China is training more child welfare directors and strengthening its child welfare system in an effort to protect the country’s children from violence and abuse.
Wang Zhenyao, dean of the China Philanthropy Research Institute in Beijing, said that China’s child welfare directors are appreciated both by government and the children for whom they care.
China has made progress in child welfare, but the country’s systems have developed unevenly, with effective child services unavailable to children in remote areas in Central and West China.
Building a professional child welfare protection system remains a priority for China, according to a report by the institute.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs has since 2010 worked with UNICEF, piloting the Barefoot Social Worker project to help children in villages affected by violence and abuse.
The network of so-called child welfare directors, also known as Barefoot Social Workers, consisted of about 665,000 by the end of 2018. Among them, 45,000 serve in townships and sub-district administrative units, while 620,000 are in villages, according to the ministry.
Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF’s representative in China, said that investing in training and support for these directors has had a significant impact.
“UNICEF, with the government of China, provides basic knowledge about the importance of child welfare and a holistic approach to child development. This includes how one safely stimulates a child and gives care, nutrition, love and companionship, making sure they understand those important elements that help children to develop and to be safe and happy,” she said.
She said that UNICEF also provides guidance on where and how directors can seek help and support.
Gauden Galea, WHO representative in China, said that the types of violence children may face include bullying at school and sexual abuse.
“The social workers here (child welfare directors) are generally trained to respond to these incidences and children know that there is a network of social workers that has been set up. This would be of great help in themselves knowing where to go,” he said.
