Report of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development on the Strategic Planning Workshop held on 25-26 September 2014, Dated19 November 2014

1. Introduction

The Portfolio Committee on Social Development held a strategic planning workshop at Arabella Hotel and Spa in Kleinmond, Cape Town on 25 and 26 September 2014. This was in accordance with the Financial Management of Parliament Amendment Act(No.34 of 2014),which requires that within six months after an election,the Accounting Officer of Parliament should prepare a strategic plan for Parliament. It further requires the Accounting Officer at least ten months prior to the start of the financial year to prepare an annual performance plan for Parliament.

Subsequent to the aforementioned processes different sections and units of Parliament, including Parliamentary committees,should develop their operational plans based on Parliament’s strategic and annual performance plans. The operational plan of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development will therefore draw on the broader framework of Parliament’s strategic and annual performance plans. It will also draw on the social development sector priorities. The sector priorities emanate from the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) of government, the State of the Nation Address, the medium term strategic plan as well as the annual performance plans of the department and its entities.

2. Objectives of the workshop

Objectives of the planning session were:

• To identify priority areas of the social development sector that have implications to the work of the committee;
• To identify focus areas for the oversight of the committee and explore oversight strategies.
• To develop the Annual Performance Plan (2014/2015) and the Five Year Strategic Plan of the committee.
• To understand the mandate of the Department of Social Development and the role of its entities in fulfilling this mandate.
• To understand the role and support mechanism of internal (such as the regional Parliament Offices, Budget Office, parliament committees, parliament legal services, parliament communication office) and external stakeholders (such as chapter 9 institutions, research institutions, civil society organizations, academic institutions).

To achieve its objective of expanding its working relationship with its external stakeholders, the Committee resolved to forge working relationships with the following organisations:

• traditional leaders through the National House of Traditional Leaders (NHTL) and the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA);
• church fraternity through the South African Council of Churches;
• civil society organisations through the National Welfare and the Social Service and Development Forum (NWSSDF),
• research institutions and
• Office of the Auditor-General.

The Committee also resolved to strengthen its working relationship with stakeholders within Parliament. These include the Budget Office,the Constitutional and Legal Services Office as well as the Communications Office. Both the external and the internal stakeholders were invited to the workshop to outline their roles and support they may provide to the Committee.

3. Attendance

Hon R N Capa African National Congress (ANC) (Chairperson)

Hon HH Malgas African National Congress (ANC)

Hon SP Tsoledi African National Congress (ANC)

Hon VP Mogotsi African National Congress (ANC)

Hon BL Abrahams African National Congress (ANC)

Hon SP Kopane Democratic Alliance (DA)

Hon K De Kock Democratic Alliance (DA)

Hon H O Maxon Economic Freedom Front (EFF)

Hon LL vander Merwe Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)

Hon C Dudley African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)

Apologies

Hon Mabilo tendered an apology for both days, 25-26 September 2014 and Hon Capa could not attend day two (26 September) of the workshop due to illness.

Parliamentary staff

Ms Ntsabo L Committee Secretary

Ms Nogenga Y Content Adviser

Ms Koyana S Researcher

Ms Mnyovu N Committee Assistant

Ms Marubelele T Executive Secretary to Chairperson

4. Highlights of the proceedings

4.1 Department of Social Development

The Department of Social Development (DSD), the National Development Agency (NDA) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) presented their strategic priorities for the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF). The department has four overarching priorities, namely, reforming the Social Welfare Sector and Services, deepening social assistance and extend the scope for social security, improve the provision of Early Development Services for children from Conception to School Going Age and strengthening community development interventions.

4.2 South African Social Security Agency

In aligning with the department’s MTSF outcome 13 of Social Protection and the National Development Plan, SASSA set the following priorities:

· Reforming the social welfare sector and services and Improve the provision of Early Childhood Development (ECD) - alignment of the Child Support Grant (CSG) and the Foster Care Grant (FCG) benefits by 2015/16,

· Deepening social assistance and extend the scope for social security- expand the CSG to orphans and other vulnerable children by 2015/16,

· Establish social protection systems to strengthen coordination, integration, planning, monitoring and evaluation of services - automate grant administration information system by 2016 and introduce a new social grant payment system by 2017.

4.3 National Development Agency

The NDA priorities are aligned to the department’s mandate as follows:

· Build an inclusive economy that creates jobs – provide grant funding to income generating projects and programmes, build capacity of the NPOs,

· Transform rural areas – provide support to food security projects (small scale farming, expanding food for all programme and promote procurement from community projects,

· Improve and expand education and training –provide support to the ECD programme, build capacity of ECD practitioners and management,

· Fight corruption and crime – build capacity of NPOs in governance, anti-corruption policies and plans and management issues,

· Build a united nation and promote social cohesion – build capacity of NPOs and promote dialogue with the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs),

· Expand comprehensive social security – support and fund income generating projects and programmes by linking grant beneficiaries to economic opportunities.

The NDA informed the Committee of the review of the NDA that was commissioned by the National Treasury and conducted by the Department of Social Development. The review process entailed the following:

· Determining the NDA appropriateness and relevance in terms of the country’s development agenda,

· Evaluating the level of overlap or duplication with other public entities or government departments,

· Determining the NDA’s mandate relevance and appropriateness to achieve maximum impact within the country’s current development framework,

· Proposing a revised mandate for the NDA with key strategic objectives and programme of action,

· Determining the NDA governance and regulations, risk management, development effectiveness and financial sustainability as it relates to the mandate execution,

· Assessing the extent the NDA has carved out a niche market for itself.

The following were the findings of the review:

· The NDA should play an advisory role on development issues,

· It should be elevated to coordinate all development and poverty eradication programmes in the country,

· It should focus on capacity building as opposed to programme delivery by building on internal capacity to monitor and track execution beyond the output level,

· It should create funding partnership to augment the grant allocation by building internal capacity to mobilise resources,

· It should emphasize due diligence to ensure sustainability of programmes.

In responding to the findings of the review, the department management proposed three key strategic programme areas for the new NDA mandate which are Capacity Building of Civil Society Organisations, Resource Mobilisation and Knowledge Management.

The NDA reported that the findings of the review and proposed programme areas will have the following implications on the NDA strategy:

· A review and amendment of the National Development Agency Act to ensure that the mandate and duties of the NDA are in line with the proposed mandate.

· The NDA may need to be restructured to align its business operational processes and requirements to respond efficiently and effectively to the new proposed model.

· The NDA would be required to develop a new 5 Year Strategic Plan, annual performance plan and MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework) budget, with clear objectives and strategic outcomes to provide direct strategic direction of the NDA new mandate or operation areas.

· Funding levels of the NDA (baseline) may need to be re-established in accordance with the scope and targets of the new proposed mandate.

4.2 National House of Traditional Leaders(NHTL)

The NHTL highlighted the key areas of concern that it had identified. These included the limited support given to child headed households in the form of social assistance; social work services and security; vulnerability of these households to abuse by family members; vulnerability of Old Age Pension and Disability Grant beneficiaries to abuse by family members who demand the grants; lack of adequate food and security to people using antiretroviral treatments and still high levels of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

To address the above mentioned challenges, the House suggested the following solutions;

· The Department of Social Development should have a register of child headed families so that the social worker may visit them on monthly basis to assess their coping with being children alone. Traditional councils may have such a register though it may have some shortfalls as a result of lack of adequate resources. The traditional council concerned may even have the needs base of the said families.

The department through the Department of Public Works should provide security for these vulnerable children and their families.

The NHTL had recently had engagements with the Department of Social Development to form a partnership in developing a database focusing on each traditional council. The engagement also focused on identifying a way forward in providing psychological assessments for the vulnerable children, emotional and physical security as well as social oversight.

· SASSA through the Department of Social Development should investigate the use and support of the beneficiaries of grants. This can be done through random visitation by social workers to check the conditions of people with disabilities. Traditional councils may compile such a list and make it available to the Social Development Department for monitoring.

SASSA should also implement a monitoring tool that will be used at all social grant pay points to guard against perpetrators that mislead the elderly into signing up for policies.

· The Department of Social Development should engage the relevant departments in order to encourage food gardens as well as other sources of food. Traditional leaders may provide information regarding the challenges faced by other members of the community in terms of ARV’s and lack of adequate food supply.

The NHTL indicated that it works in collaboration with the South African National Aids Council (SANAC).The SANAC Strategic Plan on HIV, TB and STIs provides a strategic tool for the traditional leaders to address the pandemic focusing specifically on rural areas.

In addition, the NHTL has working relationships with the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA), the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC). The NHTL embarks on quarterly outreach campaigns to high schools and public gathering areas such as clinics, churches and taxi ranks in rural areas to distribute and speak to communities about HIV and AIDS, teenage pregnancy, STIs and substance in an effort to reduce the scourge faced by the country.

4.3 CONTRALESA

Contralesa indicated that it had been working in partnership with the Department of Social Development in its Mikondzo programme. It is committed to make its infrastructure available to SASSA to be used as pay points. Contralesa is also committed in making land available for the NDA projects and for the department to implement its programmes and services. It was reported that Contralesaand the department were in the process of developing a Memorandum of Understanding, which the Contralesa would enter into with the national and provincial departments. The association also committed itself to assist in capacity building of the social work professionals on how to engage with ordinary community members. Capacity building will include instilling of values, respect and mutual understanding.

4.4 National Welfare, Social Service and Development Forum

The NWSSDF was launched in 1994 to promote transformation and to give a voice to the social welfare sector in the new democratic South Africa, at a national Level. The Forum explained that it can provide support to the Committee in the following ways:

· Provide hands on knowledge at grassroot levels on all issues relating to social welfare and development.

· Participate in meetings and workshops held by the Committee.

· Coordinate consultation with the NPO sector through its provincial and regional forums.

· Coordinate direct meetings with communities through its members in the regional forums.

· Have partnerships with the Social Development Department.

· Share expertise on various successful models of interventions developed over the years.

· Provide input into specialised services through its field of service clusters in each province. The field of service clusters include Child and Youth Care Centres, crime prevention and victim support, ECD, older persons, disability and HIV and AIDS.

4.5 Constitutional and Legal Services Office

The Office is situated in Parliament (or under the employ of Parliament) and it provides Parliament and its committees with the advisory services on all legal issues, legislative drafting, advice on Bills, monitoring of compliance to the House Rules, oral and written advice on contracts as well as procurement. It also provides written advice on international agreements before the committees.

4.6 Auditor- General

The Auditor-General of South Africa has a constitutional mandate and, as the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of South Africa, to strengthen the country’s democracy by enabling oversight, accountability and governance in the public sector through auditing, thereby building public confidence. It may also audit and report on the account, financial statements and financial management of the National Revenue, Provincial Revenue Fund, a municipal fund and any institution authorised by legislation to receive funds for public purpose.

With regard to providing support to Parliament committees, the AG indicated that it undertakes the following activities:

· Briefings on the root causes and recommendations on corrective measures to improve the audit outcomes before the entity hearings.

· Develops required leadership competencies through mentoring, coaching and leadership programmes and processes for effectively managing change

· Consults widely with the stakeholders in the executive and legislatures prior to the tabling the General Reports that consolidate the audit outcomes of National, provincial and municipalities

· Tables General Reports in Parliament and provincial Legislatures.

4.7 Parliamentary Communication Services

This office facilitates the communication process between the media and committee chairpersons by liaising with the mass media and offer advice to chairpersons. It further assists chairpersons with media alerts, invitations, opinions and statements regarding committee meetings. It also disseminates information about the work of the committees to the media and assists committees with media liaison at public hearings or oversight visits.

4.8 Resolutions

Having deliberated on the issues that emanated from strategic planning session, the Committee resolved to do the following:

· Invite the department to provide a detailed presentation on its programmes, specifically highlighting the purpose of each programme, performance activities, budget allocation and expenditure, progress made and time frames,

· Conduct oversight over the implementation of the priorities and targets set in the Annual Performance Plans of the department and its entities.

· Invite internal audit committees when the department comes to brief the Committee on its quarterly reports.

· Organise a workshop to outline the methodology that will be adopted by the Committee when it drafts its Five YearStrategic Plan. This will be compared to the methodology the Committee will use when it develops its programme oversight.

· Develop a tracking tool on Committee resolutions and align itwith Parliament tracking tool.

· Make use of the Auditor-General’s provincial audit reports.

· Monitor the integrated service (intergovernmental relations) delivery on cross cutting functions between the Department of Social Development and its counterparts.

Report to be considered