Meet calls for reforms in family policy

Meet calls for reforms in family policy

Reform of family policies is needed to ensure children's proper growth and development, according to a virtual conference organised to mark World Children's Day today.

The two-day "National Conference on Alternative Care: All Children Belong in Safe and Nurturing Families", which ends today, is being staged by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, CRC Coalition Thailand, CRC Alternative Care Thailand and Unicef.

Yesterday, participants agreed that proper parental care and family love were the key elements to support a child's development -- physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually. To achieve the goal, they said family policies should be reformed, adding that the results of the discussion would be integrated into a roadmap and jointly implemented with various stakeholders.

Kyungsun Kim, from Unicef Thailand, said the family was a natural environment for a child's well-being and protection. Therefore, it was crucial to ensure every child comes under family or family-based care and to connect vulnerable families to basic services.

"A child's well-being must be the primary consideration in all policies and decisions on childcare, which is why it is important to hear from them about their actual needs," she added.

She pointed to the opinions made by Thai children during pre-conference sessions on Nov 6-7 when said they required basic needs such as education, good health and development, as well as protection from domestic violence.

She also stressed the need to reconnect a growing number of Thai children not living with their parents either because they were in state care or living with other family members.

According to the National Statistical Office and Unicef's 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, the percentage of children living apart from their parents rose from 18% in 2005 to 22% in 2019.

Jatuporn Rojanaparnich, Children and Youth Department Director-General, said this mission to provide children love and security was in line with the 2017-2021 National Child Protection Strategy.

"The government aims to see every child grow up in a safe and nurturing family environment," she said.

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