HUMANITARIAN MINISTRY ORGANISES CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP FOR SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE MINISTRY

The Department of Social Development, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has organised a capacity building workshop for social workers in the Ministry in Abuja.

While declaring open the workshop, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, mni, NPOM, stated that  the purpose of the training is to enable members of staff gain new skills and knowledge that can improve their performance and efficiency.

“As we are aware, it is an  established fact that skills and knowledge gained by employees or staff would not only help to build on their professional competence, but it allows them to feel valued and affords opportunities that allow social workers to be more driven towards their professional goals”.

The Permanent Secretary who was represented by his Special Assistant on Administration, Dauda Haruna Muhammad, said that when staff receive trainings they are likely to take on higher responsibilities which help to improve their productivity, time management, job satisfaction, morale and at the same time motivate them to embrace learning opportunities.

The Permanent Secretary said this attests to the need to always encourage our workforce to bring out the best as we are determined in our efforts at providing quality service delivery to all our targeted groups as we gear towards a new phase in achieving our mandate and at the same time assure all staff of the Ministry that they will not be excluded.

Dr.Sani-Gwarzo said by putting employees through a relevant course that ties in well with their roles, it can equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to feel confident in performing their duties. This he said in turn can bring positive team morale, giving workers a sense of purpose towards their work.

He said for any organization to bring about the best results in the sector it is operating, or amongst the other players in the economy, it must consider training of its staff very important and make it sacrosanct. By training, employees are raised up to the levels of increasing productivity and efficiency which engenders profitability that boost the worth of the organization, which in turn helps it to consolidate and remain competitive.

The Permanent Secretary said as professional social workers responsible for social service delivery in the whole spectrum of social work practices of the Social Development Sector, we cannot afford not to keep abreast with the full knowledge and information on the best practice as required of the profession. He said it is his genuine advice that participants avail themselves of the opportunity to engage positively by contributing and giving the Resource Persons maximum cooperation so that the purpose of the programme can be fully achieved.

In his welcome address the  Director, Social Development Department, Mr Taiwo Ademola Bashorun said that the training is necessary and important for all professional officers cadres, as it aims to equip the participants with the necessary knowledge and information that will assist their daily practice.

He said as we may be aware, the absence of comprehensive and effective training for social workers has hindered the operation of social work practice in the country. Adding that as  programme officers made up of the Social Welfare and Community Development Officers Cadres, you are responsible for the effective implementation of programmes and activities of the Ministry towards the realization of Government goals and objectives for the Social Development Sector of the country.

Mr Bashorun said  this capacity building workshop has the following laudable objectives: to help the participants to strengthen their knowledge skills in social work education;to expose participants to contemporary issues in social work;to equip participants with necessary information to assist them in their daily practice and to expose participants to tactics, techniques and procedures that improve operational effectiveness in addressing emerging social issues.

” You will all agree with me that, training to building capacity of officers will greatly enhance their performance in service delivery, as the skills and knowledge gained by participants would not only help to build on their professional development, but it allows them to feel valued. In that way, it provides the opportunities for workers to be more driven towards achieving their professional goals.

He said he is very confident that this capacity building workshop would at the end bring out the expected outcomes, which is to expose Social Workers to best practices and improved knowledge of professional officers to strengthen the profession. He implores  the participants to take advantage of the ample opportunity that comes to them and make a better use of it to help gain the knowledge that will propel them to achieve career growth and professionalism, which will  help them to remain relevant in their different work schedules and practice.

In his remarks, the President, National Association of Social Workers, Alhaji Mashood Mustapha said that Social Workers deserve a place in the society as they provide professional needs to almost everyone in the Society

He said they are  celebrating this  year’s Social Workers with the theme: Setting Diversity through Social Action, which he said is all about Humanity and understanding our diversity to move forward as a Nation.

Rhoda Ishaku Iliya

Deputy Director Information

30th March 2024