Workshop Strengthens Child Protection Procedures

Khartoum /

The Ministry of Social Development in Khartoum State, in coordination with UNICEF, organized a workshop on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Children Deprived of Parental Care, bringing together 30 participants from relevant institutions.

The workshop was addressed by Zainab Ahmed Abu Gouda, representing the Director General of the Ministry of Social Development and serving as Secretary of the State Child Welfare Council. She stated that the workshop comes at a time when Khartoum State is moving toward community recovery and the revitalization of governmental institutional roles through partnerships with organizations working in the fields of child protection and care.

She commended UNICEF for organizing the workshop in collaboration with the Child Welfare Council and the General Directorate of Social Welfare. The training targeted personnel from the judiciary, the Child Prosecution Office, the police, the health sector, social and psychological workers, professionals involved in alternative family care, and volunteers. The sessions focused on standard operating procedures, their significance, objectives, and their role in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable children.

Ms. Abu Gouda conveyed the greetings of Sediq Hassan Farini, Director General of the Ministry and Acting Minister, who officially inaugurated the first workshop earlier this week. She also noted the ongoing efforts to develop residential care institutions, strengthen social protection systems, and advance a future vision for these services.

She further praised UNICEF and its partner organizations for their efforts in evacuating the Mayo Goma children during the war and ensuring their safe relocation.

For her part,Amani Awouda, Director of the Social Welfare Department, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment—through the Department and the State Child Welfare Council—to enhancing child protection systems. She highlighted the new measures and recommendations that emerged from the previous workshop on developing residential care institutions and social protection systems, emphasizing that these outcomes will be followed up and implemented as part of the future vision for child care institutions.

She also praised the high-level participation and stressed the importance of each stakeholder’s contribution in enriching the workshop through experience and professional insights.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tahani Al-Mubashir, UNICEF Child Protection Specialist at the national level, emphasized that ensuring the best interests of the child requires collective efforts, coordinated roles, shared visions, and close collaboration among all stakeholders. She explained that the workshop focused on the theoretical framework, standard operating procedures, practical application, and improving the quality of child protection services.