ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL CARE

Virtually everyone will receive assistance from the Department of Social Care at one or more points in their lives. We:

Pay pensions to around 18,000 older people, of whom we provide residential care for over 200 and home based care for 600
Provide financial support to around 10,000 families, including additional targeted support to around 4,000 families including financial, educational and respite support
Assist in the provision of almost 6,000 public sector properties in partnership with 17 Local Housing Authorities
Provide a wide range of services including residential care, day centres, respite support as well as financial support to around 4,000 individuals with a disability and their carers
Care for 120 looked-after children (where the Department is their guardian)
Protect children and other vulnerable individuals who may be at risk of harm
Support and treat 2,500 individuals diagnosed with mental health issues ranging from mild anxiety and depression to acute and chronic mental illness and substance misuse.

The political head of the Department is the Minister for Social Care who is supported currently by 3 Members of Tynwald. The Department is managed by a Chief Executive who is accountable to the Minister for the operational and financial management of the Department.

To support the Minister and Members of the Department in the exercise of their functions, the resources of the Department are organised in 3 Divisions which provide public services, supported by a Corporate Services Division to ensure the effective overall management of the Department.

In Housing, a team of only 20 is managing the most ambitious house-building programme since the 1950s to build hundreds of homes while helping thousands of current and prospective tenants and first-time buyers.

In Social Security, a team of only 80 is administering and enforcing a complex, diverse welfare system, paying over £240m annually to over 30,000 recipients.

In Social Services, there is a team of nearly 1,000, the large majority of whom are providing care directly to the public, in many cases 24 hours a day, every day. This team includes:

Social care workers helping individuals to dress, eat, shop and many other tasks and so lead as normal a life as possible
Social workers assisting families and individuals to function as normally as possible while making difficult assessments to protect children and vulnerable adults from risk of abuse, and
Psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals providing individuals with specialist treatment and care tailored to their needs to help them live with or recover from mental illness and lead fulfilled lives safely.

In addition there is a Corporate Services team of only 30 who provide a wide range of support services including policy, legal, financial, ICT and other necessary activities to what is a large, complex and diverse Department.