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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Human Capacity within Child Welfare Systems: The Social Work Workforce in Africa

Rebecca Davis for USAID , 2009

This document informs stakeholders about the opportunities for and constraints on building the social work workforce within the child welfare sector in Africa.

The Mechanism of Professional Supervision in Social Assistance (Moldova)

Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child (Moldova), 31 Dec 2008

This document, entitled "The Mechanism of Professional Supervision in Social Assistance", was approved by Order of the Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child (Moldova) on 31 December 2008.

Social Work Education and the Practice Environment in Europe & Eurasia

United States Agency for International Development, 30 Nov 2008

The purpose of this study is to inform stakeholders about the current status of social work in the region, describe the practice environment, identify gaps between what is expected of social workers and the reality, provide examples of best practices, and make recommendations for furthering the development of social work in the region.

African Social Services in Peril: A Study of the Department of Social Welfare in Ghana under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative

Siobhan E. Laird - Journal of Social Work, 01 Oct 2008

Using Ghana as an illustrative case study, this article examines the ideology and intentions which underpin the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper required for approval by the IMF and World Bank to qualify for debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative. This article critically examines the functions assigned to governmental and non-governmental agencies within the social sector generally and the Department of Social Welfare specifically.

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Economic Strengthening for Vulnerable Children

USAID, Save the Children & AED, 01 Feb 2008

Provides principles of program design and technical recommendations for effective field interventions

What You Can Do About Alternative Care in South Asia: An Advocacy Kit

UNICEF, 08 Jan 2008

Provides insight into the situation of children outside parental care in South Asia, gaps in legislation, capacity, and services, with reference to national and international legal instruments.

Keeping Children Safe: Standards for Child Protection

Keeping Children Safe Coalition, 2008

The first tool in the Keeping Children Safe Toolkit which explains what the basic standards should be for all organisations across the world working with and for children directly and indirectly

Orphans Reunification Project Evaluation: Part 1: Social Work Timing and Process

UNICEF Afghanistan, 2008

Analysis of reunification and reintegration program of 400 children in orphanages

Keeping Children Safe: How to Implement the Standards

Keeping Children Safe Coalition, 2008

The second tool in the Keeping Children Safe Toolkit which is a resource pack that provides guidance and activities to organisations ing meeting established standards

Keeping the Children Safe: Training for Child Protection

Keeping the Children Safe Coalition, 2008

The third tool in the Keeping the Children Safe Toolkit builds upon the development and implementation of standards portions to address training staff on protocol