In Brief
- Leadership promotions: The Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services has appointed Dr Hafeeza Hosein Shah as Director of Social Welfare and Mrs Helen Francis-Baptiste as Deputy Director.
- System overhaul: The Ministry stated the promotions are part of a wider effort to improve the administration and delivery of social welfare services across the country.
- Extensive expertise: Dr Hosein Shah brings over two decades of public service experience, specialising in poverty alleviation, cash transfer programmes, and social protection.
- Decades of service: Mrs Francis-Baptiste assumes her new role after 30 years in the Social Welfare Division, where she has championed dignified and compassionate service delivery.
- Vulnerable groups targeted: The new leadership team will focus heavily on strengthening support for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and families experiencing poverty.
By Alicia Chamely
The Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services (MPSDFS) has announced the official promotions of Dr Hafeeza Hosein Shah to Director of Social Welfare and Mrs Helen Francis-Baptiste to Deputy Director of Social Welfare.
In a press release on Monday, the Ministry announced the promotions, stating they were part of the Ministry’s efforts to “overhaul and address the administration and delivery of social welfare services.”
Noting that Dr Hosein Shah has been a part of the Public Service since 1998, the release stated that since 2017 she has served as a Senior Supervisor within the Ministry, giving her “experience in social welfare administration and service delivery.”
The MPSDFS stated, “Dr Hosein Shah has expertise in the development, implementation and evaluation of cash transfer and poverty alleviation programmes, as well as social protection and poverty reduction measures. She has also conducted, published and presented papers locally, regionally and internationally on topics including cash transfer programmes, poverty reduction, social protection, artificial intelligence and human intelligence, mixed-methods research and social science research design.”
It stated that in her new capacity as Director, Dr Hosein Shah will be tasked with focusing on strengthening the delivery of social welfare services, particularly for persons experiencing poverty, older persons and persons with disabilities.
The MPSDFS stated that, like Dr Hosein Shah, newly appointed Deputy Director Francis-Baptiste brings decades-long experience, having served for 30 years in the Social Welfare Division.
It stated, “During her career in the Social Welfare Division, she progressed through the ranks to Social Welfare Supervisor III, gaining extensive experience in social welfare administration, service delivery and the supervision of Local Public Assistance Boards.”
“Mrs Francis-Baptiste has consistently championed the delivery of social welfare services with dignity, compassion, respect and confidentiality, particularly for persons and families experiencing challenging circumstances. She has also contributed to initiatives aimed at strengthening social welfare systems and improving service delivery, including work related to disability assistance, social protection payments, information-sharing and verification processes, staff development and operational improvements,” the Ministry stated.
Welcoming the new Director and Deputy Director, the MPSDFS stated the promotions “are expected to strengthen leadership within the Social Welfare Division and support the re-engineering of social services processes towards streamlining, improving operational efficiency and delivering more timely and responsive social welfare services.”
