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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Barriers to childcare in Children's Homes in Ghana: Caregivers' solutions

Alhassan Abdullah, Ebenezer Cudjoe, Esmeranda Manful - Children and Youth Services Review, 27 Mar 2018

Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 37 caregivers in two Children's Homes in Ghana, this study sought to explore caregivers' suggestions of solutions to barriers in childcare.

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Is kinship failing? Views on informal support by families in contact with social services in Ghana

Esmeranda Manful & Ebenezer Cudjoe - Child & Family Social Work, 25 Mar 2018

This paper asks the question "what contribution are kin and other informal social support networks providing to the care and safety of children of such families?" The paper presents findings from 15 families receiving services from the Department of Social Welfare in Sekondi, Ghana.

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A golden thread? The relationship between supervision, practice, and family engagement in child and family social work

David Wilkins, Amy Lynch, Vivi Antonopoulou - Child & Family Social Work, 25 Mar 2018

In this study, using paired observations of group supervision and family meetings alongside interviews with parents, the authors explored the link between supervision, practice, and engagement.

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Professional dilemmas and occupational constraints in child welfare workers' relationships with children and youth in foster care

Robert Lindahl & Anders Bruhn - Children and Youth Services Review, 21 Mar 2018

The aim of this article is to study child welfare workers' individual and collective experiences of and expectations about their occupational role and responsibilities in their administrative and relational work with children and youth in foster care.

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State of the Social Service Workforce Report 2017: Stories of Workforce Efforts to Address Violence Against Children

Global Social Service Workforce Alliance, 20 Mar 2018

This report from the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance highlights the many ways that the social service workforce positively impacts the lives of children and families affected by violence.

Decision‐making in child welfare services: Professional discretion versus standardized templates

Inger Kristin Heggdalsvik, Per Arne Rød, Kåre Heggen - Child & Family Social Work, 15 Mar 2018

The article examines how 36 child welfare caseworkers in 6 different teams in Norway investigate, assess, and make decisions at the phase of an incoming referral.

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Child Protection Case Management Operations Manual

Catholic Relief Services, 4Children Project, 12 Mar 2018

This Manual includes background information, standard operating procedures with documentation tools and job aids on case management.

RISE Webinar on Case Management

Yashoda Upreti - RISE Learning Network, 12 Mar 2018

In this webinar from RISE Learning Network, the speaker, Yashoda Upreti shares how Terre des Hommes in Nepal has implemented a case management program.

Using a Systems Approach at the Community-level in a Human Resource Constrained Context: The Youthpower Action Project in Mozambique

4Children, Catholic Relief Services, 09 Mar 2018

This case study is one in a series of case studies highlighting different aspects of a case management system and referral mechanisms utilized by OVC programs. The case study presents a program in Mozambique that could be identified as a hub and spoke model of referral mechanism.

Working in Partnership to Improve Children’s Safety and Well-being: The May’khethele Programme in South Africa

Coordinating Comprehensive Care for Children (4Children), Catholic Relief Services, 09 Mar 2018

This case study is one in a series of case studies highlighting different aspects of a case management system and referral mechanisms utilized by OVC programs. The case study looks at the work of the Children in Distress Network (CINDI) in the uMgungundlovu District of KwaZulu-Natal Province (KZN) of South Africa.