PR: Every child in Thailand has the right to grow up in a safe and nurturing family environment

Friday, 19 November 2021, 14:43

[EMBARGOED until 00:01 GMT on 17 August 2020] — On 7 August 2020, a girl plays with her dog during a visit by social worker Iryna Laposhyna (not pictured) to meet with his family in the village of Soledarska hromada, Eastern Ukraine. Iryna works with nine families in the village. During the quarantine in place to stem the spread of COVID-19, she has been providing psychological help as well as in-kind assistance such as providing food and hygiene items, and helping to obtain government benefits. In Ukraine, disruptions caused by the COVID-19 response and associated containment measures disproportionally affect children and their families. 42,000 children, including those with disabilities, were sent back home from boarding schools and other child care institutions as a result of measures enacted to stem the spread of COVID-19. Moreover, the poverty rate in Ukraine is expected to increase significantly in 2020; economic deterioration will have the most devastating impact on vulnerable groups, especially households with children. The impact of COVID is tangibly harder for those in Eastern Ukraine affected by conflict. The situation has led to growing demand for social services and for enhancing the role of social workers in the community. Being at the forefront of response actions to COVID-19, social workers are particularly at risk during the pandemic, yet despite the risks they continue to work with families; their role is crucial for addressing the consequences of the outbreak. UNICEF Ukraine is working with regional and local partners to rapidly assess the situation and provide support to children and families in vulnerable communities, as well as to equip front-line responders in Eastern Ukraine with protective supplies and technical guidance.

BANGKOK, 19 November 2021: Every child in Thailand has the right to grow up in a safe and nurturing family environment and be cared for by their families wherever possible. To mark World Children’s Day on 20 November, the “National Conference on Alternative Care: All Children Belong in Safe and Nurturing Families” is being organized today and tomorrow by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, CRC Coalition Thailand, CRC Alternative Care Thailand, and UNICEF.

Discussions at the conference will center on reforming national laws and policies to support families and prevent family separation wherever possible. Participants will also discuss steps to ensure alternative care is only a last resort for children who cannot stay with their parents, that it is as family-based as possible and how to guarantee that the most vulnerable children access basic and family-based care services.

Growing up in a loving and caring family is critical for children’s social, emotional, and intellectual stimulation and healthy brain development. According to the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey by the National Statistical Office and UNICEF, the percentage of children living apart from their parents in Thailand has risen from 18 percent in 2005 to 22 percent in 2019, raising concerns about children lacking parental care and support for their growth.

A group of children and youth representatives from all over Thailand who experienced different forms of care voiced their needs and solutions at a pre-session on November 6-7, including promoting access to basic services such as education, health, nutrition, and early childhood development, as well as protection from violence at home so that no child is placed in alternative care because their family cannot care for them. They also called for the need for children already in care to be able to stay in contact with their families and reintegrate back into their families if possible.

“As the child and youth representatives have told us in their own powerful words, the family is a natural environment for their well-being and protection. We must make every effort to keep children under family or family-based care by connecting vulnerable families to basic services and connecting children already in care to their families,” said Mrs. Kyungsun Kim, UNICEF Representative for Thailand. “Children’s well-being and protection must be a primary consideration in all policies and decisions on childcare, which is why it is important to hear from them on their actual needs.”

“The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security aims to support every child to grow up in a safe and nurturing family environment. To ensure children grow up healthy and happy, they must be provided with love, care, and emotional security from their parents or guardians, which will reflect in their emotional and intellectual stimulation and brain development,” said Mrs. Jatuporn Rojanaparnich, Director General of the Department of Children and Youth of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, adding that this mission is in line with the 2017-2021 National Child Protection Strategy.

Deprivation of parental care through family separation and unsuitable alternative care, particularly in institutions, can cause physical, psychological, emotional, and social harm to a child, with lifelong impacts. Children may experience forced cohabitation and fixed routines not tailored to their individual needs. They can also be deprived of the ability to make choices that suit their best interests.

The social workforce in Thailand is significantly limited, with only four social workers for every 100,000 people. To help keep children in their families and prevent unnecessary separation, UNICEF recommends an urgent investment in family-support services at the community level and strengthening the social workforce.

The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and UNICEF are working together to develop a National Alternative Care Roadmap to improve family support services and promote family-based alternative care such as kinship and foster care over institutional care. The results of the discussions at this conference will be integrated into the roadmap and jointly implemented with various stakeholders to ensure that children’s rights to the family are fulfilled and their best interests are considered in childcare.

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