Social services support for women in Seychelles

The Social Services Division has the responsibility to promote the well-being of children, families, disabled persons and persons placed on probation orders. The Social Services Division is made up of the following sections:

  • Legal Services & Child Protection
  • Community Social Work and Family Support Unit
  • Monitoring and Compliance Section

 

Overall Objectives of the Division

  • Maintenance of society
  • Restoration of social functioning
  • Empowerment
  • Alleviate social problems
  • Improve quality of life
  • Provide social services
  • Mediation

 

Legal Services and Child Protection Section

  • Identify foster and adoptive parents.
  • Arrange placements in foster homes following investigations.
  • Facilitate the adoption process.
  • Undertake investigation and provide reports to the Courts and the Family Tribunal in relation to: custody, access, maintenance, guardianship, adoption, interdicted minor’s property and interdicted disabled adult’s property amongst others.
  • Provide guidance and counseling to parties regarding children’s issues.
  • Collaboration with overseas partners in relation to investigation cases for courts and family tribunal.
  • Investigation into reports of alleged abuse on children.
  • Work with children and their families by providing services to dysfunctional families to restore social functioning.
  • Counsel, support and guide children and their families.
  • Empower children to protect themselves.
  • Protect abused children and those who are at risk of harm through clear intervention plans.
  • Conduct preventive work regarding abuse of children.
  • Register children who are at risk of abuse.
  • Work in close collaboration and in partnership with child local and international protection partners.

 

Community Social Work Section

  • Maintain society and alleviate social problems by providing the necessary assistance.
  • Safeguard the interest of the weak and vulnerable groups.
  • Assist individuals and groups to restore their social functioning.
  • Provide support and counselling to families and children in the community.
  • Cooperate with other community resources in the education of individuals and families with regard to social forces which affect them.
  • Provide support for the elderly.
  • Counsel families to take responsibility and care for their elderly parents.
  • Empower service users to better fulfil their potentials.

Family Support Unit

  • Provide social enquiry reports and other services to the Courts in criminal cases
  • Counsel and work with at risk adults.
  • Provide support and counseling to families in difficulty.
  • Mediate in cases of spousal conflict and relationship problems.
  • Provide social casework investigation, reports and other services to the Courts and Family Tribunal.
  • Offer support to homeless people.

 

Monitoring and Compliance Section

· Assure the suitability of people wanting to work with children in line with the regulations.

· Ensure that stakeholders and employing organisations, non-government organisations exercise due diligence to safeguard children.

· Engage in processing formalities to screen potential candidates and people working in child related field.

· Monitor and inspect children’s care homes to ensure that implementation of the minimum sets of standards that embody the best interest of the child principle.*

*The monitoring and compliance section act as an independent review and body to ensure that compliance concerns within child related service providers or stakeholders are in accordance with the regulation.

 

*All of the above services apart from the Legal section are available at the Praslin and La Digue offices. Social workers from Mahe travel to La Digue and Praslin to handle legal cases on the two islands.

 

Some useful contact numbers

☑ Social Affairs Department/ Social Services- (00248) 4281500

☑ Principal Secretary Social Services – (00248) 4281623

☑ Director Social Services- (00248) 4281831

☑ La Digue (Social Services) - (00248) 4234140

☑ Grand Anse Praslin- (00248) 4233434

☑ Baie Ste Anne Praslin- (00248) 4232027

 

Contact information

Director Social Services

Unity House Block C, First Floor

Tel: (248) 4281500

Fax (248) 4225656

 

Social Affairs Department

P.O. Box: 190

Victoria

Tel: (248) 4281500

Useful contact numbers

Some

☑ Minister for Employment & Social Affairs - 4281500

☑ Principal Secretary Social Services - 4281831

☑ Probation Services - 4281502/4322739

☑ Social Affairs - 4224581

☑ Family Tribunal Secretariat - 4322223

☑ La Digue (Social Services) - 4234140/4233434

☑ Family Service Bureau - 42254581

Contact information

Director Social Services
Oceangate House
Tel: (248) 4281500
Fax: (248) 4225656

Social Affairs Department
P.O Box: 190
Victoria
General Telephone Number: (248) 4281500

angle-left Gender Management System (GMS)

Gender Management System (GMS)

While Seychelles has made tremendous steps in meeting the basic practical needs of everyone and provided equality in the public sphere to women, men, girls and boys, e.g.

• equal access to free education

• equal access to free health care services

• the right to vote

• the right to own land and property, and

• full economic participation of women in the labor market etc

Gender related problems persist, such as;

• domestic violence

• risky sexual behavior

• teenage pregnancy

• illegal abortions

• HIV/AIDS

• alcohol and substance abuse

• gender stereotyping in schools

• gender stereotyping in the labor market etc.

This is because equality in higher strategic needs have not yet been achieved between the genders. This has resulted in the fact that the condition of women and men have changed, i.e. economically active and educated, but their position has not. A symptom of this is the high prevalence of domestic violence, even amongst highly educated and wealthy women.

This is because sustainable empowerment is facilitated by not only the provision of equal rights in public life but also equal rights in private life, necessitating a change in the beliefs and attitudes of every individual. If we are to ensure that the benefits of development and growth are shared equally amongst all members of our society and that the Seychellois people are fully empowered in a sustainable manner, we must:

• Ensure that gendered social relations are understood

• Incorporate the needs and concerns of women, men, girls and boys into all our policies, programs and activities

Gender is everybody’s business, not an issue that concern only women or the Ministry holding the portfolio responsibility. Change must be affected by men as well as women, as a change in social relations between men and women is what is needed, affecting every part of our daily lives. In order to effectively address this cross-cutting issue, we need the co-operation and collaboration of all sectors of society.

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