UNICEF Trains Auxiliary Social Workers in Osun on Child Protection Information Management System
.…Women Affairs and Child Protectors Commend Initiative and Call for Action….
By Abisola Ariwodola,
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has trained auxiliary social workers in Osun State on the use of the Child Protection Information Management System, CPIMS, to improve documentation and response to cases of violence against children.
The two-day seminar held at the SUBEB Conference Hall, Government Secretariat, Abere, had 90 participants. The training focused on data generation through the Child Protection Information Management System.
The Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Social Welfare, and child protection actors at the programme commended UNICEF for the initiative and called on all stakeholders to take action to protect children in the state.
Speaking during the training in Osogbo, the Child Protection Specialist with the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Dennis Onoise said CPIMS is an online platform used to generate and document information relating to child abuse and violence against children.
He explained that the system captures cases of physical violence, sexual violence, neglect, emotional and psychological abuse, or exploitation, which happens in communities daily.
According to him, the aim is to ensure that data on child protection issues in the state are properly recorded and available for planning and policy formulation. He noted that without data, it is difficult to know the statistics of abuse cases in the state within a given period.
Onoise said the training was a step-down session for selected Osun State auxiliary social workers who have experience in child protection work. He said they are being equipped to support the limited number of professional social workers in the country.
He noted that Nigeria has just over 10,300 social workers for a population of over 200 million, which he described as inadequate. He added that the training is being conducted in four states under the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, namely Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti and Osun.
The Child Protection Specialist expressed hope that after the training, Osun State will be active on the CPIMS platform so that cases reported between January and December can be tracked, including details such as type of abuse and location.
Onoise said the lack of data has affected proposal writing and government policy in the area of child protection. He added that the platform will make it easier for government to access information and drive interventions for violence against children.
He however expressed concern that previous trainings in the state did not yield expected reporting levels. He said about 30 people were trained previously but reports from the state have been low compared to other states, and he urged the newly trained social workers to document and report cases on the dashboard to help reduce the rate of child abuse in the state. That after the training Osun state can be on UNICEF dashboard.
In his remarks, the Directors of Child Development in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Social Welfare, Adebowale Sulaimon Rufai, said the state has been partnering with UNICEF on activities aimed at improving the welfare of children.
Rufai said the training is designed to equip participants to go to various communities and carry out their responsibilities effectively so that cases of abuse against children’s rights can be reduced. He added that with the knowledge gained, participants will be able to respond promptly to any case of abuse and take appropriate measures to address the situation.
On the link between CPIMS and the Violence Against Persons, Prohibition, VAPP Law, Rufai said the system will enhance implementation of the law. He explained that the training focuses on reporting of cases, and that aligns with the principle of “if you see something, say something” contained in the VAPP Law.
Rufai urged all stakeholders on child protection matters to work collaboratively to address harmful practices that are rampant in society. He stressed the need for passion and collaboration among partners, government agencies, and community actors to protect children.
Also speaking, a disability rights advocate in Osun State, Abdullah Fumilayo, commended UNICEF for organizing the CPIMS training. She said it will help improve documentation and response to cases of child abuse.
Fumilayo said she was happy to see other persons with disabilities in attendance, noting that it shows that the message of inclusion is being practiced in the state.
A social worker and civil servant in Osun State, Ayobami Abiona, also described the CPIMS training as a laudable and impactful programme for child protection. He said the system provides a proper channel for reporting information on child abuse to appropriate quarters and for generating data to guide action.
A programme officer with Value Reorientation for Community Enhancement, Oyetola Azeezat, described the programme as a good initiative that will help improve documentation of cases of gender-based violence and child abuse in Osun State. She however raised concerns about access to the platform and called for the training to be extended to more social workers and other sectors.
The Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Social Welfare UNICEF Programme Officer, Olumide Ajani, said CPIMS is a reporting mechanism and a plan for future activities on ending violence against children in Osun State. He urged participants to reciprocate UNICEF’s consistency with regular data capturing and feedback.
The CPIMS through the Digital Case Management (Primero), drives the transitioning of Nigerian social welfare frameworks to digital tools like Primero, an electronic protection-related information management platform. This system connects auxiliary social workers on the field directly to the National Case Management Dashboard under the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Abuja for real-time monitoring of abuse and harmful practices.