Zimbabwe Government's Department of Social Services

MISSION STATEMENT

1. To provide assistance and support to the vulnerable through the development and implementation of effective policies and legal instruments, proffessional social work and training in order to promote self-reliance and social security.

2. To reduce poverty and enhance self-reliance through the provision of social protection services to vulnerable and disadvantagcd groups in society.

This is done through:-

the care and protection of minors; and adoption of children;
the establishment of corrective institutions and rehabilitation of beggars, vagrants and prostitutes;
family casework;
provision of therapy and counselling services for the physically and mentally handicapped;
counselling on alcohol and drug abuses;
provision of protection and care of refugees;
provision of rehabilitation services for the disabled, care for the aged and supervision of the services given by private old people's homes;
the administartion of the National Heroes Act;
the administration of the War Veterans Act;
the administration of the Disability Act;
distribution of drought relief in drought stricken areas;
provision of material assistance to destitutes such as school, examination and health fees and maintenance allowances; and
the registration and monitoring private voluntary organisations both local and foreign, operating in Zimbabwe.
The Department undertakes to administer, co-ordinate, monitor the effective and efficient delivery of social protection interventions through Central Government by:

(1) Co-ordinating the design and formulation of social policy on a continuous basis;

(2) Publicising all the social protection programmes at the beginning of every financial year;

(3) Registering private voluntary organizations within three-months of receipt of documents;

(4) Setting and reviewing standards and guidelines for the delivery of social protection by local authorities at the beginning of every financial year;

(5) Registering and counselling refugees within three months of arrival;

(6) Paying correct maintenance allowances/food vouchers to refugees at the end of every month;

(7) Repatriating refugees whenever conditions are conducive; and

(8) Processing business proposals submitted by micro-finance institutions within forty-five days. Through local authorities, in accordance with agreed standards by:

(9) Investigating and assessing public assistance cases within fourteen (14) working days of receipt of the necessary information;

(10) Paying correct public assistance entitlements to qualifying individuals at the end of every month;

(11) Paying fees and grants to institutions within thirty (30) days of receipt of claim documents;

(12) Providing relief assistance to survivors of disasters within a month upon the onset of the event;

(13) Assessing adoptive and foster parents within six (6) months of submission of application;

(14) Investigating cases of children at risk into places of safety within 48 hours;

(15) Removing and replacing children at risk into places of safety within 48 hours;

(16) Presenting cases to court within the prescribed legal period;

(17) Compiling reports and representing children in court within the prescribed legal period;

(18) Rehabilitating delinquents within three (3) years;

(19) Reviewing court orders before date of expiry of existing order;

(20) Processing applications for registration of welfare organizations within six (6) months;

(21) Investigating queries/complaints pertaining to welfare organizations and institutions within two (2) weeks of receipt of reports;

(22) Counselling individuals and families within seven (7) days after presentation;

(23) Promoting the rights of vulnerable groups by conducting awareness campaigns quarterly;

(24) Processing repatriations of non-nationals within four (4) months of application; and

(25) Registering creches within six (6) months of application and inspecting them every six (6) months