The Federal Government reiterated its resolve on Thursday to address the myriad social challenges facing Nigerians, including vulnerable groups across the country, through the implementation of people-oriented policies and programs.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, gave this assurance in Nasarawa State during the opening of a capacity-building workshop organized for Case Management Officers in the Ministry.
Mr. Enitan, represented by Deputy Director overseeing the Office of the Director, Social Development Department, Mr. Peter Audu, explained that the workshop aimed to increase the knowledge, skills, proficiency, and competence of participants in the various services rendered to clients and humanity.
“It is fundamental to note that professional Social Case Management Officers are expected to meet the needs of people in serious difficulties and social problems. These social problems may include family instability, financial distress, drug addiction, and other inevitable events such as migration, economic dependency, unemployment, illness, and social disorganization, which are all among the major social factors that impinge upon individuals.
“However, people have to seek help in overcoming the effects of these upon their personal lives to find practical solutions.
“As you may be aware, modern social work practice has become increasingly complex in dealing with emerging social challenges in the country. Social work, being a dynamic profession, requires constant professional training that will enable practitioners to meet emerging international best practices.
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“Consequently, the essence of regular professional training and retraining of professional Case Management Officers cannot be overemphasized, given the fact that they deal with the society’s most vulnerable group, which constitutes a sizable percentage of the populace and, by implication, has a multiplicity of needs.
“A lot of personnel who find themselves rendering social work services come 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 training and retraining programs like this one that Officers will be enabled to provide effective services and also imbibe the principles of the social work profession.”
While stressing that the capacity-building workshop is in line with the policy of the present administration, Mr. Enitan averred that the initiative gives serious consideration to issues of capacity building in which structured mandatory training is recognized as a prerequisite for effectiveness and efficiency in the Nigerian Public Service.
“You will all agree with me that building the capacity of officers will greatly enhance their performance in service delivery as the skills and knowledge gained would not only help to build on their professional development but also allow them to have a healthy sense of self-worth and greater drive towards achieving their professional goals.”
He expressed optimism that the capacity-building workshop would “expose Social Workers to emerging best global practices and improve the knowledge of professional officers to strengthen the profession.”
In his remarks, Deputy Director overseeing the Office of the Director, Social Development Department, Mr. Peter Audu, explained that the capacity-building workshop for Case Management officers in the Ministry aimed to equip the participants with the necessary knowledge and information to assist their daily practice.
Mr. Audu, represented by Assistant Director Family & Case Work, Mrs. Ibrahim Misheli, explained that the capacity-building workshop was organized to train and enhance the skills of Case Workers on the basic steps of Case Work management, understand and apply Social Work principles and ethical conduct on counseling strategies in Nigeria, and share experience and equip the officers with improved skills in social work practice.
“As a result of this, professional staff who handle cases confronting vulnerable groups that require specialized skills and knowledge to better understand the needs of their clients and techniques of case work intervention. Importantly, case management is an approach to secure delivery that attempts to ensure that clients with complex, multiple problems receive the services they need in a timely and appropriate fashion.
“It is very pertinent to note that capacity building of social workers in the area of case management cannot be understated. This capacity building intends to expose case management officers to the best practices in the area of case management as obtained in advanced countries.
“It will enable officers handling case work to be the best in their chosen profession. It will equally give them the needed skills and training tools to carry out their duties as at when due. However, emphasis should not be placed only on procurement of empowerment tools for families in distress at the detriment of officers handling the case work management, who will in turn be better equipped to attend to cases of families in distress.
“Over the years, the capacity training of professional staff in the Ministry was only based on management and general duties functions; there had been no specialized capacity development of professional officers. Therefore, the above workshop is being proposed to enhance better capability in their job.
“Dear professional colleagues, I implore all of us to take advantage of this ample opportunity that comes our way and make judicious use of it in order to gain the knowledge that will propel us to achieve career growth and professionalism, which at the same time will enable us to remain relevant in our different work schedules and practice,” he noted.