In Udon Thani, UNICEF, Thai officials launch platform to protect kids from violence
UNICEF, the Ministry of Public Health, and other health officials launched a case management platform in an Udon Thani hospital today. The platform, Primero, will support social workers in working with children vulnerable to violent abuse. It will move documentation cases online, linking them with the hospital’s information system.
Primero will help children and families find resources both in and outside the hospital. Such resources are often complicated to access and disorganised. One UNICEF representative told The Pattaya News many children risk “falling through the cracks” due to a lack of social workers and user-friendly resources. A 2019 survey by Thailand’s National Statistics Office and UNICEF found that over half of Thai children under 14 years old, 58%, are physically and psychologically punished at home.
Primero will provide up-to-date information for case workers about violence patterns and risk factors, so they can identify warning signs of violence early on and prevent serious cases. Children identified as at-risk on another one of Thailand’s systems will be transferred to Primero. Primero will then recommend what actions to take, and work with one-stop crisis centres in hospitals to monitor the situation and prevent escalation. The director of a regional health office told The Pattaya News the Ministry of Public Health seeks to improve services for children against violence, sexual abuse, and exploitation.
“The Primero platform will help integrate services available within the ministry and between the ministry and other agencies”.
Primero is used in over 40 countries and territories. It is user-friendly, and has clear workflows to help social workers document and manage cases. It helps with things such as identifying and registering, case planning, referrals and transfers, and case closures.
There are many cases of familial abuse in Thailand. In November last year, a 50-year old man allegedly sexually abused his niece in law.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
