Establishing mentorship to strengthen and support government officers responding to violence against children in Sri Lanka

Three social workers, Child Frontiers’ Senior Associates Angie Bamgbose and Pamela Clifford and Dr Natia Partskhaladze of the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance (GSSWA) worked with the Institute for Participatory Interaction in Development (IPID) to professionalise social work in Sri Lanka.

This wide-ranging programme included reviewing social work education, clarifying social service workforce roles and responsibilities, developing job descriptions, competencies and career pathways, assessing current capacity and designing a supervision model. Together, these elements contribute to a ten-year strategic framework for professionalising the social service workforce in Sri Lanka.

This work also supports the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitments made ahead of the Global Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children[1] held in Bogota, Colombia, in November 2024. It also seeks to clarify the roles of the workforce responding to violence and to set up a model continuum of child-sensitive services for the victims of violence.

This assignment was commissioned by UNICEF Sri Lanka and the Department of Probation and Child Care Services (DPCCS) (within the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs). The work was done in partnership with DPCCS, the Sri Lanka Professional Association of Social Workers (SLAPSW) and the National Institute for Social Development (NISD), social work academics, government social service officers, civil society and children.

At the heart of every child protection system are the people who work, often under pressure, to prevent harm, respond to it, and protect children. In Sri Lanka, the responsibility for prevention and early intervention sits largely with Child Rights Promotion Officers (CRPOs), whilst Probation Officers (POs) are responsible for protecting children experiencing some of the most complex situations of risk and violence. Their work is vital, but it is emotionally demanding, often carried out under pressure and with limited support.

Across the country, officers navigate high caseloads, limited resources, and the impact of working with vulnerable children. While their commitment remains strong, the systems designed to support them remain fragile. Professional supervision, recognised globally as essential, has historically been inconsistent and misunderstood in Sri Lanka. For many, “supervision” has come to mean scrutiny rather than a space for reflection, learning, and support.

Through extensive consultations with government frontline workers and managers, academics, social work representatives, civil society and children, a new approach has emerged which reframes supervision as mentorship. This goes beyond a change in language - whereby mentorship is now better understood as supportive - it seeks to create a change in culture. It reflects a deliberate shift towards a more supportive developmental approach, grounded in the lived experiences of frontline workers dealing with cases of child abuse and violence.

Mentorship is being positioned as a structured, supportive relationship, combining four essential functions, and building on the work of the GSSWA (October 2020) :

Accountability: Ensuring quality, ethical casework
Development: Building skills, knowledge and professional competence
Support: Addressing emotional well-being and resilience
Advocacy: Representing officers' needs and frontline realities to decision-makers.

In this model, the mentor is not an inspector. Rather, a mentor supports officers to manage complex child protection cases, helps them learn and reflect, enhances their well-being, and represents their realities to leadership.

Recognising both the demands of the Sri Lankan system and the need for meaningful support, a hybrid mentoring approach has been developed which combines:

Monthly group mentoring, creating space for shared learning and peer support
Quarterly individual mentoring, allowing for confidential discussion, tailored development, and deeper well-being support

This approach balances efficiency within a resource-constrained system and individual confidential support. Together, they strengthen team cohesion and normalise the challenges officers face.

Early steps have already begun. In February 2026, the first group of mentors, Senior Probation Officers and Coordinating Officers, participated in a 3-day practical and participatory training, focusing on communication, reflective practice, managing stress, and navigating the dual role of mentor and manager. These mentors have begun to create regular, structured spaces where officers can pause, reflect, and be supported.

In the Sri Lankan context, as elsewhere, asking for support can be seen as a sign of weakness. This model shifts the recognition of worker well-being to a central role in providing effective child protection services. This model normalises the emotional impact of this work.

We would not be human if we were not affected by violence against children. Officers absorb stories of trauma, navigate high-stakes decisions, and often carry the emotional weight of outcomes beyond their control. Without support, this can lead to burnout, reduced morale, and ultimately, diminished service quality.

Mentorship provides individual support and, as a result, strengthens the delivery of child protection services. Workers who feel recognised and supported are more likely to stay, to progress, and provide consistent, high-quality care.

Mentorship’s advocacy function provides structured feedback loops. Mentors identify recurrent themes about life on the frontline of social work, such as workload pressures, resource gaps, and systemic barriers, and escalate them to provincial and national levels. In doing so, mentorship becomes a bridge between those delivering services and those shaping them.

However, mentorship alone is not enough. While it plays a critical role, it cannot replace the broader conditions required for a strong and sustainable workforce. Officers still need:

Clear and well-defined roles and responsibilities articulated in job descriptions
Effective line management and organisational structures
Fair salaries and benefits
Career progression pathways and professional recognition
Adequate resources to do their work.

The mentorship model is designed to complement these foundational elements. The advocacy function highlights where these conditions are not being met, creating opportunities for systemic improvement.

There is, of course, a cost to implementing mentorship at scale: new roles, training, coordination, time, and practical resources. But this is not an expense; instead, it should eb considered an investment in:

A more skilled and confident workforce
Reduced burnout and staff turnover
More consistent, ethical, and effective services
Better outcomes for children and families.

Systemic change takes time and sustained commitment. Across Sri Lanka, under the national leadership of the DPCCS and the management of the Provincial Commissioners, there is a gradual shift from supervision as scrutiny to mentorship as accountability, development, support, and advocacy. When officers are mentored, they are better able to prevent harm and respond to children experiencing abuse and violence.