When we hear “social development”, we immediately think of the Department of Social Development. However, the social development approach in social work is much broader than what is commonly believed.
Social development is an approach to promote human well-being. It includes policies and programmes that meet needs, offer protection and promote rights, as well as manage and prevent social problems, build human capabilities, facilitate the optimal use of opportunities, and promote the empowerment of people and socioeconomics.
This approach guides social workers to build communities’ capacity and assist them in becoming more resilient and self-reliant.
Annually during October, the department observes Social Development Month, pledging to care for vulnerable communities. Collaborating with the National Development Agency and the South African Security Agency, focus is on informing communities about the grants South Africans can access.
During the 2022-’23 budget speech, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu reported that 99,6% of the department’s budget was allocated to cover more than 18 million beneficiaries. It is shocking that about 30% of South Africans depend on social assistance for survival.
With the social development approach, the focus would shift from providing more grants to skills development and job creation. Social work services would shift to prevention and early intervention services.
We need to initiate a whole systems approach that does not focus primarily on individuals (micro level), but begins with community development (macro level). If we start addressing social issues on a macro level through awareness and prevention programmes, it is believed that fewer services will be needed through individual and group work interventions.
It is impossible to render proper and adequate social work services if only 0,4% of the budget is left after the grants are paid. The minister herself reported that 55 000 social workers are needed to meet the demand for appropriate essential social work services. About 9 000 qualified social workers are unemployed.
Social workers are trying to support vulnerable communities, but limited resources and support make it difficult. We must salute the social workers who are fighting daily for social justice, human rights, empowerment, accountability, and the responsibility to build and promote the social work profession.
While a large part of the community is dependent on grants, social workers are capable of building the capacity and resilience of communities through the social development approach to ultimately improve self-sufficiency and psychosocial-economic well-being.
Fourth-year Social Work students conducted 34 community projects in various areas of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality during this year, building the capacity and resilience of various minority groups considered vulnerable.
) Mariëtte Joubert is a placement liaison officer in the Department of Social Work, as well as an ad hoc lecturer at the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) and a Department of Sociology advisory board member at the University of the Free State (UFS).
