The Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Social Welfare Division (SWD) in partnership with UNICEF have successfully completed a Child Protection Case Management training for key staff in Honiara.

The Case Management Training is part of the Solomon Islands Government and
UNICEF Pacific joint 2023-2024 Work Plan that aims to further capacitate and
prepare Social Welfare officers as they work towards implementing the Child and
Family Welfare Act 2017.

Social Welfare Division, Director, Linda Tupe said a similar case management
training was held few years back also supported by UNICEF however highlighted
that the recent training is crucial as social welfare have set up a case management
systems and processes within the division therefore important for new and
continuing officers.

“Under the Child and Family Welfare Act 2017, social welfare officer are mandated
or empowered to case manage all the Child Protection cases that are reported to
ensure that children are protected from further harm and are safe. This can be
achieved effectively if officers are well equipped with the knowledge and skills of
their mandates under the new processes and systems in place”, explained Linda.

Ms. Linda thanked UNICEF for the support with the training and the recruitment of
the Technical Advisor Ms. Julie Peake whom she described as very supportive
towards the set-up of the new systems and processes including capacity building of
all social welfare officers and workers across the country.

UNICEF Adviser Julie Peak explained that the training package includes discussions on Child Protection, Child Development and the impact of abuse; office data and file management; intake; case noting; initial assessment; comprehensive assessment; care and protection plans; case closure; working as a team; effective
communication and leadership.

“The participation of Social Welfare officers in the training will contribute to
enhancing the skills set of these officers to better prevent and respond to children

who have been exposed to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation as mandated
by the Child and Family Welfare Act 2017.

“Case management for child protection cases is complex and requires ongoing
training to ensure that SWO’s have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out
this work. Strong leadership and supervision is required to ensure the systems and
processes set up with the support of UNICEF continue to be implemented at both the national and provincial levels”, said Ms. Peake.

Ms. Sonya Mara, UNICEF Child Protection Officer added that as part of the
partnership, UNICEF will continue to provide support to the Solomon Islands
Government through the Social Welfare Division, on prevention and response to
Child Protection issues in Solomon Islands.

The training was followed by the social welfare department annual meeting
organized for its officers across the provinces to learn from each other through
sharing of experiences, good practices including challenges and concerns and how
to effectively overcome and addressed these as part of team building.

Moreover, officers were introduced and refreshed on their roles and responsibilities
under the Family Protection Act, which provides for the protection of families from
domestic violence and promote safety, health and wellbeing of victims of domestic
violence and related purposes.

 

Source: Press Release, Ministry of Health and Medical Services