TTLV: Child protection capacity of grassroots social workers in Hanoi.

1. Full name of doctoral candidate: Nguyen Thuy Trang 2. Gender: Female
3. Date of birth: December 5, 1978 4. Place of birth: Hanoi
5. Decision to recognize doctoral students: Decision No. 2775/QD-XHNV-DT dated December 31, 2020, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
6. Changes in the training process (if any): Decision on changing the title of the doctoral dissertation of PhD candidate Nguyen Thuy Trang, No. 2475/QD-XHNV dated September 8, 2022; Decision on extending the study period of PhD candidate QH-2020-X (first time), No. 5109 dated December 4, 2023, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
7. Thesis title: Child protection capacity of grassroots social workers in Hanoi.
8. Major: Social Work 9. Code: 9760101.01
10. Scientific supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thai Lan, Dr. Pauline Meemeduma.
11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:
This dissertation researches and evaluates the issues related to the child protection capacity of grassroots social workers in Hanoi through indicators of demographic characteristics, professional qualifications, knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to child protection among this workforce. Simultaneously, it provides information on global child protection competency frameworks, identifies gaps, and draws lessons from previous studies.
This study systematized the tools and concepts of child protection capacity among grassroots social workers. The research model was designed based on three competency theories/frameworks, including Ecosystem Theory, Learning Theory, and the ASK Competency Framework. The research methods employed combined qualitative and quantitative approaches: literature review, questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews, and expert consultations. Statistical data analysis and processing were performed using SPSS 2022 and thematic analysis.
The research findings present a diverse picture of job roles among social workers in the field of child protection, including child protection collaborators, cultural and social officers responsible for various areas including child protection, and social work officers/staff. Participants self-assessed limitations in certain knowledge areas related to case management, child protection programs and projects, and child protection procedures. Regarding child protection skills, social workers were weak in psychological counseling and emergency response skills. While social workers generally demonstrated a professional ethical standard, they still faced limitations in working hours, stress, fatigue due to shift work, and heavy workloads, which contributed to certain shortcomings in their work attitude. Despite this, service recipients, such as parents/caregivers, expressed satisfaction with the services and the attitude of the social workers.
Regarding the current state of child protection training, several shortcomings exist: training courses are not highly regarded due to the design of large, crowded halls, which is unsuitable for practical training requiring smaller classes; the training content is highly academic and not relevant to the practical work of child protection in wards and communes; and the teaching methods are traditional, primarily theoretical, and lack focus on practical application. Therefore, the training courses have not attracted the attention of ward and commune leaders or child protection officers. However, social work service providers have shown greater interest in these courses.
The study assessed the effectiveness of child protection work at three levels: prevention, support, and intervention. Prevention was carried out at a high level. Child protection collaborators primarily focused on disseminating information, identifying risks, and promoting child protection responsibilities, while socio-cultural officers and social workers mainly educated children on self-protection skills and equipped parents/caregivers with child protection skills. The ability to provide support differed depending on job positions between socio-cultural officers, social workers, and child protection collaborators. Similarly, intervention measures primarily targeted abused children and children in special circumstances. Child protection collaborators implemented interventions at a lower level compared to socio-cultural officers and social workers.
The study identified the difficulties faced by social workers in carrying out their work. These include low monthly income, work pressure, and a heavy workload that limits their participation in training courses and reduces their focus on their professional work; community indifference to children's problems; and a lack of cooperation from families with staff. The study initially presented social workers' assessments of several factors influencing their child protection competence, including: personal characteristics, education and training, work environment, and cultural factors. Personal characteristics strongly influence social workers' competence. With their experience in social work and child protection, social workers believe they will acquire new knowledge more quickly, such as understanding intervention procedures and accurately and promptly identifying children's problems.
Education and training significantly influence the child protection competence of social workers. The results of testing the differences in child protection competence levels across social work training programs show that the higher the training level, the higher the child protection competence of social workers. Social workers with specialized training in social work will achieve a professional level of child protection competence. The group of work environment factors also has a fairly strong influence on the child protection competence of grassroots social workers. In particular, new knowledge acquired at the workplace has a positive impact on child protection competence. However, administrative/work process factors such as numerous reports, frequent database updates on children, network congestion, and the time-consuming task of filling out complex forms hinder social workers in performing their duties.
Cultural characteristics also have a relatively strong influence on the child protection capacity of social workers. Several factors negatively impacting child protection capacity and hindering the detection of child abuse and violence include: shame, reluctance to disclose family matters, and the indifference of the public, community, and society. The community's hesitation and fear of repercussions also make it difficult to detect such incidents.
The study has proposed regulatory and policy solutions to address the difficulties faced by social workers in carrying out their work; solutions to enhance the child protection capacity of social workers; and recommendations for state management agencies, social work service providers, social work training institutions, and grassroots social workers themselves.
12. Directions for further research:
- Research on the differences in competency standards for child protection among social workers in schools, social service facilities, and community-based special care facilities.
- Research on the impact of policies on the child protection capacity of social workers.
- Research on capacity-building training programs for grassroots social workers in the child protection system.
- An experimental study of the competency framework for social workers in social service facilities in Hanoi.
13. Publications related to the dissertation:
- Nguyen Thuy Trang, Nguyen Thi Thai Lan (2023), “Child protection competence of social workers at communal level in Hanoi: Status quo and need for capacity building”, Make a difference social work without barriers in response to sustainable development and public emergency, ISBN: 978-604-315-116-9, pp. 91-108.

 

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS
 

The study has provided an overview of child protection competence issues, discussed global CPC frameworks, and highlighted research gaps. In Vietnam, social workers currently lack a CPC framework.
The thesis provides an overview of issues related to the child protection competence of groundswells social workers in Hanoi city through indicators such as demographic characteristics, educational levels, knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to child protection. Additionally, the thesis offered information on the global frameworks regarding child protection competencies, identified research gaps.
The study systematized tools and concepts related to the child protection competence of grassroots social workers. The research model was designed based on theories such as Ecological system theory, Social learning theory, and the ASK framework. Various research methods were used, including literature review, survey questionnaires, in-depth interviews, expert interviews and data analysis methods with SPSS 2022.
The research results show that the job positions of social workers in the field of child protection are quite diverse, including child protection workers, socio-cultural officers responsible for various areas including child protection, and social workers. The surveyed participants had the limited knowledge related to case management, child protection programs and projects, and child protection procedures. In terms of child protection, the social workers mainly rely on psychological counseling skills and crisis management skills. Regarding attitude, they had an appropriate attitude towards professional ethics standards but still struggled with work hours, stress, and fatigue from shift work, and heavy workloads, which could affect their work attitudes. However, service recipients such as parents/caregivers expressed satisfaction with the service and attitudes of the social workers.
Regarding the current situation of child protection training, there were still existing issues. Child protection training courses were not highly valued due to the large class size, which is not suitable for practical sessions; the contents of the training courses did not align with the actual child protection work at communal level; teaching methods were traditional and theory-focused rather than practical. Therefore, the training courses did not attract the attention and interest of local leaders as well as child protection officers. However, service providers in social work institutions show more interest in these courses.
The study evaluated the ability to carry out child protection work at 3 levels of prevention, support, and intervention. Prevention work was carried out at a high level. Child protection workers mainly focused on propaganda work, providing information, identifying risks, and promoting child protection responsibilities, while social workers and child protection officers mainly focused on educating children on self-protection skills and equipping child protection skills for parents/caregivers. The ability to provide support varies between the job positions of social workers, child protection workers, and child protection collaborators. Likewise, intervention measures mainly target children who had been abused and children with special circumstances. Child protection workers intervened at a lower level compared to social workers and child protection workers.
In addition, the study identifies the challenges that social workers were facing in the process of carrying out their work. These include low monthly income, work pressure, and workloads that limit their ability to attend training sessions and distract them from their professional work. The community's indifferent attitude towards issues affecting children and families, as well as a lack of cooperation with colleagues was also noted. The study provided an assessment by social workers on factors affecting their child protection competence, including personal characteristics, education and training, work environment, and cultural characteristics. Personal characteristics strongly influence the capacity of the social workers. With practical experience in social work and child protection, the social workers believed they could quickly absorb new knowledge, understand intervention processes, accurately and promptly identify issues affecting children.
Education and training had a strong impact on their child protection competence. The results show the differences in child protection competence at various social work training levels. The better level of social work training was gained by the participants, the higher ranges in their child protection competence were. Those who received specialized training in social work will achieve a professional level of child protection competence. The work environment factor had a significant impact on the child protection competence of groundswells social workers. However, administrative/mandatory work processes such as making numerous reports, updating the children's database information which was often slow and the completion of complicated forms took up a lot of their time and made it difficult for them to do their work.
Cultural characteristics also had a relatively strong influence on the participants' child protection competence. Some of the factors that negatively affect their competence and hindered the detection of abused and violent children include shame, embarrassment about disclosing family matters, and the apathy of people, community, and society. The community's fear of being implicated also makes it difficult to detect such cases.
The study provides solutions to regulations and policies to remove difficulties that the participants encountered during their work; to enhance their child protection competence; and offered recommendations for state management agencies, social work service providers, social work training institutions, and social workers at the groundswell level.
12. Further research directions
- A study on the differences in child protection competence standards for social workers in schools, social service facilities and special care facilities.
- A study on the impact of policies on social workers' child protection competence.
- A study on training programs to improve social workers' child protection competence at the groundswell level in the child protection system.
- An experimental study of a child protection competence framework for social workers in social service facilities in Hanoi.
13. Thesis-related publications
- Nguyen Thuy Trang, Nguyen Thi Thai Lan (2023), “Child protection competence of social workers at communal level in Hanoi: Status quo and need for capacity building”, Make a difference social work without barriers in response to sustainable development and public emergency, ISBN: 978-604-315-116-9, pp. 91-108.
- Nguyen Thuy Trang (2023), “Factors affecting child protection competence of social workers in Hanoi, Vietnam”, International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies. Vol.3 (4), pp. 272-276. ISSN: 2583-049X.