By Lee-Yandra Paulsen
The Western Cape’s Social Work Integrated Management System (SWIMS) has been hailed as a transformative tool for addressing the logistical needs of social workers. Minister for Social Development, Jaco Londt, detailed the app’s impact on daily operations and efficiency since its launch in April this year.
Londt explained, “I think we need to look at it from multiple angles. First, consider how much time social workers spend on administrative tasks. Those who interact with social workers often see them carrying numerous files or dealing with stacks of paperwork. Our goal is to transition these files to an online system. Currently, we have 1,054 social service practitioners in the Western Cape using the app, who are already capturing and managing hundreds of cases.”
In June alone, the app facilitated the entry of 5,698 forms and the opening of 2,157 new cases. Londt emphasized that the application has significantly reduced administrative burdens, allowing social workers to focus more on serving the community.
He said, “We want to ensure all our government social workers use it. This includes social workers not only in the Department of Social Development (DSD) but also in education—where we have 73 social workers—health and wellness, which employs over 200 social workers—and the thousands of social service professionals in non-profit organisations and child and youth care workers. Rolling out this application is crucial.”
Londt also mentioned ongoing discussions with municipalities and mayors about expanding the app’s use in local government. He highlighted the app’s offline capabilities, noting that if a family relocates to a new city or metro without informing their social worker, the new social worker can access the patient’s records through the app’s database, ensuring continuity of care without starting from scratch.
He added that national-level discussions are underway, stating, “We’ve been in contact with the National Minister of Social Development. This means that if a child moves from the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape or a Western Cape child moves to Gauteng, social workers in the new province can still access the patient’s files through the app. This will help reduce the workload for social workers not just within the province but across the country.”
Londt also remarked on the broader potential of the app, “What this app means is that we can truly revolutionise how this field works and how we service our residents in the Western Cape and throughout South Africa.”
VOC News
Photo: WC DSD
