INTRODUCTION
Social context
1. The legacy of the past, the current economic crisis and political and social changes have generated great social costs, which have had to be borne by individuals, families and communities. The consequent social disintegration can be seen in family disorganisation, domestic violence, mental health problems, rising crime, illegal drugs, substance abuse and an illicit arms trade which contributes to
growing societal violence. Political, domestic and other manifestations of violence are a threat to the security of individuals, families and communities.
Urban and rural poverty has affected the capacity of families to survive and to adequately meet the needs of their members. Families caring for members who are elderly, chronically ill, disabled, or who have special needs and problems, are often faced with additional care-giving roles. This in turn could lead to financial vulnerability and increased psychological stress.
Large numbers of children are living in difficult circumstances and the youth are faced with increasing obstacles to integrating into social and economic life. Elderly people have to cope with increasing vulnerability owing to poverty and their growing isolation from the rest of society. Discrimination against women, persons with disabilities, offenders and their families and people with HIV/AIDS has contributed to their marginalisation from all social processes.
2. The advent of a new dispensation and an increase in migration from rural to urban areas, and from neighbouring African states and other countries, poses a special challenge for social welfare service delivery.
OVER-ARCHING APPROACH
3. A humane, stable and just society can only be built through social interventions which will address the alienation and
marginalisation of large sectors of the population. Social welfare programmes should protect all human rights and promote equality of opportunity and the participation of all people, especially the disadvantaged and those who are vulnerable. Special programmes should be devised to promote tolerance among all people, respect for diversity and reconciliation.
Focus on poverty
4. Whilst welfare programmes should be available to all South Africans, the focus must be on the poor, those who are vulnerable and those who have special needs. Particular attention should also be paid to addressing the needs of people in rural areas, informal settlements and the parts of urban areas where people are not integrated into the mainstream of society.
Social welfare programmes will form part of an intersectoral strategy to address structural poverty and enhance human capacity such as employment creation in collaboration with other Government departments and stakeholders in civil society.
Strengthening family life
5. The family, ideally, seeks to care for, nurture and socialise its members. These members differ in terms of gender, age, stage of development, and physical and mental abilities. Children and young people, persons with chronic illnesses, physical and mental disabilities, the elderly and those individuals who are not functioning optimally and have special needs are normally members of a family. Their needs should be addressed in the context of the family life-cycle approach. Policies and programmes to strengthen and support families must be developed by Government and civil society.
Persons who are destitute and vulnerable and who have special needs and are not part of families or households, and those who do not have social support systems, such as migrating people, migrant workers who have lost contact with their family networks and adult homeless or destitute people, need special social support. Social welfare programmes need to be flexible and innovative and need to provide for those who do not have families.
The life-cycle approach
6. As far as is appropriate, the life-cycle approach should guide and inform programming. This approach refers to the interaction between family members, the wider social environment and social support networks. Programmes must make provision for the needs of families in accordance with the different stages in the life cycle. These stages are: early childhood and childhood development phase (including the preparation and child-bearing phase); the school-going and adolescent years; the launching of young adults; middle age;
and retirement and old age.
Developmental social welfare programmes
7. Developmental social welfare strategies will be devised to ensure that all people have adequate economic and social protection, and have access to welfare programmes which will promote development and enhance social functioning. The national welfare strategy outlined in Chapter 2 provides the framework for the delivery of social security and welfare services within such a social development framework.
Balance in social programmes
8. The focus of social welfare interventions will be on comprehensive, generic, family-centred, community-based and developmental strategies. A better balance is needed between rehabilitative, protective, preventative and developmental interventions.
The previous approach to welfare service delivery was based on different fields of services which corresponded with particular social problems and needs. This system should be rationalised in pursuit of comprehensive, integrated, inter-sectoral, generic, sustainable, people-centred and developmental social welfare strategies. However, there will be scope on a more limited scale for the delivery of particular specialised therapeutic services for defined target groups and to meet certain types of needs. Organisations delivering specialized services should be required to provide capacity-building programmes to support and enhance the generic services.
Consultation
9. Welfare programmes should be developed in consultation with all parties.
Citizen participation in development
10. All South Africans should be afforded the opportunity to play an active role in promoting their own well-being and in contributing to their society’s growth and development.
Fiscal constraints
11. In view of fiscal constraints, it is not possible for the welfare function to grow in real terms in the medium term. Real growth will be accommodated by restructuring the welfare function. The Ministry for Welfare and Population Development will however continue to advocate increases in real terms in order to redress the underfunding of this component. All programmes referred to in this chapter will be implemented progressively.
Sections in this chapter
Section 1 focuses on the family and the life-cycle. The family is the basic unit of society in relation to meeting human needs in the different stages in the life-cycle, and the family-centred life-cycle approach is therefore carried through to all the subsequent sections of the chapter.
Section 2 focuses on the empowerment of women.
Section 3 focuses on the needs of people with disabilities.
Section 4 focuses on mental health, substance abuse, crime prevention through development and restorative justice and the needs of people with chronic illnesses and people with HIV/AIDS.