Lack of resources crippling social welfare services - official

Ho, Jan. 20, GNA - Mr Kodjo Krakani, Head of Budget and Planning at the Volta Regional office of the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) on Friday observed that there is a big deficit in the provision of welfare services to Ghanaians.

He blamed this on inadequate staffing, lack of basic logistics and mobility, which was fast crippling the operation of the Department throughout the country.

Mr Krakani, who was speaking to the GNA in an interview on the Department's action plan for 2006 in the Volta Region, said it was unfortunate that products from the only Social Welfare Training Institute in the country could not be absorbed into the Department because of logistic constraints.

He added that recruitment in to the Department was inadequate to cope with existing vacancies.

Mr Krakani said currently, the Volta Region had only 40 trained professional social workers instead of a minimum of 60. He said the situation was serious when considered in the context of the Children's act, Act 560 and the roles, which the Social Welfare Department and the District Assemblies were supposed to play. "And this role is supposed to be promoted by the District Social Welfare officers who are trained", Mr Krakani said.

He said apart from the poor staffing, the Department also lacks general motivation, vehicles for visitations and logistics as it was still using typewriters with confidential documents kept in wooden lockets instead of on diskettes.

Mr Krakani therefore appealed to the government including parliament, and all stakeholders to take another look at the Department and its work. "Our work cuts across all endeavours that deal with human beings so motivate us to be able to encourage people in distress."

The DSW operates under the Ministry of Manpower Youth and Employment and renders its services through three core programmes namely Justice Administration, Child Rights Promotion and Protection and Community Care.