What do those with care experience want from the social services workforce?
Presented By:
In this session, we will present the perspectives of 133 Ugandan care leavers, as well as children reintegrated from residential care and their parents or caregivers, regarding the value of social work, the role social workers should fulfil, and the characteristics that define an effective social worker. These perspectives will be shared through word clouds, quotations, and video materials. Participants will be invited to reflect on the differences between the expectations of individuals with lived care experience and the existing roles, capacities, and characteristics of social workers within their own contexts.
Participants will then be encouraged to consider the implications of these findings for workforce strengthening strategies, with particular attention to enhancing the meaningful participation of individuals with care experience in the development and implementation of such strategies. In doing so, we will draw on training and reflective tools that have been piloted with social work managers and policymakers in Uganda, India, and Brazil.
Related Resources
Speakers
- Ismael Ddumba-Nyanzi (Child Frontiers)
- Sumaeya Nassuna and Mai Nambooze (Association of Care Leavers Uganda)
Session Aims
• To share the perspectives of those with care experience on what they want from the social services workforce in terms of capacities and forms of support.
• To encourage programme managers and policy makers to reflect on these perspectives and identify ramifications for social services workforce strengthening strategies.
• To encourage programme managers and policy makers to consider how they can involve those with care experience in workforce strengthening.
Session Format
Part 1: The perspectives of those with care experience. Presentation of findings from 133 Ugandan care leavers, and children reintegrated from residential care and their parents caregivers on the value of social work, the role that social workers should play, and the characteristics of a ‘good’ social worker. This will done using a combination of word clouds with quotes and a video, with an emphasis on direct quotes and reflections from those with care experience.
Part 2: Reflection. Participants will be asked to reflect on what these perspectives mean for their work around building the social services workforce and wider care and protection system. This will be done in small groups using interactive tools. The tools used in this session have been tested in Uganda, India and Brazil.
Part 3: Commitments. Participants will be asked to make one commitment to use the findings from today’s session in their work. This could be through using findings to change practice, policies or programmes and or through commitments to encouraging the greater participation of those with care experience in programme development or policy making. Commitments will be shared on a commitment wall.