Hector Georgiou
A single social welfare officer in Cyprus can be responsible for as many as 150 open cases, far above the international benchmark of 20 to 40, lawmakers heard. In Nicosia, the average caseload is more than 100.
Parliament’s Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance Committee took up the issue following an October strike by Social Welfare Services staff. Chronic understaffing and heavy caseloads again dominated the discussion, though Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Tina Pavlou said she remained optimistic about reform.
Deputy minister acknowledges problems
Pavlou told the committee she knew the challenges facing Social Welfare Services from her work with them before taking office. Since her appointment, she said, visits to district offices had brought three problems into focus. Many offices were in particularly poor condition, staff needed better technology, and workers’ mental health was a concern.
Then there was the workload. Pavlou cited one officer responsible for 90 cases involving violence and said staff were also being asked to take on duties outside their remit.
Andri Matthaiou, who chairs the social services officers’ branch of the Isotita union, told lawmakers some officers had up to 150 open cases. In Nicosia, she said, the average exceeded 100.
Who does what?
Pavlou said Social Welfare Services is often expected to cover the work of social workers, psychologists and caregivers, a combination she described as practically impossible. If more psychologists are needed, she said, the request should go to the mental health services. “There’s constant confusion about who does what,” she said, calling for duties outside the deputy ministry’s remit to be reassigned.
Yiannis Nicolaides, the deputy ministry’s director general, said 57 of its 538 authorized posts were vacant and were expected to be filled in 2027. Asked about an advertised communications role worth €185,000, he said people needed to know what services were available before they could use them.
A social worker in the neighborhood
The deputy ministry highlighted its Neighborhood Social Worker program, saying it had assigned enough social workers to cover the whole island. Nicolaides said the program gives residents a link to local authorities and central government services.
Reform began in 2019
Lawmakers heard that efforts to modernize Social Welfare Services began in 2019 and are expected to wrap up in 2029. Maria Kyratzi, the director of Social Welfare Services, said six of the 15 measures announced before the election had been implemented, including the Neighborhood Social Worker program.
An outside firm is carrying out a review under a contract signed in May. It will assess the department’s strategy, programs and services, look at practices that have worked in other countries, and recommend and help put improvements in place.
When delays affect care
Dimos Antoniou, president of the Third Age Observatory, told the committee that an older man on a low pension had been unable to go ahead with surgery because home care had not been arranged. Antoniou said other people had faced similar problems. A patients’ representative also reported frequent delays in receiving assistance and benefits.
A change in culture
Speaking after the meeting, Pavlou acknowledged that the reforms had dragged on since 2019 and said she hoped to see them completed before her term ends. She also said her office investigates every complaint brought to her attention.
On the disputed communications role, Pavlou said the work would also involve changing how people view the deputy ministry.
