25 OCTOBER 2006

1. Portfolio Committee on Social Development, National Assembly, Cape TownDEVELOPMENT OF CAPACITY AND RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONALS 25 OCTOBER 2006

2. PURPOSE OF PRESENTATION • To address the Portfolio Committee on the following: • Development of capacity in the national & provincial departments of Social Development; • Relationships between different social development professionals; and • Recruitment and Retention Strategy for Social Workers.

3. CURRENT SITUATION • Sector is not well organised • Lack of norms and standards for delivery of social services • The need for an HR Plan • High demand for SWs (Govt departments, NGOs) • Overlapping of roles and responsibilities • Exodus of social workers to other sectors & other countries • Fragmentation in training and utilisation of other social service professionals • Impact of new legislation on the demand for services such as Children's Bill, Older Persons Bill, Substance Abuse legislation, etc.

4. Challenges: Current Scenario

5. MEASURES TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES • Recruitment and Retention Strategy for Social Workers • Aim • Determine conditions that impact on social work as a scarce skill. • Provide guidelines for the recruitment and retention of social workers within the profession.

6. OBJECTIVES OF THE STRATEGY • Provide a framework for the recruitment & retention of social workers as learners and professionals • Reposition the social work profession to meet the challenges of the 21st century. • Promote a positive image of social work as a career of choice. • Improved conditions of service.

7. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS • Impact of globalization. • Availability of more lucrative offers in other sectors locally or internationally. • Push and pull factors. • Social workers recognized as being well trained internationally and locally. • High demand for their skill. • Lack of social workers in NGO sector. • High work load and poor working conditions lead to burnout and poor quality of services to recipients. • Training of social workers in IHL’s and low subsidies.

8. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS cont... • Training of social workers in IHL’s and low subsidies. • Universities training ±500 social workers pa. • High intake levels but low output after (4yrs). • Universities with the highest numbers of registrations still have low numbers of fourth year students e.g Unisa and KwaZulu-Natal, with only a few graduating. • It is not clear from the current data, how many students actually complete the fourth year of study.

9. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS cont… • In discussions with learners there is generally a perception that the social work profession is not a financially lucrative career, offers very little benefits and few career path opportunities. • Lack of institutional support and capacity for training programme e.g. student work placements on internship. • Insufficient social workers in the country. • Utilisation of social workers in non-essential / non-professional tasks. • Poor working conditions which result in malpractice, unprofessional conduct and disciplinary procedures against social workers.

10. STRATEGIES Recruitment and Selection: • Recruitment and publicity material • Recruitment drives in high schools to educate learners about the profession • Open recruitment days by department and universities • Job fairs or career guidance processes • Predefined scholarships • Data base to monitor turnover, vacancy levels and migration patterns • Recruitment of social workers back to profession or sector

11. Education, Training and Development Education, Training and Development: • Student training • Balance between strict selection criteria and meeting demand • Career guidance to ensure informed choice • Align curriculum and practical demands of work • Scholarships for student Social Workers • Creating opportunities for training in specialist areas • Broadening the scope of further education + training • Management training

12. Education, Training and Development cont… • Additional subsidies for social work education • Financial support during placements in practice • Proper selection and training of assessors or supervisors • Staff development (based on skills audit and national skills strategy) • Adherence to CDP • Self development and accelerated refresher courses aligned to performance management programme • Training of peer educators to support new social workers • National forum to ensure integration of training with practice • Exchange and Twinning Programmes

13. CONDITIONS OF SERVICE Compensation and Remuneration • Non-monetary strategies • Improvement of working conditions • Promotional and career opportunities • Special training opportunities • Monetary Strategies • Remuneration and employee benefits • Incentive schemes linked to achievement of targets • Retention allowances (e.g. scarce skills/rural allowances) • Bonuses • Merit awards • Payment of study debts • Bursary Schemes

14. DEVELOPMENTS NEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS • Generic job descriptions, which provide opportunities for career pathing - up to deputy director-level (Levels 7 to 11) • Opportunities for specialization created through new job descriptions • Uniformity in utilization of social workers in government facilitated • Remuneration packages for social workers in government were improved through a process of re-grading • Job descriptions for Social Aux Workers on is in process of being finalised • MTEF Bid submitted to NT for an additional 3000 SAWs pa over the next three years to meet demands of legislation

15. DEVELOPMENTS • Developed a proposal on scarce skills allowances within the framework of Public Service Scarce Skills Strategy of the DPSA • Proposal currently under consideration by Heads of Social Development before submission to MINMEC, MPSA & consultation with Organised Labour

16. DEVELOPMENTS NEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS (CDPs) • Generic job descriptions up to deputy director-level (Levels 5, 7 to 11) within the occupation • Uniformity in the utilization of CDPs in social development • Remuneration packages for CDPs to be improved through a process of re-grading and is awaiting MPSA advice & guidelines for implementation

17. DEVELOPMENTS SCHOLARSHIPS: • 190 scholarships to the amount of R2.8m provided to social work learners • Outstanding fees of 36 students were paid up • Funds for scholarships requested from Treasury as priority for next MTEF period to cover tuition, boarding and lodging, stipends for field placements, etc. • Recruitment, placement and training of Social Aux Workers

18. DEVELOPMENTS OTHERS: • Career fairs conducted in all provinces where learners are recruited to study social work • Establishment of a Unified Professional Association is being facilitated. A referendum supporting this process was conducted and positive feedback was received • An Indaba held to discuss social work as a scarce skill • A first phase capacity building programme conducted in all provinces for all social services professionals. Further funding is required for 2nd phase role-out • High political support e.g. higher subsidies for social work training

19. DEVELOPMENTS OTHERS: • Bursaries with focus on Sustainable Livelihoods offered to 15 students at Univ. of KZN (1 PhD & 14 Masters) - HWSETA funding • Learnership for CDPs: • Unit Standards for fundamentals and Core completed (ETDP SETA) • Electives to be developed by SGB with HWSETA assistance • SACSSP participates

20. Overview of Service Delivery Improvement Strategy.... I have a clear idea of where I'm going I know what I want I can see it coming together I can see the benefits Mindset Confirm Operational Plan Detailed Planning Strategy, Scoping and Focus Gain Commitment and mobilise Programme Phases Resource/ Enablers M & E • Create emergent strategy – recruitment and retention strat. • Norms and stds. for social service delivery • Develop HR Plan based on outputs of norms and stds. • Information M Systems • Shared vision • Clear accountabilities • Workstreams in place • Steering Group • Programme Director • Design blueprint • Detailed Processes Mapped • Process management • Implementation plan • Requisite skills and capacity • Financial resources • Support and participation from key stakeholders • Monitoring & Evaluation • Post implementation reviews KeyActivities Critical Milestones 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10 • Completed implementation plans • Costed norms and stds. • Blueprint for rollout • Human capital plan • Piloting of implementation plan • Implementation of Human Capital • plan • Contracting students through scholarships • against set quota • Recruitment of student social workers • Recruitment of SAW and SW • Creation of a mgt framework • Improvement of working conditions

21. SERVICE DELIVERY The Service Delivery Model for Developmental Social Services: • Reconstruction of social development institutions • The development paradigm • Service integration • Social welfare service delivery • Target groups • Nature and scope of community development services • Service providers and institutional mechanisms • Norms and standards • Monitoring and evaluation of the services

22. SERVICE DELIVERY cont… Interventions: • Implementation of SDM by all service providers • Compliance with service norms and standards • Human resource plan • Development of other professional and semi-professional categories

23. RESTRUCTURING • The national and provincial departments are all undergoing restructuring to re-position themselves towards delivering social development services • NDSD restructuring is in the process of being finalised • Minister approved the high-level structure in March 2006 • The new post establishment is finalised and on route to the Minister for approval.

24. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS • Social Service Occupations • Social Workers • Community Development Practitioners • Probation Officers (Provinces) • Child and Youth Care Workers (Provinces)

25. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS • Complimentary role • Development + welfare = developmental welfare • Development role = CDP • Welfare role = Social Worker • Implementation in a coordinated and integrated manner = developmental social welfare services

26. RELATIONSHIP cont. • SW focuses on the condition/situation of an individual and how that impacts on him/her and on the family/community/society • SW : reactive, rehabilitative, secure care, • CDP focuses on the situation of the household and how it impacts on the ability of the household to support the member/s • CDP: preventative, early intervention, investment

27. RELATIONSHIP cont. • Social development has a much broader conceptual framework whilst community development has a specific place as a method, process and strategy within social development’s broader framework in addressing poverty and inequalities.

28. PROPOSAL • It is proposed that the Portfolio Committee takes note of – • Development & measures to address the challenges such as - • capacity building initiatives • recruitment and retention strategy for SWs • relationships between social service professionals