Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

Social Work Entrepreneurship and Family-Centered Interventions: Building Sustainable Child Welfare Systems in Rivers State

Omobolanle Oshoko

Abstract

In Rivers State, Niger Delta, this essay explores the crucial nexus between family-centered child welfare interventions and social work entrepreneurship. The study makes the case that social workers must use entrepreneurial approaches to service delivery in order to provide sustainable child welfare, using scholarly research, legislative papers, and the unique socioeconomic conditions of the area. According to the report, Rivers State's child welfare issues such as poverty, parental violence, child labor, and limited access to healthcare and education call for creative, community-driven solutions that go beyond conventional casework. In low-resource environments, social workers frequently take on the role of social entrepreneurs, modifying interventions from other contexts to suit local circumstances, but they lack useful advice on how to handle the process. In order to help practitioners, create family treatments that are sustainable and culturally sensitive, the study suggests a practice framework that incorporates entrepreneurial skills into social work practice and education. The study suggests developing public-private partnerships, creating community-driven family support programs, establishing support networks for social work entrepreneurs, and changing the curriculum to incorporate entrepreneurship into social work school. The article comes to the conclusion that developing robust child welfare systems in Rivers State requires deliberate investment in social work entrepreneurship.

Keywords

Niger DeltaRivers StateSocial InnovationChild WelfareFamily Interventionsand Social Work Entrepreneurship

References

Brown, L., Ziemann, A., Strydom, M., & Templeton, L. (2025). Supporting social work entrepreneurs in the adaptation and implementation of interventions transferring into low- and middle-income countries. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, *49*(5), 506-525. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2025.2553900 Mkhize, N. N., Moganedi, M. J., & Rapholo, S. F. (2025). An approach to empower social work students with entrepreneurial skills: Reflections on the social work curriculum in South Africa. Social Work (Stellenbosch), *61*(3). https://doi.org/10.15270/61-3-1232 Ramsey-Soroghaye, B. N. (n.d.). Blessing Ramsey-Soroghaye. The University of Texas at Arlington. https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/social-work/stories/faculty- affiliates-and-child-welfare-scholars---story-carrier-folder/blessing-ramsey-soroghaye Ramsey-Soroghaye, B., Gobo, S., & Anyaegbu, P. (2022). COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child healthcare services and the inclusion of perinatal social workers in effective healthcare delivery in Nigeria. International Journal on Social Science, Economics and Art, *12*(2), 46-52. https://doi.org/10.35335/ijosea.v12i2.89 Niger Delta Development Commission. (2026, July 6). NDDC explains its priority on building the family. Businessday NG. https://businessday.ng/life/article/nddc-explains-its-priority-on- building-the-family/ Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation. (2025, January 14). Welfare Ministry reviews 2024 milestones ... Prioritizes remodeling children’s, elderly homes. The Tide News Online. https://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2025/01/welfare-ministry-reviews- 2024-milestones-prioritizes-remodeling-childrens-elderly-homes/ Federal Government of Nigeria. (2017). Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta: Project Design Report. IFAD. Khinduka, S. K. (1971). Social work in developing countries. International Social Work, *14*(3), 66-71. Gray, M., Coates, J., & Hetherington, T. (2010). The transfer of social work knowledge: A critique of the 'professional imperialism' thesis. International Social Work, *53*(4), 507-523. Peredo, A. M., & McLean, M. (2006). Social entrepreneurship: A critical review of the concept. Journal of World Business, *41*(1), 56-65. Dees, J. G. (1998). The meaning of social entrepreneurship. Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, Duke University. Nandan, M., London, M., & Bent-Goodley, T. (2016). Social workers as social change agents: Social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and social intrapreneurship. Journal of Social Work Education, *52*(4), 466-478. Greenhalgh, T., Robert, G., Macfarlane, F., Bate, P., & Kyriakidou, O. (2004). Diffusion of innovations in service organizations: Systematic review and recommendations. Milbank Quarterly, *82*(4), 581-629. Ghiron, L., Shirey, L., & Sibley, L. (2014). Scaling up: A guide for practitioners. USAID. Leeman, J., Birken, S. A., Powell, B. J., Rohweder, C., & Shea, C. M. (2022). Beyond 'implementation strategies': Classifying the full range of strategies used in implementation science and practice. Implementation Science, *17*(1), 58. Castro, F. G., Barrera, M., & Martinez, C. R. (2010). The cultural adaptation of prevention interventions: Resolving tensions between fidelity and fit. Prevention Science, *11*(4), 365-376. Moore, G., Campbell, M., Copeland, L., Craig, P., Movsisyan, A., Hoddinott, P., & Littlecott, H. (2021). Adaptation of interventions: A systematic review of the concept and definitions. Implementation Science, *16*(1), 1-16. Bharati, A. (2025). Parenting styles on childhood injury prevention: Insights from nursing mothers in Niger Delta primary health care settings. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, *12*(2). https://doi.org/10.32628/IJSRST25122224 Movsisyan, A., Arnold, L., Evans, R., Hallingberg, B., Moore, G., & O'Cathain, A. (2021). Adapting evidence-based interventions in a new context: A systematic review of the literature. Implementation Science, *16*(1), 1-20. Diraditsile, K. (2020). Social work graduates' unemployment and its implications for the profession. Social Work & Society, *18*(1), 1-12.

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

Anxiety Levels and Coping Strategies as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being Among Health Workers in Gboko Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria

Author: Aondongu Iulun, Andrew Abiodun Mogaji, Tersugh Festus Tiki, Pius Adikpe, Omadu, Sesugh Aondowase

Artificial Intelligence in Strategic Management and Corporate Governance in Selected Tertiary Institutions in Imo State, Nigeria

Author: Obigeri Felicitas Onwuegbule, Justina Inusah Gideon Yakubu, Ikoro Ngozichukwu Ikoro PhD, Chinonye Emmanuel Akalazu, Kelechi Margaret Amasiatu PhD

Big-Five Personality Traits and Depression Among Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Makurdi, Nigeria

Author: Fateman Iorlumun, Pauline Aiingona Atsehe, Samuel Terzungwe Anhange, Aondofa, Alejir