The recent enactment of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act, has provided ample space for stakeholders to fulfill their mandate in Child Care, Protection and access to Justice for Children. The law has improved the country’s systems and legal mechanism on the protection and rights of children. This law prevents and addresses issues of child abuse, abduction, trafficking, and harmful cultural practices. This is accomplished by putting together all the issues of child protection, care and justice that were in various laws and policies into one law. The law further recognizes that the primary duty of childcare rests with the parents or guardians. The provisions in this act underscored the duty of stakeholders in child protection and parents by specifically providing that parents provide care, guidance, maintenance and protection from abuse and neglect of children. It cannot be assumed that just because someone is a professional or a parent, is able to respond to a child safety and protection needs and that they have the skills or the confidence to do so as expected by the law.
Child protection training is a specialized field which is currently not adequately covered in social work qualifications or training for professionals working with children like Teachers, NGOs, Child Workers in Faith Institutions, Parents, Care Givers, Tradition Leaders, Police, Magistrates, Media, Peacekeepers, Doctors, or Nurses.
Many people in these roles assume that they would know how to recognize and respond to child abuse if the situation arose. Sadly, the reality is quite different. Time and again, after a tragic child death, family, neighbors, and professionals are criticized because they failed to recognize the abuse and did not respond to protect the child. Child Protection Training is designed for participants to increase knowledge and skills and keep children safe.
For Eye of the Child Training Center, this new law provides a concrete platform on which to exercise its mandate of building capacity, skills and knowledge through offering Training on all aspects of Child Protection. The training is delivered by professionals with a wealth of frontline experience. The Center now offers the following trainings: -
1. Basic Training in Child Protection and Child Safeguard Training
2. Training of Trainers in Child Protection and Child Safeguard Training
3. Child Protection Institution Workshop
4. Development of Child Protection and Child Safeguard Policies
5. Center Diploma in Child Protection