Orphan Care Department in the Social Care Directorate — Ministry of Social Development (2021)

●      Episode No. (13)

●      Orphan Care

●      In a report of the General Directorate of Oversight of Social and Cultural Services, included in the 2022 annual report of the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB), on the Orphan Care Department in the Social Care Directorate, at the Ministry of Social Development for the year 2021... some substantive observations were raised that cause concern about an issue that enjoys the attention and full sympathy of Palestinian society... namely orphan care...!

●      Some of these observations relate to the administrative organization of the Orphan Care Department, where the report showed that the Ministry of Social Development did not assign or appoint employees to the departments affiliated with the Orphan Care Department (Accreditation Department, Assistance and Follow-up Department, and Programs and Resource Development Department)...

●      As for statistics on the number of orphans, it appeared that the General Directorate of Social Services does not have data showing the number of sponsored orphans.. It is clear that there are no comprehensive statistics on orphans in Palestine, which hinders knowing and determining the actual numbers of orphans in Palestine who receive services from the Ministry, since the data available in the directorates and the Orphan Care Department are limited to those who submit a registration application only..! Also, there is no linkage between the Orphan Care Program and the other programs in the Ministry, (the Cash Assistance Program, and the Unified Assistance Portal)

·       And regarding awareness about orphan sponsorship, the report stated thatthere are no procedures or activities to encourage orphan sponsorship, through the directorates coordinating with partner institutions to organize workshops, seminars, and media awareness activities that contribute to supporting and encouraging orphan sponsorship.

●      As for the registration and approval of orphans, the report revealed, that the Orphan Care Department did not audit orphan registration applications and the attached documents, and did not approve these applications..!

·       The report also added that some of the social reports attached to the (application) registration form appeared incomplete, as supporting evidence was not attached, and not all signatures were completed (the orphan guide, the vocational counselor, and the director of the directorate..!

·       It was also shown from the Bureau's observations that awareness regarding orphan sponsorship is not active, as there is no confirmation of conducting field visits to some orphan cases in a number of directorates, and there are no visit dates on the social reports..!

·       The report added that the data on the Orphan Care program appear inaccurate, as it showed cases present in the assistance database (the Unified Assistance Portal) and not present in the Orphan Care program..!

●      As for the assistance and services provided to orphans, the report stated that there are no assistance measures specifically for orphans, except if the orphan is registered as a social case on the Cash Assistance Program..Also there is no package of services in the Ministry specifically for orphans registered on the Orphan Care database; in addition, it did not appear that there are activities, reports, or statistics for orphans who receive school or university fee waivers..!

·       The report adds in its observations on orphan care in the department affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development, explaining that there are no activities to follow up on school dropout cases, and to direct them to youth centers, or encourage them to continue their education..! Nor are there reports from the Orphan Care Department and orphan supervisors in the directorates, on the nature of the psychological care and social support provided to orphans!

●      The report revealed regarding the supervision of partner institutions and associations, that there is disparity in the number of institutions working in the field of orphan care (residential, day care, sponsorships, and assistance), as some governorates, have no residential institutions, and other governorates have no institutions providing sponsorships and assistance to orphans, where it appeared that there is difficulty in coordination between the Orphan Care Department and the institutions working in this field.

·       The Orphan Care Department does not participate in licensing the institutions operating in orphan care, although it is the competent authority regarding orphan mattersOrphans; nor is there confirmation, at the Orphan Care Department, of the commitment of associations operating in the orphan care sector and providing them with cash and in-kind assistance to register the assistance on the Ministry's Unified Cash Assistance Portal. (according to the report)!..

·       As for the oversight exercised by the Orphan Care Department in the Ministry, the report clarified thatno supervisory role of the Orphan Care Department was evident in the licensing and supervision of establishing residential care homes..! In addition to weak visits to the associations and institutions that provide care for orphans..!