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Stay up to date Forum Reports Third Quarter Performance Report: Gauteng Dept of Health & Social Development
Stay up to date Forum Reports Third Quarter Performance Report: Gauteng Dept of Health & Social Development | Third Quarter Performance Report: Gauteng Dept of Health & Social Development |
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 GAUTENG WELFARE, SOCIAL SERVICE AND DEVELOPMENT FORUM COMMENTS ON THE THIRD QUARTER PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2010 96.86 Kb1. INTRODUCTION These comments are confined to the sections of the report dealing with Social Development, and relate mainly to broad issues. We are unfortunately unable, due to time constraints, to provide a more detailed response. 2. FINANCIAL ISSUES The increases to social work and children’s home subsidies will bring relief to hard-pressed organisations and are welcomed. At the same time we point out that, given the length of the intervals between these and previous increases, subsidies have not kept pace with inflation; neither do they bear any relation to the cost of service delivery. The lack of any increase in subsidies for administration costs is problematic, especially in view of the fact that the Department’s monitoring and evaluation requirements are leading to substantial expansion in these costs. Our call continues to be for a new, fair and realistic dispensation for NPO financing. We note the 20% underspending of the budget for social welfare services. Our recommendation is that the Department should confer with NPOs in order to identify urgent needs, so as to use up this surplus before the financial year end. 2. TWENTY PTP We welcome the strides made in the construction and improvement of facilities in the priority townships, and regret that construction of further infrastructure has been put on hold. 3. PLANNING We note that there was no NPO involvement in the development of the Annual Performance Plan. We find it regrettable that the joint planning process that was introduced in 2008 has not been repeated, and we ask for this to be reinstated. 4. INTERPRETATION There are a number of instances where the interpretation of data appears questionable. Different conclusions might have been reached through discussion with NPOs of the reasons for the outcomes. This applies particularly to items where the number of beneficiaries was below target and this was assumed to be a reflection of a lower level of need than predicted, or attributed to an unexplained low intake level. Many factors can be at work in such situations, including staff vacancies, difficulties in accessing services, shortcomings in the referral process, and inadequacies in service delivery. 5. PROBLEMS IN CHILD CARE AND PROTECTION SERVICES Mention is made of challenges experienced with the implementation of the Children’s Act. There are in fact massive problems in this regard. Bureaucratic log-jams are slowing down or blocking processes associated with placement in temporary safe care and foster care, and with the extension of court orders. These are arising within and between the Department, the Children’s Courts, SASSA, the Department of Home Affairs and the Gauteng Shared Services Centre. Among the many negative consequences are delays of many months in the payment of temporary safe care fees to child and youth care centres and to community members who provide emergency care, leading at times, in the latter case, to placement breakdown due to financial strain. Foster Care Grants are delayed or lapse due to delays in finalising or extending court orders. We appreciate the efforts of both the provincial and national Departments to address these problems; at the same time we would emphasise that the situation constitutes an emergency. 6. INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT The Department’s entry into MOUs with municipalities, while details are not provided, appears to be a positive development (pg 191). Our Forum supports a strong role for local government in social welfare service provision. JACKIE LOFFELL COORDINATOR 082-454-0991 Bookmark this article:          |
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