Supporting Social Work Entrepreneurs in the Adaptation and Implementation of Interventions Transferring into Low- and Middle-Income Countries

In resource-scarce settings, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), implementing and delivering social protection programmes is often reliant upon social workers or volunteers acting as social entrepreneurs. Given the high cost and time involved in developing and testing social interventions, practitioners in LMICs often focus on replicating borrowed interventions which require adaptation of the intervention to fit the local context. Whilst there is a growing theoretical literature on implementation context and cultural adaptation, we lack understanding and practical guidance for social work entrepreneurs on the management of the adaptation process in such unique contexts. Based upon a three-year mixed-methods project, we present a practice framework for adapting social interventions in LMICs, including a set of contextual factors influencing delivery and implementation. We also present findings from an empirical case study working with community volunteers in South Africa to validate and refine the framework.