THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIAMINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE

SECTORAL ROLES AND SYNERGIES IN IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL PROTECTION

PROGRAMME AND BUILDING AN INTERGRATED SP SYSTEM IN TANZANIA

Presented by;Simon B. PangaAsst. Commissioner for Social welfare

Outline

•Introduction•Structure of the Department of Social Welfare•Roles and Responsibilities•Policy and Legal framework for Social Welfare Services•Social welfare and social protection•Achievements and Successes•Challenges facing social welfare service provision in Tanzania•Lessons learnt•Monitoring and evaluation

The department within the ministry

of health and social welfareThe Department of Social Welfare (DSW) provides support services to most vulnerable children, families, elderly and people with disabilities, including substance addicts and people living with chronic illness, through four (4) Sections, namely:Services to People with Disabilities and Elderly;Family, Child Welfare and Early Childhood Development; Juvenile Justice and Correctional Services; and Social Welfare Training and Staff Development. In addition there is a Social Welfare Unit in the Regional Secretariat (RS) and Social Welfare Offices (DSWO) in the Local Government Authorities.

Roles and ResponsibilitiesDSW carries out the following overall roles and responsibilities:•Administration of juvenile justice and correctional services covering

– Retention homes– The approved school – Children living out of families (e.g. street children)– Truants (school drop-outs)– Drugs and alcohol abuse– Social Welfare (SW) service to Juvenile courts

•Family, child welfare and early childhood development covering– Family disputes and marriage reconciliation– Children homes– Foster care and adoption– day care centres and crèches– Community based care, support and protection of most vulnerable

children (MVC)– Child protection systems strengthening.

Roles and Responsibilities• Services to people with disabilities and the elderly through

– Institutional care for elderly and people with disabilities – Vocational Rehabilitation skills training– Employment for people with disabilities ( self & formal sector)– Provision of assisting devices– Community based rehabilitation – Mentoring and subvention to organizations for people with disabilities

• Social welfare training and staff development including– Development, assessment and evaluation of SW training and staff development– Preparation and review of projections of human resource requirements– Development and review of short and long term human resource plans– Maintaining statistics and updating inventory of SW workers – Development of a career structure for SW workers– Liaise with appropriate bodies on the recruitment, placement and utilization of

SW Human resources– Preparation and Coordination of the proficiency examination for SW officers

General Roles •Coordinate and Provide social welfare services to vulnerable people and address the emerging social problems through the maximization of opportunities•Design and review social welfare policies, laws, programs and services•Facilitate the process of welfare provision in different sectors•Address social barriers that prevent people from accessing social welfare services by ensuring effective participation of people with special needs and vulnerable populations on all matters affecting their lives•Engage development partners and other stakeholders to meet human needs•Capacity building of social welfare workforce through training, mentoring and coaching•Carry out operational research on provision of Social Welfare Services•Coordinate and mobilize internal and external resources that are directed towards people with special needs and vulnerable populations

Policy and Legal framework for Social Welfare Services

The operations of the department are guided by a number of policies, guidelines and laws as follows:•National Aging Policy (2003)•National Disability Policy (2004)•National Health Policy (2007)•The Child Development Policy (2008) •The Law of the Child Act (2009)•The Persons with Disability Act (2010)

Policy Cont…

• Anti-Human Trafficking of Persons Act (2008) • Health Sector Strategic Plan III (2010-2015)• National Costed Plan of Action for Most Vulnerable

Children( 2013-2017)• Sexual Offences (Special Provisions Act) (1998)• The Destitute Ordinance (1923)• The Law of Marriage Act No 5 (1971) • National Plan of Action on Prevention and Response to

Violence Against Children (2013-2016)• Five year Strategy for Progressive Child Justice Reform

2013 – 2017

Sector contribution to the development of nation

• Improving welfare of vulnerable groups has a positive impact on national development

• Empowering vulnerable groups reduces dependence syndrome

• Not improving their access to social welfare services and protection can lead to unacceptable behavior such as crime and substance abuse as well as becoming perpetrators or victims of violence.

Programs in place to reach the vulnerable• Child protection system strengthening program,

including:– Improved collaboration between Social Welfare, Health,

Police, Judiciary and Education sectors– Improved access and quality of protection services– Partnering with Community Development for prevention

of violence against children

• Community rehabilitation program for children in conflict with the law

• Identification of most vulnerable children• Community based care and support for most

vulnerable children

Programs in place to reach the vulnerable

• Early identification of children with disabilities• Community Based Rehabilitation program for

persons with disabilities• Vocational rehabilitation and training centres

for persons with disabilities• Elderly cared for in elderly homes• Household economic strengthening for

vulnerable families

Achievements and Successes• Department of social welfare is fully fledged

department at central level.• Development of the Law of the Child Act No. 21 of

2009 and its Regulations that gives the commissioner for social welfare legal mandate to deal with all matters concerning the welfare and rights of children.

• Establishment of the National Advisory Council for persons with disability as per The Law of the Persons with Disability Act No 9 of 2010.

• Mainstreaming of social welfare services to Local government Authorities.

• TASAF III providing cash transfer to most vulnerable groups in LGAs.

Achievements and Successes• Establishment of Community Based Rehabilitation program to

persons with disabilities and the elderly cared in elderly homes.

• Identification of 897,913 MVC (m 475,894 & f 422,019) in 111 councils

• Establishment of child protection systems in thirty councils to prevent and respond to the high levels of child abuse, neglect and exploitation.

• Launching of Community Rehabilitation Programme for children in conflict with the law (CRP).

• Re-establishment of Social Welfare Assistant cadre in the scheme of service for the purpose of consolidating/actualizing social welfare services at ward and village levels.

• Commencement on the process of establishment of social work council (writing of cabinet paper).

Challenges• Public awareness on importance of Social Welfare services is low. • Insufficient budgetary allocation to improve social welfare service delivery

at all levels.• This includes lack of infrastructure such as office space and transport.• Insufficient number of Social Welfare Officers, particularly in rural areas.• Insufficient sustained pre- and in-service capacity building of Social

Welfare Officers on social work, including case management.• MVC response is almost completely dependent on external financing.• Strengthening family ties, marriages and local communities to effectively

respond to the emerging social problems such as violence against children, orphans and vulnerable children, children living and working on the streets, the elderly, and children with disabilities, drug abuse, and child trafficking.

• Establishment of comprehensive data and information management systems that shall include all social welfare services at all levels.

• Insufficient family-based care options for children without appropriate care.

Challenges• Implementation of universal pension to all elderly and the capacity

of the nation to finance the program.• Weakening of traditional social protection systems or safety nets

due to adverse increase of household poverty and the effects of globalization.

• The change of social economic policies since early 1990s.• Support the graduates from vocational training and rehabilitation

centres for persons with disabilities to self-employment.• Revamping and operating five (5) vocational and rehabilitation

centres for persons with disabilities • Renovation of elderly homes.• Availability and accessibility of social services to persons with

disabilities; including physical environment, information and communication

• Coordination of social welfare/social protection services provision not yet in place. No sustained efforts in place to integrate TASAF’s focus on Most Vulnerable Households, which includes many children, and DSW’s focus on Most Vulnerable Children.

Lessons learnt

• Public Expenditure Identification Survey 2011 showed only 0.1% allocated by key MDAs (including MoHSW) for child protection. At LGA level only 0.002% allocated. Increased budget allocation for DSW and for Social Welfare at Council level is key for supporting vulnerable population.

• In order to track allocations need to create a separate sub-vote for Social Welfare at Council level.

• PMO-RALG, PO-PSM, MoHSW need to increase the social welfare workforce at the council level.

Lessons learnt• Need to improve coordination among MDAs, LGAs and

implementing partners• Improve partnership and collaboration with key

stakeholders• Encourage Public Private Partnership• Strengthen capacity of social welfare workforce• Relevant ministries, departments and agencies integrate

child protection into their national programmes• Implement universal pension to all elderly in Tanzania.• Addressing social protection initiatives in Tanzania requires

coordinated implementation.

M&E• Need supervision structure in place of Social

Welfare Officers, Assistants and para-social workers from council to village/Mtaa level.

• Regional level to provide capacity building and oversight of councils.

• DSW to conduct supportive supervision to Regions and LGAs.

• Establishment of comprehensive data and information management systems that shall include all social welfare services at all levels.