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Why Support the Social Service Workforce?

A social service worker in Ethiopia speaks with a client

To gain the attention and funding levels needed to ensure a well-trained, developed and supported social service workforce, greater advocacy efforts are needed. We can all take steps, big and small, toward increasing awareness and interest in the workforce. Doing so requires each one of us to be more vocal in advocating to policy makers and program implementers. Advocacy efforts are targeted at achieving both policy and programmatic change. Advocacy can be directed at protecting rights, educating the public, and encouraging civil or political participation. Advocacy can seek fundamental change for an organization or community and/or seek to address issues that need greater focus to create policy change. 

The Alliance has developed tools and resources to assist in your advocacy efforts.

Key Messages for Advocating for the Social Service Workforce

Key messages for advocating to the Social Service WorkforceThe Alliance’s Interest Group on Advocacy has developed a set of key messages specifically for advocating to donors, policymakers, media, the general public and other social service professionals about the importance and value of the social service workforce. We encourage you to make use of these key messages for each specific audience.

Download the key messages

 

 


A Call to Action for Strengthening the Workforce to Better Protect Children and Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

A call to action for strengthening the social service workforceThe Alliance’s Call to Action for Strengthening the Social Service Workforce to Better Protect Children and Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals makes recommendations at the country and global level for governments to initiate, lead and engage in dialogue with partners in order to strengthen the workforce and improve the lives of children and families. To date, 34 organizations have signed on to show support for the Call to Action.  We encourage you to download the Call to Action and share it with national governments and stakeholder groups. Want to show your support by adding your organization's logo? Email the Alliance with your organization's logo.

Download the Call to Action    Descarga en español

 


Global Advocacy Toolkit for the Social Service Workforce

Global Advocacy Toolkit for the Social Service WorkforceTo support individual and group advocacy efforts, the Alliance has worked with WithoutViolence to develop a Global Advocacy Toolkit. The Toolkit provides advocates with a common set of tools and messages with which to bring about greater political and programmatic priority for strengthening the social service workforce. It is based on evidence that shows that a strong social service workforce increases the effectiveness of programs for vulnerable families and children. The Toolkit includes lessons from behavioral science and original research on the most effective ways to communicate to policy and decision-makers. It includes case studies, stories, fact sheets and infographics.

Download the Toolkit

 


Other Opportunities for Advocacy 

Using the Alliance network as a platform for coming together across disciplines, organizations, countries and regions, we can all do more together than we can alone. Stay tuned for Alliance-hosted advocacy events, such as Social Service Workforce Week. Be sure to also follow us and like or retweet our content on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

We also encourage you to find opportunities to elevate the importance of a strong social service workforce. Conferences, UN days dedicated to specific topics, worker appreciation days, World Social Work Day and Social Service Workforce Week are just a few of the many annual events that can be a springboard for local advocacy throughout the year.   

Infographic from the Global Advocacy Toolkit:
Infographic from the Global Advocacy Toolkit