Management of Social Welfare Services for Persons with Disabilities in Anambra State

Persons with disabilities in Anambra State face compounding barriers to social welfare service access that demand professionally managed, rights-based social work responses. This study assesses the management of social welfare services for persons with disabilities in Anambra State, South East Nigeria, with focus on state ministry services and disability-focused NGOs in Awka and Onitsha. A mixed-method design is employed, with 70 disability welfare managers, social workers, and disabled service users as respondents. Structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews are used, with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis applied. The study finds that welfare services for persons with disabilities in Anambra State are fragmented, underfunded, and inaccessible to many disabled individuals in rural local government areas. Institutional management of these services reflects limited integration of disability rights frameworks, and most service provision focuses on charity-based rather than rights-based models. Social workers practising in disability welfare describe significant resource constraints and a lack of adaptive equipment and facilities needed to deliver appropriate services. Recommendations include reforming state disability welfare management to align with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, training social work managers in rights-based disability service management, and establishing a dedicated disability welfare fund within the state budget. Keywords: disability welfare, social work management, Anambra State, rights-based approach, inclusion