UNICEF Funds Social Work Education Reform in Pakistan
January 7, 2026University of Bradford academic to lead major project
A University of Bradford academic has been awarded nearly £500,000 in funding from UNICEF to support the enhancement of social work education in Pakistan. The two-year project aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of social work training, with a focus on strengthening the child protection workforce in several Pakistani provinces.
Project overview
Dr Samina Karim, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Bradford, will lead the Strengthening Social Work Education (SSWE) Project. The initiative will involve collaboration between UK-based experts and a satellite team in Pakistan. Key activities include:
- Reviewing current social work education programmes
- Consulting with stakeholders across Pakistan
- Developing a new, tailored social work curriculum
- Redesigning undergraduate social work courses in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab
- Advocating for professional accreditation of social work degrees
Background and previous work
Dr Karim has prior experience working with UNICEF in Pakistan. In 2022, she contributed to training over 80 child protection officers in Sindh province following severe floods. In 2025, she organised community engagement events in districts with high reported rates of child sexual abuse, focusing on empowering children.
Her earlier research involved more than 110 interviews with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, highlighting how societal power imbalances increase children’s vulnerability.
About Dr Samina Karim
Dr Karim is a former social work practitioner specialising in child protection. She is the author of Child Abuse and Social Work Practice (2026) and received a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship in 2022. This fellowship supports a four-year study into child sexual abuse, with funding of around £1 million, examining abuse among children of Pakistani backgrounds both in the UK and Pakistan.
The current UNICEF project reflects ongoing efforts to improve social work education and child protection systems in Pakistan, contributing to broader goals of social inclusion and global collaboration.
