Childline Zimbabwe – Strengthening Child Protection Systems in a Resource

Constrained Environment

Presentation by: Mr. T. Chinake, Deputy Director of Social Services, Ministry of Labour and Social Services, Zimbabwe

and Justine Passaportis, National Director, Childline Zimbabwe

Child Helplines International Sixth International ConsultationDurban, South Africa17 – 19 October 2012

What Does Childline Zimbabwe Do?• Offer counselling services to abused children across

Zimbabwe through the following activities:1. 24 hour Toll-Free Telephone Helpline 2. Free post service3. Free counselling at the Drop – in Centres• Train volunteer counsellors• Raise awareness of children’s rights & issues of child

abuse• Complete follow-up home visits on all reports of child

abuse and follow case management approach• Evidence based research to inform National

Programming

Situation of Children in Zimbabwe

a) 1 in every 4 children is an orphanb) 5000 children live in institutionsc) 12,000 children are living and working on the streetsd) 48,223 child headed households, housing 102,233

children e) 165,000 children are living with HIV and AIDSf) Police report a 42% increase in juvenile rape g) The Department of Social Welfare was operating at

56% capacity in 2005

Situation at Childline Zimbabwe

• Currently receiving on average 90,000 calls per month• On average 3000 new cases are reported every month• 5% of calls are actual cases• Challenge with mobile phone networks and

connectivity• One network operator has over 7 million subscribers• Others have 2 million between them and services are

not good• Mobile phone and Internet company have joint and

are supporting Childline with Internet and Email Support

Types of Abuse – Disaggregated into Gender

How does Childline Zimbabwe Respond?

• Work in partnership with Zimbabwean Government, Department of Social Services and the Zimbabwe Republic Police – Victim Friendly Unit and other partners in Child Protection Network such as Plan International and UNICEF

• Supported by a system of Community Volunteers and Child Protection Committees at District, Ward and Village level – Case Incentive scheme

• Case Management approach, recently developed and at early stages of implementation

How Does Childline Zimbabwe Respond:

• Team of 120 trained Helpline Volunteers that work three different shifts 24 hours a day (paid per shift)

• Team of 200 trained Community Volunteers (monthly stipend for transport)

• Rigorous screening, training and recruitment process with bi-annual refresher training and mentorship and incentive program

• Team of 18 Social Workers supporting volunteers• Outreach, Awareness & Advocacy Team • Monitoring and Evaluation Team• All volunteers and Social Workers work in partnership

with DSS representative in the specific area

Partnership with Department of Social Services (DSS)

• DSS Monitoring of Childline’s provision of Case Management services on the cases that Childline is responsible for

• All cases Childline receives are shared with DSS to ensure accurate and efficient follow up

• Joint follow up visits are conducted with shared resources and skills (vehicle, fuel) – Cost share approach

• Referral protocol with partners, giving the child and family holistic services (health, education, cash transfer, legal services, family support, parenting) – pooling resources – works well

• Follow up support through effective Case Management Service and case incentives

Outreach and Response

• Partnership with Plan International in all sites where Plan operate, allowing Childline and DSS to effectively operate in remote areas

• Partnership with small community based groups and other organisations – pooling resources and skills

• Partnership with local community, including training and support of Community Child Protection Committees, Teachers, Nurses, Police and more

• Areas where Childline cannot reach DSS responds and areas where Childline and DSS cannot reach other partners respond

Hwange

Binga

Kariba

Hurungwe Mbire

Guruve

Centenary

Mt DarwinRushinga

MudziUMPShamva

Mutoko

Mutasa

Makoni

Mutare Urban

Nyanga

Mutare

Chimanimani

Bikita

Buhera

MurehwaGokwe North

Gokwe South

Lupane

Tsholotsho

Bulawayo Urban

Harare Urban

Makonde

Zvimba

Mazowe

Bindura

Sanyati

Mhondoro Ngexi

Chegutu

Goromonzi

Marondera

Seke

Hwedza

ChikombaKwekwe

Nkayi

Chirumhanzu

Gutu

GweruBubi

Umguza

Insiza

UmzingwaneMavingo

ChipingeZaka

Chiredz\i

Zvishavane

Chivi

Mberengwa

Mwenezi

Bulilima

Mangwe

Matobo

Gwanda

Beitbridge

Kadoma Urban

Shurugwi

KwekweTsholotsho

GweruChiredziChipingeMutareMutasaMutoko

Results

• Providing responsive psychosocial support services to 3,000 children every year affected by violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

• Increased rate of reporting due to improved access to reporting mechanisms, available 24 hours a day for 30,000 children every year affected by violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

• Evident strengthening of the broader community in 22 districts across Zimbabwe and thus the protective environment to support the care interventions and response services for children affected by violence, abuse and neglect.

Results• Responded to over 4000 cases between January

& Sept 2012• Childline well known for Child Protection services• Increased calls on the Helpline = improved ICT

Services and understanding from donors on need of ICT (however minimal)

• Community taking ownership, responsibility and pride in their communities and children

• Childline contributes to extensive research and evidence based programming that is reflective of children’s needs

Challenges• HELPLINE:• Receiving 90,000 calls per month and have the capacity to only respond to 35%• Closure of cases on the Helpline meaning reduction in cost• Lack of ICT development (hardware and software) to keep up with global trends

• ADVOCACY &AWARENESS• Awareness Raising and the positive impact on prevention, knowledge and

awareness which reduces frequency of cases • Demands by community for awareness campaigns i.e. Schools heads, DA, seed

distribution, DAC, FBO’s - no budget for this

• CASE MANAGEMENT & FOLLOW UPS• Sensitatisation of Case Management approach with partners and stakeholders,

would result in more successful referrals and case closures• ‘Country wide Follow Ups’ - 840 cases from Sept 2011 to date – how to respond to

children who are calling out of the funded areas• Children losing faith in our service and our partnership with DSS

Solutions• DSS to sit on our helpline to ensure quicker case response and

closure – Currently working on this• Shifting of Helpline onto electronic record keeping system in all sites• Expand helpline services to cope with demand ICT equipment and

software support• SMS/web based counseling platform to cater more for disabled

children• Community sensitisation in Case Management Approach• Increased Awareness campaigns and sensitisation on Positive

Parenting• Strengthen partner capacity to provide referral services• Advocate for research with UNICEF/CCORE Impact of Helpline –

Preventing, Responding, Advocacy tool• Improvement of ICT systems• More information sharing on Cash Transfers and BEAM to

complement the PSS being provided Childline

THANK YOU ; TINOTENDA; SIYABONGA; OBRIGADO; MERCI

Any questions?