Welfare Department receives 13,000 calls for help monthly

The Welfare Department, which has been under tremendous pressure managing over 13 000 calls monthly, is in the process of rolling out plans to make it easier for clients to access the agency’s services.

Chief Welfare Officer Deborah Norville, speaking in the House of Assembly on Friday, on Head 35 of the Appropriations Bill, 2022, said that while face-to-face interviews have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff complement has remained the same even though there has been a significant increase in requests for assistance.

“We are very much inundated with requests from the public. Our complement of staff has remained the same whereas the applicants have tripled and in some cases quadrupled. Our records are showing over 13 000 calls a month,” Norville said.

In response to a query regarding why it has been difficult for the public to get in contact with officers when they call, Norville explained that it is often difficult for officers to take other calls while they are in the process of interviewing clients.

She indicated that in an effort to address this matter, the department has called on its service provider to assist with an auto attendant where all the calls would be directed to one receptionist and be eventually forwarded to the relevant officers.

Norville also indicated that the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs was in the process of building a management information system which would allow clients to track the progress of their application through a portal where they can also find out if their request has been granted and when the benefits are to be distributed.

“We are definitely doing the best we can with the limited resources that we have,” she said.

Meanwhile, Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey said even in the face of the pressures on the welfare department, officers must be able to respond with grace. He said that the pressure the department has been experiencing is overwhelming, and he asked that members of the public conduct themselves in an appropriate manner.“But I have zero tolerance, zero appreciation for people being treated badly when they visit these institutions,” Humphrey said. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb