Strategic Plan for the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services 2018-2023.

The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services (MSDFS) is responsible for the management of key social services to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The Ministry provides leadership and direction for the social sector by focusing on inter alia policy making; planning; assessing of the population‘s needs; delivery of a range of social services; engagement of social sector partners and providers; and ensuring that services provided by partners are delivered in accordance with internationally accepted quality standards.
The Plan is structured around two main sections. Part 1 provides a context for the new strategic direction laid out in Part 2. In that regard, Part 1 consists of an overview of the Ministry including its services and structure. The organization’s business canvas, developed as a tool of the planning process, is presented here. Part 1 also includes a synopsis of the findings of the SWOT Analysis, highlighting the imperative for change and the impetus for the strategy to 2023.
This Strategic Plan is designed to put the Ministry on a path to reengineer its business processes, particularly those related to client service delivery, towards operational and organizational excellence. The prevailing economic conditions and attendant socioeconomic consequences also provided the Ministry with the opportunity to champion its role as the lead social sector Ministry charged with the responsibility of empowerment and social transformation. The executive leadership and staff of the Ministry are expected to embrace and be guided by the directives of the Plan, to effectively and efficiently serve the needs of all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, more so, the vulnerable. In this context, the programmes and services offered by the MSDFS are designed to: help citizens cope with the socio-economic challenges of daily living in a holistic manner, to enable them to positively contribute to the development of society; and assist the clientele to become empowered through rehabilitative and capacity-building programmes to enable them to play an active role in transforming their own lives, and by extension their families and communities; Support and empower families; and Prevent and reduce poverty and inequality.