Welfare Office denies claim

This is in response to a Letter to the Editor section over the NCD Welfare Office closure.
The NCD Child and Family Services Office was having electricity problems in October 2017.
The landlord did not take proper measures to fix it, but we were still operating using the standby generator.
We did attend to our clients during this period.
During the same period, the court systems were on break.
We operated only during the time when courts were open so that our client’s cases could be dealt with by the courts when required.
The specific comments by ‘Tracey from Hohola 2’ regarding officers not being attentive on Dec 12 and 19, 2017, are mere false allegation.
The officers were at work, except they weren’t dealing with clients requiring courts orders, because simply late October and early November was the time the court has gone for recess.
We do not turn away clients during working hours in line with the opening hours of the court system.
In 2017 we saw 1700-plus clients.
A kind gesture from the Government in allocating K200,000 as our budget supplement is a gesture of approval and confirmation of our performance within the Office of Child and Family Welfare Services.
Acting CEO for the Office of Child and Family Welfare Services, Simon Yanis, strongly condemns such accusations.
He said this is an opinion and such queries should be addressed to his office before pointing fingers at the minister concerned.
There is no need for the minister’s photo to be on the opinion section of the newspaper.
It’s defamatory and does not reflect an official complaint or a formal inquiry.
Minister Soroi Eoe, Secretary for the Department Anna Solomon and aActing CEO for Office of Child and Family Services, Simon Yanis, have categorically and vehemently denied any wrong doing at the stage.
We respect the opinion of the general public as a matter of right to speak or express grievances openly.
However, when you don’t follow proper channel to find facts before reporting any complaints, it is baseless.
If you can’t identify who you saw and state the response you got, then there is no substance to the basis of your argument.

Simon Yanis
Acting CEO
Office of Child and Family
Welfare Services