Unicef and the Ministry of Public Health recently launched an innovative platform to protect vulnerable children from physical and emotional violence.
The Regional Health 8th Office, Ministry of Public Health and Unicef signed an agreement early this month to launch Primero, an innovative web platform for case management, in an Udon Thani provincial hospital. With Primero to assist them, social workers will now be able to better respond to cases of violence, abuse and neglect of children by offering prompt and quality support to vulnerable youngsters and their families.
Currently used in over 40 countries and territories, the Primero web platform aims to facilitate case management for the social service workforce. The platform offers a comprehensive user-friendly digital form and clear workflow charts to support social workers with managing and documenting cases, from identification and registration to assessment, case planning, referrals and transfers, and case closure.
Case management involves working with children and families to plan, process and monitor services and support for vulnerable youngsters in need of urgent care and protection. This often involves navigating through a complicated and often disconnected set of services and support available within and outside of the hospital. Primero will support social workers in the Udon Thani Provincial hospital in their case management role by moving documenting procedures online and linking them with the hospital's information system on patients and services. This will guarantee that the case management process is more efficient than in the slower, paper-based system and can meet the needs of children more completely so they can be better protected and families better supported in their time of need.
With timely information on violation patterns and risk factors, social workers can assist vulnerable families in detecting early signs of violence and thus help in preventing serious cases from happening. For example, information on children identified as at-risk of violence and abuse by Thailand's innovative Child Shield system will be transferred to Primero, which will suggest preventative actions provided by One-Stop Crisis Centres in hospitals and monitor the results to prevent further risks.
"Too many children are at risk of falling through the cracks when referred from one service provider to another due to a lack of social workers and efficient and user-friendly tools for providing timely and quality support," said Kyungsun Kim, Unicef representative for Thailand.
"That is why Unicef is supporting the Ministry of Public Health's launch of the innovative Primero platform in Udon Thani Province with the plan for expansion across Thailand in the future -- to use technology as a force for good for coordinating critical support to vulnerable children. No child should live in fear or be left behind."
