PRESENTATION ON THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME to SocDev Portfolio Committee 16 th March 2007

1. PRESENTATION ON THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMEto SocDev Portfolio Committee16th March 2007

2. BackgroundAdoption of a developmental welfare strategy that afforded the poor and vulnerable to play an active role in promoting their own well-being and in contributing to the growth and development of the South African nation The need to ensure sustainability of the social security system which requires a pursuance of a developmental approach.(1997 Welfare Services White Paper)

3. Community Development ProgrammeStrategic Goal:Create an enabling environment for empowerment of the poor, vulnerable and previously marginalised groups, including youth, women and people with disabilities to achieve sustainable livelihoods.Strategic Objective:To develop, monitor and facilitate the implementation of appropriate policies, strategies and programmes aimed at sustainable livelihoods and human development.

4. Community Development Community Development is a philosophy that says that communities are best placed to identify their own problems and formulate their own solutions and make their own opportunities.Some of the key responsibilities of Community DevelopmentPractitioners are to identify, plan andimplement integrated and transformative social development programmes in partnership with communities and other key stakeholders to build empowered and sustainable communities.

5. Community Development ProgrammeStrategic Focus Areas- A conducive environment for the practice of community development- A conducive environment for youth development and massification of the National Youth Service Programme - Poverty reduction and Sustainable Livelihoods - Improved governance and capacity of NPOs to implement and facilitate development programmes.

6. Conducive environment for Community Development PracticeThe process of community development involves community dialogue, bringing a community together to determine a shared vision and a shared way to proceed resulting in investments in a multitude of aspects that support quality of life.

7. Achievements:- Re-grading of work and salary levels of CDPs completed- Standardization of generic qualification for CDPs at an advanced stage, agreement reached with SAQA on NQF levels 1,3, & 4 - 1st phase of ISRDP/URP socio-economic study completed and draft synthesis report receivedChallenges- The unit dedicated most of its time on coordination of reports on DSD services in the ISRDP/URP nodes; performance on MDGs; EPWP and IBSA which are departmental wide activities. These activities have now been located appropriately.- The area needs to be strengthened and supported more

8. CDPSS – Targets 2007/08Community Development PolicyA community development policy is needed to guide all key role players and development activists in their work with communities and to address the following:- Weak participation of the population in development activities- Non-alignment between government and grassroots community development objectives and actions.- Weak co-ordination and harmonization of development activities.- Low capacity at all levels especially at grassroots level.- The main objective policy is the reduction and eventually eradication of poverty.

9. Community Development Policy Outputs 2007/08- Base document- Review of regional and international CD policies for benchmarking purposes

10. Improved conditions for Community Development Practitioners (CDPs)Community Development Practice in Social Development is a function carried out in various areas such as youth development; NPO sector; HIV and Aids; Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable. In this regard generic and specific norms and standards and proper scoping of CD qualifications are required to improve conditions for CD practice and efficient service delivery Key Outputs 2007/08 - Scoping of Community Development qualifications for levels 5 & 6 - Draft guidelines for Norms and Standards

11. Coordinated and integrated service deliveryDevelopment is still a fragmented process and the need to facilitate integrated and holistic community development planning is critical. To ensure impact, oversight on performance and provision of support to various CD institutions/organizations cannot be overemphasized.Targets for 2007/08 - Guidelines for integration of development goals for effective CD service - Assessment of CD institutions’ constraints and support required for coordinated and integrated service delivery

12. Youth DevelopmentDevelops, monitors and facilitates the implementation of policies, legislation and programmes to protect, empower and support vulnerable youth to be self-reliant.Achievements- Youth Development Strategy approved by MINMEC- Progress made w.r.t. implementation of the NYSP with 240 youth already recruited- Scoping of YD with NQF level 4 approved by SAQA Challenges- Limited financial and human resources- Limited support for Youth Development and Work at Provincial level

13. National Youth StrategyThe strategy seeks to (amongst others):- Develop empowering and enabling youth development systems to reduce the number of vulnerable youth and to build and strengthen the capacity of youth organizations within the Social Development sector - Facilitate youth work professionalization- Promote social cohesion and integration of youth issues - Establish youth development coordinating mechanismsTargets 2007/08- Completion of the costing exercise and guidelines for implementation

14. Massification of the National Youth Service ProgrammeThe high levels of unemployment amongst the youth have rendered them vulnerable. Opportunities have been sought within the social sector for employment of the youth and through a partnership with Umsobomvu, the department is implementing a pilot youth service programme. The department plans upscale the number of youths participating in this programme to 2000 during 2007/08. A policy option has been submitted to National Treasury for more funding.

15. Non-Profit OrganizationsImproved governance and capacity of NPOs to implement and facilitate development programmes.Achievements- Improved governance and registration – 20107 orgs applied and 12597 registered- Improved capacity for support of the NPO sector through train-a-trainer programmes- Inter-Ministerial Task Team established to address the fragmented regulatory framework Challenges- Limited capacity for support of the sector- Role of provinces in the registration process

16. Targets 2007/08Registration and ComplianceThe NPO Act requires that organizations be registered within 2 months after receipt of a complete application and that organizations should submit financial and narrative reports.Target 2007/08- Improvement in the registration process and capacity of NPOs to comply- Provision of appropriate support for de-registered NPOs and those not meeting registration requirements

17. Enhanced capacity for the NPO sectorThe Department is obliged to support NPOs in their endevour to register and to improve their governance. Targets 2007/08- Develop and facilitate implementation of relevant capacity building programmes- Continue the train-a-trainer programme and assess impact of training

18. Creating a platform for dialogue between government and the NPO sectorThe department will hold a Social Compact Conference as a means to open dialogue between government and the NPO sectorImproved access to informationThere are several databases existing on NPOs and the department is in the process of facilitating means of integrating these databases.

19. Poverty Reduction and Sustainable LivelihoodsDevelops, monitors and facilitates the implementation of strategies and programmes that will impact on poverty and underdevelopmentto achieve self-relianceAchievements - The 1st and 2nd Phases of the pilot project on Linking Grants to Sustainable Livelihoods and Cooperatives completed and 1st Phase launched during May 2006.- A documentary and case study on the 1st Phase produced.Challenges- Lack of appropriate human capacity- Conflicting decisions over the development of Anti-Poverty Strategy

20. Targets 2007/08:Comprehensive DSD Anti-Poverty StrategyThe department implements various poverty alleviation initiatives through its branches and provinces. However, there is no integrated national DSD anti-poverty strategy that guides provinces. As a result some provinces have developed their own Anti-Poverty Strategies. The process of developing a comprehensive APS will not ignore the work done already and during 2007/08 focus will be on: - Comparative analysis of existing provincial and national APS - Analysis of international social development APS for benchmarking purposes - and development of a framework-

21. Advocate for the Sustainable Livelihoods ApproachA livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. It becomes sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future.While the SLA is not new, its adoption and integration into development planning and interventions requires knowledge and understanding of its relevance towards building empowered communities. Targets for 2007/08 for advocacy are:- Road shows and- Development of a Conceptual Document and Orientation Manual-

22. Local ‘best practice’ to link grants to livelihoods and cooperativesA pilot project is being implemented in the Eastern Cape in Dutyini to develop best practice specifically to link grants to sustainable livelihoods and cooperatives. The objective is to restore beneficiaries of grants as quickly as possible to self-reliance. A new principle termed ‘sweat equity’ is also tested in the process as an essential ingredient for ownership and accountability. The 1st and 2nd phases have been completed and a case study and documentary produced for the 1st phase. Targets for 2007/08 - Implement 3rd phase of Dutyini Pilot - Introduce 1st phase in Limpopo and North West

23. General- Community Development remains a step-child of the Department- Lack of a shared understanding on the roles and function of CDCorrective Measures- Improve on communication and information sharing- One-on-one meetings

24. THANK YOU