Partnerships between Local Government and welfare organizations

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The role of welfare organizations in South Africa

According to Engelbrecht (1997:48) the rendering of welfare services started in 1864 and 1899 when the Dutch Reformed Church established welfare institutions in the Cape colony. After the Anglo- Boer war the African Womens Association as established and rendered welfare services to poor whites.
According to McKendrick (1990:9-10) the century progressed a pattern of social welfare provision emerged in the promulgation of related legislation. The emphasis was on three areas of care i.e. caring for children, care of the physically disabled and the relief of poverty. The emphasis remained on the white population. While African, so- called Coloureds and Indian people’s problems remained relatively neglected, public concern about white poverty grew even further with the depression of the late 1920s.
In 1929 the government set up the Carnegie Commission into the poor white problem. The recommendations of this Commission resulted, among other things, in the establishment of the first state welfare department in 1937 in the hope of developing a more unified and integrated approach to this particular populations welfare needs (Sewpaul & Hölscher:2004:66). McKendrick (1990:12) states that it is in the period 1937 to 1950 that the effect of the South African historical experience on the development of a social welfare philosophy and system can be seen most clearly. It was in this period that the long-ingrained racial attitudes of white persons were reflected in discriminatory state –sponsored social welfare and social assistance programmes; that the tradition of personal independence and self sufficiency first established by frontier farmers and trekkers contributed to South Africa’s rejection of a national, comprehensive social security scheme; and that a political party came to power on the slogan of “Apartheid”, or separate development of race groups.
The uprisings in Soweto and elsewhere in 1976 intensified opposition to apartheid and gave rise to organizations in communities in the social, cultural and spiritual spheres. Mass antiapartheid activities were conducted in the 1980s. Grassroots social development initiatives began emerging in protest against the formal welfare system, and aimed for more equitable, democratic and appropriate alternatives (Patel 1992:1).

The relationship between Local Government and welfare organization

According to Thomas in Swanepoel and De Beer (1998:76) NGOs are likely to relate to the state in one of three ways i.e.
• Complementing the state: This entails an NGO participating with the state in providing services which the state would otherwise not be able to provide. The NGO therefore becomes an instrument of Government policy implementation.
• Opposing the state: An NGO can oppose the state directly or through various pressure groups in an effort to engage government with regard to policies which the NGO and the community might feel adversely affect them.
• Reforming the state: NGOs can represent interest groups that are working at grassroots level and negotiate with government to improve government policies. Tandon in Clark (2006:1-16) has explained how Local Governments can construct a policy environment to strengthen the NGO sector. The author states that the initial relationship between the two sectors can take one of three forums.

Partnerships between Local Government and welfare organizations

From the abovementioned discussion it seems as if the most important change in relationship between Local Government and welfare organizations in the rendering of Social Welfare services could be partnerships. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as quoted by Davids et. al. (1998:64) partnerships are regarded as one of the core characteristics of good governance.
Rondinelli in De Beer and Swanepoel (1998:7) explains that partnership action is a characteristic of adaptive administration aims to reduce the dependence of communities, sets democratic processes in action and enhances human potential. The partnership which also applies to social welfare can be described as follows:
• Decisions on strategies and the availability and allocation of resources are taken at central level, while decisions on implementation are taken locally in consultation with the communities concerned.
• Officials of Local Government treat the population as partners in the definition and solution of problems.
Partnerships seem to refer to a value as well as a strategy. Sewpaul and Hölscher (2004:45) refer to partnerships as a value that encourages a devolvement of decision-making and innovation that includes the organization’s customers. According to Sewpaul and Hölscher (2004:79) partnership regarding the financing policy refers to a “mutual commitment reciprocal of Welfare to relationships to advance a common vision”. They are however “One great source of contention”.

CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Problem statement and motivation for the study
1.3 Research question
1.4 Intention and objectives of the study
1.5 Research design
1.6 Research method
1.6.1 Introduction
1.6.2 Determining the population and sampling
1.6.3 Data collection
1.6.3.1 Interviews
1.6.4 Data analysis
1.6.4.1 Scanning and cleaning the data
1.6.4. 2 Organizing the data
1.6.4.3 Re-presenting the data
1.7 Ethical considerations
1.7.1 Harm to experimental subjects and / or respondents
1.7.2 Informed consent
1.7.3 Deception of respondents
1.7.5 Actions and competence of researchers
1.7.6 Release or publication of the findings
1.8 Contribution of the study
1.9 List of terms
1.10 Outline of chapters
CHAPTER 2: THE RELATIONSHIP OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS IN ADRESSING WELFARE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Local Government and Social Welfar
2.2.1 Existing communication structures
2.2.2 Forums: structures to encourage communication
2.3 Decentralization of Welfare services in South Africa
2.4 Local Government services
2.4.1 Basic services
2.4.2 Housing
2.4.3 Poverty alleviation
2.5 The Voluntary Sector and Social Welfare
2.5.1 The role of welfare organizations in South Africa
2.6 The relationship between Local Government and welfare organizations
2.6.1 Introduction
2.7 Partnerships between Local Government and welfare organizations
2.8 Conclusion
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research process
3.2.1 Data collection
3.2.2 Data analysis
3.3 A profile of Eersterust as context for the study
3.3.1 People
3.3.1.1 The social and cultural life of Coloured
3.3.1.2 History of Eersterust
3.3.1.3 Economic situation
3.3.1.4 Politics and the so called “Coloureds”
3.3.1.5 Local Government in Eersterust
3.3.5.1 History of Local Government in Eersterust
3.3.5.2 The present role of Local Government in the Eersterust community
3.3.6 Social welfare problems in Eersterust
3.3.6.1 Introduction
3.3.6.2 Housing in Eersterust
3.3.6.3 Unemployment
3.3.6.4 Alcohol and drug abuse
3.3.6.5 Crime and violence
3.3.6.6 Teenage pregnancy
3.3.6.7 HIV/AIDS in Eersterust
3.3.6.8 Women as a minority group
3.3.6.9 Discussion
3.4 Overview of Welfare organizations in Eersterust
3.4.1 Eersterust Child and Family Welfare Society
3.4.2 South African National Council on Substance Abuse
3.4.3 Northern Gauteng Mental Health Society
3.4.4 Circle of Life
3.4.5 National Youth Development Organization
3.4.6 Hope Training and Development Centre
3.4.7 Eersterust Care and Training Centr
3.4.8 Trauma Nexus
3.4.9 Faith based organizations
3.4.10 Pre-schools
3.4.10.1 Little Valley for Little People
3.4.10.2 Masada
3.4.10.3 Rainbow pre-school
3.4.10.4 Akaela’s Ark
3.4.11 Institutions for the aged
3.4.11.1 Lodewyk Spies old age home
3.4.11.2 Andries Strydom old age home
3.5 Discussion
3.6 The relationship between Local Government and welfare organizations in Eersterust
3.6.1 Introduction
Themes and sub-theme
3.7 Discussion of themes and sub-themes
3.7.1 Theme1: Uncertainty or lack of awareness whether Local Government can assist them in the rendering of their services
3.7.1.1 Sub-theme 1.1: Uncertainty in accessing services at Local Government
3.7.1.2 Sub-theme 1.2 Local Government’s lack of effective communication about service delivery to community organizations
3.7.1.3 Sub-theme 1.3 Frustration that services expected in terms of existing policy do not exist
3.8 Discussion
3.9 Theme 2: Awareness of how Local Government can assist them
3.9.1 Sub-theme 2.1: Knowing someone in Local Government who can rer you
3.9.2 Sub-theme 2.2: Lack of awareness of the channels that have to be followed to access services in Local Government
3.9.3 Sub-theme 2.3: Lack of contact and communication between Local Government and welfare organizations
3.10 Discussion
3.11 Theme 3: Awareness of Local Government’s available resources
3.11.1 Sub-theme 3.1: Different degrees of awareness about resources offered
3.11.2 Sub-theme 3.2: It’s important who you know
3.12 Discussion
3.13 Theme 4: Positive experience of welfare organizations with Local Government
3.13.1 Sub-theme 4.1: Leasing accommodation to welfare organization
3.13.2 Sub-theme 4.2: Donations of stands
3.13.3 Sub-theme 4.3: Housing for clients
3.13.4 Sub-theme 4.4: Referral to the Indigency Program
3.14 Discussion
3.15 Theme 5: Welfare Organization’s expectations and needs of Local Government
3.15.1 Sub-theme 5.1 Contact and communication
3.15.2 Sub-theme Basic services and support
3.16 Theme 6: Partnerships relationship
3.16.1 Sub-theme 6.1: Ignorance about policy of partnership
3.16.2 Sub-theme 6.2: No evidence of partnership
3.17 Summary of themes
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Summary
4.3 Conclusion about the research findings
4.4 Recommendations
4.5 Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS IN EERSTERUST