PRACTICE ORIENTED CHILD PROTECTION CERTIFICATE COURSE
MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL ADMINISTRATION
Terre des Hommes AND PARTNERS
Training Report
16th – 20th March and 7th – 11th April, 2015
FACILITATORS
Eric Awich Ochen (PhD)
Luwangula Ronald (PhD Candidate)
Esther Nanfuka (PhD Candidate)
Eddy Walakira (PhD)
Badru Bukenya (PhD)
Administrator: Flavia Nakachwa
1.0 Introduction
The Practice Oriented Child Protection Course offered/conducted by Makerere University,
Department of Social Work and Social Administration is a practical and hands-on training
program for Professionals Working with children. The course aims at building key
competencies of child protection workers (CPWs) in public and civil society sector at
different levels in professional delivery of prevention, protection, promotion, response and
transformative services to children. It is envisaged that the professionals who go through this
course contribute to creating a protective environment where children realise their rights. The
course has six key modules that include: Introduction to Child Protection; Legal framework
and policy guidelines in Child Protection; Formal and informal Child Protection systems;
Prevention of Child Trafficking; Prevention and response strategies to Child Rights
Violations; and Monitoring & Evaluation of Child Protection interventions.
This report provides an overview of, and preliminary outcome impressions from the training
conducted for the duration of 10 days (i.e. 16th to 20th March 2015 and 7th to 11th April 2015).
2.0 Methodology
The training course had sic key broad objectives derived from the six core modules of the
training program. Each module took averagely 1.7 day though there were variations in the
duration across modules. The training was activity based; providing highly interactive
learning activities and time for practical job application. In general, some of the activities
were motivational to provoke thinking, knowledge, concepts and ideas; the practice activities
were hands on demonstrations, case studies, group work, social mappings, gallery walk,
documentary and role plays; and the application activities were reflective, asking individual
participants to plan for specific steps they will take to apply their learning in the workplace.
As a way of assessing the training needs of the participants, respective pre-module evaluation
were done, offering a standard against which to measure changes in knowledge, skills, values,
attitudes following the training. A post-training evaluation came at the end of the overall
training therefore. On top of group assignments and case assessments, individual assignments
were given to participants that assessed the participants’ capacity to apply knowledge, skills
and values obtained from the different modules. These were aimed at facilitating obtaining a
feedback on the participants’ understanding, conceptualisation, internalisation, and
demonstration of applicability of the module content in real life practice situation as well as
needs/gaps requiring more emphasis.
At the moment, training participants are still submitting their assignments and once all are
received, assessment and grading will be done. Grading is based on a combination of scores
from individual and group assignments.
3.0 Proceedings of the Training
3.1 Day 1 & 2:
On day one, participants were taken through module one on Introduction to Child Protection.
Day 2 was continuation of Day 1. This module set the pace and laid ground for the subsequent
modules. It oriented participants to the different child protection concepts, principles, and
ethics, their applicability and place in the subsequent modules.
3.2 Day 3 and ½ of Day 4
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Participants were oriented to the international and regional standards and national legal and
policy frameworks that regulate child protection. Particular focus was tailored towards
building participants’ capacities to appropriately interpret and apply the different legal and
policy frameworks on child protection. Core to this module was equally enabling participants
to appreciate the essence of approaching child protection from a human rights and legal angle.
3.3 Day 4 (half day) and 5
Participants were introduced to the phenomenon of child trafficking and the legal framework
underpinning the crime. The dynamics, manifestations and intricate nature of the vice were
shared. Participants got an insight into the demand and supply side of the trade, recruitment
channels, control measures of victims as well as the different pillars of response inter alia;
prevention, protection, partnership, prosecution, and referral pathways.
During the delivery of this module, Mr. Moses Binoga-the Commissioner of PoliceCoordinator, National Taskforce on Prevention of Trafficking in Persons was invited and he
came to share his hand-on experience with handling the crime and the developments
registered so far in safeguarding particularly children from the vice.
3.4 Day 6 and 7
Participants were introduced to the child formal and child protection systems. The systems
approach to child protection was discussed compounded by a presentation of communitybased and rights-based approach. Rings of responsibility, the protective environment for
children and child protection mechanisms were unravelled.
3.5 Day 8 and 9
Having covered all the above modules, participants were highly engaged with prevention and
response strategies to child rights violations. Participants’ experiences were sought and
formed bases for discussion. In particular, the module attended to building participants’ social
work skills base, principles, ethics and their applicability throughout the response cycle.
During this module, a resource person from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social
Development with a wealth of hands-on experience was invited to train but also share her
experience with participants. Ms. Jane Stella Ogwang—the Principle Probation and Social
Welfare Officer was instrumental in guiding participants’ understanding of child protection
response for instance in relation to children in need of Alternative Care, preventing
separation, and generating addressing children’s protection needs without causing harm and
without souring the children’s relationship with their protection systems.
3.6 Day 10
On this day, participants were introduced to monitoring and evaluation of child protection
interventions. The rationale for M&E was shared and the essence of regularly conducting
M&E as a basis for building an evidence base that investing in child protection is necessary
and urgent. In particular, participants were guided through the M&E plan, M&E frameworks
including the log frame. They were tasked to conceptualise child protection project idea and
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design a logical framework. This module awakened participants many of whom appreciated
that M&E is not just a responsibility of the M&E department but everyone that undertakes
any child protection activities in an agency.
4.0 Organisations from which participants were drawn
Participants were primarily drawn from TdH partner organisations of Child’s i Foundation,
ANPPCAN, UYDEL, FIDA and Alternative Care Initiatives. Only a few came from non TdH
partner organisations. The table that follows highlights the training participants and their
respective organisations.
4.1 List of participant
S/N
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Name
Nanteza Evelyn
Karuhanga Ronald
Hope Lillian
Walukhu Paul Moses
Nakaganda Saadah Alysman
Immaculate Atwine
Tumuhairwe Lenah
Keihangwe Kellen
Kyamulabi Janet
Amoding Loyce
Atigo Hellen
Nanziri Immaculate
Nassejje Rosie
Namakula Olivia
Mbowa Moses
Kamugasha Ronald
Kimbowa Samuel
Namatovu Catherine
Nyasuna Rita
Nkalengaho Philip
Nsole Paul
Birungi Kulusum
Nakato Edith
Nakamanya Judith
Wakoli Erina
Eroth Gilbert
Ahumuza Miriam
Nagasha Dorothy
Tugume Sheila
Organisation
Child’s i Foundation
ANPPCAN
Alternative Care Initiative
ANPPCAN
Child’s i Foundation
Child’s i Foundation
Child’s i Foundation
CFPU Wandegeya
Police
Retrak Uganda
FIDA
UYDEL
TASO
Revelation Life
Revelation Life
Revelation Life
UYDEL
UYDEL
TASO
Police
ANPPCAN
UYDEL
UYDEL
World Vision
Police
ANPPCAN
ANPPCAN
ANPPCAN
5.0 Duration of training
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The training lasted 10 days but spread across one month. The first three training modules
were covered during the first week (16th to 20th March 2015) and the other three modules ran
from 7th to 11th April 2015.
6.0 Guest speakers
In addition to the main facilitators of the training, participants fruited from two child
protection experts inter alia; the Principal Probation and Social Welfare Officer, Ms. Jane
Stella Ogwang and the Commissioner of Police and coordinator of the Anti-human trafficking
Taskforce, Mr. Binoga Moses. While the former was handy in engaging participants around
concerns of child protection response and prevention, the latter shared his vast hands-on
experiences of child trafficking. The two made indispensable value addition to the training.
7.0 Assessment of participants
At the moment, participants are still submitting their assignments. Once all assignments are
received, assessment will be done and scores compiled followed by processing of results.
8.0 Preliminary impressions
Participants overwhelmingly appreciated the training. Some openly gave such feedback that
they had never interfaced with a number of laws and policies with a bearing on child
protection neither had they ever contemplated how the different laws and policies impact on
child protection and child protection work. Others expressed gratification that at the end of the
training, they felt more empowered in as far as strongly making cases for children protection.
To some, they came to appreciate the nature, magnitude, and dynamics of the child trafficking
vice. In particular, before the training, many perceived child trafficking to be only transborder. Such a misguided and narrow perception affected their vigilance in their child
protection work. This however was clarified and at the end of the day, they understood and
came to terms with the scope of the problem internally and across border.
9.0 Closure
The training was closed on a positive note with participants expressing satisfaction with the
course. For some in their closing notes, they observed that while at the time of invitation for
training never imagined that the training had this much to offer but as time went by, they
more and more appreciated the rich training content and delivery approaches. The key
concern expressed though was inadequate time allocated to the course.
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