Protection training programme launched for psycho-socio workers

AMMAN — The National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) on Sunday launched a training programme for providers of social, health, psychological and educational services across the northern region of the Kingdom, to acquaint them with the unified national procedures for prevention and response in violence cases.

Running for a total of 20 days, the training will involve 20 specialists representing both governmental and non-governmental bodies working in the field of protection, where participants will be prepared to raise the competences of their colleagues and ensure that they respond to violence within a participatory approach.

Implemented with the support of UNHCR, the training aims to “create a common ground between specialists and workers in the field of protection, and ensure the integration of all procedures undertaken by the concerned institutions,” according to a press release by NCFA. 

“Our goal is to improve the efficiency of all service providers in the northern region,” head of the Family Affairs Unit at NCFA Hakam Matalqah told The Jordan Times on Monday, stressing that “the unified national procedures to deal with cases of violence have been recently developed, and it is essential to ensure their correct application on the field”. 

Asked about the implementation of similar activities in other areas of the Kingdom, Matalqah said that “trainings of the same characteristics were conducted last year in Amman, Zarqa, Salt and Madaba”, noting that the southern region will be targeted later this year. 

In a similar vein, the council has prepared a handbook on the National Consolidated Action against violence, which will serve as a tool to enhance the effectiveness of operational policies in the field of protection, improve the response to cases of violence, ensure the respect for the rights and wishes of the victim, and strengthen the protection system at the national level, Matalqah said.

 “The manual has been developed in cooperation with civil society organisations and several UN agencies, and it contains guidelines for the prevention and response to cases of gender-based violence, domestic violence and violence against children from the moment of discovery to the closure of the file,” he highlighted. 

The final version of the handbook has been reviewed and approved by all governmental and non-governmental organisations in the area of protection operating in Jordan, and it will be distributed among stakeholders within the next two months, according to Matalqah.