Cape Town - As World Social Work Day is observed around the world on March 21, the Western Cape Department of Social Development (WCDSD) is honouring all professionals who are changing lives for the better.
The WCDSD employs 748 social workers, 250 social auxiliary workers and 158 social work professionals at various levels.
“Social workers and our NGO partners are the backbone of the DSD, the ones who often put their lives at risk to effect change in communities. But they cannot do this alone, they require support from citizens, especially where violence and crime are rife,” said Western Cape Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez.
For Tiffany Manuel, a social worker assisting gender-based violence victims in Uniondale, the challenges she experienced as a child motivated her to help others.
“I grew up in a community where social issues like domestic violence and substance abuse were present and throughout the years it became worse. My mother protected us the best way she could and to this day I can only be thankful. But I still saw what was going on around me and families suffering due to substance abuse, domestic violence and unemployment. I always wondered how I can help others,” she said.
Vuyolwetu Dlwati, a social work supervisor at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, has been serving patients at the hospital for just over 14 years.
“What I love most is seeing real change in a child’s life – knowing that the actions of our health-care workers have bettered a child’s life. I recall a case of a child who received a poor prognosis. His mother was at the time unemployed and struggling financially. Thankfully, the child recovered, and his mother went on to become a catalyst for change in her community and is now helping other families who are struggling with the same issues. Not only did she turn her life around, but she is also actively helping others do the same. That is real change and that is what we strive for.”
The department said more than R61 million was being allocated in the 2023/24 financial year for priority posts, which included the appointment of social service professionals and posts at secure care facilities.
In her budget speech last week, Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger announced that 247 additional social workers, auxiliary social workers, supervisors and administrative support staff were being appointed to stabilise the welfare and child protection system.
Cape Times