The Ministry of Health and Welfare is on course to establish 154 social welfare centers by next year to expand child protection services, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Su Li-chung (蘇麗瓊) said.
The ministry yesterday opened a two-day workshop on community violence prevention and the social safety net in Taipei for social welfare organizations, social workers, medical practitioners and police.
Su, who hosted the workshop, said that the Social Safety Net Reinforcement Project, approved in February last year, aims to establish 154 social welfare centers, recruit up to 3,021 social workers between last year and next year, and create a family-centered and community-based support system to help at-risk families and children, she said.
Local governments are already helping to reinforce the social safety net, but public participation from local communities is still needed, Su said.
People should not only report suspected cases, but also watch over each other and reach out to those in need, she added.
Changhua Department of Social Affairs official Hsu Fang-yu (許芳瑜) said that the “conventional mindset of not airing your dirty laundry in public” still affects victims of domestic violence.
Most cases do not get reported until they come to the attention of police, hospitals, social departments or schools, Hsu said.
The department in 2015 formed a community empowerment team of academics, specialists and social workers that put theory into practice, she said, adding that it formed community watch teams.
Male team members invited men from households where disputes were reported to drink tea and chat, so they could understand their thoughts and help them relieve stress, she said, adding that female members supported the women.
Reports of domestic violence by the general public have increased, showing that people are more aware of violence and are willing to take action, Hsu said.
The ministry urged people to call the government’s 113 national hotline with suspicions of domestic violence, sexual assault, negligence or abuse.
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