Directorate of Social Welfare
Overview
The Department of Social Welfare (DSW) is the principal governmental institution responsible for providing welfare services to protect, assist, and empower the most vulnerable groups in The Gambia. The Department provides care and support for adults, children, and families; people with mental health problems; prisoners and ex-prisoners; children in conflict with the law; families, especially children with special needs due to disability; children at risk of harm; abandoned children; children who have been orphaned and need placement in foster care or placed for adoption.
The Department of Social Welfare, acting in order to fulfil its functions, has specific legal duties in respect of children under the Children’s Act 2005. DSW’s responsibilities should be seen in the context of this broad range of social care and support, so that children and families can be helped and supported in an integrated way that recognizes the range and diversity of their needs and strengths.
Our Mandate
The Department of Social Welfare (DSW) is the principal governmental institution responsible for providing welfare services to protect, assist, and empower the most vulnerable groups in The Gambia. The Department provides care and support for adults, children, and families; people with mental health problems; prisoners and ex-prisoners; children in conflict with the law; families, especially children with special needs due to disability; children at risk of harm; abandoned children; children who have been orphaned and need placement in foster care or placed for adoption.
The Department of Social Welfare, acting in order to fulfil its functions, has specific legal duties in respect of children under the Children’s Act 2005. DSW’s responsibilities should be seen in the context of this broad range of social care and support, so that children and families can be helped and supported in an integrated way that recognizes the range and diversity of their needs and strengths.
The Department of Social Welfare (DSW) is the principal governmental institution responsible for providing welfare services to protect, assist, and empower the most vulnerable groups in The Gambia. The Department provides care and support for adults, children, and families; people with mental health problems; prisoners and ex-prisoners; children in conflict with the law; families, especially children with special needs due to disability; children at risk of harm; abandoned children; children who have been orphaned and need placement in foster care or placed for adoption.
The Department of Social Welfare, acting in order to fulfil its functions, has specific legal duties in respect of children under the Children’s Act 2005. DSW’s responsibilities should be seen in the context of this broad range of social care and support, so that children and families can be helped and supported in an integrated way that recognizes the range and diversity of their needs and strengths.