Question NW4634 to the Minister of Finance:
23 December 2022 - NW4634
Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Finance:
(1) Considering that the social work profession plays a critical role in ensuring the wellbeing of all vulnerable sectors of society against escalating levels of abuse in the Republic, and given that there is a critical shortage of social workers (details furnished), (a) which government departments have written to the National Treasury since the 2018 Cabinet resolution on the recruitment of social work professionals, to request additional budgets to employ social workers, (b) what is the frequency of such requests since the 2018 Cabinet resolution and (c) what total amounts have been requested; (2) whether the National Treasury will make additional funds available for this purpose; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW5756E
Reply:
(1) The Department of Social Development is responsible for the hiring and bidding for funds for social workers. Since the 2018 Cabinet resolution allocations for the employment of social workers within the social development sector were as follows:
In Budget 2019, an average of R226.3 million per annum was shifted to provinces through the Provincial Equitable Share to sustain the employment of over 600 social worker graduates that were employed through the Social Worker Employment Conditional Grant.
In the 2019 Adjusted Budget the National Department of Social Development shifted R93.0 million from other programmes towards Social Crime Prevention and Victim Empowerment subprogramme for the employment of 200 social workers in areas of high prevalence of gender-based violence.
In Budget 2020, an average of R132.7 million per annum was shifted to provinces to sustain the employment of the 200 social workers in areas where they were most needed.
In the 2020 Supplementary Budget, the National Department of Social Development shifted R33.0 million from other programmes for the temporary employment of 1809 social workers.
In the 2020 Adjusted Budget, the Department received a further R92.5 million as unforeseeable and unavoidable expenditure to sustain employment of these social workers.
Most recently, in the 2021 Adjusted Budget, R120 million was added to the Provincial Equitable Share as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus for the employment of 2000 social workers over a period of 10 months.
(2) Any announcement on additional funds will be made in the Budget Speech in February 2023. We do not announce such allocation decisions before the Budget.