The Department of Social Welfare was established in 1946 by the Local Ordinance Order No. 66 with a mandate for both Social Welfare and Housing. In 1950, the Department’s mandate was limited to Social Welfare services to take the lead role in Prevention, Protection and Promotion of Policy guidelines, Regulation, Standards and Programmes for effective and efficient delivery of its Welfare Services.
The Department of Community Development is a decentralized Department under the Sector Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. It was established in 1948 through an Administrative Regulation 28 (1942) which has further been strengthened by the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
The Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (DSWCD) is established at the MMDAs as per Second Schedule of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).The guiding principles for functioning of the Social Welfare and Community Development has been formulated as follows:
To take the lead in integrating the disadvantaged, vulnerable and excluded in mainstream of development.
The Department works in partnership with people in their communities to improve their well-being through promoting development with equity for the disadvantaged, vulnerable and the excluded.