Child protection
Promotion of family strengthening
We work in accordance with the UN guidelines on alternative care for children and the 2019 UN resolution on the rights of the child focusing on children deprived of parental care. As such, we have undertaken research to better understand the reasons that contribute to family separation and we have used this knowledge to define our strategies in terms of family strengthening. We offer specialized family building support to those in need. This includes conflict resolution and mediation, counselling, substance abuse treatment, and meetings to present specific cases. We promote the autonomy of families, enabling them to develop their capacities and supporting them in the use of their own resources,
We provide support for single parents, such as public outreach to reduce stigma; access to daily care; and financial assistance when required,
In addition, we provide support to parents through diversified approaches, such as: courses and training on positive parenting; providing accessible information; access to qualified professionals to support families; home visits; groups through which parents can meet; family centers; and access to informal community support.
As part of our family strengthening, we support the economic empowerment of families through women who carry out income-generating activities that enable them to better take care of their children.
Promote community initiatives for child protection and support for women
The community-based approach to protecting and supporting women is a way of working in partnership with the people we serve at all stages of the Bellevue NGO program cycle through well-oiled mechanisms. A Community Child Protection Mechanism is a network or group of people at the community level that works in a coordinated way to achieve the goals of child protection and support for women. These mechanisms can take the form of a focal point, group or network of community members with a role in child protection or support for women (social worker, teachers, staff doctor, parents, the elderly, and other volunteers). Child and adolescent groups are part of community-based Child Protection mechanisms, allowing children themselves to play a real role in their own protection. Community-based child protection and women’s support groups typically play several different roles depending on the context and existing capacities of the community. Some committees focus on broader issues relating to the protection or well-being of the child, while others have more limited objectives, such as support and monitoring of unaccompanied children, or the fight against trafficking/trafficking of children, support for women in their income-generating activities, positive parenting, etc.
Community Child Protection and Women’s Support groups are involved in:
- Identification of security concerns and vulnerabilities for children and women;
- Raising awareness of children’s rights, child protection and women’s well-being;
- Orientation and support of children, women and their families towards the appropriate services existing in the community;
- The provision of psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual support measures for vulnerable children and women;
- Advocacy for the rights of children and women;
- Identification of children and women at heightened risk;
- Alternative care, including foster families for children living without appropriate care and the reintegration of children into their respective families;
- Dispute resolution and mediation (for family issues, etc.);
- Informing communities about the available services;
- Essential Skills and Supportive Parenting Programs.
