Role of Ministry of Gender at One Stop Centres

1. Role of Ministry of Genderat One Stop Centres Dominic Misomali Justin Hamela Ministry of Gender, Children, Disabilities and Social Welfare

2. Learning Objectives • The participant will be able to: • Understand the national and international laws that serve as the basis for the Ministry of Gender’s role in addressing child abuse and gender-based violence. • Explain the role of social welfare workers in assessing families and providing case management. • Understand the role of social welfare workers within the one stop centre multidisciplinary team.

3. Presentation Outline • Introduction • The Role of MoGCSW • The Mandate of Social Welfare • The Role of a Social Worker • The Role of Community Child Protection Worker MOGCDSW

4. Introduction • GBV and Child abuse have detrimental effects to its victims. • It affects women and men and children. • Malawi is a party to CEDAW, ACRWC, CRC. • Being a member Malawi is to take necessary measures to protect its citizens from abuse and violence. • MOGCSW has that shared responsibility to prevent the occurrence, protect and support survivors. MOGCDSW

5. Mandate from National Law • The national laws have provide of government responsibilities and that of specific departments or Ministry • Sec 23- chpt. 4 of the Malawi Constitution provides “protection against any kind of exploitation” to all children under the age of 16 • Sec 138 of the penal code states that “girls under the age of 13 years should be protected from sexual exploitation i.e sexual intercourse or attempted sexual intercourse MOGCDSW

6. Legal instruments that guide the Ministry • Malawi Constitution • Child Care, Protection and Justice Act, 2010 • Adoption of Child Act • Married Women Maintenance Act • Wills and Inheritance Act • Prevention of Domestic Violence Act • Probation of Offenders Act • Statement of Development Policies • NGO law • Cabinet Directive of 1964, 1995 • National Policies; ECD, OVC, Gender, NPA MOGCDSW

7. The Role of MoGCSW • The name MoGCDSW connotes its mandate • It has departments of Gender, Community Development, Social Welfare , Child affairs and Disabilities. • It looks at the wellbeing of marginalised groups as women, children, people with disabilities and other vulnerable poor people in the society. • It has mandates for Policy making and provision of legal direction and enforcement • Social work is its professional approach used MOGCDSW

8. Introduction to Social Work • Social work its profession for helping people help themselves and their communities in addressing the problems they faced. • Malawi has the demand for social work due to growth of population, weakening of community bonds, poverty and its accompanying ills. • Increasingly more and more people are unable to socially function and this in turn has led to widespread social dysfunction and a greater demand for social work. MOGCDSW

9. Main focus and goal of social work • Restoration: The social worker helps clients to face realities and to solve problems. • Social work help to solve personal, group and community problems. • This involves provision of individual and social resources and services • The services include: • Provision of individual and social resources and services • Assist individuals find their ground MOGCDSW

10. Main focus and goal of social work • Prevention of social dysfunction: This involves early discovery, control, and elimination of conditions and situations that potentially could hamper social functioning. This operates at two levels: • Prevention of problems through counselling. • Prevention of social ills through advocacy and action against social ills. MOGCDSW

11. Importance of social work • Empowers individuals and groups with a collective identity to handle themselves • Strengthens and uses existing resources • Recognizes, clients inherent resources and potential problem • Recognizes that clients have solutions to problems MOGCDSW

12. Problems that needs social work • Family disorganisation and child neglect: eg child neglect • Crime and delinquency: Social workers deal with prevention of crime as well as helping those in crime to seek ways of reforming. • Substance abuse • Gender Based Violence MOGCDSW

13. Social problems that need social work • Poverty • Mental illness: –addressing the needs of those mentally ill and their relatives.(social workers and medical personnel can work together) • Problems of aging: – addressing the needs of the ageing. MOGCDSW

14. Challenges of social work • The professional is hardly recognized and respected • It is usually under funded • It is usually adopted and claimed by non-professionals/untrained social workers there by harming clients instead of supporting them • In Malawi we have no regularatory body nor association for social workers. MOGCDSW

15. Some of the Functions of Social Workers in Case Management 1.Initial Assessment and Investigation Stage • Work with OSC MDT and determine occurrence of abuse or neglect. • Assess the family environment vs cultural and family beliefs. • Assess level of risk of the survivor. • Determine emergency needs of the survivor and service required. . : MOGCDSW

16. 2. Case Planning and Service Delivery Stage • Safety and security mechanisms in order for the client to return home • Finding alternative placement for the survivor • Providing psychosocial counseling for both the survivor and caregiver • Consultations with caregivers as well as mapping significant people . • Follow up using networks with various stakeholders such as community child protection workers • Social workers need to obtain informed consent from the survivor MOGCDSW

17. 3. Referral and transfer of cases • Referral means transferring the client from one social worker to another within the same agency, the client should however know the new social worker. • Clients may be referred when necessary. • Caseworker may continue to work with the client after referral eg follow up. • Clients should be involved in decision making MOGCDSW

18. 4. Case Closure • A case can be closed when a client is safe from re-victimization, • Or when survivor is coping well, • Or the survivors needs have been met and is satisfied • Or the survivor has been reintegrated back into her family/community • Periodic home visits are conducted to see how the survivor is settling. MOGCDSW

19. General Responsibilities at OSC • Maintain and manage OSC data. • Compile quarterly report and submit to relevant authorities. • Organise monthly home visit to survivors of abuse. • Maintain and update the referral database and catalogue of organization serving abused children. • Organize for monthly case review meeting with OSC team. • Make case follow ups to Police Stations on the progress of abuse cases reported to them in liaison with the OSC police officer. MOGCDSW

20. The Role of Community Child Protection Worker at OSC • Manage abuse cases. • Refer cases to the colleagues from the community where the client is coming from. • Conduct home follow ups. • Refer the cases to other service providers. • Conduct communities sensitizations. MOGCDSW

21. The End YEWO MOGCDSW