Inna is 9 years old. She was abandoned at age 4. She spent 5 years in an orphanage. Through social workers she was reunited with a Grandmother Lydia (on the right in the background)

This project, carried out in collaboration with UNICEF, the Uzbek Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, other partners and with support from Teeside University in Britain, contributes to the long-term development of social work in Uzbekistan. At the core it helps ensure disadvantaged children and their families stay together, that children are protected from abuse and exploitation and helps families better care for their kids.

Social work became an academic subject in Uzbekistan in 2005. In 2008 it was acknowledged as a profession with a budget allocation. The Ministry of Public Education then created several posts for social workers. However, being new, the profession needs development at the field level to ensure quality social protection for all disadvantaged children.

Through the joint project, over 100 childcare professionals from 5 regions have gone through 4months of re-training. These five regions are piloting childcare system reform at the local level for future national policy development. Participants completed the training in March 2009. They are now national leaders in working with disadvantaged children and their families.

The training programme was developed by a national team of experts, with strong support from Teeside University. It was independently evaluated as meeting the highest international standards, and is now being incorporated into the daily practices of social work professionals in childcare system in Tashkent, Samarkand, Andijan, Bukhara and Gulistan. According to Rano Rahimova, a Tashkent social worker, “I’ve learned a lot in training. My attitude to work has changed. Now I’m much closer to the families and can help vulnerable children.”