Ashgabat, 17 November 2020: The UN-Turkmenistan Joint Programme on community-based social services started a series of capacity building trainings of social work specialists, recruited by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Turkmenistan from all regions of Turkmenistan, including Ashgabat. The trainings aim to equip social work specialists with relevant social work knowledge, skills and competences ahead of piloting inclusive quality community-based social services next year. They are conducted by national trainers who have successfully completed the first stage of training-of-trainers on social work provided online by the Bulgarian Institute of Social Activities and Practice (SAPI).

During interactive trainings, social work specialists will learn underlying theories, case management tools, referral mechanism in social work and other social work practices based on international experience. Following the first 10-day training, they will start needs assessment of vulnerable populations across Turkmenistan to identify gaps in the current system of social service provision that will set the ground for introduction of a new model of social services.

Training of social work specialists is a part of a large-scale, 8-month long capacity building training programme for Turkmenistan’s social service workforce, including allied workforce, social work managers and social service providers, who are expected to play a key role in improving the system of social service provision in the country.

Joint Programme on “Improving the system of social protection through the introduction of inclusive quality community-based social services”, funded by the Joint SDG Fund, is being implemented by the Partnering UN agencies, namely, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNODC and Government of Turkmenistan with the view of introducing a new model of social services at the community level accompanied by relative legislative reviews and capacity building of national social service workforce. Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Turkmenistan is a leading national partner. Other key national partners are Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, and Ministry of Finance and Economy. Implementation period: 2020-2022.