BRIEFING REPORT: SA COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS (SACSSP) TO PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON 9 MARCH 2005

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BRIEFING REPORT SA COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE
PROFESSIONS (SACSSP) TO PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE FOR
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON 9 MARCH 2005
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INTRODUCTION

• Brief background of Council.
• Councils role and objectives.
• Establishing of first social service professional
  boards.
• Regular funding of Council.
• Funding received from Department of Social
  Development.

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Introduction continues..

• Salaries and service conditions of social service
  personnel.
• Social workers leaving for abroad.
• 1St National Conference for social service
  personnel.
• Education and training.

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BRIEF BACKGROUND OF COUNCIL

• SACSSP established and functions in terms of the
  Social Service Professions Act, 1978 (Act 110 of
  1978) as amended.
• Act inter alia makes provision for the
  establishment of professional boards for social
  service professions.

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Continues.

• A priority of Council is to draft a new act.
• First SACSSP completed its five year term of
  office in 2004, laid foundation for new Council,
  started with establishment of professional boards
  (another priority of the new Council).

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COUNCILS ROLE AND OBJECTIVES

• Council -
• determining, guiding and directing authority body
  within structure of social service professions
• protector of the interests of clients of social
  service professions and
• promotes interests of those registered with it.

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ESTABLISHMENT OF FIRST SOCIAL SERVICE
PROFESSIONAL BOARDS

• Council - umbrella body and juristic person.
• Professional boards - Councils delegates,
  responsible for profession(s) under their ambit.
• First professional boards recently established
  (Professional Board for Social Work and
  Professional Board for Child and Youth Care).

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Continues

• Professional Board for Probation Services to
  follow.
• Professional board established by Minister on
  recommendation of Council.
• Practitioners of profession concerned lodge
  application for a board to be established, with
  Council.

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Continues

• If application meets criteria, Council recommends
  to Minister for board to be established.
• Sets of regulations required to establish boards
  and for boards to function.
• Priorities.

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REGULAR FUNDING OF COUNCIL

• Council does not receive money automatically from
  Department of Social Development.
• Councils main source of revenue is annual and
  registration fees payable by persons registered
  with the Council.

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Continues

• Increase in income derived from fees payable to
  Council.
• Councils activities divided into programmes each
  with its own budget.
• Copy of the Councils audited financial
  statements submitted annually to Minister.

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FUNDING RECEIVED FROM DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT

• Establishment of professional boards severely
  taxing Councils financial resources.
• Council gratefully acknowledges financial
  contributions from Department of Social
  Development.

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Continues

• New Council to attend to strategic planning for
  2005/06.
• Submission then to be made to Department for
  funding for 2005/06

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SALARIES AND SERVICE CONDITIONS - SOCIAL SERVICE
PERSONNEL

• Council strongly supports Governments focus on
  poverty and accompanying socio-economic problems.
  
• Apparent increased demand for services of social
  workers.
• Low salaries for social workers a serious concern
  for many years.

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Continues

• Council compiled a Guideline document for the
  remuneration, service conditions and human
  resource management in the social service
  professions in 2002.
• Submissions to Minister and Department of Public
  Administration, and Minister and Department of
  Social Development in 2002.

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Continues

• Departmental task team to deal with the
  remuneration, grading and job descriptions of
  social workers employed in the public sector.
• Salary adaptations for social workers in public
  sector.
• Notice Minister of Labour minimum wage and
  conditions of employment in welfare sector

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Continues

• Finance Ministers announced improvement of
  salaries of social workers in public sector
  (Budget Speech for 2005/6).
• Further widening of gap between NPO/NGO and
  public sectors.
• NPO/NGO sector a major provider of direct
  services.

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Continues

• Some provinces increased subsidies.
• Department produced draft Retention Strategy for
  Social Workers.
• NACOSS research.

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SOCIAL WORKERS LEAVING FOR ABROAD

• Brain drain
• An inability to find employment in South Africa.
• Low salaries and remuneration.
• High work loads, especially in the case of
  statutory work.
• Effect of global village

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1ST NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR
SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS

• Conference held during October 2004.
• Theme Dialogue across disciplines Partnership
  in development.
• Co-hosted by Council and Department of Social
  Development.

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Continues.

• Attended by 658 delegates.
• Objectives achieved to establish positive working
  relationships with all social service
  professionals.
• Declaration.

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EDUCATION TRAINING

• Name change of social work qualification to
  Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) Degree.
• All universities to comply with exit level
  outcomes formulated by SGB for Social Work.
• Council to play an active role in quality
  assuring contents of social service learning
  programmes.

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Continues.

• FET Certificate in Social Auxiliary Work
• - Equivalent of Grade 12 Certificate.
• - Career path and access to studying
• of professional degree in Social
  Work.
• - Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) now a
  reality.

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CONCLUSION

• SACSSP sincerely appreciates this opportunity to
  present Portfolio Committee with some of the
  highlights comprising the most contentious issues
  that Council presently deals with.

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THANK YOU

• THE END