Community-level Social Welfare Workforce: Analysis on the state of play in nine countries

The community-level social welfare workforce (CLSWW) is a crucial but under-resourced element of national child protection systems. This report emphasizes the need for systematizing contextually appropriate strategies to support the CLSWW through a child protection systems strengthening lens. This includes clearly defining their roles, responsibilities, and required competencies, as well as strengthening competency-based capacity development initiatives. The strategies should be informed by the local context, including local norms, existing mechanisms, community expectations, and available resources.

 The report was written based on the study which aimed to better understand the current state of play, as well as identify lessons learned and good practices, in strengthening the CLSWW. The study focused on nine countries: Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Mali, Myanmar, Tanzania, and Uganda. It involved a review of 160 documents and key informant interviews with 15 participants, including Save the Children staff, partners, government officials, and global experts.