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Child Protection Center
Ministry of Social Development
Bahrain

The Problem

Over the past years the abused child was passes through several stages during the reporting and heading for many quarters to complete his service or action against the abuser such as police station, hospital, investigation, etc. At the end, a child returns to the same environment in which it was being hurt him, that because of the absence of an interested party specialist on hand to protect the child also the lack of follow-up of these children attributed the same issues and the same problems.

In addition to that the children were receiving certain services and sometimes the family situations are not improved at all or not improved enough, so the children get hurt again.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
Ministry of Social Development decided to provide the abuse children with needed support in one place and establish the "Child Protection Center" to solve the problem that mentioned above.

The center is the central authority on the Protection of the Child to assess and follow up on a child who is exposed to maltreatment psychologically or/ sexually and neglected. The center provides and facilitates services that related to assessment, investigation, treatment and follow up for these children with the coordination with all related institutions including government and civil agencies.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The Minister of Social Development proposed the solution and submitted the idea of creating the center mandate Dr. Fadhella Almahroos a physician from Ministry of Health.

There were many stakeholders for example: Ministry of Health, Public Prosecution, Ministry of Interior, forensic and Ministry of Education.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
Oriented principles:
1. Working as teamwork.
2. Confidentiality.
3. Child best interest.
4. Protect the child during all assessment stages.
5. Intervention based on Bahraini culture and international experience accumulated.
6. Provide comprehensive and multiple specialized services.
7. Coordinate with all relative intuitions.
8. Center Continuous assessment for quality assurance.

The Center Main Objectives:
1. Work to provide protection to children from abuse in the family and society.
2. Work on the protect the children from abuse during the investigation.
3. Providing psychological, social, legal services and coordination with all relevant authorities.
4. Rehabilitation of the family in order to keep the child in his environment as much as possible.
5. Finding a foster care family for the abused child. We can define foster care family as a "temporary custody" which means that the families embracing children who can't take care by their parents or who are exposed to physical or psychological abuse or neglect within the family members or the incidence of homelessness with the aim of providing care and accommodation for a temporary period to be relieved cause, also to maintain the children exposed to domestic violence and abuse and provide them with their living, health care, psychological, social needs.

And provide good family environment for children to ensure their psychological, social stability, rehabilitation of children and contribute to the solution of family problems in preparation for their return to their families.

6. Raise awareness for the child and community regarding the children protection and their rights

7. Follow up the implementation and enforcement of laws and treaties on the protection of the child.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
c. The Minister of Social Development submitted the idea of creating the center mandate Dr. Fadhella Almahroos a physician from Ministry of Health who worked in Salmaniya Medical Complex and have experience with the abused children to provide a proposal regarding the center, she worked for one year on this idea after that the Ministry of Social Development has include all related institutions and after a few meetings the member agreed on the operations, identify procedural Manual that organized the center act and the related institutions with the cases.
d. Also they decided to move the child protection office from Ministry of Interior to Ministry of Social Development. Ministry of Health provide all the needed facilities during examine , treatment and health follow up.
e. In addition Public Prosecution guaranteed protection and proper environment to the child during investigation in the case.
f. A female police officer from the police station accompany the child during investigation at the Public Prosecution, also they accompany them to the forensic doctor.
g. Ministry of Social Development communicates with all related institutions regarding the center and it's opened in 13 May 2007.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
-Poor cooperation of the government agencies concerned and this has been overcome by meetings of the Board of Directors

- Some families refused the psychological treatment for their children and ask for the legal only. This has been overcome by trying to find an approach to obliges family with the psychological treatment

-Lack of privacy and confidentiality when interviewed cases in the center. This has been overcome by moving to the new building (more spaces and offices).

- Inadequacy of the specialist training. This has been overcome by appending staff number with a (29) training courses.

-Lack of knowledge of the community and government agencies regarding the center role and services. This has been overcome by Preparing and implementing (52) lectures during the period 2009 – 2010.

- Lack of activities and events. This has been overcome by having more activities and events
- The absence of the Child Act in Bahrain. This has been overcome by Ministry of Social Development being supported the issuance of the Bahraini child Low

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
Human Resources in 2007(10 staff):
Center Director (1)
Rehabilitation Specialist (2)
Psychologist (1)
female police officers (3)
Receptionist (1)
Driver (2)

Human Resources in 2012 (23 staff):
Center Director (1)
Social Worker (7)
Psychologist (5)
Helpline & Child support staff (4)
female police officers (3)
Admin (1)
Receptionist (1)
Driver (1)

financial Resources:

Startup expenses in (Bahraini Dinars)
Building 200,000
Staff salaries 7000
Utilities, stationaries, other expenses 20,000

Operational Cost (in Bahraini Dinars):
Staff Salaries 80,000
Utilities, stationaries, transportation and others 50,000

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
The initiative in process of transfer. The center was formed in 2007 when there was no even low for child protection in Bahrain and within the five years the center function many things were developed such as: hot line, better communication with the Justices system , foster care family, better undergo the society about abuse and case, secret any more publicity of child abuse and published in the case( society of the cases), training for the schools, health care centers, religious institutions, special training for the child how to react of a child abuse.

We are looking to the child prosecutor in the child protection center and forensic doctor.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
Through the work of the Child Protection Center and the services provided by them, it seemed that there is a clear impact on the children and their families particularly when studying the social status of the family and provide counseling services to them in order to improve the family situation that provide protection and security for the child. Also when the child receives psychotherapy sessions, that helps him to overcome the crisis and get rid of the feelings associated with this attack. We can summarize the impact on the following:

1. Increasing cases number in the center.
2. Simplification of procedures for children and their families.
3. Provide all the services needed by children and their families.
4. Adoption of a particular methodology and documented.
5. Saving time and effort to the cases.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Ministry of Social Development
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Fatema Alzayani
Title:   Clinical Psychologist  
Telephone/ Fax:   39094676/17104901
Institution's / Project's Website:   www.social.gov.bh
E-mail:   mohammed.alhaddad@social.gov.bh  
Address:   Ministry of Social Development, West Tower of Bahrain Financial Harper, Fifth Floor
Postal Code:   p.o. Box 32868
City:   Manama
State/Province:  
Country:   Bahrain

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