Every year, the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance brings together a snapshot of the key trends and promising initiatives shaping the social service workforce in our annual State of the Social Service Workforce Report. This year’s report zeroes in on a particularly important issue: the critical role that the workforce plays in ensuring children can always benefit from safe and stable family care—whether that be in their own family or through family-based alternative care, when needed.
The focus of this year’s report builds on a recently drafted Thematic Brief developed under the global Task Force on the Social Service Workforce in Care Reform of the Transforming Children’s Care Global Collaborative—a community of organizations and actors working to advocate for the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children (UNGA 2019, A/RES/74/133).
Geared towards a broad audience of donors, NGOs, UN agencies, civil society organizations, social service workers and service providers, this report aims to explore and highlight:
- the crucial role that the social service workforce plays in strengthening families, preventing separation, provision of alternative care, placement decision making and reforming care systems;
- how workforce strengthening is being considered within alternative care policy and legislation and care reform strategies (and more directly in transition away from residential care models), development of new community services, and child protection and care data and evidence; and
- conclusions and implications for planning, developing and supporting the social service workforce in their role to ensure family care for all children.
Thematic Brief: The Role of the Social Service Workforce in Children’s Care and Care Reform
This thematic brief helps government policy and decision-makers understand the essential role of the social service workforce and how to strengthen that workforce in line with their national commitments to care reform and regional and global conventions. It includes high level guidance, recommendations and practical examples from diverse contexts for consideration when developing, supporting and strengthening the social service workforce.
Webinar: Strengthening the Social Service Workforce for Family Care - Global Insights
ENGLISH RECORDING:
On October 22, the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance co-hosted a webinar with the Better Care Network (BCN) to explore progress, successes and challenges in global efforts to strengthen the social service workforce for family care and care system reform. During the webinar, presenters unveiled findings and recommendations from our 2024 State of the Social Service Workforce Report: The Social Service Workforce in Family Care for Children. Panelists also showcased the recently released thematic brief by the global Task Force on the Social Service Workforce in Care Reform under the Transforming Children’s Care Collaborative, developed to help policymakers understand the essential role of the social service workforce in enabling safe and stable family care for children. Then, through a moderated panel discussion, insights were shared on efforts to strengthen the social service workforce in family care in Jordan, India, Moldova, Guatemala and Uganda.
SPANISH RECORDING:
El 22 de octubre, la Global Social Service Workforce Alliance organizó conjuntamente un seminario web con Better Care Network (BCN) para explorar los avances, los éxitos y los desafíos en los esfuerzos globales para fortalecer la fuerza laboral de servicios sociales para el cuidado alternativo familiar y la reforma del sistema de cuidado. Durante el seminario web, presentamos los hallazgos y recomendaciones de nuestro Informe sobre el estado de la fuerza laboral de los servicios sociales de 2024: El personal de los servicios sociales en el cuidado alternativo familiar de niñas, niños y adolescentes. También presentamos el informe temático publicado recientemente por el Grupo de trabajo global sobre la fuerza laboral de los servicios sociales en la reforma del cuidado alternativo en el marco del proyecto Transforming Children’s Care Collaborative, desarrollado para ayudar a los responsables de las políticas a comprender el papel esencial de la fuerza laboral de los servicios sociales para permitir un cuidado alternativo familiar seguro y estable para los niños. Luego, a través de un panel de discusión moderado, escuchamos opiniones sobre los esfuerzos para fortalecer la fuerza laboral de los servicios sociales en el cuidado alternativo familiar en Jordania, India, Moldavia, Guatemala y Uganda.
