Margot Davids
I am a well-qualified and experienced Social Worker of 42 years. I have recently retired but believe I still have a lot to contribute to the profession. As a result, I have registered as a private social work practitioner with the South African Council for Social Services Professions Registration number 10-07270 and the Board of Health Care Funders NPC Registration Number 1030760
I have built my career around the welfare of children as this is my absolute passion. I has developed sound skills in managing not only the operational issues that occur in daily running of childcare
organisations, but have become a specialist in the field of policy, strategy and people management.
During my career, I initially developed skills in the non-profit sector, where I had practical experience in child protection services. I expanded my skills and expertise in the child protection field as a Social Worker in Durban and in Boys Town ( Cape Town), SOS Children’s Village ( Ennerdale Johannesburg), and Johannesburg Child Welfare as a manager in foster Care.
I was employed for 7 years in the field of Mental health at the Wits Mental health Society in the areas of Mental health and Intellectual Disability.
My Master’s thesis ( MA Soc Science RAU) was on the impact on intellectual disability on family functioning.
I was appointed to Gauteng Department of Social Development, Government in 1995 as Director Statutory Services and later Chief Director Social Work Services. In 2003 I was appointed as Chief
Director – Children, in the national Department of Social Development. My duties entailed legislation ( promulgation of the Children’ Act) Drafting of national policies for children such as
Early Childhood Development, Standards for Street Children, Setting up of the Child Protection Register , policies for children affected and effected by HIV/Aids, overseeing National and Inter
Country Adoptions and implementing programmes to the benefit of the community, in particular vulnerable children
In all my managerial positions, I have been responsible for Human Resource management, including capacity building and ethics, and Labour Relations. I was nominated by the Minister of Social Development to the Professional Board of the South African Council for Social Service Practitioners where I served a three year term, dealing with professional conduct and disciplinary hearings.
Throughout my career I have been involved in training and capacity development both professional capacity and the personal capacity. I have trained students at various universities which includes, the Universities of Johannesburg, Western Cape, Pretoria and UNISA, as well as the recruitment and training of Auxiliary workers in the Department of Social Development
I had the privilege of participating on various international conferences as a delegate representing the Department of Social Development. A highlight of this was been part of the delegate on to the United Nations in Geneva and New York on the submission of the first Country Report as well as the World Summit Goals for Children and South Africa’s Social Development Representative on Social work issues to both the United Nations Special Session on Children 2001- March 2002 and the Pan African Conference on Children in Cairo May, 2001. These opportunities deepened my interest and passion for Child Rights. I attended the University of Lund Sweden where I completed a certificate course in Human Rights.
I have been the CEO at Johannesburg Child Welfare for 7 years until my retirement in February 2022 where I have managed a staff complement of 450 people with a range of statutory child protection programmes from prevention, early intervention children’s court programmes foster care and adoption programmes, HIV Aids and 2 residential care programmes. This has once again grounded me in the application of policy, legislation, and development of programmes. I have been requested by the Department of Justice and Correctional Services to train magistrates on the application of legislation on adoption in November 2021.
Despite my knowledge of the legislative and policy environment, I have always ensured that I have maintained my counselling and therapy skills whenever I had the opportunity to practice, this has
continued .
My speciality is Child Protection services where I offer individual therapy and counselling to adults and work with children in respect of court ordered supervision sessions. I can facilitate the drafting of Parenting plans according to court prescriptions and provide Child voice interview and reports and any other reports as prescribed by the Children’s Act 38 of 2005.
In a Behavioural Profile Analysis that I had recently completed the following was indicated: that I am an integrative leader who works with and through people to achieve my goals. I am an outgoing and communicative interaction with people and an ability to gain the respect and confidence of varied types of individuals around me.
I am an excellent motivator and manager of people, a good leader who can communicate well, and can be persuaded as well as persuade. I enjoy being part of the team, and assist the team to achieve goals and success.
Words which were used to describe me includes: – Self-starter, influential, persuasive, confident, friendly, decisive, mobile, active, alert, delegator, motivator, persistent and independent. These are positive aspects which contribute to my profile which describes me as a person.
As I am entering into a new field in terms of private practice in Social Work, I realised that I needed to further my knowledge and skills base.
Thus, I have acquired a certificate in Office Administration
through the Law Society of South Africa, LEAD (Legal Education and Development- Law). Recently I successfully trained through ADR Network SA on the Certificate in Alternative Dispute and
Mediation and a Certificate Program in Restorative Justice- Informed Divorce Mediation.
My practice is both medical aid and cash based.
I will continue to provide services which is of the highest professional and ethical standards.
