PROFESSIONALIZING THE COMMUNITY-BASED WORKFORCE : “STARTING FROM WHERE THEY ARE - LEARNING FOR IMMEDIATE APPLICATION.” By Alex Tigere Social Work & Social Development : Action & Impact 2012

SITUATION OF CHILDREN IN AFRICA HIV AND AIDS POVERTY NATURAL DISASTERS CONFLICT DISPLACEMENT Extended Family Traditional safety net over starched beyond capacity Those that are caring for children are often: Too old Too ill Too young or Too poor

DEPLETED SOCIAL SERVICES WORKFORCE Very high caseloads (1:300 – 600 children) Shortage of qualified social workers Vacancy rates 50-60% - half those employed leave within 5 years* Lack of incentives for community practice- due to caseload & geographic issues Inadequate social work curricula dealing with community development and the emerging challenges Community caregivers mainly reliant on workshops and short courses * Davis, Rebecca. Human capacity within child welfare systems. The social work workforce in Africa. United States Agency for International Development. December 2009

4 THE COMMUNITY-BASED CERTIFICATE: COMMUNITY WORK WITH CHILDREN & YOUTH REPSSI and UNICEF developed 6 learning modules

One Personal and Professional Development  Being a Professional – values and ethics  Personal and Professional Development  Wellbeing and Positive Living Two Introduction to Human Rights-based Approaches & Child Protection  Human Rights Approaches  Children’ rights programming  Child Protection  Advocacy and Participation Three Child and Youth Development  Contexts of Development  Child, Youth & Adolescence Development  Resilience and strengths Four Care and Support of Children at Risk  Basic Support Skills  Direct Support of Children and Youth Five Integrated Development in Communities  Principles of Community Development  Participation and tools  Community mobilization and Networking SixService Learning Project  Planning and undertaking Service-Learning Project  Building Reflective Practitioners

6  Situated Learning happens in student’s community of practice  Supported Students part of a learning support group (8-12 learners) Facilitated by trained mentor Groups meet 4 times during each module  Distance Learning Learning through 6 hard copies of modules Assignments (2 per module) formally assessed and accredited by UKZN or in-country academic institutions THE LEARNING METHODOLOGY

7  Course has gone through 2 cycles: Round 1: 553 students across 8 countries Round 2: 1065 students across 10 countries THE COMMUNITY-BASED CERTIFICATE The Certificate Programme

WHO PARTICIPATES IN THE COURSE? Social workers VCT CounselorsECD workers NGO / FBO project officers Teachers Police Youth workersCommunity caregivers

 High retention rate 89.5% (Cycle 1) and 88% (Cycle 2) of those who started, graduated Unprecedented rates for distance learning. Students attribute this high retention to their mentors: “He encouraged me to continue the course when I wanted to give up.” (Cycle 2 graduate, Tanzania)  Students remain in their communities Cycle1: 18 months after graduation, 70% are still living in their same communities WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR (1)

 Direct work with children: each Cycle 2 student reaching approx: 130 children (113,400 across ten countries) 7 of whom (5,700 across ten countries) are in child headed households 19 caregivers (15,800 across ten countries) WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR (1)

 Professionalization: Cycle 1: 23% (42/182) of those who started as volunteers are now in paid positions 74% of them attribute this change in their employment status to the course Of those in paid positions, 27% have been promoted. Cycle 2: Immediately upon graduation, 8% of those starting as volunteers are now paid WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR (2)

CONCLUSION Strengthening the social services workforce means building a critical mass of a community – level social capital that links vulnerable children to available social services

WE KNOW FOR SURE, SITUATED SUPPORTED DISTANCE LEARNING WORKS!