Posted on 21/9/2015 the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance has released Guiding Principles for the Development of Para Professional Social Service Workers.
The purpose of this document is to provide a set of principles that will be a useful base for utilizing para professionals as well as delineating functions and competencies related to how social service para professionals can be trained, developed, deployed and supported. Social service para professionals play a critical role in helping vulnerable groups including children and their families as part of governmental, non-governmental, private sector and local responses.
These principles provide guidance for how a para professional would typically work as a direct care worker in the social service sector next to or supporting the work of a professional in the same field. Given that the social service workforce is conceptualized as an inclusive concept, these workers may be related to various professional groups, e.g., social work, child and youth care work, and community development, among others.