{"id":42028,"date":"2024-11-20T04:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T02:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnuus\/social-worker-numbers-finally-boosted-20241120-2\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:29:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:29:40","slug":"social-worker-numbers-finally-boosted-20241119","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/social-worker-numbers-finally-boosted-20241119\/","title":{"rendered":"Social worker numbers finally boosted"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Free State Department of Social Development has announced the permanent appointment of 38 social workers, set to assume their duty on 1 December. The group adds to the 83 appointed in June. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thembile Nqabeni, spokesperson for the department, confirmed this was part of the appointment of a 121 strong cohort. These social workers form the cohort that was appointed on contract to serve the department in all five districts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They had been serving the department on contract basis since their appointment in 2020, as part of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis significant expansion further enhances our capacity, to enable us to reach more people, provide more comprehensive social services, and make a greater impact in the communities we serve,\u201d said Nqabeni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Free State reportedly had, for eight years, at least 101 vacant positions. A cut in budget by more than R77 million was cited as one of the main reasons the department was unable to appoint social workers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Free State Department of Social Development has announced the permanent appointment of 38 social workers, set to assume their duty on 1 December. 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