Protecting children is a lifetime commitment, says director of Grahamstown Child Welfare Grahamstown, Wischnet Bischoff.
Protecting children is a lifetime commitment, says director of Grahamstown Child Welfare Grahamstown, Wischnet Bischoff.
She was speaking Thursday, 26 May on the eve of Child Protection Week – which ran from Thursday 26 May untill today, 2 June 2016 – to a group of 20 representatives from organisations that make up Grahamstown’s Child Protection Action Forum. They were attending a two-day training session by social worker in forensic practice, Wezet Botes.
Botes and other child care workers in Tshwane have compiled two manuals.
Call to Arms is a child protection manual for early childhood development centres. A second manual is for school-based risk assessment, designed for primary, intermediate and secondary school teachers.
Call to Arms is funded by the Nataniel Progress Project and is endorsed by the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Botes, who was invited by Grahamstown Child Welfare to conduct the training, said her main goal was to build capacity among all roleplayers in child protection in Grahamstown.
“The training aims to give an in-depth knowledge of what constitutes child abuse and, more importantly, what to do with information you receive about child abuse.
“All this is within a risk-assessment framework,” Botes said.
Grahamstown Child Welfare social worker Sally Damana is the co-ordinator of the Child Protection Action Forum.
Planning for the Forum began in 2012, with 80 organisations involved. When they launched in 2014, 20 active member organisations were on board.
“In October 2014 we launched the Forum in Grahamstown schools,” Damana said.
Each school nominated a child protection teacher, and a pupil, dubbed ‘Captain CPAF’, who played the role of confidant and conduit for information to that teacher.
“The most important part of the training is understanding what to do with the information you receive,” Damana said. “It should definitely not become a burden for that child.”
This year, Damana said, the Forum plans to return to schools.
“This training will help us design a programme to roll out training for teachers,” Damana said.
“Again the aim is to build capacity and transfer skills.”
The big picture, Damana and Botes said, was to widen the net of protection for children.
“We want to built the network of people able to identify and help children affected by child abuse.”
The Forum’s motto is ‘Child protection is everybody’s business’.
Damana said the Forum had created a protocol document for reporting child abuse and neglect.
Organisations taking part in this week’s training were Raphael Centre, St Mary’s Day Care Centre, Eluxolweni Child and Youth Care Centre, Hospice, Rape Survivors Support Group, Ubunye Foundation, Lebone, the Department of Education, Department of Social Development, Boy Boy Mginywa Pre School and Child Welfare.
Bischoff said that, while Child Protection Week has a role to highlight the issue, and the plight of vulnerable children in general, child protection was a lifetime commitment.
“Child Welfare Grahamstown is about protecting children 365 days a year,” Bischoff said.
Damana said any organisation wanting to participate in the Forum should call Grahamstown Child Welfare at 046 636 1355 or email childwelfareght@telkomsa.net.
To find out more about the child protection manuals, and training, email Wezet Botes at wezet@livinghopeconsulting.co.za
