Audit of Residential Facilities, Final report - Division for Social Policy ...

egards to the Mangers carrying out their responsibilities; yet at the same time being accountableto the Board.Skills: In general terms the Board members of the white homes were more skilled and broughttheir years of opportunities and experience to be used to the advantage of the home. In many ofthese homes board members served on specific committees that utilised their experience in anappropriate way. This was less obvious in black homes where Board members might not havehad the appropriate level of skills or experience to oversee the work of the Manager and providethe strategic leadership and governance to the home. The other reality is that more white peopleare able to offer their services voluntarily as they are less in need of being „compensated‟ for thecontributions that they make. Many skilled Black people on the other hand, are still building theircareers and either not that available or either serving on too many Boards because of thedemand for their skills and those that are available might not have had the necessary exposureand experience in serving on Boards.Term of Office: In terms of good governance there is a very undesirable practice in many homeswhere Board members remain on for an „unspecified period‟, which often translates into over 10to 15 years, and even more in some cases. There are common problems of founding membersyndrome where those who initiated the home remain on the board forever, of territoriality and ofnot allowing new blood and fresh ideas onto the Board.4.3 Management Capacity in HomesComposition: As with the composition of the Board most management and senior levels of staffwere white, while in homes in black areas, it was predominantly the same race group of the areain which it is located.Skills: The competence of the Manager is crucial in the homes as this is in turn impacts oncritical aspects of service delivery. The management capacity in many homes was lacking ashomes did not always appoint the right person to do this job. One often assumes that someonewho is good at their job (being a nurse, matron, social worker) will in turn make a good manager.However, none of these disciplines prepares people to manage effectively, although one couldargue that social work training does provide a sound basis for dealing with people.60 | D S D A u d i t o f R e s i d e n t i a l F a c i l i t i e s