Social service process for children in need of protection discussed

An event titled “After a Report: The Invisible Story of Social Work with Children in Need of Protection in Istanbul” was organized by the Department of Social Work at Üsküdar University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The event addressed social service processes for children in need of protection, the concepts of neglect and abuse, and field practices.

The event, held at the Emirnebi Conference Hall on the Çarşı Campus, hosted Neslihan Çapar, Deputy Provincial Director of the Istanbul Directorate of the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

The program was moderated by Prof. İsmail Barış, Rector’s Advisor and Head of the Department of Social Work at the Faculty of Health Sciences. The opening speech was delivered by Prof. Abdullah Karatay, a faculty member of the Department of Social Work.

Neslihan Çapar: “Both are harmful to a child’s development”

Neslihan Çapar drew attention to the difference between neglect and abuse, stating: “Leaving a child alone at home, failing to provide the nutrition necessary for development, and not meeting basic needs are considered neglect. Abuse, on the other hand, involves mistreatment of a child by taking advantage of the fact that the individual is a child. Therefore, both are harmful to a child’s development. While awareness-raising can be effective up to a certain point in preventing neglect, abuse is a condition that has already turned into behavior. Abuse is one of the most important reasons for children being taken under protection.”

“We have difficulty placing children for adoption”

Referring to changes in the functioning of social service institutions along with changing social structures, Çapar said: “Today, most of the children in our institutions have living parents. The number of children without parents is quite low. For this reason, we have difficulty placing children for adoption,” drawing attention to the current situation in the field.

“The principle of the best interests of the child must be considered”

Emphasizing the importance of the principle of the best interests of the child, which is one of the fundamental concepts of social work, Çapar stated: “You must carry out all evaluations based on the principle of the best interests of the child. By activating the family’s strengths, you should gather information from all stakeholders involved in the child’s life, from doctors to teachers, in line with the child’s needs, and address the process through a multidisciplinary approach. At this point, working together with the child and the parents is of great importance.”

Prof. İsmail Barış: “Improving a child’s well-being is truly rewarding”

Prof. İsmail Barış, who moderated the event, offered professional advice to students approaching graduation, saying: “After graduation, you will begin your professional lives and experience the profession with both its rewards and challenges. Touching a life and improving a child’s well-being is truly rewarding.”

Prof. Abdullah Karatay: “We have defined ourselves through the process of protecting children”

Prof. Abdullah Karatay emphasized that children need protection in every period of life, stating: “The child is the entity identified as having the oldest and most historical need for protection in social life. Other social groups emerged later. Therefore, as a profession, we have defined and developed ourselves through the process of protecting children, later maturing and evolving toward the protection of other fields, and we are living the story of being an agent in building a good society.”

The event concluded with the answering of students’ questions, followed by the presentation of certificates.