The Western Cape Department of Social Development has received complaints about illegal rehabilitation centres in the Western Cape exploiting clients and, in some cases, violating human rights. One such centre is in Drakenstein.
Despite interventions by the department to assist various unregistered facilities to become compliant, some of these have not taken the necessary steps to be registered, and the department has therefore approached the Western Cape High Court to seek orders for their closure.
Being registered legally obliges facilities to meet standards that ensure the human rights, well-being and dignity of clients are protected.
“We urge the community to verify the rehab facility’s registration status by asking to see its registration certificate,” a department statement reads.
“Also note, being registered by the national DSD as an NPO is not the same as being registered by the provincial DSD to operate as a substance abuse residential treatment facility, community based treatment centre or halfway house.”
The department explained that to be registered, rehabilitation centres must have health, safety and zoning clearances from the relevant local municipality and a qualified multidisciplinary team of professionals made up of social workers, nurses, psychologists and related professions.
They must follow a bio-psychosocial approach, which means the health, mental, and social dimensions of the client are addressed in the treatment plans.
The department added that, where appropriate, it engages unregistered facilities to assist them in becoming complaint.
This includes guiding the organisation through the requirements for the premises, staffing and treatment programmes in addition to providing them with all the necessary registration forms.
Over the past year, as part of a systematic approach to addressing the illegal provision of services, the department has reached out to 66 unregistered treatment programmes and facilities to assist them with compliance and registration.
Through these efforts, some facilities have engaged themselves in becoming compliant.
The department appeals to the public to make use only of treatment programmes – whether in-patient, community-based services, or halfway houses – that are registered with it. If detoxification is provided, then the facility must have a licence issued by the Department of Health.
It currently subsidises 28 community-based treatment centres and six of 27 registered in-patient rehabilitation centres in the province.
In addition, the Health Department operates two in-patient treatment centres for adults, two for youth and an additional five centres for children in alternative care.
For a list of registered, DSD-funded treatment facilities visit www.westerncape.gov.za.
