A total of 97 social workers from the United Social Services of Armenia took part in two training courses organised by the EU-funded ‘EU4Gender Equality Reform Helpdesk’ project.
During April, May and June 2022, the online courses on ‘Gender-sensitivity in social work’ and ‘Social work with cases of violence’ equipped social workers with new knowledge and skills to strengthen their work. Through participatory, accessible online sessions, social workers learned how to make their work more gender-sensitive, to prevent and respond to cases of violence, including gender-based violence, and refer cases for further support.
Participants shared experiences, and group discussions with trainers helped them to devise workable solutions to common challenges. “Our knowledge increased, some things were new to us: there are so many different approaches now from what we were doing before,” said one of the participants.
“Before taking this course, when I was on duty visiting abusive families, I didn’t know what to do,” explains another social worker from Armenia. “But now I am more confident on what to say and how to approach the situation, it is totally different.”
According to the project, social workers address the complex needs of families in their communities on a daily basis, focusing on those living in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged situations. This is why the EU4Gender Equality Reform Helpdesk trained Armenian social workers to deliver more gender-sensitive, people-centred services.
These kinds of trainings are at the heart of the ‘EU4GenderEquality: Reform Helpdesk’ project, funded by the European Union and implemented by Niras. The project aims to ensure effective and equal results for women and men in six Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus*, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – by expanding the use of gender analysis in decision-making and reforms. This includes strengthening capacities in the public sector to make gender equality a reality for everyone.
The training courses were delivered by expert trainers, Siranush Davtyan and Anna Hovhannisyan, on behalf of the EU4Gender Equality Helpdesk project.
[*The project does not provide support to the Government of Belarus; it only supports the EU Delegation and civil society].