Staff working in the social care sector in Afghanistan are often unqualified and receive minimal support despite having to deal with extremely difficult situations involving children.

Not having received any formal training, they often lack the skills or experience necessary to be able to support vulnerable children and their families.

What We Have Achieved

Children in Crisis has been working with UNICEF to implement a social work coaching programme to increase knowledge amongst care workers from juvenile rehabilitation centres and orphanages in Kabul and other central provinces about social work and how to work in such a way that respects children’s rights and enables child protection. Between November 2008 and December 2009 (the second year of the project) Children in Crisis successfully trained:

• 12 local mentors
• 127 social workers
• 4 provincial Child Protection Action Networks (CPANs)
• 49 Community Workers
• 330 legal professionals
• 132 police officers

127 Social Workers, 330 Legal Professionals & 132 Police Officers - given social work training by Children in Crisis

Approximately 1300 children in orphanages, Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres  and Day-Care Centres will benefit from the increased capacity of care givers working with them and an estimated 1800 children will benefit from the increased capacity of district level community workers.

Our Work Continues

We have embarked upon on a third phase of social worker training in Kabul and the provinces of Bamyan, Paktiya, Ghazni, Daikundi and Panjshir. The project will target three main groups of vulnerable children in Afghanistan: children in conflict with the law, children in institutions and children within communities. In order to ensure that these three groups of children are protected, the project aims are to:

• Train 105 social workers
• Train 105 community workers
• Benefit 1300 children in these institutions.
• Social workers will build the capacity of Child Protection Action Networks in six provinces and 10 districts, in strengthening their response and follow up action for cases raised by the community or other service providers.