Audit of the National Integrated Social Protection Information System (NISPIS)

On the 23rd of July 2014 Cabinet adopted the 2014-2019 Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) as the first comprehensive five-year implementation plan for the NDP. The Minister of Social Development was designated as the lead for Outcome 13. Sub-outcome 5 of Outcome 13 was; Optimal systems to strengthen coordination, integration, planning, and monitoring & evaluation of social protection services, and outlined two key action areas namely:

A) the development a National Integrated Social Protection Information System (NISPIS)

B) the development of a Results Based Framework for Social Protection.

The institutionalisation of NISPIS is expected to address a number of challenges related to social protection intervention(s), for example, discrepancies in terms of reporting, and fragmentation and misalignment of information. NISPIS is thus expected to serve as an electronic integrated data management system, which will promote the sharing of data and uniform reporting throughout government to enhance services to poor and vulnerable communities and families. 

The existence of an integrated view of the entire social protection system across government will support the facilitation of improved service delivery across the social cluster, as well as accelerated access to a comprehensive and responsive social protection system by all citizens.

This assessment aimed to inform the business case for implementation of NISPIS, which is anticipated to results in two main overarching outcomes namely:

1. Better coordination and delivery of comprehensive services to vulnerable populations.

2. Improved access to data by stakeholders involved in programme design, planning, budgeting, and monitoring of service delivery across the relevant government departments.

The final report produced by SAM was disseminated widely within DSD and provincial departments, and provided several recommendations for improving processes pertaining to the realisation and institutionalisation of NISPIS in South Africa.