Nurse talking to social worker_Channy and Soporn

Social work is the cornerstone of Children’s Future’s education program, and we’re committed to use the highest professional standards possible. The Children’s Future social work team works with high standards of practice among NGOs in Cambodia. Because of the child protection and well-being systems that the social work team has built and upheld, we are able to intervene in urgent cases with evidence based tools and analyze complex risk with methods specifically developed for children in developing countries. Children’s Future caseworkers organize the distribution of material support and initiate a collective empowerment process by collaborating with families to ensure food security, health and protection for our children.

The main safety issues that afflict our students and their families include a high risk of illegal trafficking and labor exploitation, domestic violence, no parents or inconsistent caretaker presence, and problems related to poverty including a lack of access to basic needs such as food and safe housing, which lead to young children working rather than getting an education. Our team of social workers work directly in the community with students and their families to deal with these safety threats. Children’s Future social workers use two internationally recognized evidence based tools to ensure the best child protection for our students and to manage withstanding problems: The Child Status Index (CSI) and the Signs of Safety (SOS).

The CSI is a measurement framework that rates students on a 1-4 basis in 6 different domains: Food and Nutrition, Shelter and Care, Protection from neglect and abuse, Physical Health, Psychosocial and Education and Skills Training. Social Workers have a holistic understanding of a child’s overall wellbeing, and determine in which specific areas to create an intervention. Social workers communicate and collaborate with staff in the Children’s Future School, our Education Advocate, and our Healthcare Center to work collectively to support the whole child. Social workers closely monitor students who receive below a four.

The SOS is a strengths based tool that analyzes the risk to a child’s at home safety in their home. The tool is the basis for cooperation and partnership between the social worker and the family a child who is in an unsafe situation at home, and allows the family to learn, build on their strengths, and change dangerous behavior. It helps children and families stay together and create a partnership between the social worker and the relatives, who are often both worried about the child, and provides a clear framework for “what needs to happen” so that the child is safe within the family.