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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Placement of Orphans: Russian and Nordic experiences

01 Dec 2005

The chapters in this Research Note are grouped in three sections. The first section (chapters 2–5) presents the international experiences. The second (chapters 6–7) presents the Russian background, whereas the third section (chapter 8–9) offers an updated presentation of Russian realities as to the placement of orphans.

Support for Families in Difficulty as a Means of Prevention of the Child's Separation from the Family of Origin

International Social Service and International Reference Centre for the Rights of Children Deprived of their Family (ISS/IRC), 2005

Brief summary of the importance of social work in preventing family separation, including increasing empowerment, social support and self-assessment processes.

The Ethics of Needs Assessments in Disaster Situations: Ensuring that Your Needs Assessments Interventions Do Not Cause Harm

Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 2005

Lists ethical “do’s and dont's” specific to Consultants/Advisors, Managers/Supervisors, and Field-Level Workers arranging and conducting Needs Assessments in disaster situations.

Raising the Standards: Quality Childcare Provision in East and Central Africa

Neil McMillan and Diane Swales - Save the Children UK, 2005

A guideline to establish and promote good practice in a variety of childcare settings through the application of quality indicators. The indicators address professional practice, quality of care, caregivers, resources and administration.

Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

World Vision HIV/AIDS Hope Initiative, 2005

Comprehensive toolkit and resource pack for mobilising community-led OVC care. Includes detailed resources for training home visitors.

Working with Children and Families, Vol. 2. Life Story Work

Louise Melville, British Council, Jordan, 2005

Practitioner guidance on communicating and recording children’s care history in order to increase their understanding of what happened to them and to help prepare children for moves

Early Childhood Development Kit: Guideline for Caregivers

UNICEF ECD Unit / ECD Emergency Task Force, Program Division, 2005

Guidelines for caregivers of children in emergency situations, with a focus on the role of play in childhood learning and development. Includes a comprehensive list of suggested activities.

UNICEF Programming for Psychosocial Support: Frequently Asked Questions

UNICEF, 31 Dec 2004

Helpful resource for defining key terms, issues, and practices in psychosocial support. Contains a short list of recommended tools for support and monitoring of psychosocial support interventions.