SOUTH Africa has a worrying shortage of social workers to deal with growing issues affecting children, the Department of Social Development has announced.

The ministry said the demand for social workers far exceeded the number the country currently has.

Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini yesterday said social work was recognised as a scarce skill. She said the country needed about 16000 social workers to address issues affecting children.

Dlamini said South Africa had about 15000 social workers who were responsible for the needs of children, the elderly and the disabled. She said the very same social workers also offered victim empowerment.

Though she could not give numbers, Dlamini said the country had suffered because of an "exodus" of social workers in the late 1990s and early 2000s to countries such as New Zealand and Canada.

"While this speaks to the improvement of working conditions and remuneration of our professionals, we still have a mammoth task to attract potential social work students into the profession," she said.

Dlamini said the department had employed a recruitment and retention strategy to attract young professionals.

It was also offering incentives to work in rural areas, better salaries and exchange programmes.

Dlamini said that the profession needed responsible youths with empathy.

"Some of our social workers come to work late and leave early without visiting those in need of their services," Dlamini said.

She said the work of child and youth caregivers should be recognised.

"We will continue the professionalisation of social service professions such as child and youth care workers, auxiliary social workers and community development workers to ensure that the provision of services meets the growing demand.

"In our quest for increased capacity we will continue the professionalisation of social service professions. We will also increase our recruitment drive," Dlamini said.