Focus on training and improving the quality of staff working in population and child affairs at the grassroots level.

In the context of Ninh Binh province focusing on implementing the Vietnam Population Strategy to 2030 and new child protection and care programs, the team of grassroots population and child welfare officers continues to play a crucial role. They are the ones directly involved in the field, updating information, communicating policies, and supporting specific cases within the community. However, to ensure this force effectively meets the increasingly demanding requirements, improving their capacity and refining their operational mechanisms is becoming an urgent necessity.

Officials from the Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Population and Children exchanged communication skills with the team of population and children collaborators.

Over the past period, the team of officials and collaborators working on population and child affairs at the grassroots level in Ninh Binh province have made efforts to closely monitor their areas, serving as the central point for fully and promptly grasping population changes and information related to children; effectively implementing data updating, communication, and dissemination of new policies; and directly advising commune and ward authorities on handling emerging situations in the community. They are also the force directly reaching out to households, identifying cases of children at risk, pregnant women, women giving birth to a third child, or situations requiring intervention, helping the health sector and authorities develop practical solutions. Thanks to this proactive approach, many important indicators in the field of population, family planning, and child affairs in the province have been maintained stably; the rate of monitoring and managing population and child information in communes and wards reaches over 95% each year, contributing to ensuring the smooth operation of the data system for management.

The Ninh Binh Department of Population and Children, in coordination with the Ly Nhan Commune People's Committee, awarded scholarships from the Vietnam Children's Protection Fund to children in difficult circumstances.

However, the workforce involved in population and child welfare still faces several challenges and limitations. Professional qualifications are uneven, and the proportion of staff holding multiple positions remains high, while the pressure of tasks is increasing. Access to new knowledge on population, children, gender equality, and digital transformation requirements is limited, especially in mountainous areas. The workforce at the commune level and collaborators is constantly changing, hindering timely training and updating of communication and counseling skills. Many collaborators are older and have limited proficiency in using electronic devices, leading to uneven implementation effectiveness at the grassroots level, particularly for tasks requiring continuous monitoring and in-depth expertise.

In response to this situation, the Ninh Binh Department of Health and the Ninh Binh Population and Children's Sub-Department have proactively implemented numerous solutions to strengthen grassroots forces and improve management effectiveness. The focus has been on promoting training and professional development for population and children's officers in communes and wards, as well as collaborators in villages and hamlets, ensuring they are equipped with sufficient knowledge, skills, and up-to-date knowledge to meet current requirements.

Officials from the Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Population and Children are providing communication skills training to population and children collaborators in Nam Truc and Nam Minh communes.

The training programs are designed to be practical and closely aligned with the actual needs of the grassroots level. Content includes: updating on new policies regarding population and family planning, improving population quality, and reproductive health care for adolescents and young adults; while also equipping them with communication and counseling skills, as well as skills in identifying and supporting children at risk. Grassroots officials also receive detailed guidance on managing records, forms, and procedures for collecting and updating information to ensure the consistency and accuracy of data.

In particular, training courses on digital transformation in data management and electronic reporting are regularly organized, helping population and child affairs officials and collaborators gradually access modern working methods, meeting the requirements of administrative reform and improving the efficiency of population management in the province in the new phase.

Ms. Phung Thi Duc Hanh, Deputy Head of the Population and Children Department, Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Health, stated: Currently, the training content and skills prioritized mainly focus on requirements arising directly from practical situations at the grassroots level. The focus is on direct communication and behavioral change counseling skills for target groups; skills in handling situations in the community; and inter-sectoral coordination skills in supporting children, especially those at risk requiring timely intervention. Another priority is digital skills training, helping grassroots officials proficiently use population and child management software, reducing bureaucratic procedures and improving data accuracy. As a result, in some communes and wards, the time for compiling and submitting reports has been shortened by 30-50% after participating in training courses.

Training methods have also been innovated to increase effectiveness. Instead of one-way instruction, training courses are now primarily practical, combining case studies, communication simulations, and hands-on instruction in the classroom. In addition, online learning is flexibly applied, allowing grassroots officials to easily participate despite time and geographical limitations.

A collaborator from the Population and Children Affairs Department of Nam Minh commune shared information about the awareness campaign related to child abuse and injuries.

Participating in a specialized training session on children's rights and child protection skills in the community organized by the Population and Children Department, Ms. Nguyen Mai Chi, a population and children collaborator in Hamlet I, Nam Truc Commune, said: “Today's training session helped me understand more about the rights and responsibilities of children, as well as self-protection skills, preventing abuse and avoiding accidents and injuries. In reality, there are many specific groups of children, and many cases where children exhibit behaviors that require closer monitoring, so the requirements for legal knowledge and skills in working with each group of children are also higher. The training method, which focuses on practical exercises and situational discussions, helps us to absorb the information more easily and apply it immediately to our daily work in the community.”

Officials from the Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Population and Children are providing training on life skills and child abuse prevention to the team of population and children collaborators.

To further improve the quality of its staff and collaborators, the Provincial Population and Children Department has identified four key solutions to focus on in the coming period: continuous and in-depth training for each job title; promoting digital transformation and standardizing reporting processes; strengthening support for grassroots levels through orientation checks and online consultations; and advising on the improvement of policies on allowances and working conditions to create long-term motivation for staff and collaborators. Ninh Binh aims to build an increasingly professional team working in population and children affairs, meeting the requirements of the new era.

Khanh Chi - Hoang Tuan

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/chu-trong-dao-tao-nang-cao-chat-luong-doi-ngu-lam-cong-tac-dan-so-tre-em-tai-co-251208143058728.html