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Flagship Programme: Developmental programmes for unemployed women with children under five years: Guidelines for implementation

30 July 1996

DEPARTMENT OF WELFARE

1. RATIONALE     [Top]

During a special meeting of the Departmental Committee on Developmental Social Services (DCDSS) held on 7 November 1995 it was decided to embark on a flagship programme entitled "Developmental Programmes For Unemployed Women With Children Under Five Years."

This decision was taken based on the information presented below:

The greatest challenge facing the government is the extent to which it can impact positively on reducing poverty and unemployment. It is estimated that 6 million people are unemployed and that 10 million families live below the poverty datum line.

Women and children are more likely to find themselves in situations of extreme poverty. Statistics show that 67% of female headed households are poor (most of whom are in the rural areas) and that 75.2% of children under six are situated in rural communities and likely to be exposed to conditions of poverty.

In the light of the Department of Welfare's commitment to creating an enabling environment for people "at risk", it is launching the flagship programme. This Flagship programme will target unemployed women with children under five. The idea is to develop and/or support developmental programmes that create self reliance. This approach is in line with the Beijing Platform for Action which commits government to providing women with opportunities that empower them to change their current situation.

2. VISION FOR THE PROJECT     [Top]

VISION:

To establish an enabling environment that promotes human capacity, and ensures self-reliance and social well-being.

MISSION:

To develop and support unemployed women and their children under five years, in partnership with all stakeholders.

3. OVERALL AIM AND GOALS     [Top]

AIM:

To facilitate educational and employment opportunities for women and their children to break the cycle of disadvantage and poverty and reduce their potential dependency on the State.

GOALS:

• To increase the educational and training opportunities for women so that they can provide in the basic needs of their families.
• To develop the skills and capacity of women to enhance their overall functioning .
• To ensure that these families receive social services that support and enhance this programmes' aim e.g. Iife skills.
• To provide children under five with developmentally appropriate education to increase their chances of achieving and learning, based on the principles of inclusiveness.

Note: These objectives must be measurable.

4. LOCATION [Top]

An estimated 20 projects will be implemented in the 9 provinces. This proposal was agreed to with the proviso that each province identifies 1 project for implementation within the next two months. It was suggested that, thereafter, consideration be given to "needy" provinces. It must be noted that where provinces fail to spend their budget, the funds will be forfeited .

Note: Targeting is vital to the success of the programme therefore care must be taken to identify the most needy communities (poorest of the poor). It is suggested that provinces rank potential participants according to need. The diagram highlights potential target groups.

5. METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION   [Top]

The programme will operate in three phases.

1. PHASE ONE: PLANNING

   This phase was lead by the National Welfare Department (NWD) under the supervision of Marion Stewart (Project Manager) and Louise Erasmus (Project Co-ordinator). It consisted of refining both a strategy and a structure for programme implementation during a workshop which was held from 19 to 21 February 1996. Stakeholders from national, provincial and local level, formal and informal sectors, were present.

   TASK: COMPILATION OF THE OVERALL IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

   Note: The document under perusal is the overall strategy. We are aware that this is an organic process and therefore open to new suggestions based on implementation experiences.

2. PHASE TWO: IMPLEMENTATION

   During this phase the process will shift from planning to service delivery. To facilitate implementation the following structure was agreed to.

   1. STRUCTURE

      NATIONAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT (NWD)

      The NWD was seen as the overall project manager. This would entail fundingt co-ordinating and evaluating the activities of identified projects in the different provinces as well as the operational structure and its effectiveness. The NWD would therefore establish a Project Management Team to fulfil this function. It would utilise the provincial consortiums as a reference group where necessary.

      PROVINCIAL STRUCTURES

      This group will be lead by the Provincial Department of Welfare (PDW) in each province. The PDW has committed itself to appointing a provincial facilitator to drive this process.

      TASK: APPOINTMENT OF A FACILITATOR

      Note: This person must have the skill to manage the process. The identified person must be assigned and committed to the project for a period of 2 years.

      The planning of programme implementation in provinces will take place via a Provincial Consortium. This Consortium will consist of interdepartmental government departments as well as organisations which are active in the identified sectors (i.e. women and children under 5). This body should consist of no more than 15 persons. The PDW will offer secretariat services to the Consortium via the provincial facilitator.

      TASK: FORMATION OF A PROVINCIAL CONSORTIUM

      Note: The Consortium must continue to evaluate its role in relation to the project It must accept that its primary functions are planning and monitoring.

      Once the planning process is completed the Consortium, led by the Provincial Facilitator, will communicate with service delivers to submit proposals. These proposals will convey the services which they intend rendering to the target group. The PDW will also evaluate submissions against the stated criteria. Once this is done they will present their findings to the Consortium. The proposals/submissions will then be forwarded to the NWD in the form of detailed business plans (outlines will soon be forwarded to the provincial facilitators.)

      TASK: RECEIVE AND FORWARD EVALUATED PROPOSALS

      Note: This process involves decision making between NWD and PWD.

      Once the projects are operational the Provincial Facilitator will be responsible for the day-to-day management and will report to the Consortium and seek their advice where necessary.

   2. FINANCES

      There was substantial debate about the cost of a programme. The consensus was that programmes should not exceed R400 000 per project. However, every effort should be made to keep costs contained in order to ensure that successful programmes could be replicated and taken to scale.

      Some guiding principles were suggested for budgeting and these included:

      • Skills required by staff: Here one should bear in mind that the programme co-ordinator (professional in charge of the local programme) must be highly skilled to ensure success.
      • Locality needs: It was acknowledged that each area may have specific needs such as transportation or nutrition etc.
      • Number of women per project: The per capita cost must be guided by the notion on sustainability and replaceability .

      Funds would be released to the PWD on acceptance of the programme proposals/submissions. PWD would be responsible for managing these funds.

      TASK: TO SET UP FINANCIAL SYSTEMS TO FUND PROGRAMMES

      Note: PWD must set these funds aside and ensure that they are separated from other funds so that they can be accessed and accounted for.

3. PHASE THREE: MONITORING

   This phase will comprise the ongoing evaluation and monitoring of implementation against the stated objectives.

   TASK: NWD WILL DEVISE PROCESS FOR ONGOING EVALUATION

6. PROGRAMME OF ACTION [Top]

1. ACTION STEPS

   Throughout this document tasks have been identified. The following two diagrams broadly re-emphasise the actions, time-frames and responsibilities .

   TASK	DEADLINES
   Appointing Provincial Facilitators	February
   Establishing Consortiums	March
   Briefing Stakeholders	March
   Defining Programme Objectives	March
   Identifying target areas	Mid-March
   Identifying and Developing Programme	Mid-March
   Evaluating Submissions	March
   Formulating Detailed Business Plans	End March
   Submissions to NDW	End March/Early April
   Implementation	End April
   Monitoring	Ongoing
   Evaluation	Ongoing

2. ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS

   TASK	RESPONSIBILITY
   Project Management	National Welfare Department
   Programme Identification	Provincial Consortiums
   Detailed Business Plans	Identified Agencies/Provincial Dept
   Programme Implementation	Identified Agencies
   Programme Monitoring	Provincial Welfare Provinces
   Programme Evaluation	National Welfare Department

CONCLUSION     [Top]

The NDW through the DCDSS has set criteria for a flagship programme the programme should:

• Be intersectoral: Links with other national programmes in other government departments need to be explored, in order to pool resources to make a maximum impact on a particular need.
• Have a high profile: The programme must be visible and marketable.
• Reflect new priorities: Emphasis must be on preventative and developmental aspects.
• Low risk of failure: The existing infrastructure and human resource capacity in the government and private sector is to be utilised.
• Draw linkages between social security and welfare service priorities.
• Tap into existing communitybased programmes: Where these community based programmes do not exist such structures should be developed.

These criteria set by the Departmental Committee on Developmental Social Services were reviewed. All the participants at the Workshop supported the notion for an intersectoral approach and believed that this was vital in a planning phase but could also be utilised in service rendering.

The Workshop participants also supported the idea that programmes must reflect new priorities, draw linkages and utilise communitybased programmes. They raised concern that the issues of high profilelow risk must be put into context so that it does not place unrealistic pressure on the target group.

Lastly, the participants supported the idea that NDW should have a communication plan, however the communication strategy should be sensitive to the communities involved in the programme. This aspect will be revisited and submitted to provincial consortiums for approval.

Note: This document can not highlight every eventuality and therefore any points of clarification should be forwarded to the project manager Marion Stewart, 11 llovo Road, Emmarentia, 2195, Tel nr. (011) 486-0062 (Office hours), Fax nr. (011) 486-0088.

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Last modified: 23 April 2008 07:15:40.