social and economic integration of the marginalized sectors of our communities into the mainstream of socio-economic development.
Although social security remains a function of the department, the establishment of the agency, an opportunity presented itself for the true transformation of the sector in line with the developmental approach. The Service Delivery Model for Social Services, seeks to redefine what social services should entail if it is to be effective in responding to the needs of the target population of the department.
The Service Delivery Model seeks to provide clarity on the nature, scope and level of services in the developmental social services sector, excluding social security. It also gives an indication of the resource requirements for effective implementation. As such, it provides a basis for setting appropriate general norms and standards for service delivery, which in turn will provide a realistic sense of the cost of such services.
The desired outcome of the Service Delivery Model is the implementation of a comprehensive, efficient, effective and qualitative service delivery system that will contribute to a self-reliant society. It is premised on the sustainable development approach, which is strength-based approach that recognises the capacity of individuals, families and communities to interact creatively with the environment and utilise available resources to address their socio-economic needs.
The Service Delivery Model also recognises all the programmes of the department, namely social security, social welfare services and community development. This represents a value chain that could, if underpinned by the developmental approach, be effective in addressing the multidimensional needs of communities through a continuum of services. This model therefore, provides a framework for the integration of departmental services so that beneficiaries can derive maximum value.
The reconstruction of our country requires the involvement of various other role players responsible for the delivery of social welfare services and developmental programmes. This therefore calls for the involvement of all spheres of government in the provision of services.
The Service Delivery Model represents a proactive response to grapple with the main issues of how to reposition ourselves without the dominance of Social Security and also attempts to answer the question: “what do social service practitioners keep themselves busy with everyday.” This has also revealed that we have an inadequate number of social service practitioners.
The Service Delivery Model serves to focus attention on several challenges of which I will highlight two
The model has enabled the department, together with stakeholders; develop some generic norms and standards. This will increase the operational efficiency and serve as a basis for the measurement of the effectiveness of services. Much is still needed in this regard.
The second challenge involves both the rate of intake and the appropriateness of education and training of social service professionals in social development theory and practice and the integration thereof in practice. The President, in his state of the Nation Address, questioned whether the country has the appropriate cadre of personnel to deliver on its mandate towards a better life for all. This applies not only to the quality of that training, but also the numbers of students that qualify in a specific area. This in itself is critical, as we do not to produce the number of social workers needed by the country. The Minister of education has already been alerted of the need to ensure that Social Work enjoys the same status as other scarce skills such as information technology (IT) and engineering.
This need was echoed at a national conference held jointly by the Council for Social Service Professions and the department, in October 2004. The conference declaration called explicitly for greater conceptual clarity about the new approach and for the inculcation of appropriate knowledge, skills and values in social services professions from a developmental perspective. In other words, this was a call for due recognition to be given to the fact that many professionals in the field had not been trained in the developmental approach.
It is imperative that higher education institutions, offering training to social services professionals, align education with the social development approach that has been adopted in our country. In line with international thinking, the South African Qualification Association (SAQA) standards for social work education state that social work education should equip students with the knowledge, skills, values and critical reflective practice to address poverty, inequality and social exclusion. It is encouraging to note that the Standards Generating Body for Social Work sets this as a specific exit level outcome.
The appropriate education and training of social service professionals in social development theory and practice cannot be over-emphasised and the lack thereof will negatively impact the effective and efficient delivery of services.
This calls for a strong partnership amongst social service professionals, specifically our academics, in ensuring that this country is suitably resourced in the further orientation and capacitation of social service professionals. Let us recognise the strengths of the individual, group or community and its capacity for growth and development.
The recent launch of Professor Leila Patel’s book titled" Social Welfare and Social Development in South Africa will certainly be a valuable resource in the further orientation and training of social service professionals. The book will also be of value to academics and students as there are very few contemporary South African textbooks that sufficiently inform social service education in our second decade of democracy. An appropriate balance must be struck between national, continental and global perspectives.
This Service Delivery Model depicts our relentless efforts to improve service delivery to the poorest of the poor and all the other vulnerable groups in our society.
In launching this Service Delivery Model, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the various stakeholders and funders gathered here today. The department is appreciative of the partnerships that endured, despite the many challenges throughout the years.
These partnerships facilitated the delivery of services to the poorest and most needy sectors of our country.
Allow me programme director, while acknowledging the sector's significant contribution to the development of the Service Delivery Model, to also express the department's sincere appreciation for the efforts of the departmental Transformation Task Team, which was at the forefront of the process of developing this model. I know they will continue, together with the sector, to bring about continuous improvements to the model.
We hope the Service Delivery Model will turn the tide and ensure the enhancement of closer working relationships between all those who are striving for social justice and who are working together to achieve the common goal of “a better life for all”.
I thank you.
Enquiries
Lakela Kaunda
Tel: (012) 312 7653
Cell: 082 782 2575
Issued by: Department of Social Development
28 November 2005
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