The Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare has reduced the average number of cases handled by social service caseworkers by 80 per cent over the past two and a half years, following reforms aimed at strengthening case management and improving support for vulnerable families.

The Ministry said each caseworker was handling an average of around 200 cases when the current Administration took office. That figure has now been reduced to 40 cases per caseworker, allowing technical staff to manage cases more effectively. It added that case management has also shifted from assessing individuals separately to a family-centred approach that considers the circumstances of the entire household.

Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Geela Ali said the large number of cases assigned to individual caseworkers when the current Administration assumed office had made it difficult to resolve cases effectively. She said extensive work has since been undertaken to strengthen the Ministry's administrative capacity and improve the delivery of social services.

The Ministry's latest figures contrast with concerns previously highlighted by the Auditor General's Office. A performance audit of the then Family Support and Social Services Department, published in 2020, found that increasing numbers of child protection cases, coupled with a shortage of technical staff, had placed significant pressure on caseworkers.

The audit showed that, as of 1 February 2020, the department had 16 caseworkers and one supervisor, with each caseworker handling an average of 76 cases. Across the Maldives, social services employed only 80 staff, including 30 caseworkers in Malé and 50 in the atolls, to serve a population of more than 500,000, including expatriates. The report concluded that excessive caseloads limited the time available for each case and affected the quality of services provided.

The Ministry stated that strengthening the country's social protection system remains one of the Government's priorities, with ongoing efforts focused on identifying vulnerable families earlier and providing more effective, family-based interventions through a strengthened case management framework.