Date: 28/03/2007

Source: Department of Social Development

Title: Benjamin: Social Development Dept Budget Vote 2007/08

Budget Vote speech by Dr Jean Benjamin, Deputy Minister of Social Development, to the National Assembly, Cape Town

Madame Speaker
Honourable Deputy President
Honourable Minister of Social Development
Honourable members
MECs for Social Development
Distinguished guests
Members of the community present here today
Ladies and gentlemen

As we enter the second half of our term of office, the major achievement of the department is the provision of social grants to almost 12 million of our people who are poor and vulnerable. These grants are now administered by the South African Social Security Agency which is to be launched this coming weekend. The President, in his State of the Nation address has called on us to renew our pledge to implement the programme of government to build a better life for all.

Budget Vote 17 in the 2007 financial year aims to do this by implementing the other pillars of Comprehensive Social Security by addressing the needs of those who continue to fall into the poverty trap and to strengthen services to improve social cohesion and eradicate poverty. These developments are in keeping with resolutions from the African National Congress in both the 1997 and 2002 conferences.

Part of this is the development of a system of mandatory retirement savings to improve the quality of life of many elderly persons who retire from employment without medical and retirement cover.

Madame Speaker, whenever our people ask, what it is that the Department of Social Development does? The easiest explanation becomes that, it is the department of pensions and grants. However, the department's work includes social developmental services to all vulnerable South Africans including abandoned babies, orphans and vulnerable children, to children in conflict with the law, support to victims of crime and violence, to persons with disabilities and elderly persons. In addition to services to vulnerable persons, the department focuses on empowering, mobilising and developing the poor and marginalised. These include programmes which develop skills to enable sustainable livelihoods, building social cohesion through strengthening families and communities and building a caring society.

Provision of developmental welfare services are, however, hampered by a shortage of social service professionals, some of whom had been enticed by strong dollars and pounds, while others have found the difficult work conditions and low salaries unbearable and have left the profession.

Chairperson, whilst the allocation of grants positively affected the likelihood that recipients may engage in economic activity, the department in conjunction with South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is looking into ways of linking grant recipients with economic activity and sustainable livelihoods and integrating information systems to ensure that grant recipients also receive welfare and other basic services to remove them from the poverty trap.

The President called for the deepening of social transformation, social cohesion, eradication of poverty and reduction and eradication of crime. Social grants must be supported by more effective social services if the social liabilities accumulated by those who have been disadvantaged by apartheid are to be addressed. Redressing the historical under-funding of developmental social services still remains the greatest challenge. The budget allocation of R25 million for integrated welfare services is a positive step in addressing this legacy.

Ladies and gentlemen, the department's approach to social welfare services focuses on skills development and empowerment programmes. In order to give effect to this approach our department, in collaboration with provincial departments of Social Development and with the support of the non-profit organisations, has a broad range of programmes to deliver the basket of developmental social services. This requires skilled and experienced professionals.

Moreover, this is what our partnerships in dealing with the effects of the poverty trap are all about. Hence the strategy for recruitment and retention of social workers has been accelerated by the allocation of R50 million this financial year for scholarships for social work students to address the shortage of social work professionals needed to respond to the demand for service delivery and statutory obligations. One thousand four hundred and forty three students have already been awarded scholarships and R105 million is allocated for 2008/09 financial year, while R210 million is allocated to the 2009/10 financial year.

The provincial departments will train Social Auxiliary Workers (SAW) to render support to social workers and relieve their workload. This category of workers provides paraprofessional services and receives on the job training through the learnership programme which is 30% theory and 70% practice. The capacity of social workers within the sector will be enhanced when supported by social auxiliary workers and community development practitioners.

Unfortunately this labour of love and care has been given so much negative publicity. There are more than 11 000 hardworking and caring social workers in this country. Instead of acknowledging and praising the wonderful work that they do under difficult circumstances, one often only hears of the bad conditions and the so-called brain drain.

The good news is that the department has reached its targets for training and I want to encourage students to visit the social work profession stalls at Career Fests held all over the country to learn about the merits of embarking on this caring profession.

The department works closely with the Council for Social Service Professions to create additional service professions such as child and youth care workers, auxiliary social workers, and community development workers.

Honourable members, in addressing the increasing levels of serious interpersonal violence, in particular domestic violence and the abuse of children, victim empowerment programmes provides integrated services to victims of crime and violence to strengthen families and communities for a better life for all. These services form part of Department of Social Development's contribution to 365 days of activism against gender violence. Programmes and guidelines for children awaiting trial will be implemented through the roll out of the department's secure care centre management system to be completed by March 2008.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Departments of Education, Health and Social Development drafted a national implementation plan known as the Integrated Plan for Early Childhood Development (ECD), which was approved by Cabinet. This plan forms part of the Expanded Public Works Programme. The inclusion of early childhood development and home based care services targeting children will improve their lives and deliver them from vulnerability, through the determination of minimum standards for service delivery in this field.

Other programmes under the Expanded Public Works Programme include youth development and skills development through the National Youth Service programmes. For those children who are older than 14 years falling outside the scope of the child support grant, the department is looking into ways of providing support services to address their vulnerability.

Honourable members, the scourge of HIV and AIDS and other diseases have left many children without parents. Together with our partners, the non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and faith-based organisations, the department continues to make strides in improving the lives of orphans and vulnerable children, to ensure that they have access to nutrition, social grants, and are assisted by home based carers.

Chairperson, children should be protected and not hurt. Let me express my abhorrence of violent crimes of a sexual nature against children which have dominated the front pages of the media. I cannot imagine the childhood experiences that could have caused the perpetrators to perform such cruel acts against the young victims and my condolence goes out to the families of these victims.

The Children's Amendment Bill provide for early intervention by organisations and state officials to ensure the safety of children. Such intervention will not be possible unless members of the public are vigilant and adopt the strategy of your child is my child, and intervene wherever children may be in danger.

The strategy for foster care will be implemented by December 2007. The policy on child abuse, neglect and exploitation will be implemented and monitored by 75% of offices during the 2007/08 financial year. The regulations for the Children's Amendment Act and programmes for children living and working on the streets will be in place by March 2008. All programmes for children are inter-linked to ensure that the interest of the child comes first and guides our service delivery in protection and care of children.

Ladies and gentlemen, alcohol and substance abuse is on the increase and the abuse of methamphetamine in the Western Cape has reached epidemic proportions. This toxic drug, to which children as young as eight years old have become addicted, has been raging in the Western Cape province for more than five years. Addicted teenagers are engaging in risky sexual behaviour, increasing their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and their unborn children.

The recent murder of little Anastacia Wiese, which seems to have been drug-related has caused tremendous agitation among the communities of Mitchell's Plain. This incident has highlighted the role that needs to be played by members of the community in combating substance abuse. In partnership with government, vigilant members of the community can prevent such tragedies arising from the neglect and abuse of children.

Chairperson, it is my contention that a concerted, highly visible, protracted and integrated public awareness campaign must be initiated to inform our communities about the National Drug Master Plan and provinces should intensify their efforts to provide early intervention services to divert our children who may be at risk, to appropriate activities in the fields of arts and culture, sport, leadership camps, etc. To this end, R2,8 million has been budgeted for the Ke Moja campaign in the 2007/08 financial year and we are gearing up to embark on a massive public education campaign. Two hundred service providers will be trained on substance abuse intervention and trends during this financial year.

The department held its first Biennial Substance Abuse summit in February of this year which was very successful. The summit resolved amongst others to strengthen Ke Moja as a national awareness programme together with other initiatives such as, South African National Council On Alcoholism And Drug Dependence (SANCA), Love Life and Soul City; strengthen the Central Drug Authority (CDA) support structures and consolidate the establishment of the Local Drug Action Committees; Develop integrated intervention programmes for the prevention of substance abuse amongst children and strengthen existing programmes.

All provinces are directed by the National Drug Master Plan to formulate plans to implement prevention, early intervention and treatment to reduce the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse. To facilitate this, the budget of the CDA which has a responsibility to oversee the implementation of the National Drug Master Plan (NDMP) has been increased substantially. Most provinces have launched substance abuse forums and municipalities are establishing local drug action committees in which teachers, social workers, police, justice officials and members of the community will formulate plans to combat substance abuse in their areas.

The passing of the Prevention of and Treatment of Substance Bill later in the year will make it incumbent on provinces to make prevention, early intervention services and treatment accessible. This Bill will also provide a framework to guide the implementation of the NDMP, to ensure compliance by the relevant departments, with the provisions of the plan.

Madam Speaker, South Africa's two-year term as chairperson of the African Population Commission of the African Union ends later this year. During this term we promoted the values and priorities that underpin our population policy. A definite highlight of our term was the recent Pan-African conference titled Population and Development in Africa Research and Policy Dialogue for Action, which we hosted in Mafikeng in collaboration with local partners, the African Union, the United Nations Population Fund and United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) Management of Social Transformations Programme, of which Minister Skweyiya is the President.

The conference concluded with the adoption of the so-called Mafikeng Declaration, which represents an inclusive and broad based commitment to action, which builds on existing intergovernmental agreements in an Africanised, engendered and decisive manner.

We have also explored how the recommendations on mother and child health could strengthen the Southern African Development Community (SADC) programme. Countries were encouraged to investigate the role of men in maternal and child health by commissioning a country comparative study and to decide how best the results can be used in maternal and child health programmes.

Ladies and gentlemen in closing let us renew our pledge to build a South Africa in which every citizen can participate fully and actively, and be treated with dignity and respect. We can achieve more if we work together to improve the quality of life of all.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Social Development
28 March 2007