GENERAL%20AND%20ANNUAL%20REPORT:%20BRIEFING%20OF%20THE%20PORTFOLIO%20COMMITTEE%20FOR%20SOCIAL%20DEVELOPMENT%20ON%2019%20OCTOBER%202005

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GENERAL AND ANNUAL REPORT BRIEFING OF THE
PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON 19
OCTOBER 2005

• SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE
  PROFESSIONS

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BACKGROUND OF COUNCIL

• SACSSP established and functions in terms of the
  Social Service Professions Act, 1978 Act 110 of
  1978 as amended.
• Act as amended inter alia makes provision for the
  establishment of professional boards for social
  service professions.
• A priority of Council is to draft a new act.

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BACKGROUND OF COUNCIL (Conti

• First SACSSP completed its five year term of
  office in 2004, laid foundation for new Council.
• First two professional boards established under
  Councils auspices on 3 February 2005.

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MEMBERS OF 2ND SACSSP

• 1- Appointed by the Minister of
• Education
• 11- Appointed by the Minister of Social
• Development
• 6- Elected

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COUNCIL AND BOARDS 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.

• Boards
• regulation of all matters pertaining to
  profession(s) under ambit of board concerned.

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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 established during
  February 2005 (Professional Board for Social Work
  and Professional Board for Child and Youth Care).
• Professional Board for Probation Services to
  follow.

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ESTABLISHMENT OF FIRST SOCIAL SERVICE
PROFESSIONAL BOARDS (Conti.

• Professional board established by Minister on
  recommendation of Council.
• Practitioners of profession concerned lodge
  application for a board to be established, with
  Council.
• If application meets criteria, Council recommends
  to Minister for board to be established.

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Professional Board for Social Work
Generally taken over functions previously
fulfilled by the Council regarding the social
work profession.

• Members
• Prof Nomvula MTETWA (Chairperson) (Appointed to
  represent the community)
• Ms Nozuko YOKWANA (Vice-Chairperson) (Appointed
  to represent the community)
• Ms Margot Ann DAVIDS (Appointed member in the
  employment of a social development department in
  the provincial sphere of Government)
• Ms Janet Angela DU PREEZ (Elected social worker)
• Ms Marieta Lamencia KEMP (Elected social worker)
• Prof Antoinette LOMBARD (Elected social worker)
• Mr Kgabo Gabriel MAPOTSE (Appointed person versed
  in law)
• Prof Ntombifikile Margaret MAZIBUKO (Elected to
  represent social work education and training
  institutions)
• Mr Samuel Zwelaba MNAMATELLI (Elected social
  auxiliary worker)
• Prof Vishanthie SEWPAUL (Elected social worker)
• Dr Sello Levy SITHOLE (Designated by the SACSSP)

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Professional Board for Child and Youth Care
Immediate priorities Drafting and
implementation of regulations for establishing
registers for practitioners, establishing
criteria for registration, setting of fees to be
paid for registration, determining acts or
omissions which shall constitute unprofessional
conduct, and formulating code of ethics.

• Members
• Ms Janet Merle ALLSOPP (Elected child and youth
  care worker)
• Dr Senathi FISHA (Chairperson) (Appointed to
  represent the community)
• Rev Barrie James LODGE (Elected child and youth
  care worker)
• Ms Sbongile Cynthia MANYATI (Elected child and
  youth care worker)
• Ms MRM MOTHAPO (Appointed person versed in law)
• Mr Donald NGHONYAMA (Appointed to represent the
  community)
• Ms Bessie NKOSI (Appointed member in the
  employment of a social development department in
  the provincial sphere of Government)
• Mr Ashley THERON (Elected child and youth care
  worker)
• Ms Zenuella Sugantha THUMBADOO (Vice-Chairperson)
  (Elected child and youth care worker)
• Ms Jacqueline Anne WINFIELD (Elected to represent
  child and youth care education and training
  institutions)

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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.
• Practitioners of social service profession for
  which a professional board has been established
  should be enabled to register and start
  contributing financially to the Council as soon
  as possible after establishment a board.
• Councils activities divided into programmes each
  with its own budget.

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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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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.
• Council compiled a Guideline document for the
  remuneration, service conditions and human
  resource management in the social service
  professions in 2002.

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SALARIES AND SERVICE CONDITIONS - SOCIAL SERVICE
PERSONNEL (Conti

• Submissions to Minister and Department of Public
  Administration, and Minister and Department of
  Social Development in 2002.
• 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.

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SALARIES AND SERVICE CONDITIONS - SOCIAL SERVICE
PERSONNEL (Cont.

• 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.
• 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.
• Attended by 658 delegates.
• Objectives achieved to establish positive working
  relationships with all social service
  professionals.
• Conference 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
• Re FET Certificate in Social Auxiliary Work,
  SACSSP facilitated following developments

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EDUCATION TRAINING (Conti..

• 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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COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Research amongst social workers
• First Conference of the HWSETA
• Community Development workers
• Publication of Newsletter of the Council
• Visits national and provincial departments and
  organisations responsible for social development
  services

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PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

• Council is finalising its new Code of Ethics for
  Social Work as well as its Policy Guidelines for
  the Course of Conduct, Code of ethics and the
  rules for Social Workers. These documents will be
  expanded to provide for the social service
  professions other than social work under auspices
  of the Council.

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CONCLUSION

• SACSSP and its newly established professional
  boards are fulfilling their statutorily awarded
  regulatory role regarding the social service
  professions concerned in all earnest
• Council and professional board are vigorously
  attending to setting criteria for registration of
  practitioners of new profession of child and
  youth work, registers for their registration to
  be up and running in foreseeable future.
• Council attending to drafting of a new Act and is
  planning to submit it to Parliament for
  finalisation by the end of 2006 beginning of
  2007.

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CONCLUSION (Conti

• Serious demands are made on the Councils human
  and financial resources. Additional resources
  would have to be obtained as a matter of priority
  to ensure that the Council is in a position to
  fulfil its responsibilities.
• Council sincerely appreciates this opportunity to
  present the Portfolio Committee with some of the
  highlights comprising the most contentious and
  important issues that the Council dealt with
  during 2005 and 2006 and with which it is to deal
  with in the foreseeable future.

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THANK YOU