Dodoma — DAR ES SALAAM: VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Philip Mpango has issued a 90-days ultimatum to all persons and institutions providing social welfare services in unregistered facilities to register or face legal measures.
Dr Mpango said that after the ultimatum, a thorough inspection should be conducted to identify those who fail to meet the legal criteria.
Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Energy Dr Doto Biteko, conveyed the Vice-President's directives at the opening of the Social Welfare Officers (SWOs) Conference in Dodoma on Wednesday.
Dr Biteko said that some unscrupulous individuals have been using children's shelters, daycare centres and elderly homes as investments for their own benefits at the expense of the needy people.
"I am directing the minister responsible to work with law enforcement organs to identify the dishonest owners and take legal actions... I also give 90 days for all facilities to be registered, those who fail to do so should be held accountable," he said.
The VP has also directed the SWOs to work professionally and adhere to policies, laws and guidelines for the provision of quality services, as well as to continue to provide mental health education and social psychological support to reduce or eliminate violence affecting various social groups.
"Evidence shows that poor mental health contributes to violent acts. Receive all the victims and listen to them properly to find out the root causes of their problems and support them. Some of them are experiencing mental health problems, so it is your responsibility to serve them with love and show them dignity," he urged.
He directed the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups to continue to identify and provide food, shelter, clothing, education, medical treatment and nutrition services to vulnerable children.
"Between July 2022 and June 2023, a total of 335,971 vulnerable children have been identified and provided with social services, I commend the ministry for these efforts and I direct it to increase efforts to identify the children of this group and their households and take appropriate measures to rescue," he said.
Dr Mpango also directed the social welfare sector to ensure the protection and safety of children in all areas, especially in homes, schools, transport and online, to protect children's rights and welfare, as well as to strengthen campaigns aimed at educating the community about the issues of violence.
"Broad understanding of the society is what will enable the abolition of violent acts that affect child development hence leading to a weak and unproductive workforce," he said.
The VP also urged religious leaders and community elders to continue to strongly condemn evil practices in society and preach good values to improve social well-being and have better families.
He urged parents and guardians to fully consider their protection and take care of their family duties, warning men against family abandonment and being irresponsible fathers.
In addition, he directed responsible authorities to ensure that the process of reviewing the child law and its regulations and the Social Welfare Act are completed to expand the scope and manage ethics of social welfare services and to ensure children receive appropriate protection and upbringing.
Dr Mpango also ordered council directors to allocate funds for social welfare services in accordance with the guidelines for planning, budgets and social welfare information while also instructing the President's Office, Public Service Management to continue to employ SWOs to help the provision of quality social welfare services.
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He asked the Ministry of Health to create a special unit to handle the coordination of social welfare services due to the importance of social welfare professionals in health care institutions.
Speaking in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Biteko urged SWOs to work effectively in order to reduce the impact of social challenges in the country.
"A better social welfare sector will help the government to reduce the burden of serving people with social challenges, marriage disputes will be resolved quickly hence reducing the tide of street children and illicit drug use," he said.
Minister of Social Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups Dr Dorothy Gwajima said that the two-day conference with the theme 'Nurture, Growth for better mental health is our responsibility' aims at discussing and setting out a strategy to accelerate the implementation of social welfare programmes in the country.
