The social worker's role in the prevention of child abuse

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to propose a prevention programme whose curriculum is developed to cover Grades 1 - 6 of Primary Education in Malta. The programme is meant to be facilitated by social workers who are specialised in cases of child abuse. The objectives of this programme are to encourage children to become aware of their own senses and feelings; to train them in self-protection skills as well as to make them aware that they can seek help, and in most cases, can get away from abusive situations. Discussions are outlined that can be held by the social worker for parents and teachers so as to be informed of the programme and to ensure that all are aware of the opportunity it provides to develop a good sense and self defense programme for the children in the schools. A review of research literature on foreign and local prevention attempts supplements this programme. Various international educational programmes are presented in an effort to promote child abuse prevention, since schools have become increasingly involved in helping children to protect themselves. In Malta, child abuse prevention is still a recent development and so, when compared with other countries, I do feel that we must raise awareness regarding the importance of the prevention of child abuse. I believe that the prevention of child abuse should be given increased priority and, by implementing a prevention programme in schools, prevention can only be enhanced.