Question NW1460 to the Minister of Social Development

Reply:

Yes, all funded Non-Governmental Organizations, including those in the disability sector are monitored in line with the Public Finance Management Act as detailed below:

1. First and foremost, for the organization to be funded, it must provide the information requested by the relevant department to demonstrate that it has the necessary capability and understanding to provide services according to the specified minimum norms and standards for that particular service, in this case, disability services.

2. Secondly, before the funds are transferred to any organization (including those rendering disability services), the Department obtains a written assurance from the organization that confirms that the organization implements effective, efficient and transparent financial management and internal control systems. The purpose of this assurance is to ensure that throughout the funding period, the organization is monitored towards adherence to its internal control systems as these are reviewed and tested on an ongoing basis during the funding cycle.

3. Lastly, as part of monitoring the organizations; appropriate measures are maintained to ensure that subsidies to organizations are used for their intended purpose in line with the norms and standards of that particular service. Such measures include-

• regular progress and annual reporting procedures on performance in line with the objectives and specifications i.e. for disability services – in this instance,
• analysis of the submitted progress reports to monitor performance and achievement of quarterly targets. This is also aimed at determining the release of the next tranche,
• internal and external audit requirements and, where appropriate, submission of audited statements; and
• regular monitoring procedures; which include both scheduled and unscheduled on-site visits to review whether the agreed upon objectives are attained or not.

4. All-in all, the organizations are monitored against the service level agreements that they enter into with the relevant department in terms of compliance, performance, financial management and reporting requirements.