Department of Social Development 4th quarter performance and annual performance 2010-2011

Social Development

09 August 2011
Chairperson: Ms Y Botha (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

The Department of Social Development (DSD) gave a full presentation highlighted the Department’s achievements in the 2010/11 financial year, and noting that a full outline of its financial achievements would also be given shortly. Another presentation was given on the 4th quarter expenditure in the 2010/11 financial year. The strategic priorities of the DSD were outlined, noting that these included caring for an protecting vulnerable groups, particularly children, women and people with disabilities. The DSD also aimed to strengthen families and communities. It provided comprehensive social security, including income support, and a safety net for the destitute. It reinforced participation in key bilateral and multilateral initiatives contributing to poverty eradication. The goals, outcomes and targets for each of the Department’s programmes were outlined. Particular achievements included the fact that child support grants had been extended to children of 16 and 17 years old, bringing the total of those receiving the child support grant to more than 10.3 million. Age equalisation resulted in over 2.6 million older persons receiving the older persons’ grant. A draft policy for children with disabilities and health care needs was to be taken to stakeholders for consultation and evaluation in the next financial year. A policy on mandatory retirement provisions was approved and DSD had completed a blueprint for a National Social Security Fund. Situational analyses for welfare service transformation had been done in four provinces, and Age in Action was conducting trials on norms and standards in two communities in KwaZulu Natal. It was hoped that sector performance would be improved through rigorous research, planning and business process improvement, and the training interventions were outlined. DSD was implementing the Child Protection Register, had finalised norms and guidelines for the Children’s Act and had assessed 20 child abuse prevention programmes, and developed a framework and surveillance methodology. Transformation strategies for Child and Youth Care Centres had been developed. Programmes for social crime prevention were aimed at fostering social cohesion. It was tackling the problems of drug abuse through systematic campaigns and summits, and had implemented aftercare and reintegration models in two provinces, and community models in another two. Other programmes included those for gender-based violence, human trafficking, and community development, which was linked closely with the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS. Youth beneficiaries, identified through different services, had been linked to development projects. Social cooperatives, including food banks, were being supported. A consolidated management guideline was drawn for NPOs, together with an NPO registration and compliance system and work model document. Funding had been secured for training on integration of HIV/AIDS into development planning. It had exceeded its targets for work opportunities, managing to create 110 653 work opportunities through the Special Projects Office. It was developing the Anti-Poverty Strategy, and was also playing an active role in promoting evidence-based policy making in the social sector. It had contributed to the development of policy in social service professions. The DSD also participated in the further development of the Anti-Poverty Strategy with partners, and also was active, internationally, in promoting the social development agenda through its membership of international organisations.
The Department then presented a report on expenditure in the fourth quarter of the financial year. It had managed to spend 98.01% of its total budget. 21% of budget was spent in the last financial quarter. Across most programmes, there was a decrease in spending on employees, but where there were noticeably higher payments in some programmes, these were explained. The majority of the increases in expenditure were attributable to transfer payments to entities, or for settlements of outstanding invoices from specific projects.

Members asked if the rural areas had benefited equally from the Department’s efforts, and were assured that they had, and asked for more details on the provinces in which the child abuse prevention programmes were running. More details were also requested as to the locations of the programmes set out in the presentation, in which provinces full time equivalent work opportunities were created, and the time frames for some of the projects. Members asked whether there were any efforts to ensure that facilities for the aged had any emergency protocols or plans, and whether the provincial departments were insisting upon seeing and approving these before making transfers of funding. Members asked if the Child Protection Register was up to date and heard that there were still systematic inefficiencies that would have to be addressed by an integrated justice system.

The Committee approved its minutes of 14 and 21 June. Members also discussed the need for the Department and South African Social Security Agency to improve communication strategies, particularly in rural communities.

Meeting report

Department of Social Development Annual Performance 2010/11 report
Mr Vusi Madonsela, Director General, Department of Social Development, gave a brief overview of the content and purpose of the presentation by the Department (DSD or the Department), to give the Committee an idea of the non-financial achievements for 2010/11. He noted that the Committee would still receive a report on the expenditure of the Department during the 2010/11 financial year.

Mr Madonsela outlined a number of key strategic priorities of the DSD. These included caring for and protecting vulnerable groups, especially children, women and people with disabilities. It aimed to strengthen families and communities, and to provide comprehensive social security, including income support, and a safety net for the destitute. It also aimed to strengthen its own institutional capacity to deliver quality services. It would further reinforce its participation in key bilateral and multilateral initiatives that contributed to poverty eradication.

Mr Madonsela outlined the goals, outcomes and targets for each of the Department’s programmes, and a framework for objective analysis of these programmes.

Programme 2 dealt with Comprehensive Social Security. The DSD’s targets for social assistance included extending the Child Support Grants (CSG) to children aged 16 and17 and to provide older person’s grants (OPG) to males aged 60. The report indicated that the total number of children between the ages of 16 and17 receiving the CSG at the end of March 2011 was more than 323 000, bringing the total number of CSG recipients to more than 10.3 million. Age equalisation saw the number of OPGs for men of 60 and over reaching 283 765, bringing the total number of older persons benefiting from the programme to over 2.6 million. In addition, the DSD had introduced a draft Social Assistance Amendment Bill in Parliament. Part of this Bill was referred back to the Cabinet for reconsideration. Furthermore, the DSD completed a draft policy for children with disabilities and health care needs, and this was to be taken to stakeholders for consultation and evaluation in the next financial year.

The DSD also concentrated on the category of Social Insurance. The goal was to create a comprehensive social insurance system. The achievements included approval by the Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Social Security of the policy on mandatory retirement provisions in February 2011. DSD also completed a draft blueprint for a revised social security institutional framework. Another draft blueprint regarding a National Social Security Fund was presented to an inter-departmental Task Team. DSD had also set out to establish a system for adjudicating Social Assistance Appeals. It had adjudicated and finalised 41 162 appeals, which had been part of the appeals backlog. Appointments of staff and securing of offices was done in Gauteng, Free State, North West, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Programme 3 related to Social Welfare Services. The DSD split this up into separate categories: dealing with Welfare Service Transformation, Children and Social Crime Prevention. In respect of the first category, a central goal was to improve welfare services for older people, including those in need of care and protection. DSD was able to complete situational analyses in four provinces of Free State, Northern Cape, Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN). DSD had appointed Age in Action to conduct trial runs on norms and standards for older persons in two communities in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Another goal was to improve sector performance through rigorous research, planning and business process improvement. In this regard, DSD was successful in training 628 officials on the Promotion of Access to Justice Act (PAJA). A further 1 891 social service workers were trained on the legislative framework on human rights.

For the category of children, a central goal of the DSD was to invest in and ensure the provision of sound social welfare services to children, including those in need of care and protection. The DSD hoped to achieve this through the implementation of a Child Protection Register (CPR). The DSD was able to implement Part A and B of the CPR. There had been cases, and convictions, on abuse, neglect and exploitation in children’s courts, and following this 1 173 abuse cases were recorded on the register, and 64 convictions were received and recorded. In addition, 85 inquiries by individuals and 710 inquiries by employers were recorded. DSD also finalised high-level norms, standards and practice guidelines for the Children’s Act and distributed these to all provinces for implementation. This resulted in the need to build capacity for 40 staff members and 847 individuals, in 9 provinces. In addition, the DSD was successful in its assessment of 20 child abuse prevention/early intervention programmes. It had developed a conceptual framework and methodology report for national surveillance on child abuse, exploitation and neglect. Furthermore, it had developed transformation strategies for Child and Youth Care Centres and identified four provinces to pilot cluster foster care models. Another central goal for the DSD was to develop strategy for providing services to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). It was successful in finalising strategies on services for OVC in drop-in centres. The DSD was successful in registering 2 236 national adoptions and 200 inter-country adoptions. In addition, it had capacitated 500 staff from 8 provinces on practice guidelines. It had also evaluated and recommended 23 adoption service providers for accreditation, both within South Africa and between other countries. Another success was the implementation of an International Social Services Programme. DSD had been able to capacitate 500 staff from 8 provinces on international social services and management of unaccompanied minors.

Moving on to the category of Social Crime Prevention, the DSD’s goal had been to support and strengthen family and community intervention, to foster social cohesion. It was able to present a draft Green Paper to departmental structures for approval. In addition, it had approved an Integrated Plan for services to families. The DSD also capacitated 81 service providers on the Manual for Families in Crisis, 137 service providers on the Framework of Positive Values, and 258 on the Marriage Preparation and Marriage Enrichment in three, four and nine provinces, respectively.

The DSD was continuing to tackle the battle against substance abuse in a systematic way. It had commemorated an international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Eastern Cape. A second substance abuse summit in was held in Kwa-Zulu Natal in March 2011, and door-to-door campaigns in were conducted in seven provinces, excluding KZN and Mpumalanga. The DSD also finalised draft Regulations under the Prevention of and Treatment of Substance Abuse Act, and the regulations had been prepared for consultation in all nine provinces. In addition, the DSD implemented an Aftercare and Reintegration Model in the Western Cape and Mpumalanga, and community based models in the Limpopo and North West provinces.

DSD also had a goal to reduce risk of sexual and physical gender-based violence against women. The DSD was able to train 270 social workers to engage with males in the Prevention of Gender Based Violence campaign in all nine provinces. The DSD also implemented a Human Trafficking Rehabilitation Programme in 13 identified shelters in nine provinces. In addition, it had developed a prototype framework to capture data for victims of crime and violence, and trained cluster departments on capturing such data. It had successfully designed and tested an independent victim satisfaction survey in four sites, including the Thuthuzela Centre, Shelter of Abused Women, South African Police Service (SAPS) victim support centres and the Parole Board.

The objectives and achievements for Programme 4 were then outlined. Community Development was divided into programmes for HIV/AIDS, Community Policy and Service Standards, Youth Development, Sustainable Livelihood and Non-profit Organizations (NPOs) and Partnerships. A central objective of the DSD was to reduce the incidence of and minimise the psycho-social impact of HIV/AIDS in order to achieve the goals and targets of the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, and to expand these programmes using relevant indicators. It outlined a variety of developments on this front. The Minister launched maternal orphan surveillance systems in KZN. The DSD managed to ensure that 12.7% (36 out of 280) municipalities were utilising the database for planning purposes, as against the target of 10%. The DSD also trained 19 895 community caregivers (CCGs), as well as offering additional training on a psycho-social well-being skills development programme, to another 1 000 CCGs. The DSD also developed and evaluated the curriculum for the Child Protection Skills Programme.

In regard to Community Policy and Service Standards, DSD was successful in the approval of a Community Development Skills Plan, a Community Development Policy Framework and a Community Development Strategy.

As part of its efforts in Youth Development, the DSD was able to develop the norms and standards for the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme (MYPP), as well as an exit strategy for MYPP. In addition, DSD linked 791 youth to economic opportunities through their participation in Masupa Tsela Youth Pioneer Programme. The DSD also finalized a business plan for the National Youth Service (NYS). This involved the recruitment and training of 362 youth into the NYS. In addition to this, the DSD audited 110 youth NPOs and profiled eight in various provinces. The DSD also linked 21 134 beneficiaries to development projects and capacitated 354 officials.

Under the programme of Sustainable Livelihood, the DSD developed and drafted guidelines on social cooperatives, and also supported five provinces in the establishment of food banks, in Mpumalanga, Western Cape, North West, Eastern Cape and KZN. DSD also linked 1 250 food distribution agencies with the food banks and provided an equivalent of 16.9 million meals.

The DSD had been successful in the development of a consolidated management guideline for NPOs. It had developed a framework for institutional arrangement and capacity in the provinces, and was able to finalise an NPO registration and compliance system and work model document. In addition, DSD developed a code of good practice for NPOs and finalised the NPO governance (Norms and Standards) document. The DSD also developed a NPO funding guideline, which was to be implemented by all provinces for the 2011/2012 financial year. It had surpassed its target of registering 90% of NPOs within two months of application, by managing to register all, and also managed to get 30% of NPOs to comply with the NPO Act.

Programme 5 was divided into projects on population and development, the Special Projects Office, and Social Policy. In regard to population and development, the DSD was successful in securing funding from the Health & Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA), to train 380 key stakeholders on integrating HIV/AIDS into development planning, with assistance from the Public Administration and Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA). The DSD was also able to consolidate and update two individual reports into one document - one being an overview on HIV/AIDS and other health issues, discussed demographically, and the other being the Report on Status of Health, Morbidity, Mortality and Development in South Africa of April 2010. In February 2011, ethical clearance was granted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to continue the research study on factors associated with teenage pregnancies in provinces. The DSD also completed a gap analysis concept paper on service delivery for the youth in South Africa.

Through the Special Projects Office, the DSD was able to create a total of 110 653 work opportunities, which exceeded the set annual target. 61 322 opportunities were Fulltime Equivalent opportunities (FTEs). The DSD also integrated all participating sub-programmes into the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) web-based system, which improved reporting outcomes for the social sector. The DSD also undertook regular trouble-shooting visits to provinces to ensure the achievement of targets as set out in the Sector Plan and the annual Action Plan.

In relation to Social Policy, one of the central objectives for the DSD was to institutionalise evidence-based policy making in the social sector. It had contributed to the development of policy in social service professions. The DSD also participated in the further development of the Anti-Poverty Strategy with partners, and also attended Statistics South Africa’s initiative on a poverty line for South Africa. Two social policy analysis sessions were conducted for 50 senior civil servants working in policy development, and DSD also organised a regional training programme for high level civil servants from Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Mr Madonsela outlined the international engagements of the DSD during 2010/11. The goal of this was to promote evidence-based policy-making in areas of social development and social affairs in the region, and it had played an active role in promoting the country’s social development agenda internationally. This Department was an active member of the African Union, South African Development Community (SADC) and United Nations structures, including the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the UN Commission on Narcotics. In 2010/11, DSD successfully hosted a number of international delegations from China, Kenya and Tanzania. The Department also continued to lead consultations on the Social Dimensions of New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) on behalf of the Africa Group. DSD actively participated in the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) schedules, with a focus on social policy and employment issues. It had played a leading role in the finalisation of the India/Brazil/South Africa (IBSA) Social Development Strategy, adopted by the heads of those three states. There was continuing collaboration with Zimbabwe on unaccompanied minors, as well as collaboration with Chile and Mexico, regarding social security, poverty alleviation and Early Childhood Development.

4th quarter 2010/11 Expenditure and Performance Report
Mr Madonsela tabled the expenditure in the 4th quarter of the financial year. A number of noticeable trends were highlighted in several key programmes - Administration, Policy Development, Community Development, and Strategy and Governance. The majority of the increases in expenditure were attributable to auxiliary transfer payments.

With regard to Programme 1, the Department highlighted that the noticeable increase in the quarterly expenditure was occasioned by two auxiliary payments. Firstly, an amount of R13.8 million was used to settle outstanding State Information Technology Agency invoices for IT services. Secondly, an amount of R14.1 million was paid to the Department of Public Works for outstanding lease costs and service fees.

The DSD noted that expenditure on Compensation of Employees for this quarter had decreased from R64 548 000 to R64 094 000, while Goods and Services had increased to R1.2 million. The total administration expenditure for the quarter was up to R71.6 million from R40.1 million.

For Programme 2, some key expenditure trends on Comprehensive Social Security were highlighted. The payments for Goods and Services were up to R38.3 million from R21.2 million. In addition, Payment of Capital Assets had risen to R1.5 million from R280 000. Total Comprehensive Social Security expenditure for the quarter was R23.6 billion, from R23.5 billion.

The Department highlighted that the higher expenditure in the first and third quarters of the past financial year for Programme 3 related to the first payment of the Social Workers bursary funds to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) as well as transfer payments to national bodies. The changes in the expenditure for goods and services, and compensation of employees were noted. The total Programme 3 expenditure for the quarter was R43.2 million.

 In Programme 4, the Department highlighted that the noticeable increase in Community Development expenditure was occasioned by two auxiliary payments. Firstly, there had been third and fourth transfer payments to the LoveLife programme. In the fourth quarter, DSD had also financed the World Aids Day activities, in December 2010. Specific changes to compensation of employees (reduced) and goods and services, as well as transfers and subsidies (both of which had risen) were noted. The total Community Development expenditure for the quarter was up to R60.2 million from R55 million.

In Programme 5, the increase in Strategy and Governance expenditure related mainly to the payment of work completed in respect to the Child Support Grant Impact Evaluation and the Beneficiary Satisfaction Survey projects. Once again, the figures for compensation of employees had reduced. The total Strategy and Governance expenditure for the quarter was up to R21 million from R14 million.

Discussion
Ms P Tshwete (ANC) was curious whether rural areas benefited equally from the inter-departmental committee formed for the LoveLife programme.

Mr Madonsela responded that DSD had approved extensive management plans to monitor LoveLife programmes in a number of provinces, and stated categorically that equal support was given in rural areas.

Ms Tshwete asked, in respect of the child abuse prevention programmes under Programme 3, which provinces had been involved in the development of these. She wanted a comprehensive time frame for the situational analysis completed in the Welfare Service Transformation.

Mr Madonsela assured the Committee that this information would be provided in the near future online.

Ms H Lamoela (DA) highlighted numerous projects and initiatives mentioned in the presentation, where locations had not been provided (citing slides 16, 22, 33, 35, 53 and 54). He concerns in this regard were related to the fact that the Committee needed to do oversight.

Mr Madonsela assured the Committee that this information would be provided in the near future.

Ms Lamoela then identified a typographical error on slide 54 regarding the date of a Special Projects workshop. The workshop was held on 4 November 2010, to identify the DSD basket of services to Military Veterans.

Ms Lamoela then asked in which provinces the 61 322 “fulltime equivalent” opportunities had been created, and also which Members of Parliament were involved with the population capacity building and training courses.

Mr Madonsela assured the Committee that the relevant information would soon be made available for online download.

The Chairperson then spoke briefly about a report she had received from Gauteng regarding the fires that had broken out in homes for the elderly. She emphasised that no plans had been in place for occupational safety or evacuation, so there were essentially no emergency protocols. She asked if the DSD could assure the Committee that the appropriate guidelines were being implemented.

Mr Madonsela highlighted that elderly housing facilities were given subsidies but the housing was not necessarily adequate. He noted that there was a distinction between facilities run by government, and those run by NGOs. Provincial departments were often reluctant to monitor subsidies provided for maintenance purposes, as much of the housing was actually privately owned. Nonetheless, infrastructure policy was being deliberated upon. He said that ideally, all provincial departments ought to ensure that they had received safety certificates from the institutions, before treasury funds were released.

Ms Lamoela then asked if the CPR was up to date and if there were sufficient funds.

Mr Madonsela assured the Committee that DSD had implemented Parts A and B of the CPR. Part A had been working well since its genesis in 2004 but Part B was still to be considered as work in progress. DSD expressed the need for an integrated justice system to sidestep the systematic inefficiencies.

DSD was excused from the meeting.

Other Committee business:
Adoption of minutes
The Chairperson tabled the minutes of 14 June 2011 and 21 June 2011, which were adopted.

International Labour Organisation meeting
The Chairperson noted that the Committee was trying to obtain sponsorship, so that it did not depend on Parliament, to send three Members of the Committee, two from the ANC and one from the DA, to the International Labour Organisation conference in Italy.

Matters to follow up
The Chairperson asked that the Committee should follow up on the Children’s Act and hold a visit to Indibisi.

The Chairperson wondered if the Department had yet developed communication strategies on the medical professionals contact database, language barriers, and methods of notifying the public of departmental decisions. She and other Committee Members agreed that the Department and South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) needed to strengthen their communication strategies to ensure that rural communities, in particular, received accurate information about policies developed by the Department and SASSA.

The meeting was adjourned.


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