Social Service Workforce Strengthening

A strong social service workforce is critical to meeting the needs of children without adequate family care. From government policy-makers, local administrators, researchers and social workers, to educators, community workers and care providers, social service actors play a key role in protecting girls and boys and promoting their care.

The development of a skilled and well-supported social service workforce is particularly important as countries move toward reforming their care systems and work to reduce reliance on residential care, strengthen families, prevent separation and promote family and community-based alternative care options. This is a challenging undertaking that requires social service actors from national to community level who are competent and willing to make changes to the way they deliver care, and are able to establish and manage a new range of preventive and responsive care services to children and families.

Strengthening the social service workforce in any country is complex. It involves creating supportive legislation and policies; developing recruitment, selection, employment, supervision, support and registration procedures; establishing education and training programmes; improving working conditions, ensuring licensing and practice standards; recognizing the status of care professionals; and raising awareness to change mindsets on care.

All of this requires working with a wide range of actors involved in supporting children and families. Substantial allocation (or redirection) of financial resources is also required, to ensure that sufficient numbers of skilled social service workers are available to work directly with children and their families at the community level, as well as at a higher administrative level to oversee care services and regulations.

This section contains documentation of social service workforce development within the context of national care reform and child protection system strengthening, including guidance, lessons learned and training tools.

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“We're giving you the sack” - Social Workers’ Perspectives of Intervening in Affluent Families When There are Concerns about Child Neglect

Claudia Bernard - The British Journal of Social Work, 01 Nov 2018

Using the findings from a qualitative study, this paper explores social workers’ experiences of intervening in affluent families in the UK when there are child protection concerns.

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Building an Effective Child Protection System in India: Integrating a Rights-Based Perspective in Social Work Education Within a Strategy of Developing Professional Association

Karen Smith Rotabi, Gokul Mandayam, Arlene Manoharan, Archana Mehendale - Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, 29 Oct 2018

In this paper, the urgent need to strengthen the child protection system in India is presented in the context of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme and relevant juvenile justice legislation.

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“A Murky Business”: A phenomenological ontology of risk in child protection social work

Smeeton, JK - Qualitative Social Work, 26 Oct 2018

Abstract

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Characteristics of a Relational Child and Youth Care Approach Revisited

Thom Garfat, James Freeman, Kiaras Gharabaghi and Leon Fulcher - CYC Online, 01 Oct 2018

This revision of Relational Child and Youth Care comes after nearly fifteen years from the first expression of the characteristics and is based on extensive feedback and observations from around the world.

Utilising genetically-informed research designs to better understand family processes and child development: implications for adoption and foster-care focused interventions

Sellers, Ruth, Smith, A F, Leve, L D, Nixon, E, Cane, T, Cassell, J A and Harold, G T - Adoption and Fostering, 25 Sep 2018

This paper summarises how genetically-informed research designs can help disentangle genetic from environmental processes underlying psychopathology outcomes for children, and how this evidence can provide improved insights into the development of more effective preventative intervention targets for adoption and foster-care families.

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Care Leavers’ and Their Care Workers’ Views of Preparation and Aftercare Services in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Sue Bond - Emerging Adulthood, 24 Sep 2018

In this qualitative study with four Child and Youth Care Centers in a town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, focus groups were held with young people in care and their care workers to discuss preparation for leaving care and aftercare services and the evaluation of these by each group of participants.

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“Getting Everyone on the Same Page”: Child Welfare Workers’ Collaboration Challenges on Cases Involving Intimate Partner Violence

Lisa Langenderfer-Magruder, Lucas Alven, Dina J. Wilke, Carmella Spinelli - Journal of Family Violence, 15 Sep 2018

The present study explores child welfare workers’ perspectives on collaboration challenges specific to child welfare cases that also involve intimate partner violence (IPV).

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Professional self-efficacy for responding to child abuse presentations

Jennifer Anne Fraser, Tara Flemington, Diep Thi Ngoc Doan, Van Minh Tu Hoang, Binh Thi Le Doan, Tuan Manh Ha - Journal of Children's Services, 13 Sep 2018

The purpose of this paper is to validate measures of professional self-efficacy for detecting and responding to child abuse and neglect presentations, and then evaluate a clinical training programme for health professionals in a tertiary-level hospital in Vietnam.

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Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children: A Formative Evaluation of UNICEF’S Child Protection Programme in Cambodia Volume 1

Professor Dame Carolyn Hamilton, Kara Apland, Elizabeth Yarrow & Dr Anna Mackin, with support provided by Soksan Tem & Phally Keo, on behalf of Coram International - UNICEF Cambodia, 01 Sep 2018

The objective of this evaluation was to provide evidence that can help strengthen performance and accountability with UNICEF’s work with the Royal Government of Cambodia and the myriad other authorities and organizations involved in child protection.

Volume 2: Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children: A Formative Evaluation of UNICEF’S Child Protection Programme in Cambodia

Professor Dame Carolyn Hamilton, Kara Apland, Elizabeth Yarrow & Dr Anna Mackin, with support provided by Soksan Tem & Phally Keo, on behalf of Coram International - UNICEF Cambodia, 01 Sep 2018

This second volume of Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children: A Formative Evaluation of UNICEF’s Child Protection Programme in Cambodia includes the annexes referred to in the first volume.