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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Training Toolkit on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

The African Child Policy Forum & the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, with financial support from Save the Children, 2015

This toolkit is designed to increase knowledge of the rights and duties provided in the ACRWC and ACERWC, educate government officials on the obligations of State Parties and inform civil society actors on the contents of the Charter as well as the mechanisms for engaging with the ACERWC.

Practice Recommendations for Mental Health Professionals: Perspectives from Grandparents and their Adolescent Grandchildren

Kendra A. O'Hora and Megan L. Dolbin-Mac - GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy , 2015

To gain insight into how practitioners can best meet the needs of grandfamilies, 40 custodial grandmothers and their adolescent grandchildren were interviewed in this study.

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The Right of Children to Live in a Caring and Supportive Family Environment: Examples from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Kazakhstan Country Presentation

10 Nov 2014

On 10 September 2014, UNICEF and the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria co-hosted a high level Lunchtime Discussion on The right of children below three years to live in a caring and supportive family environment: examples from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In its presentation at the discussion, Kazakhstan demonstrated how the integration of social workers and outreach services in the health sector is reducing baby abandonment in pilot areas of the country.

A shared vision for systemic child protection: Advocating, developing, evidencing, and partnering to build a child protection system: Lessons learned from Albania, Terre des hommes Mission in Albania Institutional Learning Process

Dr. Rachel A Harris & Dr. Ian Milligan , 01 Oct 2014

This document reports on an Institutional Learning Process that has critically analysed the impact and effectiveness of Terre des hommes’ (Tdh) engagement in Albania over the last 14 years. It looks at the role Tdh has played in the emergence of a State Child Protection System (CPS) in Albania.

The Introduction of Social Workers in the Primary Health Care System and its Impact on the Reduction of Baby Abandonment in Kazakhstan

Representative of Kazakhstan, 10 Sep 2014

On 10 September 2014, UNICEF and the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria co-hosted a high level lunchtime discussion on the right of children below three years to live in a caring and supportive family environment: examples from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Kazakhstan showed how the integration of social workers and outreach services in the health sector is reducing baby abandonment in pilot areas of the country.

The Right of Children to Live in a Caring and Supportive Family Environment: Examples from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia

UNICEF & The Permanent Mission of Bulgaria, 09 Sep 2014

On 10 September 2014, UNICEF and the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria co-hosted a high level Lunchtime Discussion on The right of children below three years to live in a caring and supportive family environment: examples from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Roadmap for the Implementation of the Guidelines on Kinship Care, Foster Care and Supported Independent Living in Liberia

Government of Liberia, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare - USAID, World Learning, Save the Children, Maestral International, 01 Aug 2014

This “roadmap” document outlines the recommended implementation strategies and activities for strengthening family- and community-based alternative care in Liberia. It accompanies the Guidelines on Kinship Care, Foster Care and Supported Independent Living (the Guidelines) and the Capacity Building Plan to Implement the Guidelines (CBP).

Contextual Adaptation of Family Group Conferencing Model: Early Evidence from Guatemala

Jini L. Roby, Joan Pennell, Karen Rotabi, Kelley McCreery Bunkers, and Sully de Ucles, British Journal of Social Work (2014) 1–17, 17 Jun 2014

This article discusses the challenges in protecting Guatemalan children and their families from involuntary separation and presents the process, results and implications of a pilot training in which Guatemalan participants from government and civil society explored the efficacy and feasibility of the FGC model in their country.

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Deinstitutionalization of Children in Bulgaria: How Far and Whereto?

UNICEF, 01 Jun 2014

This Review, commissioned by UNICEF Bulgaria, is aimed at informing the recommendations for the Bulgarian Government’s Action Plan for the implementation of the National Strategy ‘Vision for Deinstitutionalisation of Children in Bulgaria.’

Engaging Religious Communities to Protect Children From Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation

Malia Robinson & Stephen Hanmer - Child Abuse and Neglect Journal, Volume 38, Issue 4, 13 Apr 2014

This article is primarily aimed at providing a foundation for analyzing both the challenges and opportunities of partnering with religious communities and organizations in addressing child abuse and neglect.

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