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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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.

Characterizing communication between transition-aged foster youth and their social workers

Sabrina M Richardson, Tuppett M Yates - Journal of Social Work, 08 Mar 2018

This study examined communication between 51 transition-aged foster youth and their social workers as related to perceived relationship quality and satisfaction with care receipt/provision.

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Integrating Indigenous approaches and relationship-based ethics for culturally safe interventions: Child protection in Solomon Islands

Lester J Thomspon, David Wadley - International Social Work, 07 Mar 2018

Through qualitative interviews with local child protection workers, this paper indicates that traditional values assist legislative intervention and that significant potential exists in better integration of Indigenous approaches into practice.

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Good professional practices for promoting positive parenting and child participation in reunification processes

Ainoa Mateos Inchaurrondo PhD, Nuria Fuentes-Peláez PhD, Crescencia Pastor Vicente PhD, Anna Mundet Bolós PhD - Child & Family Social Work, 06 Mar 2018

This quantitative study contributes knowledge regarding the attitude of professionals towards positive parenting and child participation.

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Helping the helpers: Post-traumatic distress and need for help among Israeli social workers in foster care agencies following armed conflict

Miriam Schiff PhD, Rachel Dekel PhD, Ohad Gilbar MSW, Rami Benbenishty PhD - Child & Family Social Work, 06 Mar 2018

This study examined the associations between exposure to armed conflict, perceived support, work experience, needing help, and post-traumatic distress among Israeli social workers in foster care agencies based on Conservation of Resources theory.

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Evaluation of Ghana's Child Protection System Strengthening Initiatives at the District Level: Final Report

Government of Ghana, UNICEF, 01 Mar 2018

The objective of this evaluation is to document and assess how the capacity of the child protection system in Ghana—in particular the practices of the Social Welfare Actors (SWA)—has changed to enable the provision of quality services to children and families with support of the workforce strengthening (WFS) initiative.