Para social workers (PSWs) are widely used in African nations to address inadequate capacity in the professional workforce, but there is to date very little academic commentary on the effectiveness of their role. This article considers the potential efficacy of the PSW model in strengthening child protection at community level in Uganda. Twenty interviews were conducted with local government officers, civil society organisation staff and PSWs (10 in each of 2 rural areas), together with four supplementary expert interviews. The data were analysed using a framework of community resilience. The findings suggest that the model has considerable potential to strengthen community‐level protection of children in circumstances in which the operation of formal systems is limited by resource constraints and outside interventions may struggle to gain understanding and acceptance within communities. Challenges include the potential for conflicts of interest to arise and the implications of increased reporting of child maltreatment for the response of the formal child protection system, including alternative care arrangements. Given its widespread and developing usage, further research to understand the conditions under which the PSW model is most effective and sustainable in different social, economic, political and cultural contexts is essential.

中文翻译：

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乌拉圭农村社区中准社工的作用：加强社区适应力以保护儿童

在非洲国家，准社工（PSW）广泛用于解决专业劳动力能力不足的问题，但迄今为止，关于其作用的有效性的学术评论很少。本文考虑了PSW模式在加强乌干达社区儿童保护方面的潜在功效。与地方政府官员，民间社会组织工作人员和私营部门工作人员进行了20次访谈（2个农村地区各10个），并进行了4次补充专家访谈。使用社区弹性框架分析了数据。研究结果表明，在正规系统的运作受到资源限制，外部干预可能难以在社区内获得理解和接受的情况下，该模型具有加强对社区儿童的保护的巨大潜力。挑战包括可能发生利益冲突，以及增加对儿童虐待的报告对正式儿童保护系统（包括替代照料安排）的反应的影响。鉴于其广泛使用和发展中的用途，进一步研究以了解PSW模型在不同的社会，经济，政治和文化背景下最有效和可持续的条件是至关重要的。挑战包括可能发生利益冲突，以及增加对儿童虐待的报告对正式儿童保护系统（包括替代照料安排）的反应的影响。鉴于其广泛使用和发展中的用途，进一步研究以了解PSW模型在不同的社会，经济，政治和文化背景下最有效和可持续的条件是至关重要的。挑战包括可能发生利益冲突，以及增加对儿童虐待的报告对正式儿童保护系统（包括替代照料安排）的反应的影响。鉴于其广泛使用和发展中的用途，进一步研究以了解PSW模型在不同的社会，经济，政治和文化背景下最有效和可持续的条件是至关重要的。