HIV-Sensitive Child Protection: Training course for auxiliary social workers
The aim of the course is to develop an appropriate training program for social auxiliaries.
Year of Publication:
2018
Principles Related to Developing the Workforce
8. A career ladder should be accessible to all social service para professionals. It should be underpinned by further education where credit for prior training and work experience is given, and which leads to professional advancement. This includes the ability to take on higher level roles and increased salaries when demonstrating the necessary abilities and competencies.
9. A “lattice” approach should enable para professionals to shift focus laterally across professional areas as well as vertically up the career ladder, so that they can realize their interest and talents for on-going professional growth.
10. Training that addresses core specified learning outcomes within the context of standardized and regularly updated curricula should be provided for para professionals. Training should be framed in courses that can be used as stepping stones/career ladders through the advancement of their education. Training should culminate in the awarding of certificates.
11. Recognition should be given to the fact that when a para professional worker attains a higher level of education or progresses to a more advanced level of social service work, this is a positive outcome. However programs need to take into account the need for follow-up, refresher courses and training to replace workers who were thus promoted.
12. Opportunities for training and deployment of para social service workers should, as far as possible, be situated in their places of residence or as close as possible to the ward/villages where they come from.
13. An adult-learning approach, which is participatory and problem-solving-oriented, should be taken in all training of para professional social service workers.
14. As a core strategy, training should incorporate indigenous knowledge and approaches and be adapted to specific national and cultural contexts.
15. Para professional social service workers should engage in creative and innovative thinking to pro-actively address the challenges in their immediate working environment in serving vulnerable people, their families and communities. Educational programs should foster an innovative mind-set building on skills and competencies to create a platform for good ideas, novel approaches for problem solving, and support and opportunities to enhance services and resources to address individual and community needs. As para professionals, these ideas are discussed collaboratively with supervisors and implemented to yield economic, cultural and social value for others.
Resources Related to Planning the Workforce
The below resources are selected as best practice for information, tools and specifics related to planning the para professional workforce:
Strengthening and Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce: Training and professional development
To increase the evidence base on the benefits of early childhood development, a four-part series of global landscape analyses are being conducted to establish the size and scope of the challenges faced by the early childhood workforce, while also highlighting promising practices countries have adopted in response to these challenges. This second resource focuses on the training and professional development of this workforce.
Year of Publication:
2018
DRC National Training Curriculum for Para-Social Workers Working with Vulnerable Children
The development of this course was adapted from the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance guiding principles, functions and competencies for para social workers. The training includes six modules adapted through an in-country participatory process.
Year of Publication:
2017
Capacity Building of Community-Based Child Care Workers Training Manual for Para Social Workers
This second edition of this training manual aims to build the capacity of para social workers in Uganda through a seven-step evidence-based management model.
Year of Publication:
2017
