By Collins Yakubu-Hammer
The Federal Government on Tuesday in Abuja commenced the training of officers on case management to enhance effective humanitarian response in the country.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, said the training has become necessary to enhance service delivery.
According to Sani-Gwarzo, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Administration, Alhaji Dauda Mohammed, modern social work practice has become increasingly complex in dealing with emerging social challenges in the country.
He added that social work as a profession required constant professional training that would enable practitioners meet up with international best practices.
“This training is in line with the effort of the Ministry towards
strengthening the capacity of her workers and ensuring that social
development practitioners are equipped with necessary knowledge, skills, orientation, values and competence for effective service delivery.
“The essence of regular professional trainings and retraining of professional Case Management Officers cannot be overemphasised given the fact that they deal with the society’s most vulnerable groups which constitute a sizeable percentage of the populace.
“A lot of personnel who find them rendering social work services are from different backgrounds and disciplines such as Humanities and the Social Sciences, etc.
“There is therefore no doubt that it is through on-the-job experiences and various trainings and retraining programmes such as this, that will enable the officers render effective services and also imbibe the tenets and principles of the social work profession,” said Sani-Gwarzo.
Earlier, the Director of Social Development in the ministry, Mr Taiwo Bashorun, said the ministry on a regular basis strengthen the capacity of her Case workers on modern techniques.
According to him, the ministry also ensures that Social Development Practitioners are equipped with necessary knowledge, skills, orientation, values and competence for effective service delivery.
“And as you may be aware, the Case Work Unit of the Department
laid emphasis on survival, development, protection, social
integration of persons and participation in the provision of its
mandate to the society.
“Social work being a helping dynamic profession requires constant professional training that will enable practitioners meet up with international best practices,” Bashorun said.