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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Waiting To Be Found: Papers on Children in Care

Andrew Briggs - Routledge, 01 Sep 2012

The chapters in this book discuss the complexity immediately encountered when approaching the task of improving the lives of Looked After Children (LAC).

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Family Group Conferencing to Preserve Families and Prevent Child Institutionalization

Kelley Bunkers and Karen Rotabi , 08 Aug 2012

Helping families and their kin develop care plans for orphaned and vulnerable children was the objective of the family group conferencing (FGC) training that took place in Guatemala City from July 10-12, 2012. This family preservation approach for developing strategies to prevent the institutionalization of children emphasizes the strengths of families and their capacity to solve their own problems and develop their own care plans.

Partnering with Religious Communities for Children

UNICEF, 2012

This document is intended as a guide, primarily for UNICEF staff and partners, to building effective partnerships with larger religious, and local faith, communities and networks, especially religious leaders.

A model for Early Years support work with families and children with additional needs in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Rachel Tainsh & Jonathan Watkins - HealthProm, 2012

This report is the result 4 of a two-year EU funded project “An Early Years Support Centre (EYSC) service in Dushanbe: Reducing poverty, empowering vulnerable families, strengthening partnerships and advocating for rights”. It outlines the model of support that was developed through the EYSC project in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

The Framework for The National Child Protection System for Kenya

National Council for Children's Services , 01 Nov 2011

This document contains the national framework for the child protection system in Kenya, developed with the intention of improving linkages between different sectors for more a more coordinated approach to protecting children.

Strengthening Human Resources and Financing for Child Care and Protection Services

Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development - Uganda, 01 Aug 2011

This paper highlights human resource and funding gaps that constrain provision of child care and protection services. It advocates for strengthening of social welfare workforce and funding to improve child care and protection services in Uganda.

Investing in those who care for children: Social Welfare Workforce Strengthening Conference Report, Cape Town, November 2010

Amy Bess, Luisa López, Evelyn Tomaszewski - National Association of Social Workers - US (NASW - US), Division for Human Rights & International Affairs, 15 Mar 2011

This Conference explored a range of workforce development strategies, including strategies for planning, training, and supporting the workforce incorporating lessons learned from Health Systems Strengthening and Human Resources for Health Initiatives as well as other human and institutional capacity building and training efforts.

Moldova Law No. 123 On Social Services

Government of Republic of Moldova, 03 Mar 2011

Republic of Moldova, Parliament, Law No. 123 on Social Services entered into force 3 March 2011.

Advocacy Package: IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group, 2011

This Advocacy Package explains what the IASC guidelines are and how they are to be used, highlights the key campaigning activities, key messages for communities, donors, UN Agencies and Non-Governmental organisations, clarifies terminology and provide ideas for country level implementation.

Overview of current frameworks for systems strengthening: Initial Observations

PTA & TRG, 2011

This presentation provides an overview of approaches and frameworks utilized to strengthen child protection systems in Africa.