Page 8 - DPSA - Service Delivery Report

NEWS IN BRIEF
“I believe that medicine is my calling, it’s something that you’re born for, and I have always wanted to do this. We all chase money, but I’m tired of chasing money, I don’t want to be the boss and be in charge, I just want to do what I
like to do, and that is help people,” he said to the Bloemfontein Courant.
De Valdoleiros said several people had asked him about the risk of people abusing the opportunity he provided.
He responded that there is nothing to abuse as there is no system, as there is no minimum. He also explained that he is not contracted to any medical aids as this would defeat the purpose of the practice.
– GoodThingsGuy.com
Minister Zulu looks into unemployed social workers issue
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu is looking into the plight of unem- ployed social workers.
Social work, Minister Zulu said, re- mains a critical skill and one of the most important professions which con- tributes towards improving the lives of poor and vulnerable South Africans.
This comes as Minister Zulu tabled the department’s Annual Performance Plan (APP) with the Select Committee on Health and Social Development in Parliament, where concerns were raised about the plight of unemployed social workers around the country.
At the meeting, the committee wanted to know what plans the department has to employ social workers across government.
The Minister said the employment of social workers was high on her agenda and she believes that an engagement across government and the private sector was necessary.
“In March this year, the department called on all unemployed social work- ers to register on the departmental da- tabase.
“This initiative was aimed at inform- ing the department about the number of unemployed social work graduates who studied outside the Social Devel- opment Scholarship Programme; thus enabling efficient planning and wider
inclusion of all social work graduates in government recruitment processes,” Minister Zulu told the committee.
She said 7 000 unemployed workers have since registered on the depart- mental database. This excludes 5 000 unemployed social workers who stud- ied through the Social Development Scholarship Programme.
Management strategy
Keeping in mind that the social work profession was declared a critical skill in the country in 2001, the Minister said government, through the Department of Social Development, is developing an interdepartmental human resource planning and management strategy.
“The strategy is informed by the Na- tional Development Plan (NDP) Vi- sion which aims to facilitate the em- ployment of social workers, as part of 55 000 social service practitioners required by the country by the end of the year 2030,” the Minister explained.
The committee also raised the issues of gender-based violence, the con- tinued rise in HIV infections among young people, alcohol and substance abuse, as well as fraud and corruption in the grant system.
It urged the Minister to work with the Social Development Sector.
The department had planned a work- shop with the Portfolio Committee on
Social Development in Parliament, in Cape Town.
Priority areas
Meanwhile, during her first meeting with MECs of the department last week, Minister Zulu and the principals unanimously agreed on certain priority areas over Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period.
These included, among others:
• Fighting the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse that causes im- measurable damage to the country, especially the youth.
• Child abuse, neglect and exploita- tion, which rob children of the joys of childhood.
• Gender-based violence, which is an affront to the ideals of the Free- dom Charter of building an equal and non-sexists society.
• Improving the provision of develop- mental welfare and community de- velopment services to deliver better results for the most vulnerable.
• Deepening comprehensive social assistance by extending the scope of social security provisions.
• Enhancing coordination mecha- nisms, integration, planning, mon- itoring and evaluation to measure the impact of interventions.
– SAnews.gov.za
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
6 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 12 No.3 of 2019